Quote of the day!

what this power is i cannot say; all i know is that it exists and it becomes avliable only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it

Alexander Graham Bell

4th Spoken Word Poetry Winner - Be Strong by Baraka

Some AS Philosophy For You...

All knowledge is derived from experience. Discuss.

Empiricists believe humans attain knowledge through experience. Thus, no know is a priori. John Locke and David Hume are the most acclaimed empiricist philosophers.

Hume once stated that 'all our ideas are copies of sense impressions'. These 'sense impressions' he speaks of are derived from ones outward look on to the world. The example of of ones mother fits perfectly; every one's idea of a mother is different, as it corresponds to ones own individual experience of their mother. A mother leaves her 'imprint' on her child's understanding of what is mother is; an 'imprint' on their tabula rasa.
Experience is clearly needed for knowledge to be gained. A blind man will never Trula grasp the idea of colour. Stevie wonder once stated that he dreams only about sounds-what he knows. Empiricists believe that all knowledge is private (trapped inside ones head) and we use language as an outlet for our internal knowledge 'words without experience are empty' D Humes point is clear, and valid, no one can discuss which they have not yet experienced.
Even in nature it is difficult to establish necessary truths, as ones perspective is limited. This leads to inducted arguments, which are only assumed to create a conclusion which is hardly possible, and this in itself leads to contingent truths: which are clearly created by deflects in human knowledge.

There are implications to accepting the empiricist account. If all sense impressions are private, how can one know everyone sees the same shade of red. This leads to one doubting the strength of the relationship with the outside world and whether the outside world exists at all. These views lead to extreme solipsistic ideals, which can be reinforced by Hume 'all we experience is our experience of our own experiences' begging the question whether one is experiencing life first hand.

Empiricism certainly has its criticisms. It would appear that sense impressions are not necessary for ideas. Wittgenstein's analogy the of Beetle states all are carrying boxes (minds) one can see into ones own box, but not anyone else's. The objects being held in the boxes are being referred to as 'Beetle'. Of course, some boxes may not have a beetle inside, but a picture instead, and some boxes may be completely empty. However, what one does is use language to link ones individual interpretation of the sense impression (Beetle) to the word. One cannot explain ones sense impression, as the tools used to describe sense impressions (language) is a public matter and sense impressions are very private.
Another criticism would be that it seems humans do have some innate mathematical ability. Babies as young as a day old spend more time looking at simple mathematical puzzles which are incorrect than ones which are correct. This exemplifies how sense impressions are not sufficient for ideas.

The empirical view is strong, however it has lapses, not accounting for language or mathematics. It would be extreme to suggest all knowledge of language is acquired from experience alone. Standing alone, this view is empty. Kant's synthesis of Empiricism and Rationalism has the most prominent argument 'filling' the gaps in both accounts. We 'manufacture' our own realities, using the 'tools' we are supplied with at birth- our own synthetic a priori knowledge. This too, however, may be problematic. If we 'manufacture' our own realities' is solipsism inevitable?

Symone xoxo

Wilfred Owen "Dulce et Decorum Est" WW1 Poem Animation

Quote of the day!

It is neither wealth nor splendor but tranquility and occupation, which give happiness

Thomas Jefferson
(1743-1826)

Quote of the day!

I do the very best i know how - the very best i can; and i mean to keep doing so until the end

Abraham Lincoln

The Mad Poet - Open Your Eyes (Spoken Word Poetry)

The Mad Poet is a spoken word artist from the Jane-Finch area.

Still Playing

Thinking...
I like dolls;
they are fun to play with.
From my childhood, forever on his shelf.
Keeping clean- no mess!
I remember my younger years well...
Suck suck... Play play
Funny how some things never change.

Still...
Family Guy's on.
I like Stewie- Watch him go!!
Nobody can hear the baby's speech.
Silly little Stewie- how sweet...
TEEHEE!!! heha...
Can't laugh too loud,
daddy might wake, tired these days
working late, working

hard. Had to roll over last night,
needed my sleep. 'Tax returns won't do themsleves'
'Neither will I...' came the reply.
He think I'm a wife on a shelf
Up, down, up down.
I do nothing else.

