WORDS
THINGS
&
Plugging
Into
Museum &
Literature
Networks
D
What’s in this Section
There are a multitude of varying museum
resources, either available for loan or site-based,
that can inspire and inform creative writing.
This section aims to provide a guide to resources
accessible in Leicestershire, but also those
available further afield.
Information is provided about Leicestershire’s Open
Museum loans schemes, which were used during
the Write:Muse project, and have also been used
to illustrate this guide.
There is a brief description of the museum sites in
the County, and an overview of the learning activities
offered by Leicestershire Heritage Service’s Learning
and Access Team.
A brief guide to museum loans schemes available
throughout the East Midlands has also been included.
We list web-sites of useful museum organisations,
to help you find further information that can support
learning. This list includes a couple of very interesting
museum websites that explore creative writing.
Similarly, the Literature Development section offers
information about existing
activities and publications which
may be of use. We provide
details of some major literature
development organisations and
particularly of online resources
for creative writing.
WW1 Project Box, H18.6
In the Employing a Writer section
we have given details about the
different types of writer and the
different reasons for involving
them in education projects. We also offer practical
advice about finding and employing writers.
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WORDS
THINGS
&
Museum Resources Available
in the East Midlands
Leicestershire’s Open Museum
The Open Museum operates outside museum venues, providing physical and intellectual
access to museum collections, resources and functions throughout Leicestershire and
Leicester.
The Open Museum aims to provide a service which will educate and entertain, enhance
personal development, provoke debate, stimulate thought about historic or contemporary
issues or act as inspiration for arts workshops and community projects. It enables schools,
colleges and other educators, community and public organisations, day centres, carers,
special interest groups, community artists and other service providers in the public,
voluntary and private sectors, to engage with museums within their own environments,
on their own terms.
The diverse nature of the objects, art and displays available for loan through the Open
Museum’s 3 schemes, means that there is something to interest and inspire everyone.
Resources can be combined and used flexibly to respond to the changing needs of
education providers and learners.
You can visit the Open Museum’s web-site at www.leics.gov.uk/open_museum.
The 3 loans schemes the Open Museum operates are:
Resource Box
& the Reserve
Collection
The Resource Box
collection holds over
2,000 museum artefacts, natural history
specimens, models and replicas covering
the Palaeolithic period to the present
day. The collection includes objects from
different parts of the world and different
cultures. Although some of the objects
are encased in boxes, the majority of the
collection can be handled.
Over 2,000 uncased objects are also
available from the Reserve Collection,
which compliments Resource Box.
Resource Box and Reserve Collection
objects can be used to support formal
and informal learning, including:
•curriculum subjects such as history, geography,
humanities, English, science, art, design and
technology, religious studies…
•creative writing, literacy and Basic Skills work
•reminiscence work
•talks and lectures
•visual inspiration for visual arts groups
Costs:
Leicestershire schools and non-profit
making organisations can borrow from
Resource Box and Reserve Collection
objects for free. Renaissance East Midlands
is currently funding the free use of Resource
Box to Leicester City schools. There is a
modest charge for other users depending
on how much is borrowed.
You can find more information and contact
details for Resource Box at www.leics.
gov.uk/resource_box or email Alan Joyce:
pajoyce@leics.gov.uk.
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Artworks
Artworks is a collection of
over 900 original paintings,
drawings, prints, sculptures
and textiles from the 20th and
21st Centuries. Most of the
works are by British artists, many of whom
have international reputations like Paula
Rego, David Hockney and Bridget Riley.
Each year, new work is purchased so that
the collection continues to grow. Artworks
is special because it is rare for a museum
collection of this standard to be available
for loan to non-museum venues.
Artworks, simply by their presence, can
enhance a teaching environment through
the enjoyment and inspiration they provide,
or they can be used in more structured
ways:
•to support literacy hour and creative writing
•to inspire discussion and debate
•to support the art, design and technology
curricula
•to support exploration of history and current
issues
•to support science and maths
Costs:
There is a modest hire fee for each work
which varies according to its type and
popularity.
You can find more information and contact
details for Artworks at
www.leics.gov.uk/artworks
or email Lisa Webb: lwebb@leics.gov.uk.
Artpacks and Artboxes
Deborah Tyler-Bennett, with Ruth Singer,
has collaborated with Artworks to produce
a selection of poems and exercises inspired
by the collection. These form the basis of
educational Artpacks and Artboxes which
are available for loan free of charge.
They cover a broad range of themes
including: artists, people, places, society
and texture. The packs explore portraiture,
portraying relationships, children and
childhood, clothing, ethnicity, landscapes,
buildings, etc.
Moving Objects
The Moving Objects
scheme comprises
of over ten smallscale displays and
exhibitions that tour to non-museum venues.
The displays cover a range of themes from
the cost of beauty and identity, to recycling
and football. The displays are presented in
eye-catching formats, combining historical
and modern artefacts and are accompanied
by detailed support information and
activities, as well as handling objects. The
displays are housed in specially designed
cases that have been made to be robust
and secure.
Moving Objects displays can be used in
lots of different ways. They are a great way
of attracting people’s interest, providing
stimulating talking points. They can also be
used as:
•a learning resource for school and college
projects, family-learning and reminiscence work
•a focal feature for events such as learning days,
fun-days, open days…
• inspiration for creative work such as dance,
drama, poetry, visual arts…
•a resource to promote and raise discussion on contemporary issues
Delivering resources
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Costs:
Moving Objects displays are available for
loan free of charge. They are delivered,
collected and installed by museum staff.
You can see each of the displays,
download resources and find contact details
for Moving Objects at
www.leics.gov.uk/moving_objects or email
Jemma Atkin-Barrett: jabarrett@leics.gov.uk.
The schemes all operate on a firstcome-first-served basis, so it’s a good
idea to book resources early if you have
something particular in mind.
Open Museum staff can give advice to help
you choose the resources that are right
for you.
By prior appointment, you can visit the
Resource Box and Artworks collections
and choose resources in person.
Close up of Beauty Myth
Leicestershire Heritage Services
For more information about the opening
times and charges to the venues given
below, visit the Council’s website at
www.leics.gov.uk/museums.
Snibston
Ashby Road, Coalville,
Leicestershire LE67 3LN
01530 278444
snibston@leics.gov.uk
Set in the heart of the National Forest,
visitors can experience a day of excitement
both inside and out at Snibston.
It comprises an award-winning museum,
historic colliery buildings and railway,
and a country park.
Try to lift a Mini Cooper in the hands-on
Extra Ordinary gallery, or see a fabulous
collection of historic and contemporary
costume in the Fashion Gallery. Join real life
miners on a tour of the colliery, take a ride
on the diesel locomotive and get creative
with holiday activities. Enjoy the sunshine
in the nature reserve or let off steam in the
adventure play area.
