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Looking like the back end of a bus?

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Utterly unrelated to public speaking! We have just opened a second centre in Jordan (the Kowloon version, sadly not the Middle Eastern!) To celebrate the event, we have commissioned a series of adverts with the Kowloon Motor Bus company. Years ago, I had a student for one of the Hong Kong Speech Festivals whose poem described his heaven as travelling on top of a bus. I suspect that the poem was inspired by the following quotation from scupltor, Henry Moore; "I was in a dream of excitement. When I rode on the open top of a bus I felt that I was travelling in Heaven almost. And that the bus was floating on the air." (accessed at artarchive.com) Travelling on buses is incredibly relaxing. You have a bird's eye view of the world and there is nothing you can do to affect the speed of your journey. We dash, panic, and bumble our way through life. Sometimes it is worth stopping to savour the moment and what better way that by Brandon Bus?

What the Dickens?

When I was a child, my Grandfather had an impressive collection of Charles Dickens' novels. Bound in Morocco leather with gold lettering, we were not allowed to touch them. Naturally, the second he was out of the room, we did, and I remember the misery of being caught and not knowing what was going to happen to Little Nell in the Old Curiosity Shop. I mention this because we, at Brandon Learning Centre, have just done a series of classes based on Oliver Twist. It is incredible how fresh the human emotion is after almost 200 years and how relelvant the social commentary is to today's society. Dickens can be daunting but it is worth bearing in mind that he wrote his novels as chapters and reading each one and then pausing is an excellent way to prolong the excitement. Read the chapters outloud, preferably around a roaring fire and feel the characters come to life! "> To hear me reading an extract from Oliver Twist (simplified) "> The real thing - a wonderf

Poppy - In Remembrance

The Reassurance - Thom Gunn About ten days or so After we saw you dead You came back in a dream. I'm all right now you said. And it was you, although You were fleshed out again: You hugged us all round then, And gave your welcoming beam. How like you to be kind, Seeking to reassure. And, yes, how like my mind To make itself secure.

Kung Hei Fat Choi! Poetry for Chinese New Year

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Chinese New Year is one of the happiest times in the calendar. Rather than dwelling on misfortunes, we look forwards with hope, optimism and determination. We look around us and appreciate the blessings given to us by our families, friends and colleagues. Traditional red fai cheun (red banners with traditional good wishes) hang everywhere. The good wishes are tailored to audiences (at Brandon Learning Centre we wish our students good progress with their studies!) We also make our own, less traditional fai cheun by writing acrostic poems. Here is how you do it: Choose a blessing for your family such as "happiness" or "peace" and write it vertically on a piece of red paper. For each letter, write a few words expressing your good wishes. Roll your paper into a scroll and tie it with a gold ribbon. Once you have finished your poem, you can read aloud and present the scroll to your family. P rosperity, joy and comfort E xcellence, progress and fulfillment A

'Twas the Night Before Christmas (The Arrival of Saint Nicholas) Part Two!

So now you are word-perfect and can whisk you way through the first part of this Christmas classic, shall we move on? (Steady with this line, make each word crisp so your audience can share in the excitement) More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and call'd them by name: "Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now! Prancer, and Vixen,( indicate with the voice, you are encouraging the reindeer so try to be upbeat) "On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Dunder and Blixem; "To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! "Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!" ( faster ) As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly,( don't stop here! You need to say these two lines together to make sense of them ) When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky; So up to the house-top the coursers they flew, With the sleigh full of Toys - and St. Nicholas too: And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof The prancing and pawing of each litt

Reviving traditions; Recitals for Christmas

Reciting for an audience is a skill that, once acquired, becomes addictive. The trick is for the reader to disappear, leaving the listeners entranced. One of the classic performance poems has to be "The Account of a Visit from Saint Nicholas" which is more commonly known as the "Night Before Christmas". Wikipedia has a fascinating article about the poem's disputed origins but we can all agree that it encapsulates the excitement felt as we immerse ourselves in the Christmas dream. There are many sources of this poem online and I thought that you might find it useful for me to add some reading (reciting) notes so you can enthrall your listeners this Christmas! See my notes in bold ... start quietly but clearly which will cause your listeners to lean in and become part of the story ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro’ the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nic

A poem about the postal service - how can that be entertaining?

As you post your Christmas cards, think about the journey they are about to embark on to reach their destination. The rather splendid 1936 documentary "The Night Mail" incorporated a poem by WH Auden set to the wondefully discordant music of Benjamin Britten celebrates the passage of the Night Train delivering letters. The poem has a strong rhythm and, if you listen to the recording of the original documentary, you will hear that it is a perfect echo of the sound of wheels on a track. If you are reading in public, pay attention to the speed of the third stanza and see if you can increase the speeed as the train zooms down the tracks. Your listeners will never look at the postal service in the same light again! Night Mail - W. H. Auden (1907 - 1973) This is the Night Mail crossing the border, Bringing the cheque and the postal order, Letters for the rich, letters for the poor, The shop at the corner and the girl next door. Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb: The