Launching my railway adventures for children in a city in which I know very few children was bound to be a challenge, but it was such fun!

The event began with a college friend who came to show her support – and she made my day. I hadn’t met her for a decade, making her presence even more special.

As children started trickling in, we began to explore the series of railway advenures through the audio books and activity kits. The joy of each of the railway books is that it is sold both as a book and as part of a kit, making for wonderful activities with children at events like this!

And of course, for any writer, people who want to buy your book and get it signed just warm your heart!

I have two events coming up in Bengaluru this week – a book launch tomorrow, and a reading workshop on Saturday. I hope to see you there!

Book Launch at Atta Galatta, Koramangala, Bengaluru
Date: 9th March 2017
Time: 5:30 pm
Open to all!

Reading Workshop at Kids Collective, Jayanagar, Bengaluru
Date: 11th March 2017
Time: 11 am to 1 pm
Age-group: 8-12
Workshop fee: Rs 500 per child

The British Library invited me to conduct writing workshops for the fourth and fifth standard students of Gurukul School, and what fun it was!

A student of mine introduced me to a lovely activity that I improvised for the fourth standard. I handed out sheets of paper to groups of children, and asked them to write six characters.

Here’s what they wrote:

I find the denture, toothbrush and fork the most interesting characters of all!

Then, I asked them to write six settings.

I like Crystaly! I wonder where it is.

Then, I asked them to write actions. Here’s what we got:

Each child comes forward and rolls the die three times. The die rolls determine the character, setting and action. All that remains is to write the story. It was delightful!

I love the concept of the language week that is held at Symbiosis International School. The students organised a language quiz; they explored the cultures associated with different languages; they had competitions … And I was invited my to conduct creative writing workshops for grade VIII. In November last year, I conducted reading workshops with grade VII and thoroughly enjoyed myself, so I was sure these would be fun too!

As I was going to be there anyway, I was also asked to judge an event, and it was wonderful! Students of the seventh grade dressed up as characters from books and made speeches or enacted scenes. It was such fun! From the moment each character walked into the room, my brain began to whir. Who could this be? What book is s/he from? From the prince and the pauper to Frankenstein, Ebenezer Scrooge, Elizabeth Bennett and Mark Antony, I had a lovely morning, immersed in stories of all kinds!

The workshop was lovely too – working on technique, structure and, of course, imagination. I love the creative energy that runs like a hot wire through the participants when they sit by themselves to write. We explored the process of creativity and why people write, or create art in any form. It was a wonderful day!

Last year, I attended the Asian Festival of Children’s Content for the first time because I was shortlisted for the Scholastic Asian Book Award. This year, I’ll be attending it again–as a speaker!

I’m speaking as part of a panel discussion titled “Writing about Us”. Here’s a little about where the whole thing came from.

At workshops I conduct, I find that participants rarely write about Indian children, especially when they write fantasy. I meet Harry, Lucy (sometimes even pronounced Lucky because the name isn’t real to the children) and Mary, and a few made-up names too, but almost no Indian ones. When the children write Indian tales, I find, repeatedly, a traditional storytelling pattern with a clear moral.

I originally believed that this came from what the children read. They talk about Percy Jackson, Harry Potter and Cassandra Clare, and when I ask what Indian literature they read, the answers I hear include Tenali Raman, Akbar and Birbal, and the Panchatantra.

Yet, this is only part of the answer to why they don’t write about Indian children. The problem is more deep-rooted and often comes down to stereotypes perpetuated by television as well as other kinds of problems we face when we write Indian stories in English.

Looking forward to a another lovely workshop in Singapore!

To attend the conference or find out more about it, click here.

The Reading Challenge is back at the British Library, Pune, and this time, the theme is ‘The Big Friendly Read’! Celebrating 100 years of Roald Dahl, we have a lovely collection of books as usual. Many feature Dahl characters that I fell in love with as a child, and of course, many others with the wonderful illustrations of Sir Quentin Blake. There are all kinds of stories, though, so even if you’ve read everything Dahl ever wrote, there will be something for you to read too!

For those who have never taken part in the Reading Challenge, it is an exciting programme conducted every year at the British Library, Pune. If you are anywhere between 5 and 13 years old, you can register. There are two sets of books – junior books and senior books – and all you need to do is finish reading six books in six weeks. If you do, you will get a certificate, maybe even a medal!

I will be conducting an orientation session on Sunday the 13th of November. Contact me if you need more details about it.

