Spark Young Writers Summer School 2019

Monday 22 July – Friday 26 July (inclusive)

10.30am – 3.30pm (optional hour of quiet writing from 9.30am) Lunch is not included – please bring a packed lunch.

University of Wolverhampton

Are you – or do you know – a young person (school years 7 – 12, aged 12 – 17) who loves writing or wants to be a writer?

We’re running our Spark Young Writers’ Summer School again this July, especially for writers like you.

Come and join us on Monday 22nd – Friday 26th July for five days of writing, performing, playing with words, meeting other young (and not-so-young) writers and learn to be the writer you want to be. The Spark Summer School is run by poet Liz Berry and poet and writer Paul McDonald.

We’ll dabble in lots of different types of writing, from poetry to radio plays to flash fiction to wordplay, and we’ll finish the week with a special performance for your friends and family.

A limited number of young writers taking part in the Summer School have the chance to complete a Bronze Arts Award, a nationally-recognised qualification that builds creative and leadership skills. Young writers will learn more about their craft through researching professional writers, going to arts events and sharing skills they learn across the week with others. More information about Bronze Arts Award can be found here.

Those taking this option will be asked to attend for an extra hour each day (from 9.30 – 10.30am); the additional charges are built into the ticket price which cover assessment costs and resources. There will also be some preparatory work needed in order to ensure the content is covered by the end of the course.

There are a very limited number of bursary places available. Please contact Emma Boniwell to find out more.

About the writers:

Liz Berry

Liz Berry was born and brought up in the Black Country, and now lives in Birmingham. She received an Eric Gregory Award in 2009, and an Arvon-Jerwood mentorship in 2011, and in 2012 she won the Poetry London competition. Her debut pamphlet, The Patron Saint of School Girls, was published by tall-lighthouse in 2010. Black Country (Chatto & Windus, 2014) was a Poetry Book Society recommendation, and winner of the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. She is assistant poetry editor at Ambit magazine.

Paul McDonald

Paul runs the Creative and Professional department at the University of Wolverhampton. He is a prize winning and published poet and novelist who lives in Walsall.

FAQs

Is it ok if the name on my ticket or registration doesn’t match the person who attends?

Please make the booking in your name, to match the person paying for the place. There is then a separate question asking for details of the child attending.

My child will be 18 before the course starts – why can’t they come?

As 18 year olds are legally adults, this raises problems with safeguarding the young people who are under the age of 18. There are other short courses and our National Writers Conference that they could attend instead. Please see our website for further information https://writingwestmidlands.org/events/

I have already completed my Bronze award – can I do my Silver Arts Award?

I’m afraid that there just isn’t enough time to get the Silver award done within the week and not quite enough scope to fulfil all the criteria. Sorry.