Making the Invisible Visible

Wheelsong Books has been publishing and selling books since 2020. What started as a very small operation in South West England has now blossomed into a multi-platform movement of online groups, live roadshows, video broadcasts and global publishing including two very successful anthology series. All of the efforts are focused on raising funds for the global relief work of Save the Children. 

The charity delivers aid to children in some of the most poverty and disaster stricken areas of the world. Save the Children not only provides aid in the form of food and medicine, as most other relief agencies do, but it also goes an extra mile, and builds capacity through educational provision in hard-to-reach areas, greening and building projects and protection from human trafficking. It's a huge operation, and requires a constant stream of revenue on a day-to-day basis. 

At Wheelsong Books we are now stepping up our activities to help raise some of this revenue. We have created merchandising in the form of t-shirts, hoodies and baseball caps. If these are successful, we will venture further into other items (share your wish-list please in the comments below). It's great to see these being worn at our live, in-person events such as Invisible Poets roadshows. 

Our most popular item to date is the iconic white Invisible Poets (Poetry Against Poverty) t-shirt. We can raise three times as much money with the sale of each t-shirt as we can with the sale of a book. It makes sense, and it seems that wearing one of these t-shirts is a tribal statement. It means 'I belong' to Invisible Poets. It is becoming a part of the culture of being in the group for those who are serious about their involvement in our fundraising. Thank you to all those who have supported us by purchasing merchandising. 

The baseball caps are high quality, and come in several colours. They are stylish because they are embroidered with 'Invisible Poets' and 'Live Poets Society'. The image above is of one of our published poets, Gregory Richard Barden, with his own bespoke design of a white cap with purple embroidered text.

We also now stock black t-shirts with a unique Poetry Against Poverty text design, and our crowning glory, the black zipped hoodie with a similar text design. These, as with the baseball caps, are available in several different colour combinations. 

If you are interested in owning any of these items, please email wheelsong6@gmail.com with your full postal delivery address for prices in your own currency. Poetry Against Poverty! That's why we do this. 

Steve Wheeler

Top image by Gregory Richard Barden

Other images by Wheelsong Books Ltd

Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 7

Do you want to be a part of something really amazing? Something that reaches much further than poetry? Would you live to achieve something that will leave a lasting legacy and do some good in the world? 

We will soon be publishing the latest anthology in our charity series. It's number 7 in a book series representing our efforts to make lives better for underprivileged children around the globe. We will literally mobilise poetry against poverty. Each book sold raises enough funds to feed a malnourished child for a month.

Wheelsong Books Ltd was established in the Plymouth, England in 2020 as a not-for-profit organisation. Its mission statement is twofold: To give emerging poets the means to reach larger audiences and to help those who are in need. Since then, Wheelsong, in partnership with Invisible Poets and its affiliated groups, has published over 50 books including 11 charity poetry anthologies. Here are some of our anthology statistics: 

Absolutely Poetry Anthology 1: 170 poems (310 copies sold)

Absolutely Poetry Anthology 2: 176 poems (286 copies sold)

Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 1: 183 poems (255 copies sold)

Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 2: 214 poems (233 copies sold)

Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 3: 229 poems (415 copies sold)

Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 4: 245 poems (392 copies sold)

Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 5: 248 poems (341 copies sold)

Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 6: 265 poems (339 copies sold)

Invisible Poets Anthology 1: 352 poems (317 copies sold)

Invisible Poets Anthology 2: 242 poems (83 copies sold)

Invisible Poets Anthology 3: 246 poems (84 copies sold)

No other poetry group on Facebook comes anywhere close to these charitable efforts. (We have published a total of 2570 poems written by more than 720 poets representing 112 countries across all 6 continents, and have sold 3055 copies at the time of writing). 

All the above books are still available on Amazon and through other online outlets, including Waterstones (UK) and Barnes & Noble (USA). The proceeds from Amazon sales of these books is donated directly to Save the Children - a worldwide charity that cares for children in crisis, providing emergency nutrition, health care, medicine, safety and education. At the time of writing, Wheelsong Books has donated £11,000.00 ($15,000.00) to Save the Children and we are only getting started! We plan to publish two more Wheelsong Poetry Anthologies and another Invisible Poets Anthology in 2026.

