This June we were proud to celebrate the finale of our collaboration with Nottingham Poetry Festival, at an inspiring event at Nottingham’s new Central Library. Two schools – The Bulwell Academy and The Kimberley School – had three special workshops with seasoned performers Andrew Graves and Leanne Moden to write and perfect their poems, then practice performance skills. It’s all part of our strategy to work with partners to find new opportunities for First Story young writers to share their writing in public and to get them feeling really confident on stage.
On the day, you might have been forgiven for thinking you’d wandered in to a national poetry slam final – the quality of the writing and the performances was astonishing. Literature correspondent for LeftLion, Nottingham’s free culture magazine, said, “this was one of the best evenings we’ve had at the Poetry Festival…” He praised the young people for creating “images [that] were memorable and true to life. … All the poems showed a great deal of care and imagination.” The young performers were “top notch on stage.”
Many of the students had never shared their own writing with others before, let alone stepped on stage and walked up to a microphone in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd. One student said, “I was nervous, but also it was exciting and I felt so energised by it all. It was fabulous!” And the audience’s warm and enthusiastic response showed what a great time they were having too.
Students visibly grew in confidence over the six-week span of the project, which was funded by Arts Council England as part of Nottingham Poetry Festival 2024. Many commented that it had increased their confidence. “It helps me express myself, it’s pretty much therapeutic for me,” said one of the students sharing his work for the first time.
Joel Hunt, School Librarian at The Bulwell Academy, said their students “learn how to express themselves more clearly, they gain social skills, they gain confidence. It’s fantastic.”
Photos by Chris Seddon.
