Landmark primary students enjoyed the adventures of Anna McNuff

In the week before Spring half term, Landmark was fortunate enough to be able to participate in an online Literature Festival run by Bishop’s Stortford College. While lockdown has brought its challenges, one of the benefits has been our ability to access some fantastic learning opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to our students, and the festival was a wonderful example of this.

Students from Primary and KS3 listened to talks from a wide range of authors and storytellers, such as Emma Yarlett, Emily Hanna-Grazebrrok and Joseph Coelho, and Primary were able to send in questions, many of which were put to the authors. A memorable moment was when Anna McNuff, author of “100 Adventures to have before you Grow Up”, punched the air at our second question saying “Go Landmarkers!” Clearly she recognised our enthusiasm!

Student responses

Landmark student engaging with the literature festival sessions

Students were asked to write a response to the Festival in the form of a blog post, and their answers revealed deep engagement with the talks. Maisie wrote: “I listened to multiple talks from a variety of authors, including Anthony McGowan, and Joseph Coelho, a poet who writes books in a poem-like style. Both authors talked about their books being inspired by their childhood, and proceeded to explain where they grew up and how this had affected their stories, which I found extremely interesting. I am curious to find out more about their books, and maybe even read them myself, especially Anthony McGowan's series of four.”

Anthony McGowan shocked us

Anthony McGowan, author of “Lark” and the 2020 Carnegie Medal winner, fascinated our Senior pupils with his talk about how and why he writes. Kai wrote: “We listened to a very interesting talk by Anthony McGowan. Many things surprised and shocked me about his life and career, one of which was that fact that he grew up in such an unpleasant place; violent schools where even the teachers hurt you, and gangs that would beat each other up during breaktime. He was also a bit of an outsider to his school, not only as he lived in a town slightly outside of Leeds, but also was considered "posh" by his peers, as his parents were nurses. Yet, out of all this chaos and madness of his school and where he grew up, grew a very successful author. Personally, I think that I would enjoy reading the series that he has written about the two brothers and their struggling family.”

Anna McNuff was a real hit

Senior and Primary students were also delighted to listen to Anna McNuff, and Max wrote: “I listened to the author Anna McNuff. One surprising thing I learnt about was how she managed to ride across the USA and still keep a substantial money income. ( I would guess it was from sponsors )” Antonia wrote: “ I enjoyed listening very much, and felt inspired afterwards - especially after Anna's talk, in which she discussed her experiences as an adventurer. What especially struck me was when she talked about Betty "The Hutch" Hutchson, who she met on her road trip through the USA on her pink bike, Boudicca. Betty, despite being 94 years old, trained every day for the five kilometre run in her area, in which she worked to beat the record for the over 90s category (essentially her own record, because she was the only over 90 running!). What an amazing character! Betty is evidence that absolutely anything is possible, and it's never too late to take up sports. What also struck me was Anna's attitude towards her life, and her way of dealing with obstacles is amazing - she has a collection of bizarre and amusing leggings, which she named her "pants of perspective." They help her look at things objectively, and overcome her unhappiness and negativity to be her best self and carry on. Great books come from great people, and if Anna McNuff is not a truly incredible person, I don’t know who is!” The attractiveness of her positive philosophy was talked about by many students.

Parents enjoyed the festival too

It wasn’t only the students who enjoyed the festival however, and Antonia’s comments about the “pants of perspective” were echoed by one of our parents, Liz Coverdale. “Even as an adult, I have always had a special appreciation for children’s literature. My children and I were thrilled when we saw that Landmark would be participating in Bishop Stortford’s Festival of Literature whilst distance learning. To prepare for the festival, my Year 5 student researched each of the authors and excitedly told me about the four events that he would be attending throughout the week. Because the session was virtual and my son was learning at home, I got the opportunity to attend these entertaining and inspiring talks with him during my lunch break. We loved learning about new authors and being transported into the literary world for an hour each day. We discussed the author presentations with the rest of our family each evening and made a lengthy book wish list together.

Landmark parent Liz with her very own "Pants of Perspective"

I must confess, we have made quite a few book purchases this week and we are all looking forward to getting lost in our new books over half term break. However, it wasn’t just books...our family enjoyed Anna McNuff’s talk so much that I decided I needed her books AND my very own “PANTS OF PERSPECTIVE.” They arrived just in time to celebrate the start of a school holiday and a successful half term of home learning.”

All in all, the Bishop’s Stortford College’s Festival of Literature was a great success, and highlighted the importance of reading for pleasure in our school. It provided an opportunity to pause and reflect on where we have come from, and where our journeys might take us next - perhaps to a place where the “magic happens” as Anna McNuff would say.