Humanising Language Teaching
Year 4; Issue 5; September 02

Creative Writing at Pilgrims Summer School (August 2002 )

Bonnie Tsai, Toulouse, France.

On a warm summer evening in July an incredible group of teachers, trainers, and friends gather together for a creative writing workshop. Outside a very loud salsa party was going on, yet despite the noise a magical quality set in and the results were truly awesome. So in honour of the people who attended that memorable workshop, I like to share with you some of their writing and the activities that inspired them.

I gave the group a blown-up, black and white photocopy of a portrait of Germaine Greer. The portrait itself was rather provocative. She is sitting on a very low sofa with her legs bent at the knees and spread wide apart. Her head is slightly to one side. The original activity was to choose a day of the week and write something that happened to the woman on that day. Since everyone had a different day, the finished result would be a diary with entries for each day. Here is John Morgan's contribution:

She had won, at least for this week. Her boss had put up a good fight, But she had put up a better one. But God she felt tired! Was it worth it? Another few victories like this one and she would be exhausted.

John wrote about this woman more as a witness to or an observer of her day. He could have chosen to write as the woman using the first person, "I".

In another activity, I again used a variety of pictures of people, objects, and animals. Here I went for strangeness. There was for example a picture of drops of water falling used in a vodka advertisement. There was also a pink and black zebra, and a picture of a woman in a medieval castle. I laid the pictures out so everyone could see them. I gave them the sentence stem: In a former life I was……….and ask them to write 50 words to complete the sentence using one of the pictures as their inspiration. Here are some of the results:

In a former life I was someone who inspired poets and artists. My life was quite extravagant. I was an entertainer and I loved to organize parties and invite all sorts of people. We would drink and smoke and have endless discussions re-inventing the world.

Marie Anne Proux

In a former life I was free, almost completely free..no husband, no children, no limits. Almost…I had a few bills to pay, but that was not a problem as I was admired by rich people who happily shared their fortunes with me. Well, definitely I had to have a watch as being punctual mattered at that time.

Bozena Pawlowska

In a former life I was a cloud in the sky. I enjoyed looking at the world far below. Sometimes, I would stop over a forest and listen to birds singing in trees. Sometimes I would float over towns and villages. Once I saw a group of people. Women and children were all wearing funny caps on their heads. Are they happy or unhappy? I did not know. I smiled at them because I wanted them to smile at me.

Krystyne Leska

In a former life I was bright-coloured and very very attractive. Actually you might have seen me in a lot of colours, like red, yellow, white or pink. But I think what attracted you to me was my smell.

Tina Papadogona

In a former life, I was a ballerina. I lived for dance. It was my life. I trained hard - it wasn't easy - blisters, sweat, cold studios, long practices, choreographers who screamed at me when I forgot my place. But it paid off. Tonight I will meet the Queen. I am supposed to curtsey. It will be the most difficult choreography I have ever done. I hope I don't trip on my dress or sneeze in her tea. I've never had to address anyone on stage. This time I have to represent our troupe and thank the Queen for the honour she has bestowed upon us. I have a terrible stutter, especially with the sound "qu". Maybe someone will cough just then and I'll get through it somehow.

Joyce Cunningham

I shall never forget him, though he barely looked at me. He spoke only to my father and the other men. He was very small and had a little beard and wore city clothes.
When he had gone, my father told my mother that he spoke perfect Romany, the way his grandfather had spoken it. It was his visit that made my mind up to leave.

John Morgan

In my former life,
I was totally different from what I am nowadays.
I used to live far, far away from the city.
I never travelled by vehicles.
I liked running
I ran across grasslands
I jumped across rivers
I had no home
But I lived wherever I was
I was not afraid of darkness
But I was absolutely cautious to the environment around me
I was free
I was happy to be what I was

Ka Man Ho

Can you guess the kind of picture that inspired these little stories? Many thanks to Jamie Duncan for this idea.

I gave the group some time expressions:
now, ages ago, once upon a time, pretty, soon, most of the time, a while ago, never, forever, once in a while, in the far distant future, before, after and so on…
I ask them to pair the words by polarities. E.g never/forever
Next everyone chose two expressions and wrote a little story or poem that expressed the polarity in the words

Once upon a time there were many dinosaurs living in the wide field. In the far distant future dinosaurs will come again because of the incredibly majestic technical and biological advances.

Megumi

When she was there I could never speak.
When she left, the words came.
Now she has left forever,
and the words keep coming.

John Morgan

Now, the beginning of old age,
Body becoming brittle,
Children moving away from home,
Parents becoming older, dying away;
Then, the strength of time
Moving through the strength of days,
Suppleness of limb, quickness
Of mind and wit;

Now, days and weeks, months
And years, whirling together
In rapid succession, then
The vast ocean of childhood memories,

Far away, so far away……

. Sophie Rinvolucri

Most of the time feelings overwhelm me
And I feel that
I have so much to give.
From time to time I feel so empty
That I need to be given.

Tina Papadogona

Then I was a short, fat caterpillar
Crawling in my kingdom,
A field full of sweet strawberries.
Everyday,
I ate and ate
I enjoyed this job.
I was responsible
You know.
One day,
I started wrapping myself up
With silk and I became a cocoon.
Now,
I am a beautiful "fafala"
Flying on pretty flowers

Ka Man Ho

Most of the time she thought
She could love someone forever.
But from now from time to time
She discovers
That there's never forever.

Bozena Pawlowska

In a little while,
He'll boom out of the doorway
Blocking all the light and he'll shudder with terror.

Joyce Cunningham

I remember having so much energy ages ago.
The future was lying ahead of me.
In a little while I will leave this place,
Not knowing what to do next.

Marie Anne Proux

Many thanks to Bernard Dufeu, who taught me then richness of working with polarities and Carolyn Graham for her wonderful work with Jazz chanting and for inspiring this activity.