Soon Be Back ...

Hi y'all!  Got an email from a member of the library team asking when our Young Writer Sessions start up again.  Just in case you missed it, we are back a week from this Saturday - that is 10th September, so looking forward to seeing you then.

We've Arrived ...

Hello everyone. Yes - it is me - back from the beyond and writing this blog in our new home.  The move went off very well after the removal van's early hiccup when it decided that - as we were about to set off on our first trip to the new house - it was time for a rest with the engine stubbornly refusing to turn over for half an hour!  Then along came liberation in the form of our neighbour's people carrier.  One quick jump-start and the removal van sputtered to life and behaved perfectly for the rest of the day!

It took us three trips in the end to shift everything from A to B - but, oh, it was worth every second! Almost three weeks later our new home is coming together really well with most of the rooms already finished and only half a dozen or so boxes still to unpack.  We think we have done incredibly well, really.

So the plan this week is to finally start to put the new Word Magic book together.  I haven't really had time to even think about it until now so by tonight, I should know if I have at least got enough material to fill it!  I know I have quite a lot - but not all members got round to submitting their contributions so I won't know until I start to go through it if - a - if there is enough and b - if everyone currently active in the group will be represented.  My hope is that everyone will - otherwise we may have a problem.  Anyway I shall come back to you on this in a few days.

Did everyone enjoy the Rio Olympics?  Unfortunately, because it was two weeks before our TV could be set-up again, we missed the bulk of it - but that doesn't mean we weren't cheering Team GB on with all our hearts!  And to finish second in the medals table was a massive achievement so a huge well done to all of them - athletes, trainers, supporters, back-room staff, logistics - you all did amazingly well.

I hope their wonderful displays of spirit inspired the Young Writers to enter our summer competition. Don't forget that I left entry forms at the library but if they have all gone and your budding author or poet still wants to enter, there is still time.  Let me know and I will email a copy over.  Closing date is 10th September - which - by coincidence,  is our first session back after the summer break!

Hope you have all enjoyed your summer?  Looking forward to seeing you all again on the 10th.  And Keep Writing!

Competition Entry Forms ...

Thank you to those who turned up on Saturday and for all your ideas for the coming year's programme.  Watch this space.

Also wanted to just remind you that there are spare competition entry forms at the library so if your Young Writer couldn't make it on Saturday and would like to enter, just enquire at the desk in the main library.

Thank you also for the work I have had handed in for the new book.  Once I am moved and settled, I will start going through it and working out how to present Word Magic 2.

I will be pretty much out of commission for the next couple of weeks but you can still reach me by email or on my mobile if you need to.

See you in September and huge thanks to all the Young Writers for all their hard work over the past year.  Very very well done!

Moving On ...

First of all I'd like to just remind everyone about this Saturday's Young Writer session at Ashburton Library.  This will be the last session of this school year and I am not expecting everyone to turn up. I know a lot of families go on their summer holidays as soon as the schools break up, so don't feel bad if you can't make it. The first session after the break is on 10th September and  I will have the next newsletter ready by then as well with all the new session dates on it.

Please please ensure you get all work intended for Word Magic 2 back to me this Saturday or your young authors may miss out which would be an horrendous shame after all their hard work.  If you really really really can't get it back to me by then, text me  ASAP and we will work something out. Steve and I are likely to be moving around the second week in August now, so please don't drop it off at the house (if I have given you my current address) after that because I will not get it and it will likely as not be lost for ever.  I have been telling everyone for months when I need the work in so please do your best to get it to me this Saturday if you can.

As mentioned in the last blog-post, I will be running a competition this year as the summer project and I am going to start work on that very soon.  I will be leaving spare copies of the entry form at the library for those who can't make it this weekend.  There will be bronze, silver and gold awards for the three best entries but everyone who joins in will earn a special certificate so it definitely worth a go.  I won't be judging the competition, I am going to ask somebody else to do that so that it is fair.  It would be quite hard for me to pick the winners as I know most of the Young Writers' styles by now and also quite a lot of their handwriting, so I feel it would be much better for someone else to judge it.

Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday and if you are away by then, have a really great summer and I'll see you all in September.

Good Writing everyone!

Perfect Day For A Picnic ...

We had a brilliant time last Saturday at the popular Picnic In The Park session.  The weather was very kind to us and the rain held off for the whole hour which was rather handy!  We started, as ever, with a mad five minutes on the swings, slides, see-saws and roundabouts, then everybody came back to the picnic benches where the Young Writers were given sheets to record what they could see, hear and smell whilst outside.  Then it was another mad five minutes before they were called back to finish their reports and finally a mad ten minutes before we got on with the important bit - our snacks and drinks.  I think around ten children turned up so massive thanks to everyone and an even bigger thanks to the mums who hung around to help Vicky and I supervise.  It was a huge success and I am convinced that it offers up a unique opportunity for the Young Writers to practise their observational skills whilst burning off some excess energy. Well done to everyone who took part and thank you once again.

