Creative writing scholars share their inspiring voices
During the academic year 2021-2022, St Mary’s creative writing scholars worked with the theme 'Inspiration'. The result of their hard work can be explored in a fascinating compilation of work, beautifully illustrated with imagery created by our art and photography students.
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Each term, scholars attended a workshop led by our Year 12 Ambassadors for Writing, Amelie and Emma. In the Autumn Term, the scholars explored music as a form of inspiration, with each scholar producing a piece of writing inspired by a piece of music of their choice. With responses to Persian music, Vivaldi, Billie Eilish, and much more, the scholars have created a symphony of styles, bringing narratives and experiences to life through both poetry and prose.
The second workshop was held during Children's Mental Health week, in the Spring Term, with each scholar investigating the role of writing in understanding our mental health and exploring an array of emotions. In this second section of our magazine, you can dive into a range of emotions, from love to despair.
Each piece of writing in these first two sections of the collection features incredible artwork by St Mary’s Art and Photography students. We hope you enjoy exploring the links between the writing and the art. A huge thank you to Sofia A., Masha I., Olivia B., Daria S., Irina E., Albany G., Laura C., Julia M., Frankie R. and Ms. Conroy!
The Summer Term saw the scholars delve deeper into the links between the visual and verbal: in their third workshop, our scholars considered art as inspiration. Each scholar chose a piece of art to consider, and, using this artwork as inspiration, they either produced poetry and prose in a descriptive style, or they used the artwork as a springboard for a narrative perspective. As the workshop developed, several scholars decided to see what would transpire if they all chose the same painting, and they have selected this collaborative approach to writing as a focus for next year’s endeavours.
Whether it be matters connected to inclusion, politics, diversity, wellbeing, the environment or relationships, our scholars have shown how powerful the creative voice can be in tackling a range of challenging issues, both personal and political. We hope you enjoy reading their work. Jo Cottingham, English Teacher
The girls’ voices are strong, powerful and creative – just as we would want them to be. It is excellent that the scholars are leading the way and producing work of quality, range and depth. Charlotte Avery, Headmistress
Download and read Inspiration
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