Keen creative writers from Years 10 enjoyed an inspiring workshop from novelist Stephen Kelman, author of the Man Booker prize-nominated Pigeon English, who also gave a talk to all Y10-11 following the masterclass.
Loosely based on the real-life story of Damilola Taylor and told from the point of view of an eleven-year old Ghanaian boy living in a tough London housing estate, Pigeon English is widely acclaimed and a set GCSE text for many schools in the UK.
The workshop began with readings from the book and insights from Stephen who explained how much of his inspiration comes from finding a story he is compelled to write and finding characters that he genuinely cares about. Students were then challenged to produce their own piece of creative writing based on the scene in which the horrific murder is discovered, told from the viewpoint of one of the characters not explored in the book itself. He encouraged the students to throw themselves into the scenarios they created to inhabit their characters, to explore language and imagine for themselves how they would feel on such a discovery while building on the character they have created.
Head of English Kirstin Guy said: “Stephen Kelman gave a fascinating talk to our Year 10 and 11 pupils, and a fantastic workshop that presented an excellent challenge for our Year 10 creative writers. Stephen and I were both impressed by the powerful pieces of writing that emerged. Much of it demonstrated authenticity, believability and a real emotional connection to the characters our pupils created.”
Pupils themselves thoroughly enjoyed the challenge, with feedback including from Chloe, who said “I was very excited to get to do this. I love creative writing anyway, and am currently trying to write my own novel, so it was lovely to talk to Mr Kelman and get some first-hand feedback and expert advice.”