I'm smarter than they think...
He should watch the accounts,
I do more than just stand there
and pout.
Girls like me and...
PARIS HILTON!!
we go hand in hand...

Leave,
the fairy tales,
on my real daddy's lap.
Silent baby- I play and nap

He lay me down
Walked out and closed the door...

'... bye daddy...'

Symone xoxo

Quote of the day!

A great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do

Walter Gagehot

Spoken word poetry from poetic JustIce

I Have Def Poetry Jam Fever!!!

Doing my usual YouTube rounds this morning, I stumbled acrossed some Def Poetry Jam videos. To be completely honest, I have never really understood the hype but this morning I was crying with laughter and smiling. Some funny stuff there, some beautiful poetry aswell. I'm going to post one beautiful poem, and one that got me off my chair laughing.

Thea Monyee: Woman to Woman had me the floor.



Perre Shelton: Dandelion so very beautiful. I love him!



Symone xoxo

Quote of the day!

Ideas without action are worthless

Harvey Mackay

Poet: Julius Kelly

Poet Julius Kelly from Central State University at the 'Regional Academic and Cultural Collaborative: A Hip Hop Weekend' at the Dayton Convention Center April 3

Anthem For Doomed Youth - Wilfred Owen - Kenneth Branagh

Quote of the day

Caius Valerius Catullus

I hate and I love: why I do so you may indeed ask. I do not know, but I feel it happen and am in agony.

Quote of the day!

Everything worthwhile, everything of any value, has a price. The price is effort!

Anon

Rain-man

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.
Awake. Conscious.
The house is asleep.
Listen to the hole in the roof,
Letting water in.
Drops of water, each drop
Filling the bucket.
The hole is getting bigger
Letting more and more in.
Sooner than later the roof will
Cave in.
The rain outside
Is as heavy as ever.
The wind is carrying something:
Lethal. Destructive.
Maybe the Prophecies are right.
Maybe George was right.
Self destruction.
Wipe out.

We are all forgotten with time.

Symone xoxo

Quote of the day!

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced

James Baldwin

LA Poetry Slam: You Wanted a Woman- Julian Kelly

L.I.F.E (Life. Isn't. Fair. Ever)

As I sit and gaze,
Thinking about the things I've done.
I have to change my ways.
This me- she is not real.
Fake, as mess, an accident.

Emotional wreck- that's me,
the one in the corner hugging her knees.
Mumbling, grumbling. Fuck.

Do you need the things you want the most?
For comfort, for fun or just to cope?

My eyes are burning, and my heart's sore,
can't live like this. Reality is a bore.

Surrounded by fuckers, hypocrites, and thieves.
Who fuck me over and then they leave.

I do these things,
you know I do.
I do these things
to get through to you.
Not talking of slitting,
Not talking of what been written,
but
what's in my heart and soul
I know you love me- so
please let go.

I know he can do much better than me,
The things I've done, you won't believe.
The hurt, the pain.
He's gone insane.

Him, her, he, she, you , me.
Suicidal, but he's hiding it well.
I'm dying inside, but no one can tell.

Draw my veins on to my skins,
hoping the ink will sink in.

Do you need the thing you want the most?
For comfort, for fun or just to cope?

My eyes are burning, and my hearts sore.
This life is not worth living anymore.

Symone xoxo

Quote of the day!

Peace has no boundaries,
Serenity knows no religion,
When the eyes close,
The mind shall see.

Unknown

8 MONTHS TODAY!!!!

Glitter Happy Birthday Graphics

The Send-Off - Wilfred Owen - Kenneth Branagh

Quote of the day

Philip Dormer Stanhope, fourth Earl of Chesterfield

Advice is seldom welcome; and those who want it the most always like it the least

Quote of the day!

A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes

Hugh Downs

Quote of the day!

The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting goals and achieving them.
Even the most tedious chore will become endurable as you parade through each day convinced that every task, no matter how menial or boring, brings you closer to fulfilling your dreams.

Og Mandino
(1923-1996)

Maceo at Da Poetry Lounge

www.Poetry.LA -- Maceo reads from his work at the Da Poetry Lounge weekly reading series, West Hollywood, CA (6/2/09)

The Way I Do

I found this when looking through my old note pads. This was written by a 13 year old Symone :)

The way you look at me,
and the way you stare.
It's the way you kiss me,
still wishing she was there.
It's the way you hold me,
as if it's hard to touch.
The way you glance at me,
as if you miss her so much.

