Talking Turkeys

A reissue of Talking Turkeys by street poet Benjamin Zephaniah.

Talking Turkeys is an unconventional collection of straight-talking poems about heroes, revolutions, racism, love and animal rights, among other subjects, that will entice many new readers to poetry. It is his very first ground-breaking children's poetry collection - playful, clever and provocative - this is performance poetry on the page at its very best.

Benjamin Zephaniah was born in Birmingham and then spent some of his early years in Jamaica. He came to London when he was 22 and his first book of poetry for adults was published soon after. He appeared regularly on radio and TV including a Desert Island Discs appearance, literary festivals, and also took part in plays and films. He was most well-known for his performance poetry with a political edge for both children and adults and gritty teenage fiction.
His collections Talking Turkeys, Wicked World and Funky Chickens broke new ground in children's poetry. He was the only Rastafarian poet to be short-listed for the Chairs of Poetry for both Oxford and Cambridge University and was listed in The Times' list of 50 greatest postwar writers. He passed away in December 2023 at the age of 65.