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Dear poet, please think about this... You possess an amazing creative gift ... you have the ability to capture your thoughts, ideas, memories and emotions and present them as beautiful, evocative words. 

You can, if you want to join us, use your wonderful talent to freely give back a little to children who are in desperate, often life-threatening situations. 

We all want our poetry to be read and appreciated by others. Publishing your work in Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 6 will ensure that you gain a new audience for your poetry, but that's not the most important aim! 

Better than that is this ... your poems will be helping to raise much needed funds to support children in crisis. You will also retain ownership of your poem, and Wheelsong Books will protect and administer your copyright for you. 

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To be considered for inclusion in the review process you will need to follow these instructions very carefully:

Firstly, do not bother to submit your poetry if you do not intend to buy at least one copy of the book. We will expect you to pledge to buy at least one copy direct from Wheelsong Books if your work is published. This is a charity publication, and all profits from Amazon sales will go to help children in crisis. If you're not prepared to invest in helping children, we won't be publishing your poetry (we are dismayed that around two thirds of featured poets do not purchase a copy of the anthologies once they have been published). Please give more than you take, because this is not about you or about Wheelsong Books - it's about helping children who are in desperate need. 

Secondly, only submit poetry that is a) your own work and b) has not been subject to any other publishing agreement. Poetry you've shared on Facebook and other social media is fine, but please do not send in work that has been published elsewhere, and is subject to a previous publishing contract. That could lead to legal action being taken against you. The editorial team will also reject poems if we suspect they have been either plagiarised in part or whole, or generated partly or wholly through artificial intelligence.

Thirdly, submit up to 3 poems as either plain text or in a Word file via email direct to this email address: wheelsong6@gmail.com. Submissions by any other means will not be considered. Poetry submitted as images or photos will not be considered, nor will links to external sites. Please supply a title for each of your poems. Please also supply your real name - we will not publish works by poets using pseudonyms. 

And before you ask: There is NO specific theme. Write about what you want. 

Finally, all poems submitted will be subject to review by our editorial team. Your poetry will be anonymised (your name blanked out) so the editorial team can't see who you are. If your poetry is selected, you will be informed via email and a publication agreement will be sent to you for you to complete and return. Your work will be then published under your name. If your work is not accepted for publication, you will receive an email informing you of the team's decision. No correspondence other than via email will be valid. Please don't try to text or direct message us. We won't answer. 

The window for submission is now open, and will be closed at midnight (UK time) on Sunday 19 October, 2025. Any submissions received after this time/date will be not be reviewed. If there is an extension to this date, you will be informed. The editors' decisions will be final. 

Please Note: Shorter poems are more likely to be accepted for publication than longer pieces - space will be limited in the book due to resource and production limitations. Several poetry groups will participate, including Invisible Poets, Wheelsong Poetry, Pure Poetry and Safe Haven. Poets from outside these groups are also eligible to take part, so please point anyone you think may be interested to this blog, and keep visiting this blog to find out news as it unfolds. We look forward to reading your submissions. Good luck! 

Steve Wheeler (Editor in Chief) 

Photo courtesy of Save the Children

Life in Mali

If you've been around long enough, you'll know that Wheelsong Books and Invisible Poets are supporting Save the Children - a worldwide fund that provides emergency relief and education opportunities for children in crisis. Many of the Wheelsong Books are sold to raise funds for these efforts, and the latest two Invisible Poets anthologies - jammed packed with almost 500 poems from members - is now on sale to continue our pledge to support Save the Children. 

Here are a few stories about how the charity provides safe, educational and creative spaces for children around the globe:

The photo above is of Ousmane, a young boy living in the African state of Mali. The country has been torn by civil war for decades, and many children have been orphaned and displaced. Ousmane fled the violence that killed his father and now lives with his aunt. Save the Children is funding a school in Mali to educate young children, and Ousmane is one of those who have benefited from this initiative. Ousmane says he has thrown himself into his studies and 'I have strength. I am brave. No-one works harder than me.'

