28 October 2022
Posted by Emma Scattergood
Stories From Our Streets Launch!
The Stories From Our Streets project launched in style on October 1st by taking a Memory Machine into central Bournemouth!
Thanks to Nuala Clarke, the Cultural Engagement Officer from BCP Council, Bobby’s in Bournemouth very kindly agreed to lend us the ‘Machine’ and we decided to set it up at South Coast Makers Market, during the Arts on the Sea festival. Nuala then did the most incredible job of helping us to transform it from a recording booth into a colourful mini writing room, complete with vintage chair and desk to work at, and cheerful wall-mounted boxes in which the public could post their stories after writing them.
We also created a little sitting and writing area outside the 'hut', which was fortunate as at times we had quite a queue of people waiting to write a memory for us! Luckily I was also joined by five enthusiastic helpers from the MA Creative Writing & Publishing at Bournemouth University who have volunteered to support the project so they helped me greet the curious visitors, explain what the project is about, and then tempt them aboard the Machine.
It was the most wonderful afternoon/evening, and it was really encouraging to witness Stories From Our Streets receive such a warm reception. One woman declared that she had got 'goose bumps' when she heard about our project’s aims, and I so enjoyed watching people emerge from the Machine with a big smile on their face after penning and posting their memory.
Most people opted to share a positive moment or a description of a place, person or thing that made them happy. And many pegged a finished page of words to a ribbon extending around the hut, creating a joyful, ‘wordy’ bunting.
Due to the size of the hut, each visitor worked alone rather than being steered in any way by the team of writers on hand, so it will be interesting to see how the nature of the stories changes or develops when we have the opportunity to sit down with people and help them gather their thoughts and words. Since the launch, I have been working with Christchurch library to identify the groups that regularly use the library and see if any of those might be interested in engaging with us. I will feed back on that in the next blog update!
Archive
Junior & Young Writers Week 3: Return From The Magical World
Junior & Young Writers Week 2: African Mythology
Problems, Problems, Problems...
Cautionary Tales & Christmassy Opening Lines
You've Gotta Have Pace, Pace, Pace
Junior & Young Writers Week 1: Alien Encounters
Junior & Young Writers: Week 5 - Play on Words Pt. 2
Junior & Young Writers: Week 11 - end of term showcase [build a bard workshop]
Junior & Young Writers: Week 10 - Greek Theatre - chorus stories
Junior & Young Writers: Week 9 - Greek Origin Stories - Spring
Rubber Ducks & Writing Festivals
Junior & Young Writers: Week 7 - Greek Hero Stories [the 12 labours of Hercules]
Junior & Young Writers: Week 12 [Wild Words] - Stuff & Things
Junior & Young Writers: Week 11 [Wild Words] - World Building 2
Junior & Young Writers: Week 10 [Wild Words] - World Building
Junior & Young Writers: Week 9 [Wild Words] - Mystery & Choose Your Own Adventure
Junior & Young Writers: Week 8 [Wild Words] - Spooky Sequels & Potion Poems
Junior & Young Writers – Week 10 (Writers’ Inspiration) – Final Showcase
Junior & Young Writers – Week 9 (Writers’ Inspiration) – Editing & Performance Tips
Junior & Young Writers – Week 8 (Writers’ Inspiration) – Cuteness
Time goes on by Tavinder Kaur New
Junior & Young Writers – Week 7 (Writers’ Inspiration) – Natural Solutions
Junior & Young Writers – Week 6 (Writers’ Inspiration) – The Language of Fruit and Veg
Junior & Young Writers – Week 5 (Writers’ Inspiration) – Adventures In Space
Tinklebobs and Bedraggled Angles
Junior & Young Writers – Week 4 (Writers’ Inspiration) – Our Environment
Fortune Tellers & Future Letters
Junior & Young Writers – Week 3 (Writers’ Inspiration) – Home
Young Writers - Week 10 (The Art of Writing) – Final Week Showcase
Junior Writers - Week 10 (The Art of Writing) – Final Week Showcase
Young Writers – Week 9 (The Art of Writing) – Choose Your Own Adventure
Junior Writers – Week 9 (The Art of Writing) – Choose Your Own Adventure
Young Writers – Week 8 (The Art of Writing) – Sequel Stories
Junior Writers – Week 8 (The Art of Writing) – Sequel Stories
Young Writers – Week 7 (The Art of Writing) – Picture Prompts
Junior Writers – Week 7 (The Art of Writing) – Picture Prompts
Young Writers - Week 6 (The Art of Writing) - Script-writing & Dialogue
Junior Writers - Week 6 (The Art of Writing) - Script-writing & Dialogue
Junior Writers – Week 5 (The Art of Writing) – Poetry
Young Writers - Week 5 (The Art of Writing) - Poetry Potions
Edward The Martyr - A Competition!
Mood Boards and Postcards from Space
Young Writers - Week 3 (The Art of Writing) - PLOT
Junior Writers - Week 3 (The Art of Writing) - PLOT
Moomin Stories and Hollywood Pitches
Young Writers - Week 2 (The Art of Writing) - Genre & Setting
Junior Writers - Week 2 (The Art of Writing) - Genre & Setting
Prompts, Dialogues, and Cliché
Story Structure Part One: Exposition and Beyond...
Young Writers - Week 1 (The Art of Writing) - Character
Young Writers - week 4 - Nature Writing [animals & wildlife]
Junior Writers - week 4 - Nature Writing [animals & wildlife]
Young Writers - week 3 - Nature Writing [trees/plants/flowers]
Junior Writers - week 3 - Nature Writing [trees/plants/flowers]
Young Writers - week 2 - 'fractured fairy tales'
Junior Writers - week 2 - 'fractured fairy tales'
