This year's live-streamed
National Poetry Day workshops
Thursday 1 October 2026
This year's theme is Wonder.
Join poet, performer and Bloomsbury author Mark Grist for a full day of live-streamed poetry — three interactive workshops and two performances, one for each part of the school.
Every session is inclusive, curriculum-friendly and designed to get your class writing, with minimal setup on your end.
At a glance — our National Poetry Day timetable
Pricing
Choose the bundle that fits the number of classes taking part.
One login = one class for a workshop, or one screen for a performance.
| Time (UK) | Session | Age group |
|---|---|---|
| 9:05 – 9:50am | My Wonderful PoetTree | KS1 workshop |
| 9:55 – 10:45am | My Wonderful Guest | KS2 workshop |
| 11:20am – 12:15pm | Where Wonder Lives | KS3 workshop |
| 1:45 – 2:15pm | A World Full of Wonder | Primary performance |
| 2:25 – 2:55pm | Where Wonder Hides | Secondary performance |
Alternatively, if you would like to contact us regarding an invoice please send your request through our enquiry form.
Primary Performance - A World Full of Wonder
🕒 1:45pm–2:15pm UK time (30 minutes)
A joyful half-hour of poems and raps all about Wonder.
Mark shares some of his funniest, most playful pieces — packed with rhythm and rhyme — and shows younger writers how the everyday world is full of wonderful things if you know how to look.
Expect big energy, plenty of laughs, a chance to join in, and a live Q&A where children ask Mark their questions via the chat. Perfect for a hall, an assembly space, or your own classroom.
Secondary Performance - Where Wonder Hides
🕒 2:25pm-2:55pm UK time (30 minutes)
A sharper, faster half-hour for older students.
Mark — former English teacher turned performance poet, with over 80 million views online — performs poems and raps that dig into Wonder: not the childish kind, but the surprising and overlooked wonder in ordinary life.
He talks honestly about how he writes and why poetry still matters, then opens the floor to a live Q&A.
Ideal for KS3 and up, streamed to a hall or classroom.
KS3 Workshop - Where Wonder Lives
🕒 11:20am–12:15pm UK time (55 minutes)
A thoughtful, energetic workshop about finding wonder in the everyday places that shape us. Mark performs a poem about a place that matters to him, then introduces the list poem as a form.
Students learn how to use a list poem to celebrate a place that's offered them some small wonder — a bedroom, a street, a city, a football pitch — drawing on repetition, simile, metaphor and the five senses to build a moving snapshot of the ordinary places they know best.
A free worksheet is included.
KS1 Workshop — My Wonderful PoetTree
🕒 9:05am–9:50am UK time (45 minutes)
A joyful, gentle introduction to poetry for younger writers.
Mark performs a poem about his favourite things, then helps the children describe some exciting objects of their own.
Together we imagine burying these amazing objects in the ground and returning days later to find wonderful plants have grown from our objects — pupils will be led line by line through their own poem exploring their magical PoetTree with powerful adjectives and the different senses, eventually building up to their own incredible simile and resulting in a bright, origianic poem. A free worksheet is included.
KS2 Workshop - My Wonderful Guest
🕒 9:55am-10:45am UK time (50 minutes)
A fun, fast-paced poetry writing session about emotions, personificaiton and making the most of each day.
Mark performs a rap about making the most of today, then each child chooses one of five qualities to bring to life as a house guest — Kindness, Bravery, Creativity, Worry or Perfection.
Step by step, the students will write their own unique poem that personifies their guest and imagines how our homes and everyday surroundings change when this unusual visitor comes to stay.
There’ll be plenty of chances to share favourite lines with Mark along the way. A free worksheet is included.