Yesterday, the Writers' Club at St. Mary's School welcomed Leela Gour Broome, author of Flute in the Forest and Red Kite Adventure. Mrs Broome introduced her two books and spoke to the children about the process of writing them."I'm not a fan of fantasy," she said when the children asked her what she reads. "I think we need more realistic Indian fiction that children can read!"Her own books are inspired by experiences she's had through her close interaction with nature, experiences that help her stories ring true. "Even when you imagine, there's a limit, right? For instance, you could write about a pony that is colourful and magical … Maybe the pony can fly. But would you be able to convince your readers that the pony can drive a car? Remember that the reader must be able to imagine with you, so don't let your imagination get away with you!"The … [Read more...]
Flickering Flames – Now Available!
During the last academic year, a group of girls from St. Mary's School worked with me at the Writers' Club. They imagined, wrote and rewrote. Now, their work is available in the form of an anthology of poems and short stories! Flickering Flames, written by girls from classes VI and VII of St. Mary's School, is now available online.The proud authors are Advaya Venbakkam, Advika Dhar, Ananya Banerjee, Anika Garg, Anushka Shinde, Ashna Bhavnagarwalla, Jayde MacFarland,Lavanya Dua, Pareesa Irani, Rashmin Kaur Juneja, Riva Verma, Samiksha Deshpande and Tejasee Khurjekar.The illustrators (also girls from the school) are Advaya Venbakkam, Ananya Banerjee, Anika Garg, Ashna Bhavnagarwalla, Chahat Agarwal, Nandini Ghosh, Pareesa Irani, Paridhi Kumar, Riva Verma, Samiksha Deshpande, Shanaya … [Read more...]
Writers’ Club – The Last Session
A whole year with my first batch of the Writers' Club at St. Mary's School is over! We've written all kinds of things. I've put a few pieces up on my blog; I've made the girls write and rewrite, write and rewrite ... We did poetry, prose and drama. We worked with back stories, plot and setting. We played all kinds of games and we did all kinds of activities. And it was fun.During my first session, 60 children showed up. I knew many of them would not keep at it. I reminded them, several times, that if their compositions improved, or they began to write answers better, these would be side benefits. I warned them that I expected assignments to be submitted on time.And finally, about 15 stuck with it. They continued to attend sessions, even though writing regularly was tough, and I kept making them rework their pieces. During the orientation for the next batch, the girls kept … [Read more...]
Reflection
The IB methodology taught me the importance of reflecting on what we have learnt. I often keep that in mind as I conduct workshops, in the hope that reflection will help participants consciously use what they learn in their lives ahead.The girls from St. Mary's have now attended eight sessions of the Writing Club. They reflected on what they have understood, and thought about what they need to do ahead. Here is what Remanika Sohal, a student of class VII has to say:Based on the comments I have received on the assignments I have done so far, I think I need to spend more time and energy on my work. I must not hurry through it. My ideas seem to have potential, but I rush a little when it comes to putting them down in the form of a poem. I have enjoyed all the sessions and have learnt a great deal as well. There is one aspect which I really appreciate when it comes to learning in the … [Read more...]
My First Violin Recital
I'm conducting a Writing Club at St. Mary's School for 25 girls from classes VI and VII. Every time I give them a writing assignment, I will be publishing the work I like best on my blog. I will be editing the work very slightly, if at all. It's Friday again, and time to publish. This week, each girl wrote a poem inspired by any experience. I chose this one, by Advika Dhar from class VII, because of its simplicity and choice of form. I have preserved the original haiku, unedited. My First Violin Recital - Advika Dhar Camera lights flashed, Butterflies in my stomach, My first violin show. … [Read more...]
Pop! Goes the Music
I'm conducting a Writing Club at St. Mary's School for 25 girls from classes VI and VII. Every time I give them a writing assignment, I will be publishing the work I like best on my blog. I will be editing the work very slightly, if at all. This week, each girl wrote a poem inspired by a piece of music of her choice. I chose this one, by Jayde MacFarland from class VII, because I enjoyed the rhythm of the poem.On what inspired her, Jayde wrote: This poem is based on pop music. I felt inspired to do this as it is the kind of music I really listen to. Whenever it comes to country and jazz, I fall asleep. Pop is a modern style of music and many people have contributed to it, which is why it inspires me. Pop! Goes the Music - Jayde MacFarland I need a beat, I need a song, I need some words to sing along. I don't need rhythm, I don't need blues, No jizz or jazz or country clues. I don't … [Read more...]