OUR WORDS - YOUNG WRITERS CONFERENCE

Our Words was a day long event in June 2006, which provided a platform for young writers to discuss and share their work and ideas. The day included panel discussions with established and burgeoning writers, publishers editors and theatre practitioners, plus workshops and one to one advice sessions.

A scintillating showcase in the evening was a fantastic way to end the event, overflowing with an eclectic mix of music, poetry, song, comedy and spoken word.

Over forty young writers took part in the day and we had tons of positive feedback. But don’t take it from me, let me hand you over to Yemisi Blake, one of the young writers who took part and performed his poetry on the day.

“In the past I've been to many events that claim to cater for the needs of young people but fail miserably. Our Words was not one of those events.

The day started with an excellent panel discussion, the main message I got from it was 'find your own style' and 'keep writing'. Sounds simple, but the day was effective in sending out the fundamentals of writing, especially for young writers.

The panel members in the morning and afternoon were varied and extremely knowledgeable. The individuals relayed their own experiences of writing and each discussion ended with some 'Hot Tips', which were helpful.

I particularly enjoyed the workshop. I went along to short story session with Rajeev. Although time, as usual, defeated us I got some useful pointers. The venue was well suited. The Albany cafe and garden gave us a space to talk and network.

Probably the most reassuring thing that I found from the day was that every other person there struggled with the same challenges that I did. Being a young writer it can be a bit daunting when you are constantly faced by articles on writers who are sometimes twice your age or a 13 year old genius.

The event reflected writing as a lifetime craft and I came away with a feeling of confidence and optimism.

To top it all of there was a poetry reading / performance in the evening. The selection of poets was outstanding, they covered a range of topics and styles. I especially liked Josie Long who successfully fused comedy and illustration into a gut-funny performance. I do hope the conference will be held again next year...the freebies were great too!"

In their own words…

“It exceed my expectations. It validated the desire to write” - Chloe Naite

“I'd never performed before so it was a brilliant opportunity for me” - Alice Malin – Foyles Young Poet

“I really enjoyed it and it was lovely and really inspiring to meet so many people who were so young and talented” - Josie Long – award winning stand up comic who performed in the showcase

“An inspiring day! It was great for the students to experience such diverse approaches to writing, and especially something very different to anything on offer in the depths of Kent! We hope to come to future events, and hope that I can bring many more students in future!” - Sarah Davies – Lecturer at Cantebury College

“An informative, interesting and fulfilling day” - Tori Smith

“looks like you've got a good thing going on with Our Words...
long may it continue” - Jamie Woon – musician/songwriter