Charnwood Museum
Charnwood Museum,
Queen’s Park, Granby Street,
Loughborough,
Leicestershire LE11 3DU
01509 233754
charnwood@leics.gov.uk
Popular family-friendly museum set in
the beautiful Queen’s Park in the heart of
Loughborough. The museum features a
wide range of exhibits, which reflect the
area’s local history, industries, wildlife,
geology and archaeology. Many exhibits
are interactive.
Visitors can enjoy playing a computer game
about Loughborough, handling rocks from
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Charnwood’s volcanic past, walking below
the giant oak or zooming in on a fly’s eye.
Key exhibits include the Jurassic Barrow
Kipper, ancient Anglo-Saxon treasures,
the Auster aeroplane, Ladybird Books and
the internationally famous Charnia fossils.
There is a regularly changing programme of
temporary exhibitions and events, including
school holiday activities and regular art and
craft workshops for children and adults.
Donington le Heath Manor House
Melton Carnegie Museum
Donington le Heath Manor House
Thorpe End, Melton Mowbray,
Leicestershire LE13 1RB
01664 569946
museums@leics.gov.uk
Donington le Heath, Coalville,
Leicestershire LE67 2FW
01530 831259
museums@leics.gov.uk
This local museum explores the fascinating
history and the environment of the Borough
of Melton. There is a wonderful mixture of
exhibits including local crafts, archaeology,
geology and even a two headed calf!
There is a regular changing programme of
temporary exhibitions, evening talks and
children’s activities.
A charming mediaeval manor house dating
back to around 1290. The house has
period rooms with fine oak furnishings as
well as displays on mediaeval and Tudor
life and the history of the house, including
computerised reconstructions. There is an
audio guide and computerised virtual tour
for those who can’t manage the steep stairs.
The surrounding grounds have period
gardens of scented herbs and the adjoining
stone barn is home to a tempting tea room.
There is an active events and temporary
exhibition programme.
Harborough Museum
Council Offices, Adam and Eve Street,
Market Harborough,
Leicestershire LE16 7AG
01858 821085
harboroughmuseum@leics.gov.uk
Set in the historic market town of Market
Harborough, Harborough Museum
celebrates the town’s long history as a
centre of trade and commerce. Displays
include Symington soups and corsets,
a local shoe maker’s workshop and 17th
Century street toys. Local history resources
include over 8,000 photographs and
the Books of Remembrance written by
the local British Legion. Active learning
sessions include Toys, How we used to
live, Remembrance, Tudors and the special
project Symingtons: The Lost Workforce,
specially developed by local teachers with
Harborough Museum.
The Record Office for Leicestershire,
Leicester and Rutland
Long Street, Wigston Magna,
Leicestershire LE18 2AH
0116 257 1080
recordoffice@leics.gov.uk
The Record Office is the centre for
manuscripts, books, maps, newspapers,
videos, sound recordings and photographs
of Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland.
Situated in a converted Victorian school,
the extensive collections date from the
Domesday Book to yesterday. Access
to the collections is freely available to
everyone, and staff are on hand to help
you find all the information you need.
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Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre
and County Park
Sutton Cheney, near Market Bosworth,
Nuneaton CV13 0AD
01455 290429
bosworth@leics.gov.uk
One of the Midlands’ premier historical sites,
Bosworth Battlefield witnessed the death
of a king when Richard III lost his life and
crown to Henry Tudor. Visit Ambion Parva
mediaeval village and see how the people
of yesteryear lived, worked and played, then
go to the exhibition where you can follow
Richard into battle. In the battle room you
will get caught in a terrifying arrow storm,
and for those with a strong stomach, see
the surgeon as he attempts to remove an
arrow from a soldier’s arm. Finally visit our
scientific laboratory and try your hand at the
latest cutting-edge techniques being used
to locate the true site of the battlefield.
The Leicestershire Events Guide provides
more information about events at the
above venues. You can pick up a free
copy from any County Council museum
or library. Alternatively to receive regular
copies directly,
email eventsguide@leics.gov.uk
or complete a form online at
www.leics.gov.uk/events_guide.
Independent Museums
For more information about the diverse
range of other museums in the County, visit
the Leicestershire and Rutland Museums
Forum’s website at www.irmf.org.uk.
There are Museum Development Officers
in each county of the East Midlands. They
provide a range of advice and guidance to
museums across the region, and they are
a good source of information about what
museums in your area can offer. For their
contact details visit the Renaissance
East Midlands website at
www.renaissanceeastmidlands.org.uk.
You can pick up the free Museums Guide,
which lists over 50 museums in Leicester,
Leicestershire and Rutland, from any County
Council museum or library. Alternatively,
phone County Hall Library on 0116 3056988
or email eventsguide@leics.gov.uk for
copies. You can also download a copy from
www.leics.gov.uk/museums.
Leicestershire Heritage
Service’s Learning Team
The Learning Team’s objective is to provide
children and young people in the East
Midlands with exciting, fun and attractive
learning opportunities, which reflect the
diversity of their needs. The team uses
facilitated visits, loans services, continuing
professional development, teaching and
learning packages, as well as vibrant,
curriculum-based workshops to increase
engagement between museums, schools,
children and young people.
Snibston:
Hallaton - an independent museum
We offer curriculum-related workshops
and trails, on a variety of themes, both
in the museum and in the Country Park.
The educational programme, including
teacher packs and website, is undergoing
redevelopment to offer
a wider range of
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resources, including: loans boxes, a greater
range of workshops (developed with local
schools and partners), challenge events,
as well as online resources for use in the
classroom.
Bookings: 01530 278456. Website:
www.leics.gov.uk/museums/snibston
and click on ‘information for schools’.
Snibston Under 5s:
Trails on colour, shape and nature have
been designed to get children thinking
about using the museum. Education
resource packs on the themes of transport,
fashion and the outdoors, are also being
developed to help children in the early years
get the most out of their learning at the
museum.
These services are available for school
reception classes, nurseries, playgroups,
child-minding groups, parents and
guardians and any other groups that work
with the under 5s.
We also run both museum-based and
outreach science workshops, aimed
specifically at children aged 0 - 5 years.
Charnwood Museum:
We run handling sessions for Key Stages
1 and 2 on the topics of Old and New,
Toys from the Past and World War 2 using
authentic and replica objects. We also
run specially tailored sessions for Special
Needs pupils.
Bookings: 01530 248424. Website:
www.leics.gov.uk/charnwood_museum
and click on the ‘school visits’ section
for more details.
Donington le Heath Manor House:
We run roleplay sessions with costumed
characters on Life in Tudor Times, A Home
Long Ago, Gunpowder Plot as well as
seasonal Tudor/Stuart sessions throughout
the year (e.g. Tudor Christmas, Tudor
Maytime and Music) for Key Stages 1, 2 and
3. We also run specially tailored sessions for
Special Needs pupils.
Living History
event at
Donington
le Health
Bookings: 01530 248424. Website
www.leics.gov.uk/donington_le_heath
click on the ‘school visits’ section for more
details.
The Multicultural, R.E.
