Author Ashley Hickson-Lovence Visit

The workshop started with Ashley expressing the importance of creating a dynamic setting and the power of the adolescent voice in the current climate, as depicted in his debut, The 392. He explained the beauty of a story that is rooted in personal experience and daily observation, no matter your age, background, race, sex or class. Students read and discussed Dean Atta’s poem ‘I Come From’ and picked out key images from it that shape the poet’s life. In response, profound prose poems were penned by Year 10 across a range of emotive topics: siblings getting angry playing FIFA, growing up on a tough estate, Archer Academy being OFSTED Outstanding, stop-and-search, high achieving and high aspirations.

Much of the creative work produced in such a short time is remarkable reminder of the talent KS4 Archer students have in abundance. Look out for their words coming to a bookshop near you in the near future.