Shared Writing: Bringing Words to Life

Every year we run programmes to engage young people with books through writing, illustration, stories and poems. The emphasis is on active participation with workshops, competitions, and semi-professional assignments. In 2020 we have run poetry workshops with Year 8s, a writing competition for students at Derby College and the University of Derby, a sculpture trail of ‘Readers’ by Derby College design students and a competition to help students who are studying to work in nursery and pre-school settings become better story-tellers.

Although some of these activities have been curtailed due to the COVID-19 crisis, we have still been able to publish two books in 2020, involving over 150 student writers and illustrators. You will find our 2020 Shared Writing anthology, ‘The World and Me’ below. It has poems written by pupils from Bemrose, Murray Park and St Benedict’s secondary schools, and selected entries from our Writing Competition. You can read it here or purchase a copy to have at home.