About
The Corona Collection – A Conversation poems by Cheryl Moskowitz
What have our children’s experiences been during this pandemic? How have they coped with lockdown? What do they want for the future?
In March 2020, poet Cheryl Moskowitz carried out a series of socially distanced doorstep interviews with children in her London neighbourhood. She wanted to know: How are they coping? What are their hopes for the world post Covid-19?
The conversations were so revealing that Cheryl expanded her search. She went into schools and spoke to the staff and children there. She also contacted parents. The result is The Corona Collection – A Conversation, an inventively illustrated book of poetry written to reflect the many perspectives of the children, parents and school staff Cheryl spoke to.
Created to inspire conversations
The collection has been created with the specific aim of inspiring ongoing conversations between children and their adults in these extraordinary times. The book has been produced in record time, and since the beginning of June 2020 hard copies are being printed and distributed to selected schools around the UK. The collection has also been adopted by the London Borough of Enfield as a central text for teachers to use with their returning Year 6 pupils. Cheryl’s hope is that the collection can continue to be made available to any and all schools who need it.
“Through poetry children can find their voices, share their dreams for the post-Covid-19 era as well as their fears. These poems will open the door for our pupils returning to school to reflect on their own stories and acknowledge the journeys they have taken over the past 14 weeks.”
Helen McGovern, Headteacher at Carterhatch Junior School, Enfield with whom Cheryl first began the conversation that inspired ‘The Corona Collection – A Conversation’
About the author
Cheryl Moskowitz is a performance poet, previously an actor and playwright, who regularly visits schools, performing her work and giving workshops. She is one of the UK’s pre-eminent children’s writing practitioners at work today, forging new and dynamic ways of engaging children in storytelling and literature, and involving teachers to ensure a lasting legacy in the hundreds of schools she has visited. Her unique three-and-a-half-year tenure as poet in residence at Highfield Primary School in Enfield broke new ground in her deep involvement and influence in all areas of the school community, and her children’s poetry collection Can It Be About Me? which drew on observations of life in a primary school, is on its third reprint.
She also co-founded the organisation Lapidus International (Writing for Well-being) and taught on the Creative Writing and Personal Development MA at Sussex University from 1996-2010. Other publications include her poetry collection The Girl is Smiling (Circle Time Press) and novel, Wyoming Trail (Granta). She lives in north London.
Resources for you
Whether you’re an educator or a parent, you can use the poems in The Corona Collection – A Conversation with your children to stimulate discussion and inspire new writing with the help of the resources on this website. View The Corona Collection – A Conversation in full, access teaching materials and keep up-to-date with the latest news.
We’d love to hear about the conversations you are having, and perhaps use them as a way of inspiring others. You can send them to us as audio, video or text. Get in touch for more details