ELIZABETH COLLEGE pupils were given a masterclass in the English language yesterday by Poet Laureate Andrew Motion.

The acclaimed poet, critic, biographer and lecturer treated 20 Year 12 English literature A-level students to an informal workshop.

It was the second time Mr Motion, who began his agreed 10-year tenure in 1999, had visited Guernsey and he said he was always keen to get into schools to teach pupils about the art of the written word.

‘What I can do is persuade them that poetry isn’t something only dead people do – that you can have an almost ordinary life but with poems in it, or even at the centre of it,’ he said.

Mr Motion said poetry was present in all aspects of life – and accessible to teenagers on a daily basis, particularly through music.

‘Someone going home and learning all the lyrics to an Arctic Monkeys track is not that different – they are not totally isolated from each other,’ he said.

Mr Motion shared how he first started writing poetry and students had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss points such as personal influences.