What happens when 14-year-olds across London are encouraged by postgraduate students at Goldsmiths, University of London, to pursue creative writing outside the curriculum? This is the result - an outpouring of ideas, memories, thoughts, fears, certainties, doubts and dreams expressed in a mash-up of styles, from first-person confessional to poems, gothic fantasy to absurdist humour, rap to reportage. Beloved pets, troublesome siblings, fantasy quests and painful dislocations spill out from these pages. As the certainties of home life blur into an unknown future, stories of playground spats take place alongside abductions and brutal murders. But for every dark dream there is a celebration of friendship, tolerance, the beauty of the world and our potential for growth and change. Moving, funny, assertive, reflective, revealing and raw, this writing will take you to the heart of what matters to a generation whose voices are not often heard.
About the Author: About the Editors: Harriet Salisbury is a Goldsmiths student and author of The War on Our Doorstep. published by Ebury Press, 2012. She writes: "Some children enjoy sport, performance or fine art, others love to write. Because writing is part of literacy, opportunities to write for the joy of it - without targets, formulas or word counts - is often neglected in school. 'Can we really write whatever we want?' asked one student, awestruck, as we set out to explore their creativity. By the end of the project, another told me: 'That was the best school day ever!' The Children's Literature & Creative Writing MA at Goldsmiths gave me constructive feedback and support. Finding a space, and gaining the skills and confidence to express ideas fearlessly gives a huge boost to creativity and self-worth. That opportunity should be the right of every child." Alice Spacey-Mageean is an LGBT writer who uses they/them pronouns. They have a BA in English from Goldsmiths University, and are now doing an MA in Children's Literature also at Goldsmiths University. They currently hope to continue their academic career by studying English in Australia. During the Gold Schools Creative Writing Project, they were a creative writing mentor for the school Deptford Green. Here they helped and encouraged students with their creative writing, as well as wrote alongside them. Some of their creative work can be found within this anthology too. Constança Freire de Sousa is a writer and a Goldsmiths student. She has a BA in Media and Communications with a specialisation in creative writing and is currently doing an MA in Children's Literature alongside some of the other editors. During the Gold Schools Project, she was a creative writing mentor at Forest Hill School, encouraging the students to think deeper into their characters and sets. Throughout this project, it became clear how the students benefited from being given writing tools, such as creative writing exercises, brainstorming, and free writing, but most of all they benefitted from having mentors who were invested in helping them bring the creative pieces to life.