Fighting Words NI has just wrapped a one-of-a-kind event for young writers – our very first creative writing summer camp. In a fantastic four-day event between the 8th and 11th of August, young people from around Northern Ireland participated in our workshop in Belfast, flexing their creative writing skills through scripts, prose, song writing, poetry, and even video game world building.
Fighting Words Northern Ireland has launched ‘New Worlds’, an anthology of creative writing from pupils at four Belfast primary schools. Between January and March 2022, over 100 young writers from P6 and P7 classes at Scoil an Droichid, Victoria Park Primary School, Fane Street Primary School and Holy Family Primary School attended workshops and collaborated over Zoom to create and produce story endings for the anthology which is now online.
The short (10-minutes maximum) original plays were developed by 14-18-year-olds from around Northern Ireland who took part in YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS: ON STAGE AT THE LYRIC between February and May 2022. Each writer had the chance to create and develop their own original short play, then work with professional directors, dramaturgs, actors and designers to bring it to the stage.
Young Playwrights mentor Emily DeDakis explained:
Northern Irish Playwright and mentor with Fighting Words Northern Ireland, Karis Kelly, has been awarded the Women’s Prize for Playwriting for her play ‘Consumed’, a drama about four generations of Northern Irish women at a 90th birthday party in a “house full of hungry ghosts”.
Karis’ play was selected from 850 entries and 12 finalists, by the panel of judges that included Arifa Akbar, Mel Kenyon (Chair) and Lucy Kirkwood.
She said of the award:
Fighting Words Northern Ireland, has announced a month-long interactive exhibition at Banana Block in East Belfast, for children and young people. From 5 March, children, young people and their families can drop in (Wednesday-Sunday) read a book together in The Pencil Portal writer’s studio and create a story of their own to add to the display.
The Fighting Words exhibition will publish and display story-prompts written by Belfast youth groups and schools in recent months, to inspire other young writers.
Director at Fighting Words Hilary Copeland, said:
Fighting Words Northern Ireland has received an early 2022 bonus from local independent bookstore, No Alibis, following a pledge from the owner to donate 20% of the value of purchases made through the NI High Street Spend Local voucher scheme. No Alibis, based on Botanic Avenue in Belfast, raised £6000 for the charity through the scheme which ran from October to December 2021. Fighting Words NI, based in East Belfast, provides year-round free creative writing opportunities for children and young people aged 6-18 through its schools story making workshops, after-school Write Clubs and comm
Write Club member, Rachel Wilkinson is one of five young people from across the UK to have their work featured in the BBC Radio 4 series, ‘United Kingdoms’. Her specially commissioned eight-minute radio play, ‘Coleraine’ based on the theme of laughter, is told through the voice of a young police officer as she looks back on her career highlights.
Following a radio playwriting project that took place almost entirely in lockdown last December, eight young playwrights from the north coast, Derry/Londonderry and Donegal shared their work this week at on online celebration hosted by Fighting Words Northern Ireland.
Fighting Words NI receives grant of £9000 from the Shared History Fund to mark the Centenary of Northern Ireland
• 39 projects have been awarded a grant through the Shared History Fund
• The Shared History Fund is a £1million fund which The National Lottery Heritage Fund is distributing on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office to mark the Centenary of Northern Ireland.
WRITING THEATRE FOR ALTERNATIVE SPACES
October 2021-January 2022
