Paul was 2013/2014 Poet in residence at the ROALD DAHL MUSEUM, as well as giving special performances and workshops, Paul actually had to sit in Roald Dahl’s chair and write poems! Paul Lyalls’ work is funny, fast-moving, hip, accessible, rhythmic, clever and real. Paul has gigged many unusual places including Arsenal FC’s dressing room to a variety of shops in the N1 London Shopping Centre. He has run hundreds of workshops . in secondary and primary schools, youth projects and prisons. As a performance poet and spoken word artist, Paul has gigged 10 Edinburgh Festivals and many prestigious venues in cities as diverse as New York to Belfast. His new children’s collection ‘A Funny Thing Happened’ – which has an introduction by Michael Rosen, features 52 brilliant poems aimed at anyone aged 5 – 105!
In 2008 Paul was Poet for the London Borough of Brent, becoming the first poet to perform at the New Wembley stadium. Paul presented and starred alongside former World Poetry Slam Champion Kat Francois in the BBC/CBBC television programme ‘The Big Slam Poetry House’.
He has 2 poems published in the New ‘Michael Rosen’s A-Z of poetry’ (Penguin/puffin).
Paul’s new ffull collection, ‘Catching the cascade’ – Flipped Eye is available from bookshops and Amazon and was nominated for the 2012 Peoples book prize. – Glowing reviews of Paul’s new book can be found on the what they say page of this site.
He has performed with Will Self, Kate Tempest, John Hegley, Miranda Hart, Roger McGough, John Cooper Clarke, Andrea Leavy, Rasta Mouse, George Best and yes, Michael Rosen. More unusual gigs have included opening for ‘The Libertines’ and appearing on the national news, as a result of a scheme to bring poetry to the masses in which Paul performed on a regular working No73 bus as it wound it way through central London to Oxford St.
Paul offers over 20 years experience as live poet, working with children and adults. He has successfully held his own, at Edinburgh’s notorious late night Fringe club (back in its bear pit days) to captivating Reception class (for the whole of the morning). In 2011 Paul wrote The London Borough of Haringey official Olympic Poem ‘The everyday Olympians’. Paul was an official 2012 Olympic ‘Shake the Dust Poet’. Paul was one of the 2012 smile London Poets, his Poem ‘Shakespeare versus spiralling global obesity’ was shown as a short film on the London underground to 1.8 million commuters per day (but not all at the same time). He has also written poems for The NATIONAL TRUST and an official Poem for Oxford!
Paul’s poems have appeared in such diverse places as ‘The Poetry Box 111 poems for Children’ (published by Klept-Germany 2012) – The Independent Newspaper & the Museum of Oxford. In 2013 Paul was Poet in Residence for the London Borough of Islington’s word 2013 month long celebration of all things words and helped Arsenal Football Club celebrate their 100th birthday , by performing on their pitch & in their dressing room. Two books were produced in collaboration with young people in the area ‘twinkle Twinkle little bus (for under 5’s) and ‘Words are Birds’ (All ages) both are available from All change Arts. Paul (Through New Writing South) ran a 2year creative writing experience for teenage writers at the Oxford Story Museum, Oxford. 2015 saw Paul spend a year as Poet in Residence for the Museum of Oxford visiting schools, performing and working with the public and writing an official poem for the city ‘We didn’t start the shire‘. In 2016 he is one of the poets residence in the acclaimed Spine festival. 2019 sees Paul being Poet In Residence at Thornhill Primary School (7th year in a row) as well as Heartlands Secondary and being Poet for Word Summer 2019 Islington as well as being part of Betjeman Poetry Prize.
Paul Lyalls – Live in Performance – YouTube
New Writing South hosts Rail Rhymes Performance Poetry …