It's not fair,
as I try to be with you.
Our lips touch,
your kissing her too.
Is it fair that I'm fighting perfection?
Her fancy hair,
that flawless complexion.
You wish he was me,
and that I got a clue:
the fact you still love her
and she wants you too.

The way you look at her,
and the way you stare.
It's the way you blush
whenever she is near.
It's the way you defend her,
when out love gets rough.
The way you look at me,
as if you miss her so much.

It's not fair,
as I try to be with you.
We hold hands,
you holding her hands too.
It's not fair,
that I'm fighting perfection.
Her longing stare,
Her loving affection.
You wish he was in my place,
and I got a clue:
That you guys still do what
I can't pursue.

The way you look at me,
and the way you stare.
The way you walk away from me,
whenever she is near.
The way you meet her eyes
and laugh and grins.
The way you look,
taking all of her in.

It's not fair,
as I'm trying to be with you.
I blew you a kiss,
she blew you one too.
It's not right that
I'm fighting for you attention.
You think I don't get it,
that I don't have a clue.
Bu no one will love you
that way I do.

Symone xoxo

Quote of the day!

Begin with the end in mind

Stephen R Covey

Heartache

I want you in my life,
That's not a statment,
That's a fact.
My life is killing me, slowly,
I need you back.
Sometimes it makes me angry that I'm still
Caught up on you.
But, it's the way you move, talk breath...
It's the little things you do.

Everyone's heart beats- it's what keeps us alive.
It stops. We all die.
My heart, it beats for you
Each emotion you feel, I feel it too.
I break down,
Crying
On the random sometimes.
It's because of you,
And the things you do to me...
It should be made a crime.

You ignore my exsistence.
Each time I die,
A little bit more inside,
All I need is a 'Hello' or 'Bye'
All I need to know you care,
To prove to myself,
That
Some
Sort-of
Love
Is there.

You have the worlds longsest History of 'My babyee'
When, will it be my two weeks?
I know I don't have much to offer.
I'm not blonde or 'gawjus'
or something or other.
All I can promise is that
You know you will have my heart
Stick with me, we can never part.

This heartache is rediculous, stupid and vain
You could never love a girl like me
This is insane.
My heart is pouring out to you
alover this page.
My pen burning through thr paper
Praying you'll stay.

But you won't,
Why should you?
When your 'Babyee' is one your arm,
With,
More girls queuing
At the door,
When you turn on the charm

This poem is for you,
My dear,
My Beloved
I Pray...
Someday...
You will realise...
All you need,
All I need,
All I want...
Is
You and me.

Then the heartache will end.

Def Poetry - Preach - Cotton

Quote of the day!

The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary

Anon

Def Poetry - Javon Johnson - Elementary

Basically

One two
Three four
Wake up. Eat.
Move on. Do more.
...or less as the figure shows
Collasping slowly, slightly... still?
These hollow streets,
Empty thoughts,
Weaving in and out of
a mind I call my own.
Is this ok?
Is that?
Herds living in light.
Scritinize.
Picked apart,
like a piece of meat.
They gather in thier millions.
Flies swarming around shit

Symone xoxo

The Show - Wilfred Owen - Kenneth Branagh

Quote of the day

John Clare

If life had a second edition, how I would correct the proofs

Quote of the day!

Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising, which tempt you to believe that your critics are right, To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Disabled - Wilfred Owen - Kenneth Branagh

Quote of the day

Henri Estienne

If only youth knew; if only age could.

Quote of the day!

The smartest thing that a person can do is to persistently think the thoughts that are consistent with the kind of person they would like to be

Brian Tracy

Asleep - Wilfred Owen - Kenneth Branagh

Quote of the day

Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian

Love’s pleasure only lasts a moment; love’s sorrow lasts one’s whole life long

Quote of the day!

The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.

Elbert Hubbard

Quote of the day

To succeed in the world, we do everything we can to appear successful

Francois, Duc de la Rochefoucauld

Quote of the day!

It's lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and i believed in myself

Muhammad Ali

Quote of the day!

