Patten, Brian

(1946- )

   Born in Liverpool, he made his name in the 1960s as one of the "Liverpool Poets" longside Adrian Henri and Roger McGough (see entries). Their joint anthology, The Mersey Sound (1967), brought poetry to a new audience. His poems are a mix of seriousness and humor and have been translated into many European languages. He writes for adults and children and his children's novel, Mr. Moon's Last Case (1975), won an award from the Mystery Writers of America Guild. His collection for children, The Blue and Green Ark: An Alphabet for Planet Earth (1999), won a Cholmondeley Award in 2002. He edited The Puffin Book of Twentieth-Century Children's Verse (1991). He splits his time between London and Devon and has been honored with the Freedom of the City of Liverpool. Some of his other poetry publications: Little Johnny's Confession, 1967. Vanishing Trick, 1976. Love Poems, 1981. Storm Damage, 1996. Armada, 1996. Some of his poems: "After Frost," "How the New Teacher Got Her Nickname," "The Beast," "The Complacent Tortoise," "What Happened to Miss Frugle," "Where Are You Now Superman?"

   Sources: Amazing Monsters: Verses to Thrill and Chill. Robert Fisher, ed. Faber and Faber, 1982. British Council Arts (http://www.contemporarywriters.com). Everyman's Book of English Verse. John Wain, ed. J.M. Dent, 1981. Fine Frenzy: Enduring Themes in Poetry. Robert Baylor and Brenda Stokes, eds. McGraw-Hill, 1978. The National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.org.uk). Poemhunter (www.poemhunter.com). The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). The New Exeter Book of Riddles. Kevin CrossleyHolland and Lawrence Sail, eds. Enitharmon Press, 1999. The Oxford Book of Story Poems. Michael Harrison and Christopher Stuart-Clark, eds. Oxford University Press, 1990. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 6th edition. Margaret Drabble, ed. Oxford University Press, 2000. The Oxford Treasury of Children's Poems. Michael Harrison and Christopher Stuart-Clark, eds. Oxford University Press, 1988.