Illustration: Julia Kerrison, Forgotten Planet

‘The climate crisis is affecting our lives now more than ever, from aggressively changing weather patterns, to entire species disappearing. But there is hope,’ so reads the premise of collaborative poetry anthology, Forgotten Planet. Whether it’s limiting our plastic use or protesting outside Parliament, all our lives have been affected. For us adults, we’ve an array of platforms available to have our voices heard, be it social media, blogs, vlogs - we find no barriers when it comes to getting our opinions out there and promoting planet-conscious choices. But what about the kids?

That’s where Forgotten Planet Poetry comes in.

Falmouth University students Rhianna Gibbs and Katie Dimech began Forgotten Planet in their final year, as part of their assessment. After seeing the uprising in youth protests on climate change, and their engagement with conservation, the idea for Forgotten Planet was born. A collaborative poetry anthology, it features poems written not only by themselves, but with a collection of incredibly gifted 9-11 year old students from Marlborough Primary School.

’We went into Marlborough not quite knowing what to expect, but the children really surprised us with how much they already knew about climate change and what’s happening in the world,’ says Katie, ‘the entire process was just brilliant.’

Rhianna and Katie put together a workshop, engaging the children in climate change issues and teaching them various poetry writing techniques.

‘By the end of the workshop, the children had all written at least one poem,’ comments Rhianna, ‘we even had some raps and songs which the children performed for us, which was delightful. So much damage has been done to our planet, but it gives us hope to see how passionate our younger generations are to save it.’

The end result is a beautiful book, which the team self-published. It contains 24 poems; 20 of which are written by the extremely talented group of young students. You’d be surprised at some of the content; clearly the children are passionate about preservation, with their poetry highlighting some devastating realities the planet now faces. You’ll even find some political commentary.

Alongside these, local illustrator Julia Kerrison provided some gorgeous illustrations, using the students poetry as direct inspiration.

Since their assessment concluded, Forgotten Planet continues to grow. The children hosted their own poetry reading for fellow students at their school, whilst Rhianna and Katie hosted a launch event at the University. The book was such a hit that they’ve since completed a second print run, and copies are selling out already. ‘To have the book in our hands at the end of it, with our names on the front, is the most incredible feeling. I can’t wait to see where we go next with it.’ claims Rhianna.

Looking to continue to work with local primary schools, the dream is to have a much larger anthology, containing more young voices and fantastic artwork.

Katie remarks, ’We really value being able to give children the chance to have their say on something this important, so to keep working and giving that chance to an even larger number of children would be amazing.’

You can follow their ongoing work through their Instagram: @forgottenplanetpoetry, and you can purchase a copy on their online store, https://forgottenplanet.bigcartel.com.

Take a peek inside the pages below.

Artwork; Julia Kerrison, Forgotten Planet Poetry.

Words/Photos: Katie Dimech, Rhianna Gibbs, and students of Marlborough School, Forgotten Planet Poetry.

Rhianna Gibbs & Katie Dimech / Forgotten Planet Poetry