& Curriculum Resource Centre
Library Services for Education (LSE)
runs The Multicultural, R.E. & Curriculum
Resource Centre, which is based at Quorn
Hall in Leicestershire. On offer are books
and other resources, including artefact
boxes, that support religious dducation,
multicultural education, PSHE and global
citizenship curricula.
Use of the Centre’s resources is offered
as part of LSE subscription.
For more information contact LSE:
0116 2678000 or email lse@leics.gov.
uk. Website www.leics.gov.uk/libraries/
library_services/lse.
Museum Loans Services
in the East Midlands
Loans schemes of objects, and to a more
limited extent, works of art, are beginning to
become a more widespread part of museum
outreach throughout the East Midlands.
Each scheme has developed differently
to suit the needs of the locality and the
audiences serves.
Travelling Exhibitions
- Leicester City Museums Service
‘Our Story, Our Leicester’ is a travelling
exhibition themed around cross-cultural
festivals and celebrations. Eye-catching
contemporary objects
are displayed in
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brightly coloured cases and shown in
community venues across Leicester.
The themes covered in the exhibition are
Festivals of Light, Faith, Marriage, New Year,
Colour and Carnival. A sixth case can be
developed by a community group working
alongside the Community Outreach team
to express a subject of their choice.
For more information
and bookings contact:
The Learning and Access Officer (Artefact
Loans) or the Learning and Access Assistant
(Artefact Loans): 0115 9151774
Email: loansservice@ncmg.org.uk.
‘Moving Here: Ugandan Asians Coming
to Leicester’ travelling exhibition is based
on the personal histories recorded by
40 people from the Ugandan Asian
Community. The exhibition is accompanied
by a handling box based on the themes of
identity and migration.
Hands on History object handling
resources have been designed and
produced by 5 especially commissioned
UK artists. One resource comprises an
audio resource (developed in partnership
with Northamptonshire Black History
Association) on the subject of people’s
experiences of moving to Northampton from
various countries around the world, using
oral histories from the NBHA archive.
Costs: No charge.
For more information
and bookings contact:
Email: saima.kaur@leicester.gov.uk,
‘Our Story, Our Leicester’;
Email: shriti.patel@leicester.gov.uk, ‘Moving
Here: Ugandan Asians Coming to Leicester’.
Access Artefacts
- Nottingham City Museum & Galleries
This loans scheme offers original objects
for use in your classroom. Themed resource
boxes contain original and replica artefacts
safely packaged in sturdy boxes. All of the
artefacts are suitable for handling and are
accompanied by teachers’ packs.
Some of the exciting resource box themes
include Toys in the Past, Victorian Kitchen,
Romans in Britain, World War 2, Industrial
Revolution and Africa Inspires!
Our large cased collection includes natural
science specimens, original artefacts and
historical models mounted in Perspex
cases. The diverse themes of these original
artefacts and models include Ancient
Romans, Victorians, North American Indians
and African Art.
Hands on History – Northampton
There are also a shoe resource (developed
in partnership with Kettering Museum)
exploring the theme of shoes being fit for
purpose, an Archaeology, a World War 1
and a Crime and Punishment resource. The
project is entirely targeted at adults and
community groups within Northamptonshire.
Each resource has been designed to reflect
the contents. There is an accompanying
DVD with each resource discussing the links
between art and heritage, and following the
makers throughout the process of creating
each resource.
Costs: There is a small charge for the loan
of these resources.
For more information
and bookings contact:
Rachel Silverson, Community History
Officer: 01604 837001
Email: rsilverson@northampton.gov.uk.
We also have three exhibitions for loan:
Document Detectives-George Africanus
1763-1834, Married in Nottingham, and
Nottingham on Holiday.
Costs: resource box per half-term period:
£30; cased collection (up to 8 items)
per half-term period: £30.
Archaeology Resource,
Northampton
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Loans Boxes - Northampton Museums
Education Service
Northampton Museums Education Service
currently has 5 loans boxes that can be
used to inspire literacy and creative writing
both in and outside of a classroom.
They cover the topics of Victorian Homes
(2 boxes), Victorian Childhood, Toys and
Medicine Through Time. Packed full of
exciting objects and resources they would
provide a superb stimulus for novice or
experienced writers.
Coming soon will also be a purposedesigned literacy loans box, crammed full
with inspiring objects and exercises to get
people writing. There will also be boxes
covering World War 2, from the perspective
of the Home Front, Evacuation and Soldiers;
and a Sensory box, which may be of great
interest to those planning literacy activities
with groups with special needs.
Costs:
Loans boxes for schools: £30 + VAT
(£35.25) per half term.
Loan charges for community groups
and non-school users in holiday time
is negotiable.
For more information
and bookings contact:
Debra Cox or Sarah Orton on 01604
838544, or email dcox@northampton.gov.uk
or sorton@northampton.gov.uk.
Loans Box Service - Lincolnshire County
Council Culture and Adult Education
A successful and popular loans box service
is offered to schools to support learning
within the classroom. The loans boxes
include real and replica artefacts, supporting
information, relevant visual resources and
object-based activities and worksheets
for a variety of cross curricular subjects
and QCA units.
geography, English, science, art and
design and technology. The objects can
also compliment the development of
skills for creative writing, ICT, numeracy,
historical enquiry and will help to encourage
observation, communication, discussion
skills and much more.
The loans boxes can be used to support
learning in Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 and
are available across 6 museums within
Lincolnshire.
Costs:
Loans boxes are available for £3.50 per
week for a usual loan period of 3 weeks.
For more information
and bookings contact:
Victoria Crump on 01476 567873 or visit
www.learnwithmuseums.org.uk.
Art Loan Scheme - Lincolnshire County
Council Culture and Adult Education
The art loan scheme is a valuable teaching
tool and source of inspiration for a wide
variety of subjects across the curriculum
supporting creativity, imagination, the
development of skills whilst increasing
knowledge and enthusiasm for learning.
The artworks range from 18th-Century
watercolours to modern paintings and
prints, including landscapes, still life,
buildings, portraits, abstract, textiles
and more.
The viewing and booking of the artworks
take place at The Collection, Danes Terrace,
Lincoln at specific dates throughout the
year.
For more information contact Victoria Crump
on 01476 568783 or victoria.crump@
lincolnshire.gov.uk.
N.B. All costs and details are accurate at the
time of going to print but may change.
The loans boxes can be used in a number
of ways to support formal and informal
learning in subjects such as history,
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Useful Organisations & Websites
Cultural and Creative Ambassadors Project
www.leicester.gov.uk/cca
The project creates links and supports
partnerships between cultural and creative
practitioners and organisations and schools
in Leicester & Leicestershire. It keeps
schools aware of the cultural and creative
opportunities available in their area to help
them achieve their creative goals.
The scheme encourages a 2-way dialogue
between schools and creative practitioners,
enabling schools to receive timely advice
and support to deliver the National
Curriculum through creative activity, and
allowing cultural partners to get their
information to a known and interested
contact.