The amount you give isn't important. WHat matters is what that amount represents in terms of your life

Unknown

Braveheart - The Famous Speech from William Wallace

100 word review: Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha

The narrator is 10 year old Paddy growing up in Barrytown, north Dublin. The plot follows his childish adventures and watches him grow up although at first it seems like random digressions of his day and different stories but develops to a sad and heart-warming conclusion. His innocence to the situations and child interpretations bring humour, sadness and give the novel an original perspective. From what I've seen, teenage audiences haven't really enjoyed this but I liked it and anyone who grew up in the 1960s will definitely love it. If you like comedy and kids, give it a try.

Quote of the day!

A good memory is fine... but the ability to forget is the true test of greatness

Unknown

Quote of the day

Henry David Thoreau

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation

Quote of the day!

Procrastinaion is the theif of time

Unknown

"The Sentry" by Wilfred Owen (poetry reading)

Quote of the day

Elbert Hubbard

Life is just one damned thing after another

Quote of the day!

We cannot all do great things but we can do small things with great love

Anon

Quote of the day!

It is better to regret something you've done than something you didn't do

Anon

Def Poetry - Suheir Hammad - What I Will

JOIN NOW!!!

In the top left corner of our homepage you may notice a lovely gadget thats sadly cut in half. Unfortunately we dont have the space for it to command the true attention it deserves BUT i thought i'd post and let you know what it's all about.

With the current climate change issue looming ever nearer and becoming ever more terrifying, we must all do our bit to stop this before it is too late. I saw Vivienne Westwood on Jonathon Ross who went on to talk about this issue and she gave some truly terrible facts. It is predicted that by the end of the century there will only be 1 billion people left on earth and by 2050 there will be 10 billion. It is estimated that there are currently 6.6 billion people on earth. That means that all of our children and grandchildren that will bring us to the number of 10 billion will be in mortal danger.

For me, the scarier part is what i think we will do if things come down to that. America, Britain, Russia, France, Germany, Australia and all of the other superpowers of the world will take care of themselves and their people. This leaves countries such as India and entire continents like Africa to starve. Ask yourself, who do you think would suffer the most casualties in this situation? And could you live with the knowledge that our "glamourous" lifestyles had caused the death of approximately 9 billion people? I couldn't. I won't. That is why i am doing all i can to make sure climate change is a war that we win, with as few casualties as possible.

I WAS HERE!

Doing my usual YouTube rounds and I stumbled across a video of a women doing poetry at Glastonbury. A thought sprung to my head... 'Poetry... Glastonbury?' As I watched the video, it occurred to me that I was there in the tent, watching this magnificent women perform a poem called 'Tube Rage'. Amazing performance. Enjoy!



Amazing right?

Symone xoxo

Quote of the day!

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort

Franklin D Roosevelt
(1882-1945)

Def Poetry - Bassey Ikpi - Diallo

My Muse

Hello!
This is Slipknot, my all-time favourite band. This is currently one of my favourites by them. I just thought it would be a nice change-and a bit of a break for me- if I posted some of the things that inspires me most, as opposed to the end result of me being inspired.
Top of my list, Slipknot: a nine piece metal band from Iowa, USA. LOVE THEM!

Here it is: Snuff- Slipknot



NB: This is not the actually video for this song, this is a fan made video I found on youtube.

Symone xoxo

Quote of the day!

You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction

George Lorimer
(1867-1937)

Def Poetry - John S. Hall - America Kicks Ass

Def Poetry - Kelly Tsai - Mao

Quote of the day!

One's first step to wisdom is to question everything and one's last is to come to terms with everything

G.C. Lichtenberg

Catharsis

Baggage I've been carrying for years.
Watch the pages turn as I empty my fears,
And hurt.
The torment across every page,
In lines, words.
The syllables carry the load.
So I don't have to
Let it rip.
Let it go
Splatter out of my brain.
The thoughts: Crude, demented, examining flaws.
Warped.
Sub-conscious, silent?
Conscious with each flicker of the pen.
Prominent.
Out going.
Giving birth to all that can be;
All that will be.
All that is!
Every moment right here in my head.
To be transferred,
Through ink
On to paper.
When I start
Purging my soul.
This healing,
I am pure.
Finally...
... And on to the next

Symone xoxo

Def Poetry - KRS-One & Doug Fresh - 2nd Quarter

Quote of the day!

