Moving Poetry

One book to be read two ways!

• A delightful collection of children’s poems.
• Ideas on inspiring creativity in young people.

160 children took part in poetry writing workshops led by a group of Hong Kong’s foremost poets. Their poems shed an intriguing light on life in Hong Kong, seen by a new generation.

This anthology has a particular significance for parents and teachers. It shows that using English freely and creatively is an important step towards full command of the language.

The poet-editors convey the fun of this venture and explain the techniques used to encourage the children’s natural creativity. Their essays provide a source of ideas for teachers interested in exploring creative writing.

Another section of poems by the poet-teachers and undergraduate assistants drawn from the creative writing classes at the University of Hong Kong provides added pleasure for the poetry lover.

This collection, showcasing the talents of budding young Hong Kong poets, projecting their powerful and diverse voices into the future, is for people who enjoy poetry and for those who wish to nurture the natural creativity of children.

Shirley Lim’s Crossing the Peninsula (1980) received the Commonwealth Poetry Prize. Chair Professor at the University of Hong Kong and professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Lim has published four other poetry books, three short-story collections, and an American Book Award winning memoir, Among the White Moon Faces. Rey Chow praises her novel Joss and Gold as “elegantly crafted, placing Lim among the most imaginative and dexterous storytellers.” Page Richards did work at Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania before getting her Ph.D. in literature at Harvard University. She received a degree in creative writing from Boston University. A recipient of awards from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and the Harvard-Danforth Center, Richards is a published poet and critic, and a long-time performer. She currently teaches drama, creative writing, and American literature at the University of Hong Kong.

“Beautiful poems, an admirable project.” —Kenneth Koch, Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, author of Wishes, Lies, and Dreams

“From a uniquely vibrant place, where ancient cultures coincide with one another and with our planet’s future, comes this collection of poems: energetic, surprising, direct, subtle—in a word, moving. The volume brings together the fundamental art of poetry and the transforming spirit of youth.” —Robert Pinsky, Professor of English at Boston University, Poet Laureate of the United States 1997–2000

“Moving Poetry is an ambitious and heartening collection, sometimes funny, sometimes melancholy, invariably expert. It proves once again the value of encouraging young people to stretch their imaginations, and proves how great is the benefit to us all.” —Andrew Motion, Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, Poet Laureate of Great Britain