If you know already that you want to be part of the Big Friendly Read, then register! Write to swati.salwe@britishcouncil.org or contact the library at (020) 4100 5320. See you at the workshops!

When I was asked to speak about Shakespeare at a gathering of school principals and English teachers, I was more than a little nervous.

I borrowed and read books; I watched DVDs about his life; I pulled out notes from my Master’s course on Shakespeare … And I enjoyed myself thoroughly! Reading about Shakespeare again made me chuckle and wonder at the amount people have read and written about him. The interpretations people have come up with are amazing! From saying that he was (definitely) a moneylender to saying that he was a butcher’s son who would make a speech while killing a calf, I read a range of stories, and that’s why I decided to talk about just that – a few of the stories that make up the Shakespeare that we “know” today.

After my talk, Mr Sridhar Balan spoke about the First Folio, a delightful session that drew the audience in and explored Shakespeare’s journey towards publication. We concluded with a wonderfully lively session conduced by author Pervin Saket, who spoke about his words and works, bringing alive Shakespeare’s juicy  and imaginative insults!

In Pune, I happened to be colour-coded with the venue. Needless to say, that was unplanned.

In Mumbai, I seem to have been a little colour-coded too, though I did not notice that. The number of people made me nervous, but that just added to the adrenalin rush!

I enjoyed reading this short, simple play by Caron Thomas, one of the girls at the Writers’ Club at St. Mary’s School. I’ve published it here for you to read (with her permission, of course).

The Puppy Who Wanted to Fly
Caron Thomas

Characters
Puppy
Little bird
Mommy
Daddy
Cat

__

Scene I
A warm afternoon, under a tree. Stage right: A large field with many trees; stage left: a cottage

Puppy: I wish I could fly just like the birds.
(Goes around the tree and scratches his head)
Yes! I have decided. I will go to the birds and ask them to teach me how to fly.
(Looks at the tree)
Hey, hey everyone please teach me to fly.

Little bird: Ha, ha! How will you fly? You’re a dog, you don’t have beautiful wings like us!
(Puppy runs away making a sad face)

(Blackout)
__

Scene II
A warm afternoon in a cottage. Stage right: a dining table; stage left: the living room

Puppy: Mommy, Mommy! Why don’t I have wings like birds? I really want to fly.

Mother: Son, be happy, you are a cute little puppy. There are so many things that birds can’t do but you can.

Father: Son, you have soft and shiny fur. Then why do you need wings with feathers?

Mother: Now go back to the field and play with them.

Puppy: Yes, Mommy.

(Runs back to the field)

(Blackout)
__

Scene III
A cloudy dark evening in the field. Stage centre: Trees.
It starts raining.

Puppy: Ugh! I am wet, I should find my tree fast or else I will catch a cold.
(Looks at his tree, surprised)
Hey, What is this? A cat is taking shelter under my favourite tree.
Oh no, is that the little bird? Poor bird, she is trapped in the cat’s cage. I should save her somehow, she is my friend.
(Walks towards the cat)
Woof, Woof ,Woof.

Cat: Aaaaaahhhhhhhh!
(The cat screams and runs away)

Puppy: There now little bird, come out, don’t be scared, the cat’s gone, you’re free.

Little bird: Please forgive me for teasing you, you are my hero.

 

Going back to a school at which I was once a teacher was a whole new experience for me! Despite all the reasons I quit, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face as I walked around the school. This time, I was not there an employee, but as an independent trainer from the British Council. Going to the buildings where I taught English and ToK, visiting the library and the refectory, and, most importantly, meeting all the lovely people I worked with … What a grand day!

MIT Gurukul has taken on the Reading Challenge, and I worked with the PYP section today, reading out stories and teaching the children about book reviews. With Grade 1, I did a book I had not read before – There’s a Shark in the Bath! It’s a delightful story, one of those that is enjoyed differently by each reader. What does young Dulcie do when she sees a shark in her bath? I chuckled as I read it aloud, sharing the open curiosity of the children who read with me. And right through the book, the illustrations made me grin!

Title	There’s a Shark in the Bath
Author	Sarah McIntyre
Genre	Picture Book
Rating (out of 5)	5
Age-group	4+

With grade 2, I did another new story – The Deep, Dark Wood. This one definitely ranks high up among my favourite picture books. Very easy to read, full of wonderful illustrations, I enjoyed the book as I wondered with the
children how it would end. It did not disappoint me!

