Just found a whole pile of rough illustrations I did for ‘The hole in the wall.’ There was one pic. missing so I’ve just drawn another one, which brought back happy memories of making the original, on a course at Arvon many moons ago.
I wandered off into the garden at Totleigh Barton and discovered the wall and started to do bit of imagining, then a few sketches and the poem/verse just happened.
Months after that I tried to get it published with Oxford University Press children’s department.. I sent my sketches and one ‘perfected final drawing’ (I read that this is was one did in those days) to indicate I was a competent illustrator. I’m not, but I did get a distinction in art as part of my Teaching Cert. in the 70s. They had meetings and correspondence when to and fro, but finally they decided they wanted their own illustrator, which apparently is usually the case. Unfortunately the person I was dealing with left the company, they lost interest and it never happened. But my children and later the grandchildren loved it!
Click here to View The PDF You are welcome to download. Over the years teacher s have asked if if had been published. Well it has now.
Stop press I know have I have gone on about this poem but so much happened in a week. Thanks to my sons computer skills you also see and hear the poem as a page turning book
http://issuu.com/idltd/docs/theholeinthewall?e=17080665/12767743[/embed]
Thank you for listening if you do Ann
This was four pics to one A4 on the printer then laminated. 
Arvon I had always wanted to go to Arvon (centres for creative writing) and write poetry. But It was quite expensive and I was sure it would be full of competent poets and me just a beginner! In the end I opted for ‘Writing for children’ and what happened? I wrote a poem as well as another picture book.. However later learned that the modern poetry world don’t like rhyme anyway.
I was always on a very tight budget, a single parent, working and studying and constantly struggling. But I gathered up enough nerve to ask Arvon for a small grant and they gave me my fares! I was forever grateful. Now I am ‘a friend’ and contribute to funds for others to have ago.
In subsequent years, I have been to Arvon and The Poetry school in London (modest fees and wonderful) on poetry courses several times. All the courses have been much less scary than I had imagined. I guess I am an apprentice poet myself now and with some modest success. If you are an aspiring poet start saving now and don’t hestitate.
More poems on hppt annperrin.poetry.com about life, death, people places etc in a range of styles. Thanks to the internet anything is possible.
Know I have gone on about ‘The hole in the wall’ in this post but within a week thanks to my son everything regarding podcasts, making a page turning book, a pdf creating one has become possible.