This scheme
•asks schools to nominate one teacher to become
their cultural and creative Ambassador
•asks these Ambassadors to disseminate
information from cultural partners throughout
their school, ensuring their school doesn’t miss
out on exciting opportunities
•supports the nominated Ambassador by sending
them information from cultural partners to share
with their school’s community
•works on behalf of Ambassadors to find and
facilitate cultural opportunities for their school
The website features an e-bulletin which
lists local cultural events and training
opportunities. It also lists local cultural
partners with hyperlinks to their websites.
Learn with Museums
www.learnwithmuseums.org.uk
Learn with Museums is a major initiative,
funded by the DfES and the DCMS, to
develop museum and archive education
further across the East Midlands.
teaching and learning. It has been designed
in close consultation with the education
and museums community, and promotes
the varied and flexible ways that museums
can support the curriculum. The website
includes:
•teaching and learning packages searchable by
Key Stages and National Curriculum subject
•free downloadable resources searchable by
subject, resource type and location
•information to support planning a visit
•details of individual museums’ services for
schools
emsource: an East Midlands resource
for teachers and learners
www.emsource.org.uk
The emsource project aims to raise
awareness and promote the use of archives
for learning. The archive items available on
the website are drawn from a variety of East
Midlands collections. There are a number of
downloadable resources for teachers and
learners on the slave trade and World War 2.
East Midlands Oral History Archive
(EMOHA)
www.le.ac.uk/emoha/schools/bulletin
East Midlands Oral History Archive works to
conserve and develop oral history resources
in the East Midlands.
The recordings are deposited in the Record
Office for Leicestershire, Leicester and
Rutland, and are currently being catalogued
to make them more accessible. The project
now has an online catalogue, and a range
of online resources, including a pack, Toys
and Games: An Oral History for teachers.
EMOHA also aims to generate new
oral history recordings through its own
programme of interviewing, and by
The website aims to support East Midlands
teachers in their use of museums for
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providing advice, training and support
for community groups, museums and
heritage organisations, students and other
individuals who are interested in developing
their own projects.
Culture 24
www.culture24.org.uk
Culture 24 (previously 24 Hour Museum)
is the UK’s National Virtual Museum. The
site has a discovery section for teachers,
themed sections, as well as contemporary
arts coverage and ways for users to
participate. It is updated daily with at least
two new stories including arts and museum
news as well as exhibition notices, reviews,
features and trails.
The site promotes publicly-funded
UK museums, galleries, archives and
heritage attractions and seeks to get the
message about Britain’s great culture to
a broad online audience nationally and
internationally.
Inspiring Learning for All
www.inspiringlearningforall.gov.uk
Inspiring Learning for All aims to support
museums, archives and libraries in
developing inclusive learning services.
It is designed to improve their services and
measure the impact of these on people’s
learning.
The website includes online information
and learning materials, and a Measuring
Learning Toolkit. This uses Generic Learning
Outcomes (GLOs) as a new tool to create a
common language for talking about learning
and a means to help analyse and measure
how work has impacted on individuals and
communities.
Museums, Libraries & Archives
East Midlands (MLA East Midlands)
www.mlaeastmidlands.org.uk
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
East Midlands is one of 9 regional agencies
which are part of the wider MLA Partnership,
a strategic agency for museums, libraries
and archives. They work to improve
people’s lives by building knowledge,
supporting learning, inspiring creativity
and celebrating identity. The Partnership
acts collectively for the benefit of the sector
and the public, leading the transformation
of museums, libraries and archives for the
future.
The website includes lists of useful web
links relating to:
•2007 anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade
•Cultural diversity issues
•Disability issues
•Health issues
The website also provides links to other
MLA initiatives such as ‘Learning Links’,
a programme to fund short reciprocal
placements of museum and archive staff
with local schools.
Museums, Libraries & Archives
Yorkshire (Open Doors)
www.mlay-skillsforlife.org.uk
The Open Doors website offers support,
information and inspiration for museum,
library and archive staff and Skills for Life
practitioners. It describes the ways in
which MLAs can work with Skills for Life
learners, and the benefits that this type of
partnership working can bring. This includes
an Ideas and Inspiration section and a
Resources section, which contains useful
downloadable documents, links to external
websites and case studies.
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The Campaign for Learning through
Museums and Galleries (CLMG)
www.clmg.org.uk
The Campaign for Learning through
Museums and Galleries is a think-tank for
the cultural sector. It publishes reports on
the different research issues it addresses.
Reports include:
•Museums of the Mind: Mental Health, Emotional Well-being… and Museums
•Where Are They Now? The impact of the
Museums and Galleries Lifelong Learning
Initiative.
Group for Educators in Museums (GEM)
www.gem.org.uk
GEM is an association committed to
promoting the importance of learning
through museums, galleries and other
cultural organisations. It aims to encourage
the exchange of information, ideas and
research relating to the practice of museum
education, foster the highest standard of
educational practice and promote the role
of museums in formal and informal learning.
GEM membership offers an excellent
informal network and support system.
Although membership is mainly made up of
museum professionals involved in education
work, membership is open to teachers and
other education providers and anyone who
is interested in advancing learning through
museums and galleries.
The website provides a wealth of
information including sections on:
•Publications: GEM produces a variety of
publications including GEM News (a quarterly
magazine), JEM (the annual Journal of Education in Museums) and a Museum
Education Bibliography
theory and learning in museums, and other
museum and education sites
•Networking: GEM put on conferences, national
training days and regional training days; there is
a GEM email discussion list and a GEM forum
will be coming soon.
Creative Writing in Museums
www.vam.ac.uk/activ_events/adult_
resources/creative_writing
This Victoria & Albert Museum website was
written by Gillian Spraggs and Deborah
Tyler-Bennett, and is an online guide for
adult learners which explores the process
of producing a finished piece of creative
writing. It is organised as a course that
users can work through systematically,
however you can dip into the pages for
exercises and writing suggestions.
It draws on objects from the museum’s
collections, and includes a particularly
useful section on how to look effectively
at objects.
engage
www.engage.org
engage is the national association for
gallery education, representing visual arts
organisations, gallery educators, teachers,
artist educators and curators.
engage promotes access to, enjoyment
and understanding of the visual arts
through gallery education - projects and
programmes which help schoolchildren and
the wider community become confident in
their understanding and enjoyment of the
visual arts and galleries.
It also supports gallery education through
research, training and advocacy work.
Its website provides information on
forthcoming projects, programmes,
training and events.
•Resources: information, guidance and
suggestions on various aspects of museum
education, including useful links to external sites
of official reports, online papers about learning
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Research Centre for Museums
Renaissance East Midlands (REM)
and Galleries (RCMG)
www.renaissanceeastmidlands.org.uk
www.le.ac.uk/museumstudies/research/rcmg
Renaissance is a DCMS-funded programme
with the aim of transforming England’s
regional museums, making them world
class and fit for the 21st Century.
