Meeting authors up close By Claire Musters
I had the privilege of accompanying my son’s primary school class to the Barnes Children's Literature Festival last Friday, where 500 children crammed into a marquee on Barnes Green to listen to three authors talk about their background, their inspiration and the type of writing they do. I found it fascinating – and also really encouraging. The last author, SF Said, told the children that, in his day, no one got to meet writers – they remained mysterious and other worldly, locked away somewhere writing. That immediately resonated with me and I pondered whether I would have chosen a writing path earlier if I’d had the chance to interact with some writers in my childhood. When we first arrived, we were whisked straight in and the first author, Caroline Lawrence, began her talk. I think all of us, teachers included, had expected a more interactive set up, and so we were concerned that the children wouldn’t sit still all day and engage. But the kids absolutely loved it al...