We are over the moon to announce that we have acquired world rights in our first poetry collection for children, Daydreams and Jellybeans by South Wales poet Alex Wharton, publishing in spring 2021.
Alex is a senior building surveyor when he isn’t busy writing or performing poetry for both adults and children. He said ‘I am delighted that my collection of children’s poems Daydreams and Jellybeans will be published with Firefly Press. It’s a marvellous opportunity on the quest of connecting people with words. Knowing my poems will reach a wider audience makes me happy – and I hope they spark curiosity and happiness in the people they find.’
Alex has also won the inaugural 2020 Rising Stars Wales Award, an award held in partnership between Literature Wales and Firefly Press, which gives children’s poets from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds based in Wales the opportunity to further develop their skills and writing for children. The runners-up to the award were Sadia Pineda Hameed and Taylor Edmonds.
Firefly Publisher Penny Thomas said, ‘Alex’s poetry is both funny and reflective, and is perfect for primary school-age children, inspiring we hope a love of words, poetry and reading. We feel very lucky to have signed such a terrific collection and hope it will be hugely popular in homes and schools around the UK.
‘It’s also very exciting that the Rising Stars Wales Award, run with Literature Wales and sponsored by Quarto Translations, should have showcased three such inspiring poets right away. We hope this is just the beginning and we aim to be able to publish an anthology of Rising Star poets from Wales in the not-too-distant future.’
Daydreams and Jellybeans will publish in spring 2021.
Find out more about Alex Wharton and read some of his poems here.
For rights enquiries contact margot.edwards@rightsconsultancy.co.uk
For media enquiries contact megan.farr@fireflypress.co.uk