Title	The Deep Dark Wood
Author	Algy Graig Hall, Ali Pye (illustrator)
Genre	Picture Book
Rating (out of 5)	5
Age-group	3+

With grade 3, I did The Paper Dolls once more, and loved Ticky and Tacky and Jackie the Backie just as much as I did last time. And finally, with Grade 4, I did another familiar story – The Great Cheese Robbery. This was rather easy for some of them, but others enjoyed it tremendously. More than anything, it helped me teach them how to write book reviews and fill in the Learner’s Diary required by in order to complete the Reading Challenge.

What a lovely day it was! Another full day lies ahead …

The authors of Flickering Flames, an anthology of short stories and poems, were part of the Pune International Literary Festival (PILF) 2016! The young girls, all in the age-group 11-13, got the opportunity to read excerpts from their work at an event that welcomed a range of eminent speakers and writers.

Of the thirteen members of the Writers’ Club at St. Mary’s, ten spoke at PILF 2016.  One girl spoke of how Flickering Flames was born, after which each of the girls read a little of what they had written. They spoke of their journey with me, writing, rewriting and editing. The audience asked questions, engaging in a lively discussion with the young writers. This was just a beginning for them; I hope to see them with more books to their credit in the years to come!

The joy of travelling is when I can mix leisure with work. Last weekend was a long weekend, and in Karnataka, it was longer still because of Varralakshmi Poojai. Many were apparently traveeling, yet, several turned up for both workshops I conducted.

At Atta Galatta, Koramangala, I conducted a creative writing workshop for the age-group 9-13. It was lovely, exploring elements of a story, techniques and style. We did lots of activities and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly!

At The Kids Collective, Jayanagar, I conducted a reading-cum-storytelling workshop with children aged 7-10. We explored Bholu at the Level Crossing, Bholu at the School Excursion and many others. One child told me that her favourite part of the whole workshop was the story Bholu at the School Excursion; I was thrilled!

In the pouring rain, we made our way across the city to a school far, far away. It was beautiful. Greenery all around us, streams in the most unexpected places – this was not a part of the city I knew.
I’d heard about Vidya Valley, and met a few students from the school at other workshops. This time, though, I was visiting the school to conduct three sessions with the sixth standard as part of the build-up to the school’s very own lit fest.

Teaching creative writing to a whole class is always challenging. In a class of forty, if I’m lucky, eight enjoy writing. The rest couldn’t care less. When all forty are required to sit together in a classroom and write … I didn’t know what to expect. Yet, in a school with its own literature fest, I was hopeful.

The whole day was simply delightful! We talked about all kinds of books, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out about all the Indian books the children read. As we moved on with the workshop, one of the activities I set for the class was to imagine that any part of the school was a magical portal. The responses were brilliant!

One child wrote about the basketball court. When he scored a basket, he was transported into another world. But there was a catch – he could come back only if someone else scored a basket! And one day, he was in the other world, waiting, and no one scored. He called out for help, but who could hear him from across the portal? Finally, an alien called Zak came to his rescue. Zak had to practise for nearly an hour before he could score – but he finally did, and our hero was saved.

Another child wrote about a Marshall amplifier in the old basement. None of his friends had a Marshall amp, so what was it doing there? Curious, he turned it on. Immediately, music filled the room. As he drew closer, he was drawn through the amp into another world with other guitarists …

Ah, it was lovely!

On Saturday, the school has its all-day literature fest. I won’t be there, but I’m sure it will be simply wonderful considering how involved and enthusiastic the children and their parents are!

Last year, I conducted a reading workshop at Atta Galatta, and I knew I had to go back there and do something else! The place is perfect, the ambiance charming and the children I met were lovely.

So now it’s time to do something else, something new! Conducting the Writers’ Club at St. Mary’s School has shown me how much I enjoy working with children who enjoy writing. It’s full of imagination, whacky ideas and magic!

Creative Writing Workshop for Children

Age-group: 9-13
Venue: Atta Galatta, Bengaluru
Dates: 13th and 14th August, 2016
Time: 11 am to 1 pm
Fees: Rs. 1,000 per participant

Contact me for more details or to register!

The Imagination Box, which I wrote about yesterday, as well as the books I’ll be writing about in the days ahead, were part of the Reading Challenge organised by the British Library. As always, I enjoyed myself thoroughly conducting a series of workshops at MGM Clover Dale High School in Aurangabad. The theme for their Reading Challenge was “Record Breakers”, and there were record breakers amongst them! A pair of twins read 16 books in the last three weeks because they enjoyed the challenge so much!

The first workshop, for younger children, was a lovely storytelling session. I introduced them to Julia Donaldson’s The Paper Dolls. We play-acted, read the story, and then even made the paper dolls as instructed at the end of the book!

