Scaffold member meets students building a future as authors

FORMER Mersey Beat poet and member of the Scaffold John Gorman has launched a Wirral school’s literary festival.

The week-long event will feature creative writing workshops where students can learn from well-known poets and authors and share their experiences.

Mr Gorman, who also founded the Wirral Poet Laureate prize, officially launched the festival at Birkenhead High School, which will also see children's authors Mal Peet and Tanya Landman taking part.

Mal Peet has written more than 80 books for young people, and has won the Carnegie Award in 2006 for his book, Tamar. Tanya Landman’s latest book, Apache, was shortlisted for the Carnegie Award earlier this year.

Sixth form students, who have won prizes for their writing skills, will also lead sessions for younger girls.

The festival has grown from an idea of the school’s librarian, Marilyn Hogan, who said: “2008 is the National Year of Reading and, although there have been many events across the country, we wanted to create an event of our own.

“A number of our old girls have gone on to become cele-brated authors or to work in the arts in some way – as have a great number of people from Wirral.”