Local Poet Feature - Paula Matthews
Paula Matthews, is a local poet based in County Down, Northern Ireland. Paula is a qualified social worker who has worked in the field of childcare for nine years and has had a great deal of training in child development and communicating with children.
Our Story Ireland are delighted to be able to reveal the cover for Paula’s new collection of poetry ‘The Shadow Behind Me’ which is due to be published by Northern Ireland publisher Lapwing shortly. For more details on Lapwing please click here.
Paula lives with her husband and two small children aged three and five years and has found that motherhood has caused her to try her hand at telling stories for children as well as writing poems for adults.
Our Story Ireland will shortly be publishing one of Paula’s children’s stories ‘Inky-Dinky Dookey-Doo’ so do keep posted for more on this! This story comes from Paula’s own childhood experiences of playing with her grandmother and using the magic words Inky-Dinky Dookey-Doo to create a magic kingdom, where anything could happen, every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon.
Paula has overcome dyslexia and gone on to be a practicing professional and a creative writer. She attributes her love of writing to her grandmother, Ivy Millar’s, vivid imagination and excellence in story telling.
Ivy was better known to Paula and her sister as ‘Nanny-No’ because she shouted ‘No’ every time her little granddaughters sneaked around her house turning lights on. Paula’s new-found love of children’s books comes from her desire to make memories for her children, just like her Nanny-No did for her.
