Over a series of 12 weeks, multilingual creators Jessica Rainey, Harry Man and Chloe Daniels worked with Year 9 pupils at Excelsior Academy in Newcastle upon Tyne to write poems using a variety of different languages, which are presented on an interactive map on the theme of ‘Me and my city’.
The Multilingual Creators Programme
This poetry map is part of the outcome of the Multilingual Creators programme created and supported by the Stephen Spender Trust, New Writing North and Arts Council England. It was designed and facilitated by the Stephen Spender Trust (SST), the UK’s leading charity for multilingual creativity in schools.
In this first year, SST trained translators and writers from three regions in England to design and deliver creative translation activities in schools. These activities are designed to transform the young participants into multilingual creators, able to access and interact with literature in multiple languages, and to use it as a springboard for their own creative writing.
The training, led by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp and Rahul Bery, took place in June and July 2021 with 12 translators and writers from across England. The resulting workshops took place in three target areas: Newcastle upon Tyne, Greater Manchester, and Norwich. Multilingual Creators: Me and My City is a partnership between the Stephen Spender Trust, National Centre for Writing, New Writing North and Comma Press. It is co-funded by Arts Council England and Greater Manchester Combined Authority.