RCMG, based within the University of
Leicester’s Department of Museum
Studies, works to develop knowledge
about museums and galleries, their roles,
impact and value within societies. The major
research themes of RCMG include:
•Education and access in museums, galleries,
libraries and archives
•Museum communication and visitors’
interpretive strategies
• Learning processes and learning outcomes
•The social role and impact of museums and galleries
•Museums’ potential to engage with
contemporary social issues (in particular,
through collections, exhibitions and displays)
RCMG have evaluated national, multiproject educational programmes, and they
have produced a number of reports that
examine existing and potential relationships
between museums and schools, and the
impact of museum visits on learning and
attainment. These include:
Renaissance works with museums to
enhance what they offer. It enables
museums to maximise capital developments
and provides other financial support so that
they can attract more visitors, work more
effectively with schools, community groups
and lifelong learning, make the most of their
collections and invest in their staff.
The website provides information on
current funding opportunities, projects
and museum-related events in the
East Midlands, and well as reports as
publications.
Key publications
The following publications provide guidance
on how objects can be used for teaching
and learning:
K. Davidson, Learning with Objects,
University of Aberdeen, 1994.
•Inspiration, Identity, Learning: The Value of
Museums, Second Study
G. Durbin, S. Morris & S. Wilkinson,
Learning From Objects: A Teacher’s Guide,
English Heritage, 1990.
•Engage, learn, achieve: the impact of museum
visits on the attainment of secondary pupils in
the East of England
J. Lane & A. Wallace, Hands On - Learning
from Objects and Paintings: A Teacher’s
Guide, Scottish Museums Council, 2007.
•What did you learn at the museum today?
S. Morris, A Teacher’s Guide to Using
Portraits, English Heritage, 1992.
These reports can be downloaded from their
website.
Object Detectives
www.objectdetectives.org.uk
Object Detectives brings ICT-rich activities
to Key Stage 3, inspired by a mixture of
items from leading museums in the South
West of England. It supports aspects of
english, art and history at Key Stage 3,
includes an object browser and a great
animated poetry section.
Reading Museums’ website also provides
a useful report on DfES-funded evaluation
of the museums’ loans service, which
explores the effectiveness of learning
from museum loans in schools. See
www.readingmuseum.org.uk/handson/
learningandloans
and www.readingmuseum.org.uk/
handson/learningandloans/art-nsead.
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WORDS
THINGS
&
Literature Development & Resources
Literature Development
in Leicestershire
Libraries
The library service promotes literature
events in libraries across the county. These
may be of interest to education workers or
their service users, depending on what kind
of experience they are looking for. These
include author appearances, writing groups,
literary talks and reading promotions.
These events can also be fruitful ground for
finding writers whose activities would suit
your school or group, and to pick up other
recommendations by word of mouth.
Schools
In Leicestershire, there is support and
information available to people in the
education sector, and a lot of work already
goes on. Your local library can also be
contacted as a source of information about
local writers, performers and workshop
leaders, particularly of the kind that are
discussed in this guide.
Young Writers
For young writers, there is an online forum,
in the form of a myspace group that can be
used to post writing, share comments and
feedback: www.groups.myspace.com/
moonshots. A myspace profile is necessary
to access this, but these are free and easy
to set up. Any young writer between the
ages of 13 and 18 can subscribe and
post their work. In addition, the excellent
website for young people, the Jitty, has a
lot of creative activity, including strands for
writing. It’s a great place to hang out and
post stuff, and read other people’s writing.
Subscribe to the Blog!
There is also a library a blog, which
comments on a range of things relating
to creative writing, reading, novels, poetry
– whatever’s on the shelf, or off the wall.
Everyone’s welcome to read and respond.
Find the link on the library pages of the
Leicestershire County Council website:
www.leics.gov.uk/libraries.
Library Services for Education
LSE, based at Rothley Crossroads,
is a service for schools. It operates on
a traded basis. Primary, secondary and
special schools can borrow books and
multi-media items to suit their requirements.
As well as giving expert subject-specific
advice on library stock, LSE staff can advise
on the design, layout and content of a
school library. This can be fundamental to
students’ engagement with reading, their
perception of literature, and of the reading
experience as a whole. LSE can offer
INSET, produces useful publications and
is a source of information linking library
resources to achievement of curriculum
goals.
In addition, LSE organises author
showcases in order to promote local
authors, performers, workshop leaders
and storytellers. This gives staff from
the education sector the opportunity to
experience a taster of what a school visit
could do for their students/service users.
For more information, see the LSE website
at www.leics.gov.uk/lse, or email
lse@leics.gov.uk.
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Literature Development
in the East Midlands
The Literature Network
As well as local support for writers, writing
groups and creative writing projects, the
Literature Network of stakeholders in
literature provision in the East Midlands,
can initiate and organise region-wide
activities. The work of the Literature
Network is showcased at
www.literatureeastmidlands.co.uk, a site
that also provides information for and about
local writers, writing groups and literature
events, as well as up-to-date contacts for
Literature Development Officers across the
region.
Write Away
is a series of courses helping writers to
develop their work, depending on their
experience, form and genre. Recently it’s
been organised by the Literature Network,
but the whole area is under the remit of Arts
Training Central: www.artstrainingcentral.
co.uk/writeawayinfo.
Arts Council East Midlands
The main funder for the arts, including
literature, in the region. You can apply for
various pots of funding from ACEM, whether
as an individual, or as a group, depending
on your circumstances and your intended
project. To give you guidance, ACEM has a
dedicated officer for each art form, and the
literature representative is currently
Jacek Laskowski. He can be contacted
on 0115 989 7533 or email
jacek.laskowski@artscouncil.org.uk.
Literature Resources Everywhere!
There are too many literature projects,
publications and newsletter for this to be
a comprehensive listing. Fortunately,
other people have already done a great
job for us….
A list of journals and magazines of
creative writing can be found in the annual
publication Light’s List of Literary Journals.
Collated and edited by John Light, the
List is as comprehensive as possible, and
includes pretty much every piece of useful
information you could wish for.
A couple of excellent websites, among
many, are worth mentioning:
www.literaturetraining.com is a site
offering opportunities, details of new
projects, publications and initiatives. It’s
rapidly become essential reading for anyone
involved in delivering services, teaching
or initiatives in the literature sector.
www.thepoetrykit.org is another great
resource: details of writers, events,
publications – you want it, it’s probably
here. An amazing span covering events
and news across the whole world – this is
the last word.
Other projects and organisations that
have particular links to education are:
NALD
www.nald.org.uk
The National Association for Literature
Development is the professional body for all
involved in developing writers, readers and
literature audiences.
NAWE
www.nawe.co.uk
The National Association of Writers
in Education is the one organisation
supporting the development of creative
writing of all genres and in all educational
and community settings throughout the UK.
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The Poetry Society
www.thepoetrysociety.org.uk
An organisation whose aim is to promote
and encourage the reading and enjoyment
of poetry. They have a lot of links with
education, and have initiated the wonderful
Poetry Places scheme, featuring lots of
great writers in lots of odd places.