It can't have been easy for young Ousmane, but as with many thousands of other children, Save the Children is providing safe spaces for children to build for a brighter future. People like you, who are supporting Wheelsong's initiative to create poetry books are making a huge difference. Please buy copies of the new anthologies to continue to help these needy children.

Steve Wheeler

Poetry Against Poverty 1: Lucy the Beekeeper

This is the first in a short series of reports about how Wheelsong's charity initiative is achieving success.

Wheelsong Books has a longstanding partnership with Save the Children, a worldwide charity that provides aid to children in crisis across the globe. But it's not only food they provide during a famine, nor is it just medical supplies and healthcare they supply in war zones. Save the Children are also committed to providing children with education and learning opportunities so they can support themselves, their environment and their local communities. 

You may already have heard about the Ethiopian Camel Library our book sales from recent anthologies have helped to fund. That was a classic, innovative project to provide ways for children in hard to read areas with books and literacy skills where no one else could do it. Here is another recent innovation from Save the Children:

Thanks to our dedicated community of supporters, we’re working with partners in the Solomon Islands to train beekeepers. The benefits are huge: bees are pollinating the mangrove trees which protect against rising sea levels and severe storms. 

And the honey provides a sweet new income for parents, so they can buy food for their children and pay their school fees. Pretty cool, right? Beekeeping is a sustainable, long-term solution for communities facing the climate crisis. Developing life-changing projects – like this one – is only possible because of your generosity. 

Find out how this innovative work is helping Alison – an amazing beekeeper and mum – and her daughter Lucy (pictured above) whose home was destroyed by a devastating storm.

Save the Children

This is just one more wonderful reason why you should support Wheelsong Books and our poets who have pledged the sales profits from their books to support Save the Children. Poetry against Poverty!

Steve Wheeler

Image courtesy of Save the Children

Poetry against Poverty

Just over a year ago, in August 2022, Wheelsong Books was planning the launch of a new initiative in partnership with the global charity Save the Children. A collaboration between the publishing company and 90 poets from around the world would yield Wheelsong Poetry Anthology - a collection of 183 original, unpublished poems. The book is still selling steadily, one year on from its September 2022 release. A second collection - Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 2 - followed in April 2023, with a larger contingent of 105 poets contributing 214 poems. Again, this book has been steadily selling copies to raise much needed funds for life-saving intervention in crisis zones across the globe. 

It's not an easy feat to conduct such a large contingent of diverse individuals, but the editorial teams have played their parts in mustering these books together. Wheelsong's third anthology is published this week. It is larger than its older siblings, with more than 220 poems from 120 poets. Again, our fervent wish is that the poetry community will get behind this initiative and purchase this book in very large numbers. At the time of writing, Wheelsong has already sent £1500.00 (approximately $1870.00) to Save the Children from book sales.

Every book sold (whether in Kindle, softcover or hardcover) will raise about £3.00 (almost $4.00) for Save the Children. According to the charity's website, one book sale can purchase 25 water purification tablets, 18 food paste sachets, 2 sterile midwife birthing kits, or 1 child hygiene kit. All of these are vital to maintain health security in areas where there is conflict or natural disaster. By buying a Wheelsong Poetry anthology, you are literally helping to save a small life somewhere in the world. 

You can read in Matt Elmore's recent post exactly what Save the Children does across the world, but here's a link that demonstrates their financial commitment to providing nutrition, healthcare, safety, shelter and education to needy children everywhere. Finally, here is a link providing you with numerous stories of how children have been helped from the funds Wheelsong and other organisations have raised throughout the last few years. 

We really hope you will get behind this initiative and purchase copies of one, two or all three anthologies, to keep and cherish, give away as gifts, donate to libraries or generally circulate across your community. We can use poetry against poverty! Thank you.

Steve Wheeler

Image © Wheelsong Books 2023

Charity And Poetry

As we approach the introduction of the brand new  Wheelsong Anthology Three next week, an article considering the scope of what Wheelsong does is in order. 

Wheelsong Books was formed by Steve Wheeler, and is currently dedicated to funding Save The Children through the total profits of an ongoing poetry series. This series contains many stellar works of a number of both established and little known poets, all of which demonstrate exemplary work in their craft.

