Showcase Prep

Ali Sparkes is a children’s author who leads writing sessions for Junior and Young Writers every Saturday morning at MAST Mayflower Studios. To learn more about her, visit her website: https://www.alisparkes.com and click on her profile: https://artfulscribe.co.uk/facilitators/ali-sparkes

Susan L. Edser, MA graduate in Creative Writing and Publishing and winner of Bournemouth University’s prestigious Vice Chancellor Award 2024, is Ali’s assistant and writes the weekly blog. To learn more about her, click on her profile: https://artfulscribe.co.uk/facilitators/susan-l-edser

The Junior and Young Writers will give an end-of-term showcase for their parents and carers in three weeks. In preparation for this, the Junior Writers focused on cautionary tales, which are comedic poems that issue a warning. They wrote a group one first, choosing a name – Petunia; and the thing she did wrong – picking her nose. This is what they created:

Petunia was a lovely rose,

But she wouldn’t stop picking her nose.

Her mother was quite horrified

At her daughter’s unhygienic side

And begged her, ‘Darling, do stop picking

For your bogies do keep sticking

To the bed, the floor, the ceiling,

Which can be quite unappealing.’

But Petunia would not stop

Until one day her nose went pop

And her bedroom was covered in slop.

So, children, everywhere, take care.

When picking your nose, you must beware!

The Junior Writers were then set the task of writing their own, using the first lines provided by Ali, such as ‘Rosy had a thing for cheese’. The warnings varied from boys with stinky feet to the danger of climbing trees. Ali even had a go herself, writing about the Junior Writers themselves:

The Junior Writers were delightful,

Talented and bright,

But the noise they made was frightful –

An auditory blight.

One day, the racket was so loud

From Ali and Sue’s young writing crowd,

That dangerously overloaded,

And everybody’s head exploded.

As a little ending exercise, the group then wrote a two-line poem about a vegetable. Surprisingly, rocket, broccoli, and corn on the cob were on the menu. These were a fun and light way to end the session. Evie won Writer of the Week for her brilliant tale about cheese and peas, please! Congratulations, Evie.

Then, for the Young Writers, Ali took a different tack in preparation for their showcase. Ali wanted them to think about the buzz of the bee and the warble of the wasp. She asked for a poem, which was written with an atmospheric insect soundtrack in the background. They gave the wasp or bee’s perspective, about scaring humans, and sadly, for some, the reality of stinging someone, like in Issy’s poem:

Alas, I’ve run out of luck:

My stinger’s gotten stuck!

Wait, I’m just gonna pull it –

The brilliant Frankenstory will also be included in the presentation for parents, so they wrote one with extra effort to ensure each entry followed the last one, creating a coherent whole. The multi-authored stories were highly original…and odd, as always! A pill bug made it into one, and there was even a song thrown in another. Ali was challenged to sing it for the group, which she did – incredible!!

Florence won Writer of the Week for her unique style and for bringing musicality to her poem, courtesy of Reel to Real’s ‘I Like to Move It’. Awesome work, Florence!!

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Showcase Prep