‘Creative Writing Conference’

14 November 2018

at University Centre, Guildhall, Frankwell, Shrewsbury SY3 8HQ

9am – 4pm

£95 per person

“I think that the conference will provide the best CPD it is possible to get…I can’t be more excited about the potential impact this could have on our staff and children.”

Simone Goward – Greenacres Primary School, Sept 2018

This conference will focus on:

• Inspiring, informing and empowering teaching staff, to develop their own creative writing teaching practice.
• Promoting the value of, and how to plan for, an in-school author/illustrator workshop.
• Working as a community and to share ideas and experiences.

The programme is as follows:

09.00 – 09.30:  Registration and coffee

09.30 – 09.45:  Welcome – Bookfest/University Centre Shrewsbury

09.45 – 10.15:  Keynote Speaker:  JULIA ECCLESHARE:  Julia Eccleshare is a writer, broadcaster and lecturer as well as Director, Hay Children’s Festival. She was previously both Children’s Books Editor of the Guardian and Co-director of the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education and so has a background in books and in their use in the classroom. She was a publisher from 1978-84 and has been an editorial advisor to several children’s publishers including Puffin Modern Classics. She has chaired many awards including the the Guardian Children’s Book Prize, the Branford Boase first novel prize and the Klaus Flugge Prize for a first picture book. She is a founder member of the steering committee for the Children’s Laureate, and a trustee of  Listening Books, Give A Book and the Siobhan Dowd Trust.

10.20 – 11.20:  Workshops:  Delegates will be able to choose to attend one workshop from the following four options:

Option 1.  PHIL FERGUSON – Memoir Writing Memoir is one of the most popular and successful writing projects among the children in my class.  We will focus on generating an idea, planning and first drafting – and finding the diamond in the rough and the things that really matter.  Phil Ferguson is a national and writing representative for The UKLA (United Kingdom Literacy Association) and content provider for The National Literacy Trust.  Phil is a serving Primary school teacher of many years’ experience and has worked in both the maintained and the independent sectors as SENCO and Deputy Head.

Option 2.  MAZ EVANS – Story Stew® Maz Evans a fun and interactive creative writing workshop, Story Stew®. Maz’s debut children’s novel Who Let the Gods Out was published by Chicken House in February 2017 and was selected as the Waterstone’s Children’s Book of the Month. It has received over 20 award nominations, including the Carnegie Medal, Branford Boase, Books Are My Bag and Waterstone’s Children’s Book of the Year. The sequel, Simply the Quest was published in August 2017, Beyond the Odyssey in April 2018 and ‘Against All Gods’ will publish in 2019. 

Option 3.  ROB SMITH – The Literacy Shed – Enhancing English Through Film  Rob will explore a range of still and moving image media, demonstrating their value to the reading and writing process through analysis and questioning.  Rob Smith set up The Literacy Shed from his dining room table in 2012 whilst teaching full time in a primary school in the North West of England.    He now travels the world discussing the use of film and image in the classroom and how they can benefit reading and writing practice.  Rob’s techniques are now being used in 1000s of schools around the world and are having a positive impact upon the children whose teachers use them.

Option 4.  CHRISTOPHER EDGE – Every Writer is a Reader, Every Reader is a Writer  Edge will demonstrate the approaches he uses when running creative writing workshops with primary school children and share the rationale behind these, exploring topics such as ‘beating the fear of the blank page’, ‘making characters real’, ‘building believable worlds’ and ‘crafting a killer opening’. Christopher Edge is an award-winning children’s author who grew up in Manchester where he spent most of his childhood in the local library dreaming up stories, but now lives in Gloucestershire where he spends most of his time in the local library dreaming up stories. His most recent novel, The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day, was chosen by The Times as their Children’s Book of the Week and described by The Guardian as “a heartbreaking, head-melting science fiction mystery from the superlative Christopher Edge”, whilst his previous novels, The Many Worlds of Albie Bright and The Jamie Drake Equation were both nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. His other books include the creative writing guides How to Write Your Best Story Ever! and How To Be A Young #Writer.

11.20 – 11.35:  Coffee

11.40 – 12.10:  PIERS TORDAY – Creative Writing for Pleasure  Author of the award- winning and best-selling Last Wild trilogy, Piers Torday will talk about creative writing for pleasure from a practitioner’s perspective. What is the pleasure to be gained from writing and how does that impact on both process and the finished work?  Piers Torday writes for children, and his bestselling books include The Last Wild trilogy (Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize), There May Be a Castle and most recently, The Lost Magician. He has also written about writing for children for The Guardian, Spectator, Express and others. His acclaimed stage adaptation of John Masefield’s The Box of Delights returns this Christmas to Wilton’s Music Hall. A Trustee of the Ministry of Stories and a Beanstalk reading helper, he recently also become a Patron of Shrewsbury Bookfest.

12.15 – 13.15:  Lunch

13.20 – 14.20:  Workshops Delegates will then be able to choose to attend one workshop from the following four options:

Option 1.  PHIL FERGUSON – Memoir Writing

Option 2.  MAZ EVANS – Story Stew®

Option 3.  ROB SMITH – The Literacy Shed – Enhancing English Through Film

Option 4.  CHRISTOPHER EDGE – Every Writer is a Reader, Every Reader is a Writer

14.25 – 14.40:  Coffee

14.45 – 15.00:  Launch of Shrewsbury Bookfest SCHOOLS’ WEEK

15.00 – 15.30:  PIERS TORDAY and SIMONE GOWARD – How to Make the Most out of an Author/Illustrator Visit to School

15.30 – 16.00:  Q&A chaired by JULIA ECCLESHARE.  Panel: Piers Torday and workshop leaders

16.00:  Bookshop/signings/close of session

Tickets are now available at www.ticketsource.co.uk/shrewsbury-bookfest for primary schools that have booked onto the Schools’ Week project.  Tickets will go on sale to the public on Saturday 27th October 2018

Shrewsbury Bookfest is a registered charity and does not seek to profit from its work.  Its growing reputation with national organisations such as The Guardian, publishers, children’s authors and illustrators as being well-run, well managed has underpinned its success in seeking funding from trusts, foundations and sponsors.

KEY FACTS:

What?  A conference to empower teaching staff, to develop their own creative writing teaching practice

When?  Wednesday 14th November from 9am to 4pm

Where?  University Centre Shrewsbury, Guildhall, Frankwell, SY3 8HQ

Who is this for? For all teachers, leaders, librarians and educators interested in the teaching of creative writing and helping children develop a life-long love of books and writing for pleasure.

How much?  £95 per person including lunch and refreshments.  (Thanks to support from charitable trusts and foundations, this ticket price has been kept significantly lower than the market rate)

How to book?  Tickets available via www.ticketsource.co.uk/shrewsbury-bookfest