David Horner

Fun facts:
I might be the original boy named Sue. So convinced were my parents-to-be that a girl was on the way, Susan was their choice, and they had not one boy’s name ready. Thank goodness my nana Horner came to my rescue.

With my son Ben I’ve completed Wainwright’s Coast to Coast walk, each of us picking up a pebble at St Bees and returning it to the sea in Robin Hood’s Bay, as custom required.

A poem of mine was once broadcast on BBC R4 and then chosen as an item on Pick of the Week. The title of the poem: Pigs.

When out jogging one evening, I was mistaken for the Olympic middle-distance runner, Steve Ovett.

While trekking in Nepal, I tried white water rafting and survived being thrown from the raft into the river – which was in full spate after very heavy snow and rainfall in the mountains. A long rope was flung from the shore for each of us to grab to be hauled to safety. Ironically the river was called the Upper Seti.

More about David:
David Horner taught English and Drama for 15 years. He went on to be an advisory teacher with Cheshire LEA for 6 years and then a freelance writer and storyteller for nearly 20 years. He has an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University.

David’s poems have appeared in many children’s anthologies (most satisfyingly when sandwiched alphabetically between Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes) and been featured on radio – even making it once onto Radio 4’s Pick of the Week. With his regular illustrator Anne Hodgkiss, he has also written and published 10 books of poems for children.

David has written regularly on creative writing in relation to young readers and writers in various educational journals. He has given readings and performances to audiences of all ages and abilities, provided INSET sessions across the UK and run workshops with children in over 1000 schools from Swindon to Singapore and Derbyshire to Dubai! Requests for return visits have meant a constant need for fresh ideas – ones that would work successfully in the limited period of a busy school timetable!

David is married to Judith, has two children and five grandchildren. He contributes regularly to Goodeyedeers, a joint venture with a local retired head teacher, publishing online material for teachers on the TES platform with all proceeds going to their chosen charity MedEquip4kids.