Age 9+. Shortlisted for the CLPE Poetry Award 2011
Cuckoo Rock creates a magical, elemental, questioning journey in search of a lost tomorrow through fire, earth, air and water meeting lots of wonderful knockabout musical characters on the way in poetry that is various, heartfelt, witty, skilfully rhymed and beautifully rhythmic.
Cuckoo Rock overlooks Magical Valley, the potato caves and Cuckootown. It is the most wondrous, magical place. It is where Singing Nettles are heard by the Yaffling Tree, where the band Jasper, Jade and Jet play at Sparkling Pond and where The Cuckoo Man comes to meet Ivy from Ivybridge, Cool Julie Dooley plus Bobby Bangle and Billy Bling. It is a place where they all gather to dance and sing. It is also the place where Zenna the Mermaid and the mysterious Dream Gatherer watch the hilarious Splatfish and amazing electric fish light up the glimmering aqua-marine water. But darkness is on the horizon. Demonica, the evil Queen of the Demons wants to stop all the fun. Demonica -- with her vicious cat Woof, her three threatening ghosts and the gloomy giant Ogre Rock -- all cast a menacing shadow over the whole of the valley. And they have plans to make things worse. What can be done to keep the valley good and not let it all go bad?
Phil Bowen was born in Liverpool in 1949 where he taught Drama until 1979. He has worked as a full-time writer, performer and teacher since 1994. Work from his first full collection 'Variety's Hammer' was selected for The Forward Anthology of 1998. His biography of the Mersey Poets 'A Gallery to Play to' has recently been updated and republished by Liverpool University Press and he written four plays for the stage.
