Sense-ual writing

Super to hear from Helen who had a great buzz in her class through using the 8 senses (see my blogs labelled senses) and pictures. Then -- O Creative One -- she went on to focus on senses and poetry, and she suggests an excellent source for poetry workshops. 'All the work's done for you, if you pick a good one!' she says. It is on the Guardian website, and the one she used was by Matthew Francis... I checked it out, YES! Here is the link http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/apr/14/poetry

So thank you Helen and thank you Matthew. If anyone else out there has useful, relevant resources to recommend and creative teaching variations to share let me know and I'll blog it -- one big happy creative mix.

Last pub-gather of my academic year this week; I have sent a reminder to all of my Hero's Journey/Writer's Journey writers. It is fun and rewarding to introduce the new batch to the previous 'graduates' and see this group of local writers build and encourage each other. I don't go every month (got my own bunches of writers to build and encourage me) but I do like to keep in touch.

Remember to encourage all your writers to enter competitions -- the Bridport deadline is in June... must be loads of others too. Make it an assignment: they all have to look up comps and bring them in to share -- online, in libraries, in the Poetry Library, in writing magazines. Like I said, one big happy creative mix.

What is the meaning of lifelong learning?

The above question headed a Guardian article on September 9th 2008 and I'm very sorry I didn't tell you about it at the time. If you want to keep teaching in adult education you need to keep at least a bit au fait with the (drastic) things happening in that sector. Spending, budgets et cetera... not very creative but it does affect us teachers of creativity.

That article announced the formation of the Campaigning Alliance for Lifelong Learning (Call), a banding together of bodies (stakeholders, if you use that kind of language) to lobby and pressure politicians re lifelong learning. It could be that U3A (University of the 3rd Age) is what/who we all come to rely on for providing what's called informal adult educaton.

If you are that way inclined, for an update see http://www.callcampaign.org.uk/

For a more recent Guardian article on further education for older adults, see http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jan/20/furthereducation-longtermcare

These nifty shortcuts to news-right-up-our-alley come to me via the Instititute for Learning http://www.ifl.ac.uk They send a quarterly e-newsletter with news digest links; IfL is also 'our' body for official registration as a teacher in further education.

Frankly (my dear) politicking is not my thing, so if you want even more directly writers-who-teach-creatively news and conferences etc don't forget the National Association for Writers in Education http://www.nawe.co.uk You can even list yourself on offer to go into schools etc. NAWE addresses creative writing teachers going into schools, universities and community (which includes further education).

End of commercial. I see my private writing coachee tomorrow. Next week I will be more creative, less administrative.

Summer break for writing tutors

End of term, just about. Next week I'm among the guest speakers at my college's Creative Writing Event. I've been a screening judge of the student and local creative writing competition, and the main feature is the awarding of the prizes. Winners will read from their submissions in General Fiction, Poetry and Writing for Children. The dear college provides the pleasant venue and welcome glass of wine.

Guest panellists include local author (and tutor and writing coach), novelist Jacqui Lofthouse, and a Guardian journalist and writer. In my few minutes in the spotlight I'll praise all the writing students I've ever had -- how much energy and spirit we get from them, as well as give to them. They want to know about my Creative Writing: the Matrix book; and I might say a little about self (or small) publishing.

Then it is blog-holiday time until Tuesday 2nd September -- just as you are rousing yourself for the new term I'll be back with the blog for this tutoring-writing life. I will be furthering this novel-in-a- month I have been steaming through. And I'll use my cybertime to improve this blogspot with links to useful sites, and to create a slideshow on my more general-creativity susankerr blogspot of my trip to Nepal and India. See you in September!

PS I have just joined National Association of Writers in Education http://www.nawe.co.uk/ Suggest you have a look and do the same.