Janeen began playing around with words in her thirties. An avid reader, she began writing short verses for her own fun and that of her two young daughters.

An ‘accidental author’, Janeen has now been published widely across many genres, and as an award-winning author has had over 80 books published. Her main loves are picture books, short fiction and poetry. Her recent foray into the world of novel writing has met with great success with the release of That Boy, Jack.

Janeen writes both rhyming and free verse and sees her rhyming verse mainly as her vehicle for humour. Her work has appeared in 16 anthologies and over 150 of her poems have appeared in children’s magazines both nationally and in USA. She’s also been shortlisted or won awards for both her children’s and adult poetry.

Three books, Silly Galah, Its and Bits of Nature (reprinted as Nature’s Way) and By Jingo! are picture-poetry books, while The Super parp-buster, Columbia Sneezes, Shirl and the Wollomby Show, I Spy Dad, I Spy Mum, I’m A Dirty Dinosaur are picture books told in rhyme.

Another picture-poetry book, Our Village in the Sky, illustrated by Anne Spudvilas will be published by Allen & Unwin in 2014.

www.janeenbrian.com.au
janeen@janeenbrian.com
11 Short Ave, GLENELG EAST SOUTH AUSTRALIA 5045
Phone / Fax: (08) 8294 5703

Some poems follow the below covers.

THE REALLY BIG SNEEZE ©

A sneeze is simply

a remarkable snizzle

that starts with a fizz

and becomes soon a frizzle.

It tetches the toes

with a tingling shiver

then lightningly, tighteningly

springs to a quiver

that itches and snitches

the skin round your nose

and your eyes are all spilling

like some leaky hose

and your face has gone suckery

pulled-in and puckery

for the snizzle

is now spinning stars in your head

and they’re flashing and splashing

a dizzy, bright red

and you draw back your lips

like you’ve sucked sour plums

and out in the air

an explosion just comes

that shatters and splatters

the air like a rocket – and where is that hanky

that’s deep in your pocket?

And you squint and you blink

and you sink to your knees

and exhausted, you mutter,

‘Now, that was a sneeze!

© Janeen Brian

THE LETTER-NOTE

Along the message

the snail slides

deciphering

the letterbox-note.

Please come to lunch tomorrow,


Love


Jane.


Why wait? wonders the snail

and begins to dine on letterbox-note

till nibbling is complete

and diner disappears

leaving just the smallest, shiniest trace

of silver service.

© Janeen Brian

CHOOKS

Chooks in the

chook yard

          dust flick

         scratch scratch

         pick peck

         chook chat

Chooks on the

roosting rail

         claw grab

         bottom squat

         feather fluff

         chook croon

 Chooks on the

pen roof

        air stare

        primp preen

       strut smart

       chook squawk

you chooks

in the chook yard

on the roosting rail

and on the pen roof

get into the nesting boxes

now

and

LAY SOME EGGS!

© Janeen Brian