A person who trims himself to suit everybody will soon whittle away to nothing

Unknown

Def Poetry - Shihan - The Auction Network

Faux Pas- Epiphany

Leave the big words.
No alteration.
My feelings?
Complete liberation.
Not trying to be clever.
Smart poetry?
My words are from the heart.
They flow free.
5 minute lyric.
To the point.
Sharp.
No editing, re-writes.
It should be the way it is.
No more duality.
2-dimensional is the future.
Art shouldn't be forced.
Squeezed from the soul
Tiring.
It should be natural.
Like water
Flowing free.
Flowing clear.
Never ending.

Symone xoxo

Quote of the day!

Storing resentment, anger or hate is like taking poison and hoping the other person will die

Unknown

Teachers Pet

Never the bridesmaid, always the bride
Without having met the groom
That girl of pure deception
Who cackles on her broom

She weaves all day with a smile
and kind remark
Until the teachers gooey eyes
Have been sewn shut into the dark

They see a girl, sweet and polite
Who works exceptionally hard
We see a bitch who does nothing but moan
With a brown nose and stuck up facade

She doesn't revise for a single exam
But aces it on an eloquent phrase
Her condescending sarcastic tone
Makes me want to punch her into a daze

I dream one day that i stride into class
and pull the wool from my teachers eyes
so he too can see the black hearted witch
That all we students despise

Robyn

Def Poetry - Common - A Letter To The Law

Quote of the day!

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

Mahatma Gandhi
(1869-1948)

Tears

That burning churning lurching feeling
Of knowing he didn't want me
Has left me in a coma
Of doubt and self-pity

The trembling tips of my fingers
Release my energy
Better them than my eyes
I whisper to my knee

Robyn

Def Poetry - Oscar Brown Jr - Children Of Children

Quote of the day!

The man who insists on seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides.

Unknown

Crime of Passion

Rub, rub.
Stroke on stroke.
Break the seal.
The protection.
Deeper. Deeper.
On going.
Ignore the blood that's flowing.
The love,
anger, passion;
released.
There's beauty in the moment-
like an animal in heat.
Be free
Be clear
Be clean
Be near
Hold on tight.
Then let go.
Put your torment on show.

Symone xoxo

Def Poetry - Amir Sulaiman - Danger

Quote of the day!

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so

Shakespeare
(1564-1616)

Hello From Glastonbury... Well Kind Of

Hello Outside World!
I am back from Glastonbury!!
It was truly amazing! Robyn WILL be forced to come next year, whether she wants to or not! I would have blogged sooner but, I've been catching up on my sleep and enjoying the comforts of a BED!
I watched some BBC coverage of Glasto (while recovering) and I was really felt it for those of you who did not have the opportunity to go. Everyone looked rubbish on the TV, when in fact they were awesome! The Specials who were my highlight of the weekend, were absolutely breath-taking to watch live. On the telly... not so much. The atmosphere is not transferable, which is why I suggest:
E V E R Y O N E S H O U L D G O T O G L A S T O N B U R Y!!!

Easily the best thing I've every done in my entire life (and that's saying something!).

Peace and love!!! (4 days at glasto and I've become a hippy!)
Symone xoxo

Def Poetry - Steve Connell & Sekou the Misfit - America Calls

Wilfred Owen "Strange Meeting" WW1 Poem Animation

Quote of the day

R.D Laing

Madness need not be all breakdown. It may also be break-through. It is potential liberation and renewal as well as enslavement and existential death.

Quote of the day!

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your mind off your goals

Anon

Robyn's Personal Statement: 3rd Try

Mozart wrote his first composition aged 5. Picasso discovered his talent for painting aged 9. I penned my first poem aged 7. I could never say how I feel when I write poetry; but I could write it. When that inspiration hits and your fingers itch for the sensation of putting pen to paper, lest the ideas should fade, you do not think of themes or subtext. You scribble the outpour and turn inspiration to words, emotions to themes, instinct to subtext. Your entire being becomes the words you write and the euphoria from writing them.

