Cheltenham Literature Festival
On Monday 10th October, thirty students from all year groups visited the festival to observe the ‘Battle of the Books’ debate and partake in a workshop with author, Julian Sedgwick.
The ‘Battle of the Books’ debate involves students from five secondary schools in Gloucestershire who battle it out for their chosen book to be named winner. This year the theme was Read the World and schools chose a book to champion which builds empathy with a culture other than their own.
Students then attended a workshop hosted by Julian Sedgwick, author of Tsunami Girl. Sedgwick gave the students a planning method for creating an engaging story. The four-step process was explained and students worked together to create a plan of their own stories. These ranged from abandoned hospitals to deserted schools.
The students were able to enjoy the experience to the full as they visited other areas of the festival including the onsite book shops.
“The workshop provided us with a creative outlet to inspire our writing and art.” Ailidh McKenna (Y9)
“The author, Julian Sedgwick, was great. Abolutely fantastic! I think the workshop was my favouirite bit of the day, as well as buying new books.” Jorja Holpin (Y8)
“The workshop was really interesting. I enjoyed learning about his inspirations for writing Tsunami Girl and planning our own stories.” Lisa Hoyes (Y11)
