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
