Doncaster: Discover the Spirit

Andrew Fusek Peters

The Hayfield School played host on Wednesday, 5th March to one of the ‘Tall Poets’, Andrew Fusek Peters. Students from Armthorpe, Don Valley and Hall Cross Schools also attended, for a truly original performance!

Andrew was very relaxed, and totally ‘down with the kids’! (A quote from a Don Valley student, Gabrielle, who was in the audience!) He had the audience mesmerised, almost from the moment he began to speak, with his poem about a first kiss! Most of the poems he performed on the day came from his anthology ‘Poems with Attitude’. They were funny, sad and thought provoking in turn, covering topics such as love, relationships, smoking, drugs and unfortunate accidents with hamsters (yes, really!)

As well as his poems, Andrew read an extract from the opening of his new children’s novel, due to be published very soon, and featuring a skateboarding detective! He finished the reading of this on a real cliff-hanger, and then asked the audience to come up with suggestions for what might have happened next. He then demonstrated his own skateboarding talents! 

He discussed music, and played the didgeridoo, demonstrating the circular breathing techniques that this instrument requires, and then asking audience members to have a go.  One sixth former in the audience was actually quite successful at this. He even showed off his juggling skills, whilst reciting a poem, truly a man of many talents.

The audience reaction was fantastic, they all found him really inspirational. Here are some quotes from Don Valley students:

‘Andrew Fusek Peters was really funny. He made good jokes about anything really. He also played on his skateboard and didgeridoo (which he was very good at)’  - Andrew B, Y8

‘Andrew was funny and he told some awesome jokes’   - Sarah, Y8

‘He was a very funny man, his poetry is hilarious and so are his voices’  - Gabrielle Y8

The minute we got back to the library in Don Valley, his books were immediately borrowed by the students, which speaks for itself!

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