National Poetry Day
www.nationalpoetryday.co.uk
At National Poetry Day, we know that poetry
is life-enhancing. For one day each year we
channel the enthusiasm, passion and skill
of poetry readers and writers into a national
celebration. A good focus around which to
inspire your writers. Currently co-ordinated
by the marvellous Jo Bell, it’s an
opportunity to create and have fun.
Apples and Snakes
www.applesandsnakes.org
Apples and Snakes focuses on working with
emerging artists and producing new work.
With education at the core of its mission, it
works extensively with schools, prisons and
libraries as well as with more traditional arts
venues to develop literacy, communication
skills, motivation and self-esteem through
performance poetry workshops and events.
Writing Resources
Books:
Eavan Boland & Mark Strand, eds, The Making of a Poem
(New York: Norton, 2000).
Includes explanations and exercises concerning different
poetic forms, with the idea of raising your knowledge of and
confidence about writing sonnets, sestinas, villanelles, etc.
Steve Bowkett, A Handbook of Creative Learning Activities
(London: Network Continuum Education, 2007).
With nearly 100 classroom activities or ‘games’, this book
encourages learning and personal development of all kinds
through creativity.
Janet Burroway & Elizabeth Stuckey-French, Writing Fiction:
A Guide to Narrative Craft (New York: Pearson/Longman,
2007). Writing Fiction develops confidence with the writing
process, discusses the main areas of fiction writing, uses lots
of exercises for learning techniques, and lots of examples.
Paul Durcan, Crazy About Women
Replica church brass, H7.6
(Dublin: National Gallery of Ireland, 1991).
This is a collection of Paul Durkan’s poetry inspired by some of the best works from the
National Gallery of Ireland’s collection.
Paul Durcan, Give Me Your Hand (London: Macmillan/National Gallery Publications, 1994).
These two books comprise poems written directly from famous artworks in Britain’s
and Ireland’s National Galleries.
Gabriel Fitzmaurice, Kerry on My Mind (Moher: Salmon, 2000).
This is about a writer’s experience of using a particular place
as inspiration for writing and teaching.
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Jamie James, Pop Art (London: Phaidon, 1996, 2002).
This book contains some great examples of pop art, including collage, all of which could
inspire some great creative writing.
Leicestershire County Council, Raising Boys’ Attainment in Writing: Voice, Choice,
Safety & Fulfilment (Glenfield, Leicester: Leicestershire County Council, 2006).
Booklet providing information for teachers and head teachers to support the development
of effective strategies to improve boys’ attainment.
George Mackay Brown, Northern Lights (London: John Murray, 1999).
Northern Lights presents George Mackay Brown’s writings on many of the places, people,
legends and seasons that formed his vision and work.
Jenny Newman et al, eds, The Writer’s Workbook (London: Arnold. 2000).
The Writer’s Workbook is an introduction to the world of writing. Lots of advice, skills and
ideas including writing short stories, poetry, novels, song lyrics, plays, TV, radio and film
scripts, as well as advice on writing for children.
Rebecca O’Rouke, Creative Writing: Education, Culture and Community
(Leicester: NIACE. 2005).
Offers a detailed ethnographic study and historical account of creative writing in cultural
policy and educational provision, and explores the contribution of adult education to
cultural change and community development.
Hazel Smith, The Writing Experiment: Strategies for Innovative Creative Writing
(Australia: Allen & Unwin, 2005).
Explains how processes which take place when we write, but which are often not
acknowledged, can be made us of as part of a deliberate writing process. Very insightful.
The Internet:
The links pages off poetry sites such as New Hope International Online,
home.clara.net/nhi/nhihome.htm will give you listings for good poetry sites. It is
interesting to compare sites such as Terriblework with The Poetry Society’s website, or The
Poetry Kit with The Burryman.
Gillian Spraggs & Deborah Tyler-Bennett, The V&A’s Creative Writing Web Package,
www.vam.ac.uk/creativewriting.
The British Society For The History of Science, Object Stories,
www.bshs.org.uk/bshs/outreach/object_stories/index.html.
The National Gallery, www.takeonepicture.org.uk.
Crystal Clear Creators is a not-for-profit organisation which showcases new and established
talent for radio, hosts workshops, and publishes. Based in Leicestershire.
www.crystalclearcreators.org.
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Libraries & Resources:
The Poetry Library, Royal Festival Hall, Bank, London, SE1 8XX, 020 7921 0943.
This is an extraordinary and valuable resource – the library holds examples of nearly every
little magazine, past or present. It also now has a growing website,
www.poetrymagazines.org.uk that includes samples of little magazines.
Scottish Poetry Library, 5 Crichton’s Close, Canongate, Edinburgh, EH8 8DT,
0131 557 2876, www.spl.org.uk.
Similar to The Poetry Library: just as extraordinary and valuable.
The Irish Writers’ Centre, 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1, 018721302/8722014,
email: iwc@iol.ie. Will send you, free of charge, their newsletter either on paper or by email.
Arts Council England (East Midlands Address: Arts Council England, East Midlands,
St Nicholas Court, 25-27 Castle Gate, Nottingham, NG1 7AR).
This organisation can provide you with information about creative writing and the
development of literature.
Locally, some of the best information resources for writers or those interested in writing
are produced by local authority Literature Development Officers. Both the Arts Council and
Literature Development Officers will be able to give you information about where and how
to gain funding for projects.
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WORDS
THINGS
&
Employing a Writer
At first the idea of employing a writer in an educational setting may seem to
be fairly straightforward. However, there are many different types of writer,
and many different ways in which writers can work in education.
The first question to ask is: what do you mean by the term ‘writer’?
Do you mean an ‘author’, or do you mean a ‘writing tutor’, or do you mean
‘a workshop facilitator’, or do you mean ‘a performer’? What exactly is
it that you want your ‘writer’ to do? Are you after a poet who is good at
encouraging other people to write poetry? Perhaps you are after a storyteller
who can keep a group of ten year olds amazed for two hours?
It is important that you have some idea
of what you want from a writer before
trying to employ one.
The following is a list of different kinds of
writers that come into educational settings.
A visiting author
will often come with a considerable
publishing reputation; they will probably
read from their work, and be happy to sign
copies of their books. They might have
a certain degree of celebrity. Authors are
often invited into schools, for example,
because so many of the pupils have
read that person’s work. A good visiting
author will inspire and encourage others
to write through a mixture of high profile
reputation tempered by good social skills
and sensitivity. Michael Morpurgo is an
example of an excellent visiting author
renowned for his inspiring generosity.
A writing tutor
will deliver classes on the received ways
of how to write creatively. Generally, their
style of delivery will not be too dissimilar
from that of a college lecturer.
A good workshop facilitator
will encourage and inspire others to write
through creative games and exercises.
Their approach will be playful, reflexive and
experimental. They will be experienced,
published writers - however, they will draw
attention away from themselves and focus
on other people’s creativity.
In this guide we use the word ‘facilitator’
to denote someone who acts as a
motivator and provides stimulus. Rather
than overtly leading and instructing, a
facilitator encourages and offers guidance.