There are so many charitable organizations out there, and causes as well.  Some charitable causes include issues related to addiction, race, the blind, cancer, child protection, civil rights, consumer rights, environmental, and health. Also included would be those dealing with housing, human rights, human services, hunger, international relief, LGBTQ+, education, mental health, and police. Let’s not forget reproductive health, terminally ill, women’s advocacy, and youth charities!

The mission statement of Wheelsong is to contribute not only to the discovery and development of poetic talent, but also to doing our part within a global community to make a difference. This article is only a peek into a vast window of opportunities to positively influence so many lives in so many ways… whether through direct donations or by being the voice of a movement.

As an author within the Wheelsong roster… my main motivation is to making this difference. By contributing and buying the Wheelsong anthologies, whether it is one for myself, or as Christmas gifts for my loved ones, I know that all the profits are going straight to children that need the resources. Resources I have and am willing to share! 

This word from Steve Wheeler today…

                                          —

“Hi @everyone 

£3.00 can feed a malnourished child for a month. £3.00 can buy two sterile birthing kits. £3.00 can go a very long way in an area of deprivation or disaster. And guess what? £3.00 is the profit gained from every Wheelsong Poetry Anthology sold on Amazon. 

Wheelsong Books has so far donated £1500.00 to Save the Children from book sales. We would love to send more. If every member of Invisible Poets bought one copy, we could send another £22,000 to help kids in crisis!

This book is published on 19th September. Will you buy into the Wheelsong vision? Poetry against poverty!”

                                           —

For those who live in fields of plenty… a little can mean a lot… to those who have such a small amount of anything. 

Please consider buying a Wheelsong Anthology and keep hope alive for impoverished children around the world.

Matt Elmore

Resources:

Top Rated Charities— 

www.charity watch.com

Types Of Giving: The ABCs Of Donations—            

www.copecorrales.com

Image provided by: Unsplash

Beyond Poetry - Wheelsong Anthology 3

 

The emphasis of the mission statement of Wheelsong Books is not solely about poetry. It is really about poverty.

Wheelsong is coming out next week with a brand new Anthology Three in a series of absolutely new poems to knock the socks off the poetry world! However, the purpose of these books is not  to demonstrate the immense talent that makes up the roster of the Wheelsong poets. It is about children in need. 

ALL of the proceeds to Wheelsong Anthology Three are going to Save The Children, an international organization and movement designed for the sole purpose of helping impoverished children around the entire world. 

In 2021 alone, Save The Children supported 183 million children, distributing 22.8 million meals to children living in poverty in America alone… helped 12 million children access quality education – including more than 6.2 million girls… improved the nutrition of 3.2 million mothers and 10.1 million children… responded to 103 emergencies in more than 80 countries.

It employs vastly effective health, education, and protection programs, in addition to emergency response.

Just this morning Steve Wheeler listed this statement for the Invisible Poets Group on Facebook. “I just sent in another £375 donation to Save the Children from the sales of Wheelsong Poetry Anthologies. We are making a difference. Wheelsong Poetry Anthology Books 1 and 2 are still available for purchase on Amazon and Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 3 will be published next week! Thank you to all who are supporting this amazing effort to bring aid to children in crisis around the world!”

By purchasing Wheelsong Anthology III next week with a reasonable contribution, you can make a difference in a child’s life in so many ways… and also receive a FANTASTIC  book of the most professional quality selected poems.

Wheelsong publisher Steve Wheeler also had this to say of the ongoing Anthology series….

“Money is a terrible master but a great servant. Some of the money we recently sent went to purchase food paste sachets for malnourished children. Some went to fund a camel library to reach unschooled children in Ethiopia. Some went to support orphaned children in Ukraine. Purchase a copy of one of the Anthologies and you'll be helping.”

Please consider this today. The Wheelsong Anthologies are all available on Amazon. Buy one or all three!!!

Children really are suffering now. This is a wonderful way to support them and receive an incredible gift of beyond beautiful poetry in the process…

Matt Elmore

Image By: Save The Children Foundation