James Carter Travels in Time James Carter is a poet and guitarist. He is also a popular visitor to Primary schools all over the UK where he gives poetry/guitar performances and workshops. His latest book, Time-Travelling Underpants, can also be bought as a CD, featuring James reading his poems and playing his guitar. Also watch out for his last book, the wonderful Cars Stars Electric Guitars published by Walker Books. A garden shed, a garden shed, my head is like a garden shed : it's full of junk and flower pots, wellie boots and who knows not - No, really though, my head is crammed you can't get in, the door is jammed : with things I've seen, things I've said things I've done and things I've read Plus everything I've thought about - . . . if I was you - I'd just keep out !! Eleven Things you probably never knew about ... James Winston Henry Carter (what are you sniggering at?) was born November 27, 1959. He can't remember a single thing about it. Alice is James' strange but loveable cat. Or, more likely, James is Alice's strange but loveable owner. When they first met in the pet shop, Alice the month-old-kitten jumped onto James' shoulder. She still does this. Mmmm...what else? James lives in Oxfordshire with his wonderful wife, Sarah, and two delightful daughters, Lauren and Madeleine, and not to forget the-cat-that-thinks-it's-a-parrot. Every time he visits a school, children ask 'Where do you get your ideas from?' - to which he replies that he gets his ideas from the magic wood at the back of his house. Seriously though, James believes there is a magic wood - your imagination - which takes things from your life, things you've done, seen, daydreamed, remembered - and turns these into poems. Of the poems in Time-Travelling Underpants, his new book, White Horse is based on a dream he had about the white horse carved into the chalkhill at Uffington. 'Reindeer Haikus' was inspired by the reindeer skeleton in the Natural History Museum in Oxford. The tiitle poem came from watching Doctor Who. Some poems, like 'The Big Things'and 'Empty Bucket', are true stories. Catching an idea when it comes, James believes, is essential. This is why he has an envelope in his pocket at all times - and because he heard that Paul McCartney wrote the lyrics to Hey Jude on the back of an old envelope. Always listening to music, James' particular faves include The Beatles, Tom Waits and XTC. James feels that songs are like little poems wrapped up in music. Reading (not Reading!) is something that he has always been mad about. As a boy he loved comics and TinTin books. Trains are where he does most of his writing. James visits Primary schools all over the UK, so catches many trains. If you see someone sat on a train writing a poem on an envelope, that could - just could - be him. Electric guitars have been a lifelong passion. In fact, James takes his guitar (called Keith, of course) with him to play during his poetry performances. He likes doing this a) because it's great fun and b) it frightens the teachers a bit. He encourages children to bring along their air guitars and join in. Reading (not reading!) is where James was born. He still can't remember anything about it. He wonders if Alice remembers that time in the pet shop... Why not do an acrostic of your own name? Take a Poem Why not take a poem wherever you go? pop it in your pocket nobody will know Take it to your classroom stick it on the wall tell them all about it read it in the hall Take it to the bathroom tuck it up in bed take the time to learn it keep it in your head Take it for a day trip take it on a train fold it as a hat when it starts to rain Take it to a river fold it as a boat pop it in the water hope that it will float Take it to a hilltop fold it as a plane throw it up skywards time and time again Take it as you need it take it anywhere take it now or leave it but please take care Tips for young writers Keep a notebook at home. Put all kinds of stuff in it - ideas, poems, doodles, thoughts, memories, little stories. Try and write something in it every day. Don't show it to other people - just keep it as your private writing place. If you want ideas for poems, find somewhere quiet and daydream for a while. See what ideas come to you. If nothing comes, why not try writing something that begins "I wish..." "I remember..." "When I was..." "100 years ago... " "Once when..." Sometimes you can start to write a poem before the idea is ready to be written out. So it's good just to think and ponder over your idea first. With a bit of luck, other ideas will come along too. Once you've written a new poem and you feel you can't do any more to improve it, leave it for a while - say a week or so. Then come back to it fresh and see what needs to be done next. In your first draft, don't worry about spellings or handwriting or punctuation, just get your ideas down. You can sort out all the spellings etc. later on. Computers are very useful when writing poetry - especially shape poems. I couldn't have done my Electric Guitars poem without my PC. Except for shape poems, it's best if you can write your poems first by hand and then later put them on the computer. Computers can make poems look too good too soon. Where do ideas come from? Two places - a) our memories and b) our imagination. Think of something that has happened to you and change it around so that it becomes a fiction. Use it in a poem. The Dark Why are we so afraid of the dark? it doesn't bite and doesn't bark or chase old ladies round the park or steal your sweeties for a lark And though it might not let you see it lets you have some privacy and gives you time to go to sleep provides a place to hide or weep It cannot help but be around when beastly things make beastly sounds or back doors slam and windows creek or cats have fights and voices shreek The dark is cosy, still and calm and never does you any harm in the loft, below the sink it's somewhere nice and quiet to think Deep in cupboards, pockets too it's always lurking out of view why won't it come out till it's night? perhaps the dark's afraid of light Winning poem of the 2001 Raymond Wilson Poetry Competition For younger children - check out Hey Little Bug Bye for now... .back to top