Nationally-acclaimed author, Julian Sedgwick , recently visited Saint Paul’s Catholic High School to talk to students about his books. The author, spoke to the Year 7 students and then led a creative writing workshop with a group of Year 9 students.
Julian talked to the students about his life, his writing, and inspirations. He took the students on a fascinating and very human journey describing the personal challenges he has faced and the twists and turns of his career as a writer.
Julian spoke about his books “Tsunami Girl” and “100 Tales from the Tokyo Ghost Cafe” both set in Japan. He told the students about his travels in North Japan and his research for Tsunami Girl which is set during the great tsunami disaster in 2011 and his meetings and interviews with survivors from the both the tsunami and the Fukushima Nuclear Plant disaster and about their resilience and how they rebuilt their lives. He also told the students of his research of Japanese Ghost stories from North Japan and their role in the Japanese culture. There were some really thoughtful questions at the end of the talk.
During the creative writing workshop, the Year 9 students were tasked with imagining a setting and characters for a ghost story. Julian commented: “The Year 9 students had some nuanced additional thoughts in amongst the usual spookiness and occasional gore! I was impressed”.
“It was a pleasure to have Julian Sedgwick visit the school,” said Mrs Savova, Librarian. “Julian mixed humour with serious themes which made his talk relatable and enjoyable. He gave us lots of advice on writing; in particular, the importance of completing stories and keeping going. You can always improve them afterwards. He encouraged us not to give up when things go wrong or when we feel we have failed.”
“The students really enjoyed their time with the author, Julian Sedgwick,” commented Mr Sharrock, English teacher and Saint Paul’s Literacy Coordinator. “They were enthused and inspired by what Julian shared with them about the life of an author and asked some very interesting and thought-provoking questions. The way he conjured faraway places and atmospheres was brilliant. I am now looking forward to seeing how they transfer this learning into their creative writing!”
“I was delighted by the interest shown by our students about Julian’s writing. The visit has inspired our students to want to read, write, and learn more about the process of writing,” added Mr Whiteside, Headteacher. “The experience of having an author visit the school is one of the valuable gifts we can offer our students. It brings to life the magic of books and the joy of reading in a very special way.”