The second session was with eight-year-olds who found that they were too old to read the collection for young readers. They chose to read books from the collection for older readers, which in itself was heart-warming for me! This one involved word puzzles and ended with a reading of “The Bicycle Race” from my collection, The Story-Catcher.

Post-lunch, we began with hilarious tongue twisters. That was fun! We stumbled over red-lorry-yellow-lorry and ‘tricky frisky snakes with sixty super scaly stripes’. We then had word games and written activities that everyone loved.

The day ended with lipograms, pangrams and whacky records that the children would like to set. All in all, it was a wonderful day!

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 children enjoyed themselves thoroughly, so much so that we ran out of time for questions! Here are a couple of questions that stood out to me:
“Do you sometimes have a brilliant idea that you want to write down, but you forget before you get around to it?”
“Do you feel that your writing reveals what kind of person you are? If you write dark stories, does it mean that you have problems?”

What a lovely afternoon we had!

What’s new? Are there other workshops coming up? Click here to find out.

The six-hour journey from Pune to Beed was lovely. I love travelling in the monsoon through pouring rain, looking at all the shades of green passing by. I love the hills in the rain. They’re so full of life, so different from the parched summer browns!

My workshop last weekend was with Gurukul English School in Beed. Like so many other schools, it is an English medium school that is attended by children from non English-speaking families. It’s a huge challenge for the teachers, one that we can barely begin to tackle. Walk through the corridors and you’ll hear a mix of Marathi and Hindi, with just about a word of English thrown in.

And so, my workshop was on Communicative English with Functional Grammar. Led by an enthusiastic vice principal, the teachers came forward to participate, interact and share. They laughed as they donned roles of reporters and sportspeople. They pushed their way through difficult word games, trying their best to express their ideas and explore language teaching through communication rather than grammar. Most importantly, they let go of their inhibitions right through the session.

They told me about their regular three-hour power cuts, in addition to unpredictable cuts when it rains or is windy. They told me about children coming from backgrounds where school is just something children attend, not something that is particularly important.
It was a learning experience for me, certainly!

People on the road selling karvand, mangoes and jackfruit. The lilting language that makes me listen to the tune rather than the meaning. The dark sand and the crashing waves.
Joy!

And Mane’s International School was beautiful. It’s a small school as of now, just a baby. There are mango trees everywhere, and the principal spoke of how the children run round and round the trees as they play. Apparently, the rains night before last made the mangoes come crashing down, but until then, the boughs were heavy with fruit!

On the way to Ratnagiri, we stopped to buy karvand, offered to us in cups made of velvety leaves.
(What a city person I am! I don’t know what leaves they were …)
What was most charming was that each cup of fruit cost ten rupees. Some of the leaves were small, with the cups holding barely a dozen berries. Some were huge, with over thirty! But the rate was the same – 10 rupees for one leaf cup. And so we bought two drastically different cups and continued our journey to …

A group of parents got together and invited me to conduct a weeklong storytelling workshop at a housing society. Storytelling has never been more fun! Working with my own stories is a lovely experience in itself, and when the story comes with its own kit … The enjoyment reaches new levels!

Here’s a group of children putting together the jigsaw puzzle of Bholu at the Level Crossing …

It was such fun telling this story, with the children making the same sounds that Chitra makes in the book, imitating the train – Poooonnnn! Chug-chug-chug-chug, chug-chug-chug-chug.
One observant child commented that the red Swift in the picture had to be an old one because there was no reversing camera!

And here’s another picture of all the children busily colouring the sketches that are part of the third kit, the one for Bholu at the School Excursion …

This one was fun because we all made station sounds together – SIDE, SIDE, SIDE! Chai coffee, chai … Chai bolo chai …

Happiness!

Another set of Reading Challenge workshops came to an end yesterday. This time, the theme was ‘Record Breakers’, and the school that took it on was Cathedral Vidya School, Lonavala. Working with fifteen bright children from classes five to eight filled me with joy!

Lipograms and pangrams brought much hilarity … The activity started in all seriousness and then went crazy as the children let their imaginations go wild.

Every one of the participants was enthusiastic – all of them say they enjoyed the challenge!

And, of course, team-building is part of the joy of workshops. How hard they try to finish their activity first!

Another workshop is just around the corner, this time at the British Library, Pune. Click here for details.

I’m conducting a storytelling workshop this weekend at the British Library, Pune.

