The Highland Council reports that an innovative partnership has been forged by The Highland Council, Moniack Mhor Writers’ Centre and Abriachan Forest Trust for a creative writing project which will give P7 pupils from 11 schools the opportunity to work with professional writers after exploring and getting inspiration from the forest.

http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourcouncil/news/newsreleases/2011/May/2011-05-18-03.htm

Running over a two week period, the pupils will spend the mornings in the Abriachan forest planting new trees and searching for animal tracks and signs ranging from mammals, dragonflies on the wing, trout in the burn and toads in the undergrowth.  After a picnic lunch the learners will move to Moniack Mhor Writer’s Centre and work with writers Linda Cracknell and Gerry Cambridge to compose poems or riddles on what they saw during the morning session.

FILM: 21ST CENTURY LITERACY and SCREEN WM

A seminar for professionals working with young people in schools and communities demonstrating how film can radically improve how you engage with young people and impact on their learning.

The seminar provides an essential opportunity for professionals working across the West Midlands to hear about the latest initiatives and resources in film education, and share best practice.
Attendance is free but places are limited and getting booked up as we speak. Book your place here:filmliteracywm.eventbrite.com/ <http://firstlight.cmail3.com/t/y/l/zuywl/hidrkuhjl/n/>

‘The week at Moniack Mhor was amazing. I only wish it had been longer.’ Pushkin Prizewinner, 2010

Today (Monday 2nd May 2011), at a special Prize-giving in the grand surroundings of Archers’ Hall in Edinburgh, writing from this year’s Pushkin Prizewinners will be presented to an invited audience of family, friends, teachers and supporters of The Pushkin Prizes in Scotland – including Mr Sergei Krutikov, the Consul General of the Russian Federation.

This year’s winners are:

Selina Butler-Lowrie, James Gillespie’s High School, Edinburgh

Jessica Craig, The Mary Erskine School, Edinburgh

Lauren Gage, James Gillespie’s High School, Edinburgh

Jennifer Herd, Grange Academy, Kilmarnock

Rosemary Hollands, King’s Park Secondary School, Glasgow

Sarah Hutchison, Dalkeith High School, Midlothian

Daria Kleyeva, Gymnasium 2, St Petersburg

Anastasiya Krasilnikova, School 209, St Petersburg

Jemma McCluskey, St Columba’s High School, Dunfermline

Franny Schlicke, Inverurie Academy, Aberdeenshire

Joshua Thomson, Cargilfield, Edinburgh (winner of the Special Endeavour Award)

David Watt, Gourock High School, Inverclyde

• The First Prize has been won jointly by Rosemary Hollands and Joshua Thomson

Now in their 22nd year, The Pushkin Prizes in Scotland reward ten of the country’s best young writers with a unique residential creative writing course in Moniack Mhor, the Writers’ Centre near Inverness. Over the five days they spend in this magnificent isolated spot, they will work with two professional writers – Diana Hendry and Gerry Cambridge – to develop their writing skills. They will be joined by two winners from St Petersburg for writing workshops, and a variety of activities including a session with Royal Mail Book Award-winner Barry Hutchison.

‘The week is packed with activities relating to communication, from informal seminars with professional writing tutors, to performances at the annual ceilidh to presentations of their own work in front of the group. We believe that children should value their communication skills through writing outwith and inside the classroom, and we are very proud of the network of Pushkin Prizewinners from St Petersburg and Scotland whose friendships started round the log fire in Moniack Mhor, continuing to the present day,’ says Director, Lindsey Fraser.

The Pushkin Prizes are open to any pupil in their first or second year at secondary school in Scotland. ‘This is such an important age group,’ says Chairman and Founder, Lady Butter, a descendant of the Russian writer Alexander Pushkin. ‘They have begun a new stage in their lives and education, and all too often creative skills that were taken for granted in Primary school seem less valued. The ability to communicate ideas clearly and fluently on paper can only benefit young people. We invite our young writers to write about anything, and in any genre of their choice. So often, the teachers of our winners are surprised by their pupil’s writing skills. This year, the number of entries grew once again, which confirms for me that we are doing valuable work in partnership with teachers and librarians in Scotland. I am proud of The Pushkin Prizes – but I am even prouder of our winners.’

THE JUDGES

Vivian French – author, playwright and story-teller – www.vivianfrench.com

Edd McCracken – Arts Editor with The Sunday Herald and The Herald

Vivian and Edd are both available for interview.

PHOTO CALL

There will be a photo call following The Pushkin Prize-giving at 11.45am Monday 2nd May, Archer’s Hall, 66 Buccleuch Street, Edinburgh EH8 9LR

INTERVIEWS

The prize-winners will be available for interview following the Prize-giving, at certain times during the following week, and thereafter.

EXTRACTS FOR PUBLICATION

Extracts from the children’s folios can be reproduced. Copyright remains the property of the authors and due credit must be given

WEBSITE

www.pushkinprizes.net

Please contact Lindsey Fraser (tel 0131 553 2759/07948167155) or Kathryn Ross (tel 0131 657 4412/07980668310) for further information, to be at the photocall, or to arrange interviews with the children and judges, or publication of extracts from the winning folios.