A performer
will play to an audience. For example
Roger McGough has the ability to transfix
several hundred children for a couple of
hours, and Ian McMillan has the nerve and
skill to entertain a whole football stadium!
(Ian McMillan was poet in residence for
Barnsley Football Club.) There are various
kinds of creative speaking performers,
from poets reading from the page, through
performance poets and rap artists, through
to storytellers.
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Community artist (or poet or writer)
Community artists are usually freelance.
They work in different community settings,
be it in schools, youth groups or with adult
learners. They often work with local or
national arts organisations. A community
artist utilises their particular art form and
their enthusiasm as a vehicle to encourage
others to be creative. Community poets
often work alongside community artists.
The writer that you will employ will
probably be a mixture of two or even
more of the above.
How to find a writer for your
workshop or project
Literature Development
(See also Literature Development in the
East Midlands in this section.)
By far the best and easiest way to find local
writers, and indeed local literary events,
is via your Literature Development Officer.
A number of the East Midlands counties
and cities have one of these officers, and
together they form a useful network.
For more information see
www.literatureeastmidlands.co.uk.
Local Arts Organisations
Phoning a local arts organisation and simply
asking for recommendations is a good first
step. As discussed above, it is important
that you first have an idea of what you want
before phoning, and perhaps even have a
written list of points.
of what writers and artists do – they will
often tell you if a writer is an experienced
workshop facilitator. Most directories are
now available online.
Writers’ Resource Sites
A writers’ resource site lists magazines,
organisations, events, competitions,
publications, writers and their websites .
It is recommended that you search via
the links of a reputable site - such as The
Poetry Kit or New Hope International Review
Online (See Literature Development - Writing
Resources in this section).
On-Line Newsletters
The Poetry Kit, From the Centre, Academi
and Poetry Daily will all email you their
newsletters. If you are keen to find out about
what kind or writing and writers are ‘out
there’ then these are excellent.
Word-of-Mouth
Other colleges, schools, youth groups or
adult education colleges may have used
writers – it is worth talking to them.
When you manage to employ a writer, ask
that writer if they know of other writers who
do similar work. For example, a visiting poet
is likely to know a good short story writer.
Word-of-mouth can be useful in determining
a writer’s reputation. If you hear a colleague
or a friend singing the praises of a particular
writer, it is well worth pursuing.
Directories
The ArtsLink directory of artists and creative
organisations (including writers) in Leicester,
Leicestershire & Rutland is available online
at www.artslinknetwork.org.uk/directory.
The Arts Council also has a directory of
writers and community artists, as do many
other arts organisations. Often these
directories give comprehensive descriptions
1905 telephone, H17.17
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Great Expectations
Often the most difficult aspect of employing
a writer revolves around the difference
between your expectations and theirs.
It is therefore vital that you communicate
clearly. If you expect your class or group
to experience the process of generating
characters for a short story then there is no
point trying to employ a visiting author who
expects only to read their poems to a large
audience and do some book signing. And
likewise, if you want a performer who can
deliver poems to hordes of hyperactive 5
year olds then it’s a children’s performance
poet that you need and not a workshop
facilitator who is mostly used to working
with adults.
So, to repeat, it is vital that you and your
prospective writer first talk to each other
carefully.
Employing a workshop facilitator
It may be that you don’t have any ‘great
expectations’ – perhaps you are willing to
get in touch with a writer and just simply
go with what they do. However, if you don’t
wish to simply find out what happens when
the writer turns up, then before contacting
your prospective writer, first ask yourself
the following questions, and do try to be as
specific and detailed as possible:
What sort of workshop do you want?
Do you want the focus to be on generating
bizarre poetic material, or do you want
your group to experience the production
of realistic character sketches? Perhaps
you want your facilitator to merely use
creative writing as a vehicle to empower
and engender confidence. Do you expect
any tangible outcome or product from
the workshop(s)? Perhaps you are only
interested in your students engaging with
the processes of creative word play, or
perhaps you would like them to produce
creative work for an in-house anthology,
display or competition.
The writer will tell you what they do, and
what experience they have. They will also
probably tell you what they don’t do, and
where they are lacking in experience. They
could send you their CV (and often writers,
if they don’t fit the bill themselves, can
recommend a writer who might).
Do you want your writer to do anything
else other than facilitate a workshop?
Perhaps you would like them to perform as
well, or perhaps help edit an anthology or
judge a competition.
Regarding editing anthologies or judging
competitions - the writer will not want to do
these things as unpaid extras. The writer will
probably want written details regarding what
you have both agreed, well in advance.
How many students or group members do
you wish to experience working with your
visiting writer? How will you divide these
groups? How will you divide the time?
The number of people that writers are
prepared to work with may vary, depending
on the writer’s experience and preference.
Often workshop facilitators will suggest an
upper limit of around 16. It maybe possible
to split a class or group of 30 between 2
sessions. Some writers will not be keen
on working with too many (see notes on
workshop dynamics in Section B - Running
a Workshop), however some writers may be
keen to facilitate 50 young people writing
all at once. There is a balance to be drawn
between the size of the group and the
amount of time they will have. Even with
a group of 8, a 25 minute workshop is too
short.
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Do you have a particular theme or issue
that you’d like the workshop(s) to engage
with? Do you have certain curriculum
requirements that you’d like the
workshop to address?
Often it’s through talking with a writer that
you can gain an idea of what exactly you
would like to do. The writer will not want to
turn up to your community centre, school or
college to find out that you suddenly expect
him or her to deal with doing a workshop
about Vikings, or deal specifically with
enhancing grammar. The writer will point
out to you what is possible in a given timeframe, for example it maybe that what you
are after is only possible as a project rather
than a single session.
How much will it cost?
How much can you afford?
Most writers will charge the standard Arts
Council community artist rates.
The current standard rate (from 2007)
is £200 per day, not including travel or
other expenses. This is a minimum rate,
recommended by the Arts Council,
applied to experienced community artists.
Some writers will charge more than this
rate. Over time this rate has increased
slowly (in 2000 the standard was £150 per
day). Due to extra administrative costs being
placed upon community artists and writers,
fees are likely to increase.
Writers will expect to be paid for all their
working time outside workshop delivery
- they should charge the Arts Council
recommended rates for research and
development, for attending planning and
evaluation meetings, etc. Rates will vary
and may be open to negotiation, but writers
do not wish to be expected to work for less
than the standard rates.
If you want the poet laureate to work for
you it will cost considerably more than a
local writer! When employing some writers,
novelists for example, the fee may be
stipulated by the writer’s agent.
It is worth remembering that having a writer
in for a day will be more economic than
having them in for an hour in the morning
(that will be charged at a half day rate). And
don’t forget - four half-days rather than two
full days will incur more travel expenses.
Inviting writers in…
It can be tempting for education staff to see
a visiting writer as a way of taking a break
from the responsibilities of planning or
delivering a class.
This is neither advisable nor practical,
particularly if individuals or a group need
additional support. If the support is routinely
organised, it should be in place for sessions
which are planned and delivered by visiting
staff. ‘Regular’ staff can learn a huge
amount about their students, and their
own teaching, when they observe different
learning situations.
