Brian Conaghan

Brian Conaghan joins us for an Authors Live event focusing on his novel Cardboard Cowboys. Full of heart and Brian's trademark humour, Cardboard Cowboys is a poignant and life-affirming story that follows an unlikely friendship between a young bullied teen and a man who lives in a cardboard house. In this event, Brian discusses his writing and the novel's key themes of body image, bullying, and friendship. We also learn about the haikus in the book, and get top tips from Brian on how to write your own haikus.

If you only do one thing...

We know time is tight so here is just one activity you could do with your class before or after watching the event.

Write a haiku (LIT 2-20a)

Follow along with Brian’s explanation of a haiku (roughly 16 minutes in). Brian explains how haikus work – the first line is 5 syllables, the second is 7 and the last is 5 again. Top tip for counting syllables: put your hand under your chin, say your word aloud, and count the number of times your mouth goes down!

Want to try your hand at another poetry form? See below to find out how to write a rondel poem with Joseph Coelho!