On a stream of wonder. Lily, 9, has poetry published

When the diminutive figure of the seven-year-old Lily first attended The Writer’s Room, on Alice Bromell’s recommendation, she was the youngest ever to join our weekly group. Any concerns about her age soon melted away as her dazzling talent shone from the pages of her doodle-laden notebook. Within the space of two weeks, I produced videos of Lily reading a poem and singing her song, ‘I’m powerful the way I am,’ for Creative Walden’s YouTube Channel.

Later that year, Lily became a published poet, and recited her poem, ‘On a stream of Wonder,’ at the Tourist information centre in Saffron Walden town square, at the public book launch of The Writer’s Room volume 2.

In 2022, Lily’s poem Violet was selected for an exhibition at the History Museum in Saffron Walden, and she also performed a Christmas song, composed by herself, and the other young writers, with singer songwriter Ellie Grace, at a live music event in Saffron Walden.

Lily has starred in our Lockdown TV YouTube show, reading poems and, in one slapstick scene, she gleefully squidged a custard pie in my face, which she found hilarious.

A wonderfully gifted young writer, Lily delivers delightfully crafted intimate vignettes of life. She writes from a heart untroubled by the crippling self-censure of so many of her peers and has an insightful maturity that is way beyond her nine years.

Her brave and charming poems are woven through with an innocent hope that dances through your mind, instantly conjuring up the splendour and thrill of childhood. It’s certainly one of the most uplifting projects we’ve ever done.

You can purchase Lily’s poems in paperback and e-book. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stream-Wonder-Poems-Frisenda-Thomas/dp/B0BW2GFQL8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1STLKE18O6JMF&keywords=lily+frisenda&qid=1678207093&sprefix=lily+frisenda%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-1