POET & YA AUTHOR

Michelle Taylor was born in Brisbane in 1968, and grew up in Darwin and Brisbane. More recently she has lived in Suffolk, Glasgow, London and the island of Madeira in Portugal. She has been writing and publishing for fourteen years.  Michelle particularly enjoys taking poetry to young audiences and is a popular choice as a performer and workshop leader in schools and at literary festivals.

Michelle has had hundreds of engagements as a performer and trainer. These include writers’ residencies at schools, appearances at many of Australia’s leading literary festivals, readings everywhere from cafes to churches to parliament house to pubs, and teaching at places like Access Arts, QWC and RMIT. 

Michelle also has a degree in occupational therapy with many years experience working with those with mental and emotional health problems.

She was involved in a programme titled Follow Your Dreams where she gave motivational talks to high school students in 50 schools throughout Queensland. These incorporated Michelle’s poetry and were presented to audiences of 20-1200. 

Speaking Experience

She has conducted workshops and written conference papers on the uses of creative writing to empower individuals for writing groups, hospitals and universities in Australia, England and Scotland.  She has published over 200 poems, articles and reviews, and her books have been set as texts on school curriculums here and in Britain.

In her school sessions, Michelle performs her poetry for the students, testing out ideas with them in an interactive way, and asking them for their stories. She wants students to know that poetry can be fun, and doesn't always have to be serious.

Awards Michelle has received many awards including: An Australia Council Literary Grant to write If The World Belonged To Dogs; If Bees Rode Shiny Bicycles was voted one of the Top Titles for 2003 by The Australian Centre for Youth Literature; Australian Family Therapists Award for The Angel Of Barbican High as a book useful for therapists; Harri Jones Memorial Prize (for an Australian poet 35 years or under whose work in the field of poetry is judged to be outstanding); Arts Queensland Individual Writers Grants to write If Bees Rode Shiny Bicycles and The Angel Of Barbican High; Shortlisted 2000 QLD Premier’s Literary Awards - Emerging QLD Author for The Angel Of Barbican High; Varuna Writers Centre 3 week Fellowship and a Poetry Mentorship Fellowship; First Prize 1994 ABC Radio National Poetry Competition, Second Prize 2000 Arts Queensland Award For Unpublished Poetry, Shortlisted Stand International Poetry Competition 1997

Session Information

Michelle specialises in performance poetry, with interactive gigs for preschool through to high school. Her workshops use creative writing to promote self awareness and self confidence. Michelle's presentations allow a high level of interaction with the audience. Her desire to toss away preconceptions of poetry and fears and allow young and old opportunities to reclaim poetry as their own – as something  which can bring some magic into their lives, which can allow them to express themselves more fully and to appreciate themselves and the world around them with new wonder.

Michelle says "At the end of one of my sessions, I want participants (young or old) to go away energised from interacting with creative writing, and to feel empowered by words and their endless possibilities in their lives." 

Michelle is currently undertaking a Master of Arts at QUT titled ‘The Monster Chronicles’, involving the writing of a novel and an exegesis researching the uses of monsters in stories to empower children and manage fears.

For more information on Michelle and her work, view her publisher's site at UQP.