Chatterbooks Books

And the books are in, a little over two weeks since the brilliant and fun event itself. And I’m delighted to be able to share them. There’s a mix of linked stories (from mutating chicken nuggets to time-travelling to the Titanic within barely a sentence), illustrations, and some wonderful answers when I asked the young writers to say how reading makes the feel – because feeling is exactly what good stories and poems and art make us do. Here are some snaps I took…

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This won’t be the last you hear of this. Oh no. There’s even more. Because a little bird told me that the magnificent and stupidly talented Book Monster Ally is doing one of her AMAZING displays. (And I’ve already seen the beginnings of it. It will be special.)

So there you go. Brilliant thoughts, fun stories, pretty pictures. I hope you all heard something interesting, or read something good, or saw something pretty today too.

Piano Jams and A Lot of Trains

I’ve been all over the country since I last blogged – doing good things with brilliant people. Oxford, London, Leeds, Sheffield, Barnsley, Bradford; teaching, meetings, a festival with First Story; workshops, a residency. And I’ve loved all of it.

There hasn’t been a highlight as such, because they’ve all been brilliant in their own way, but I think the Chatterbooks Celebration might just pip all the others because it was just so, so much fun. Members of Sheffield Libraries’ Chatterbooks groups (reading groups for young people – I think there are six in Sheffield alone) were all sent chocolate bars. Some of the those chocolate bars contained Golden Tickets. Finding a Golden Ticket in your bar meant an invite to an event at the Children’s Central Library where we celebrated books, writing, and came up with our own, very brilliant, stories and poems. Everything worked brilliantly and, like I said, we had so, so much fun.

(added: you can read what Sheffield Libraries had to say about it here.)

 

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Winner!

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A selection of Chatterbookers

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Me, backstage

Another brilliant, brilliant event was the First Story young writers’ festival at Oxford University. Hundreds of writers from schools from all over the country gathered there to immerse themselves in stories and poems,  listen to panels, each other, and, most importantly, to WRITE under the guidance of a whole bunch of brilliant authors. I saw, and heard, some absolutely wonderful pieces of writing, met some amazing people, and even got to hear someone play a piano like it was meant to be played. It was ace.

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It was a very early start.

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…and there really are lots of bikes

img_0798…but it was all SO worth it

img_0809…and I got to sit here.

And, amongst it all, I ran a three day workshop where there is an actual CASTLE in a library.

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In discussion

And, after it all (or amongst it all) there was time for a (secretly filmed) two-man piano jam (that’s me on the left).