Thank You ...

What a GREAT session we had yesterday! I am really liking the buzz that seems to come whenever the Young Writers get together.  They are all getting more confident; some are happy to read their own work, others are happy to throw in ideas. That's what it's all about guys!  It is their group; not mine.  I just facilitate it!  It was lovely to welcome back our seven regulars and to say hello to new member Holly.  We have a list of names for our bear and by the next session, with some outside help , her - or his - name will be announced.  Because so many ideas for names were being thrown into the mix, I did not even get the chance to write down whose ideas were whose - so I will have to come up with something for all of the members for helping us to choose.  And I will, have no fear of that!

We carried on with poetry yesterday.  I am seeing some truly amazing work here.  Some of their poems have a depth and insight that defies their tender years and it kinda makes me think how easy it is to underestimate children.  They are little people who think and work things out for themselves and - because they tend to tell it how it actually is rather than how they think it should be (which is what we tend to do as grown-ups, sad as that may sound), their work really strikes a chord.  And with out exhibition in October, I am seriously on the look out for some good work to show.  Oh - and talking about the exhibition - I am so sorry I didn't get round to doing the letters in time for yesterday's session.  I promise they will be done by the next one.

We looked at poems that don't rhyme and poems that tell a story.  I read a couple out and mentioned some others, then I gave out session sheets and reminded them about what we'd covered with story-writing at the beginning - how to get and develop ideas, bearing in mind characters and character names etc - and I told the members they could just as easily apply all that to writing a  poem that tells a story.  So the assignment for next session - which falls on 12th July - is to try to tell a story using either one poem , or a series of shorter ones.

Red certificates were handed out to Alessandro, Namoshi and Amber - a Red Band Two for Alessandro because he earned the first one at the previous group - so well done to all of them.  Fatima will receiver hers next time.  And Phoebe received her second membership certificate, so well done to her as well.

Finally, I want to thank all you mums and dads for your continued support, the library for their input and, of course, your talented children for helping Addiscombe Young Writers to succeed.

Good writing everyone.  Se you all on the 12th.