Contents Three Stars Walk in My Shoes & If I Die Tomorrow Making Peas The Day I Got Stuck On the Run Ballad of Reading Jail Inauguration Day Obama Another Country Charlie Finn Stand and Fight Mum Hard on the Roadside Rest in Paradise Junior My Mum Cars Moving On Little Ann Valentine’s Day Hayley Lines & Partners in Rhyme Group Poem for Florin T Shaun D Meadows Peter A Deen A Simon N Jamal A Byron Leonard H Andy B Andy B Jamie J Jamie J Emily Leanne Callum & Liam Keith H William and John James C Richard C John Hegley 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 With thanks to: All the writers who have taken part; Gerry Thompson, Ben Bishop and Gavin Lombos for co-running workshops; poets John Hegley and Tim Turnbull for special workshops; Mike Morris, Kay Petherick and Clare Delamere for supporting the project at Reading YOI; Sue Sherrard at Reading Youth Offending Service; Suzi Liew at Cranbury College Pupil Referral Unit; Sue O’Hara, Sheila Perry and Kerri-Ann Billington at Reading St Leonards Approved Premise; Judy Munday at Thames Valley Partnership for funding support, Duncan McLarty at Radio Berkshire for co-running the project and Arts Council / BBC’s ‘Made in England’ scheme which enabled the project to take place. © Company Paradiso 2009 for the authors. No part of this collection may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from Company Paradiso, except for reviews or use in education. Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Get involved, contact us