The key to successful sessions is more,
not less, planning.
Writers need to give advance information
about the kinds of activities which they
will include, and they should explain that
creative writing can trigger memory, and
that memories are not always pleasant.
For some groups, this is particularly
useful advance information – not because
participants should be shielded from any
unhappiness or buried recall, but because
they may need some kind of practical
support to help them through. If all the
regular staff have disappeared for a break,
this isn’t going to happen, and the others
in the group will also be disadvantaged.
Writers may need to receive advance
information about things which may cause
difficulties or stress. They may need to know
what form any additional support may take,
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and whether there are any ‘no go’ areas for
activities or discussions. They will also need
to know about any individual difficulties or
needs which may require alternative approaches (e.g. sensory impairments).
Writers shouldn’t be expected to deal
with behaviour or discipline problems,
although it’s often the case that there
are not as many of these when different
approaches are used.
Writers may need CRB checks if they are
working with children, vulnerable young
people, or vulnerable adults. It is good
practice that the Institution which wants the
CRB check, pays to have it done.
To sum up, good practice suggests that:
•Any support strategies already in place should
continue
•Writers should be considered as guests, and not
as stand-ins for teachers and support staff
•Writers should be given information about topics,
situations, or practicalities which may affect
learners
•Writers should share the knowledge that certain
activities/experiences may trigger insight and
deeper experiences
“Creative writing comes fairly easily to me.
I don’t think I’m especially good at it but it
is something I do regularly. I write fiction
and poetry for pleasure and so you might
think that I would find teaching creative
writing easy. Well, in a way I do, or at least
I don’t find it intimidating. But that is not
the same as being good at it, or giving
the students that special experience that
switches something on that was off. And
that’s where getting a writer in helped.
I have to confess to being a bit sceptical
at first. I had spoken to Mark [Goodwin]
about the kinds of activities he was going
to do and thought, “I could do that.”
I was right in a way; I could do that. I just
couldn’t do it like that. The approach was
different. The atmosphere was different.
Seeing Mark work with the students and
being a part of the experience, team
teaching, was so rewarding and when I
later applied the ideas and techniques to
what I could already do in the classroom
the result was a lesson that had every
student gripped.”
Rob Cooper, Teacher
Writers and young people
The writer should be accompanied by a member of staff, and never left alone with a
group. This is so the writer does not have to be responsible for keeping discipline,
and also has the security of being in the presence of an adult witness. It is vital
that any members of a group with special needs who are usually supported by an
assistant be accompanied by that assistant during workshops.
It is beneficial if the writer knows beforehand of any special needs or behavioural
issues regarding individual pupils.
Writers working with children and young people are often able to provide evidence
of having been assessed by the Criminal Record Bureau. If you require a writer to
undergo a CRB check, the CRB stipulate that the host organisation is responsible for
arranging that check. Individual writers and freelance workers cannot apply for a CRB
certificate. This information is subject to revision, so check the government website:
www.crb.gov.uk.
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Whether working with young people or adult groups it is beneficial if the writer knows
beforehand of any special needs or behavioural issues regarding individual students
or group members.
It is of utmost importance that the writer you employ is socially sensitive and
compassionate (see also Section B - Running a Workshop).
Other ways in which writers
can inspire
At first one might suspect writers are only
useful for encouraging creative writing.
However, a whole project to do with
sculpture and recycling, for example, may be
kicked off by a writer encouraging a group
to generate ideas through creative word
play. Equally, a themed project that has run
out of impetus could be re-ignited through
surprising creative writing games. Also bear
in mind that writers needn’t work alone –
having a poet and dancer, for example,
working with a group can be wonderfully
surprising.
Tales of the
Unexpected
Yours Sincerely
Dear Mr Lucus, I am instructed to thank you
for your visit to our literary group last week.
We were sorry to give you such short notice
but the gentleman we wanted to hear speak
It is important that
your and your
prospective writer’s
expectations are
met, that you both
negotiate and
compromise.
died a few days earlier and left us in a pickle.
We could think of no substitute who would do,
had indeed quite scraped the bottom of the barrel.
Then someone suggested you.
However, don’t
become overly
concerned with
expectations
– more often than
not the best creative
workshops evolve
in the moment by
cashing in on the
unexpected.
This may explain why so few attended,
although it is true that on a fine evening
most people prefer to enjoy themselves,
and, as I always say, there is no reasoning
with those who will only stir for well-known names.
However, all four of us present
found much to talk about over tea and cakes
(baked by Miss Tuck, our president –
who, I assure you, always listens with her eyes shut.)
In closing, may I sincerely apologise
for putting you on board the 37 bus
which, as you no doubt came to realise,
unlike the 73 goes nowhere near the station.
Nevertheless I hope you were able to catch the last train,
and that, should we in future ever need a last-minute stop gap,
we might perhaps call on your services again.
John Lucas, from The Long & Short of It
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WORDS
THINGS
&
A Warning Note on Scams
More and more of the public are becoming interested in writing creatively.
As this public demand grows, so, inevitably the unscrupulous will attempt
to take advantage of new writers. In the past 5 years new writers have become specific targets. So, beware and be careful! Here are a few warning
signs that can give away such ‘publishing’ scams:
•You answer an advertisement
requesting submissions for a
forthcoming publication/competition
and in reply your work is accepted
but only on condition of you sending
money, either to contribute to the
production of the volume, or for the
payment of a single volume (see below).
•An alleged publisher asks all its
anthology contributors for a large sum
of money up front, or proposes a book
sold at an unfeasibly large amount (i.e.
a poetry anthology priced at £36 when
most poetry anthologies usually cost
between £7 and £12). If you are unsure
of a publisher’s prices go to your local
bookshop and take a look at similar
books on the shelves.
•The alleged publisher intends to present
the volume in an unconventional
manner: the resulting book will look
nothing like books found in reputable
bookshops. Key giveaways are: unusual
binding (fake leather), no text on the
spine, and no ISBN number.
(If a book doesn’t have an ISBN
number bookshops will not stock it.
Most bookshops will not display books
without title information on the spines.)
•The alleged publisher intends to publish
a large quantity of material in one
volume (e.g. a book listed as containing
over 1,000 poems, imagine how
crowded and ugly this would be!).
•Beware competitions with high entry
fees. (However, some reputable
pamphlet competitions do legitimately
charge more for the extra reading
required.)
•Beware expensive critical appraisal
services and correspondence courses. Some of these services and courses are
excellent, but some are merely moneyspinners. Only consider appraisal
services and courses that utilise well
established, publishing writers with a
good reputation.
It is worth being aware that not all publications that show these ‘warning signs’ will be
scams. For example, community publishing projects or writers’ group anthologies are
often unconventional in their appearance and may not have an ISBN number. They may
however, offer valuable opportunities for writers to publish and share their work.
If in doubt, speak to the other writers who are being ‘published’ or contact your
Literature Development Officer.
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