Welcome to the award winning Ilkley Chat!

Young People Switched on with Words

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Ilkley Literature Festival has a packed programme of events aimed at young people aged 12 to 18 from Friday 4 to Sunday 20 October.

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From meeting acclaimed authors, taking part in creative writing workshops or becoming a journalist for the day, this age group can also join workshops to learn how to Make a Podcast in a Day, Scriptwriting and Improvised Poetry and Music.

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Budding authors can also join a workshop presented by YA novelist Liz Hyder, whose exciting debut novel Bearmouth has been widely praised by critics, to learn the techniques for building fictional worlds.

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Theatre director, Chris Singleton, will show young people how to find their stage presence using theatrical performance techniques. The Ilkley Literature Festival Apprentice Poet in Residence, Genevieve Carver, will host a music and poetry workshop where youngsters have the opportunity to create poems in response to music and perform them with musicians.

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Bestselling author of the Geek Girl series, Holly Smale, also talks about her latest romantic comedy, Happy Girl Lucky.

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Erica Morris, Acting Director of Ilkley Literature Festival, said: “As well as offering Young People the chance to meet authors like Holly Smale, we have a fantastic range of workshops and activities to help them develop their own writing talents. Whether it’s creating a podcast or learning how to perform in poetry slams, our events aim to nurture and inspire the next generation of poets, novelists and performers.”

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Young people studying for GSCE and A Levels are particularly encouraged to take part in a new event focused on William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The interactive session focuses on the best ways to showcase the comedy within the text and will encourage audiences to laugh and reflect on why they are laughing.

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Visit ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk to view the full programme of events for young people.