As the children were playing, I announced to the mums present that Steve and myself will be moving out of Addiscombe around the end of August.  We have lived there for eighteen years and just feel it is the right time for a change.  The plan is that we will live in Sutton for the next 3 to 5 years and during that time - and for as long as possible - I will continue to run AYW.  It is easy enough to get to the library from where we will be living.  But the longer term plan is to retire down to the South Coast and obviously, then, continuing the Young Writers won't be an option.  Having said that, though, it won't affect the current members really because by then,   most of them will have moved on to High School and may well have developed other interests.  So there is no need to worry.  For the foreseeable future, anyway, it will be As You Were with the sessions taking place two Saturdays a month at Ashburton Library as normal.

Finally, before I go, a quick reminder to everyone whose work has been earmarked for the new Word Magic book - please, please ensure they are brought in to our final session before the summer break, which is on 23rd July - and if your child is fairly new to the group but has some work they'd like considered, then please bring that along as well but let me know on that day so you can complete a consent form and the Young Writer can fill out their Author Profile - I will ensure I have spare copies of each on that Saturday.

And last but not least - I will be running a competition to keep them busy during the summer - more info on 23rd.  See you then.

Poor Maddie ...

Everyone knows about the AYW mascot - Maddie - the little golden bear who proudly sports her AYW tee-shirt with extreme pride.  Maddie loves her exciting lifestyle where she is constantly staying in different homes where all her adventures are recorded in her diary.

But oh dear me!  I think she partied a little too hard last time because when she came back to me, one ear was hanging off and stuffing was coming out of her chest!!!  When I asked her what she'd been up to, she just smiled at me very cheekily!

The good news is that she is now all mended and better and her tee-shirt is nice and clean so she will be back with the Young Writers on Saturday.  But please can whoever takes her home take extra special care of her?

I don't want to have to take her back to the Teddy Hospital again ...

On a different note - massive thanks to everyone who turned up at the last session where we worked in pairs to write poems.  And a special thank you to those who turned up at the Workshop at Croydon Central library on Monday.  It was brilliant to see people from so many different places - Croydon Literacy, Children Who Shine and  AYW to help us with the creation of The Magical Quest - a wonderful story about twins who go on a quest to find The Lost Book Of All Languages.  Everyone worked really hard with their ideas and we are hoping that copies of the finished story will be available to everyone who took part very soon.  Thank you all again - especially to Jenny who instigated the event.  We had a brilliant time!

Looking forward to seeing everyone at this Saturday's session - and don't forget we have the Picnic in the Park the following Saturday (2nd July).  And please - if you have not yet returned your Author Profiles and Consent forms, they really do need to brought back ASAP if you want your work to appear in Word Magic 2 later this year.

And finally thank you to everyone who has recently bought copies of My Writer - if you know anyone else who would like a copy, let me know.

See you Saturday and Good Writing!!!

Back From Bonny Scotland ...

Just got back from a smashing week in Oban in Scotland.  Had plenty of time to relax and plan ahead and look at everything going on.  Decided it would be great to go back to poetry for this week's session (11th June) - maybe being in the homeland of Robert Burns had something to do with it!

I have lots of preparation to do in the coming weeks - one thing I will be doing is the workshop with Croydon Literacy on Monday 20th June, 5pm - 6.30 pm.  I will be handing out invitations to this event this Saturday and everyone is welcome.  It'll be structured quite differently from a Young Writer session and is guaranteed to get the creative juices flowing - so why not come along and join us on The Magical Quest on 20th June?  

On 18th June, I will be running a stall in Croydon as part of Croydon Heritage Festival.  I'll be selling copies of my books but mainly I will be advertising Addsicombe Young Writers so if you are around Croydon that day, why not come along and say hello?

On 25th June, I have got a stall at the Woodside Primary School summer fayre from 12 - 4 where I will be selling copies of  My Writer and I have also been asked to consider doing a Creative Writing workshop from adults at Ashburton Library so if this is something you would be interested in, let me know and I will keep you updated.

I am still waiting on a few consent and author profile forms from everyone who wants to be included in Word Magic 2 and I will follow up on this on Saturday so if you haven't handed yours in yet please do so ASAP - I cannot stress how important this is!

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday. Good Writing everyone!