Tuesday 26 February 2013

Young Women’s Reading



I was thinking earlier, that being a teenager is hard but then I thought, being a mother must be really hard.  I suppose being a teen mum is the hardest job in the world. But I wouldn’t know, I’m just little old me, muddling along.  Muddling along with someone else holding the reins, holding the keys, holding the lock shut.         - Vanessa 


This is the first year that we will stage a reading open to young women writers like Vanessa.

Words And Women in partnership with Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library’s Community Development Worker – Young People, Charlotte Creed invited  girls from Years 10 - 13  at The Hewett School to write about anything close to their hearts. The project was championed by Hayley Ross, an English teacher at the school, and a core of strong writers emerged. These writers have been joined by a handful of other participants from youth groups associated with the library.  The result is a strong selection of prose and poetry which is compelling, honest and revealing of the lives of young women today.  The threads and themes exploring self-esteem, bullying, family relationships, living with loneliness and finding a place in the world are intertwined with courage, insight, humour and grace.

The girls will be able to take part in a workshop to help them read extracts of their work in public and the full pieces will be posted on this blog and put together in a short printed anthology. Hodder And Stoughton have kindly donated a hardback copy of Jenn Ashworth’s The Friday Gospels  to each of the girls and Jarrolds are offering a book token to the extract judged most outstanding.

The reading will take place with music from Matilda Pine at 5pm in the Express Section of the Millennium Library on March 8th.




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