Overview

Every culture creates its own stories: to entertain young children, to teach them, and to attempt to explain the world. Through interactive storytelling, this workshop will give young children a glimpse of different cultures, allowing them to taste a little of the world!

Day One

It’s summertime, the best time to explore stories about summer and sunshine! Let’s travel to various countries, look at their costumes, and then imagine their stories. Children will enact the story with the storyteller, bringing alive the customs and traditions of each country we visit.

Day Two

What comes after the summer? The rains in some parts of the world; autumn in others! Let’s recall  stories of summertime and then look at how seasons change. Finally, the children will be given pictures to colour to conclude their journey around the world!

Details
Dates: Saturday and Sunday, 14th and 15th of May, 2016
Time: 4-5:30
Age-group: 5-7 years
Fee: Rs 1200 for members; Rs 2800 for non-members (includes a gold membership)

I spent three days at Sanjay Ghodawat International School, Kolhapur, and conducted a series of reading and writing workshops with 204 children as part of the British Library’s Reading Challenge programme. We worked on myths from around the world, read aloud Fragoline and the Midnight Dream and George and the Dragon, played with idioms, wrote stories … What fun it was!

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 Vaz and Tejasee Khurjekar.

Here is a quick look into the book through the eyes of the Pune Mirror. All the girls are looking forward to comments, views and reviews!

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 saying, “Make sure you submit your assignments on time. If you don’t …” They shrugged. “Miss doesn’t punish. But she doesn’t read work submitted late, and that’s worse than a punishment!”

Here are the girls who kept at it!

And meanwhile, the next chapter of the Writers’ Club is all set to begin. We have something new this time. Something unheard of, at least in my time at St. Mary’s School … The boys and girls will attend my sessions together! Here’s to another year of writing and fun!

Today was the closing ceremony of the Reading Challenge Programme at Dr Kalmadi Shamrao High School. Look at all the proud faces!

I conducted two workshops for the children: one on idioms, the other on myths from different parts of the world. During the first one, we solved a crossword puzzle, played team games differentiating between idioms and proverbs, and attempted to guess the meanings of several idioms. I was very impressed by the number of idioms the children were able to explain!

The second workshop I conduct as part of the Mythical Maze Reading Challenge is always more fun for the children. I divide them into groups and give each group a myth from some part of the world. All five groups work with myths explaining the same phenomenon – rain. They perform a skit, make a chart, explain the major ideas … It was such fun, as always!

This is just the beginning of a long journey with the school. I, for one, look forward to the next step!

Of late, I’ve been too busy to post updates about events I conduct, but here’s a quick heads-up. I’m conducting a workshop at the British Library tomorrow!

Explore novel records that you can see yourself setting!

1. Work on all four language skills – reading, writing, listening and speaking.
2. Interact with other children with varied interests.
3. Reflect on everything you have read so far and why it interests you.

Most importantly, let’s have some fun!

It’s part of this year’s Reading Challenge, but you’re welcome to attend the workshop even if you aren’t part of the challenge!

Here are the details:

Venue: British Library, Fergusson College Road, Pune
Date: 8th January, 2016
Age-group: 8-13 years
Time: 4pm to 6pm
Registration fee: Rs 600
Contact: Namrata – 020-41005327

Pre-registration is preferred, but if it is impossible, you’re welcome to drop in fifteen minutes before the workshop begins to register.

Here are a couple of photos from the workshop I conducted at FD School, Ahmedabad, under the banner of Ratna Sagar. It was a lovely experience, working with enthusiastic teachers. We worked on the story of Pinocchio, exploring integrated learning and the importance of conducting different kinds of activities while teaching. We spoke about reading and why we enjoy reading. We discussed the role of non-language teachers in the teaching of English. All in all, it was a rewarding session!

Helen O’ Grady’s Navi Mumbai chapter invited me to be part of its Reading Day celebrations in honour of Dr Kalam’s birthday. What a crazy day I had with enthusiastic children from St. Mary’s School, Koparkhairane, and Gold Crest High, Vashi!

The children were full of questions. One commented, “Most authors now don’t really write; they type. Why do we call them writers? We should call them typers.”

Children asked me where my inspiration came from; they asked me what I enjoyed reading and what my journey towards publication was like. They asked how many times my work had been rejected, and did not quite believe me when I told them I had lost count. I read out three different stories from The Story-Catcher to three different groups. Each session was rewarding.

It was a wonderful day; here’s to many more!

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 Writing Club. I find that we always learn something new in the form of activities.

– Remanika Sohal, Class VII

 

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.