My love of literature lines the paper on which author’s write. I have always had a love of reading and writing that differed from children of my age. While they giggled at the adventures of Spot the dog, I revelled in the rich description of Burnett’s The Secret Garden. Today, I find solitude in a variety of texts from Woolf’s The Waves or Lessing’s The Golden Notebook, with my favourite being those that push their society’s boundaries such as Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children and Hardy’s Jude the Obscure.

This love of literature played an integral part in choosing my A level courses. With my love of international literature, such as Balzac’s Old Goriot and Puskin’s Eugene Onegin, came my decision to study French. I always felt that when novels are translated, they lose the authors lexical and syntactical crafting and so I have since become determined to be fluent in French. Politics allowed me to explore the power of rhetoric in shaping our political system and exercise my passion for debating, which began when I competed in debating competitions for my school. English literature & language allowed me to not only analyse author’s work but learn how they craft it and I loved the creative writing element of the course. Law gave me the understanding of our legal system and allowed me to go on to teach it in a simpler way. I created and presented a stop & search rights assembly for year 10 and found the challenge of entertaining while teaching an exhilarating affair.

While the first, this was not the last time I taught or organised teaching opportunities for students. Two others and I won funding from Sports Relief to run a 12 week kickboxing class for 20 sixth formers, which students finished with a level 1 kickboxing qualification. I was also a teaching assistant in a year 9 and 10 English class for 8 months. For the year 9 class, I went on to teach a GCSE preparation lesson and from the year 10 class I met two girls who I began to mentor. In the future, I hope to become a social entrepreneur at the forefront of ending young people’s growing apathy toward reading and writing.

Finding this university course was like a cliché in a romance novel. Our eyes met across a screen crowded with courses and I weakened at the knees. Everything, from the modules to the tutors to the campus is perfect for helping me to achieve my dream of becoming a successful author and poet. I became determined to ensure that I would be reading my name on the top of an acceptance letter.

Writing comes as naturally to me as flying to a bird but even the birds must spend some time sinking and soaring in the skies before calling themselves fliers. I have been on both an Arvon foundation and Poetry School writing course and subscribed to The Writer’s Magazine all of which has developed the manner in which I write my poetry. Before this, I created Home Grown Writing, a blog in which I post all that I write. More recently, I was published in an e-anthology, entered several poetry competitions – the results of which I should find out very soon - and was chosen to be the editor for the school magazine. I am already a writer but now I look to you to make me a poet. University is the final step and I look to you to hold out a hand and help me take the final leap in achieving my dream.

Robyn

Oscar Wilde "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" Poem Animation

Quote of the day!

Creativity is so delicate a flower, that praise tends to make it bloom, while discouragement often nips it in the bud.

Alexander Osborn

Robyn's Personal Statement: 2nd Try

Mozart wrote his first composition aged 5. Picasso discovered his talent for painting aged 9. I penned my first poem aged 7. I have always had a love of reading and writing that differed from children of my age. While they giggled at the adventures of Spot, I revelled in the rich description of Frances Burnett’s The Secret Garden.

Literature has moulded my entire life and I hope to one day write literature that will mould the lives of others. It played an integral part in choosing my A level courses. With politics, I could exercise my love of debating, which began when I competed in debating competitions, and examine the power of rhetoric in shaping our political system. With my love of international literature, such as Balzac’s Old Goriot and Puskin’s Eugene Onegin, came my decision to study French. I always felt that when novels are translated, they lose the authors lexical and syntactical crafting and so I have since become determined to be fluent in French, in order to better understand the literature. English literature and language allowed me to study how writer’s craft their work as well as analyzing it. I also loved the creative writing element of the course and the wide range of novels we would read. Law gave me the understanding of our legal system and allow me to go on to teach it in a simpler way. I created and presented a stop & search rights assembly for year 10 and found the challenge of entertaining while teaching an exhilarating affair.

While the first, this was not the last time I taught or organised teaching opportunities for students. Two others and I won funding from Sports Relief to run a 12 week kickboxing class for 20 sixth formers, which students finished with a level 1 kickboxing qualification. I was also a teaching assistant in a year 9 and 10 English class for 8 months. For the year 9 class, I went on to teach a GCSE preparation lesson and from the year 10 class I met two girls who I began to mentor. In the future I hope to become a social entrepreneur and use my talents and reputation as a writer to end young people’s apathy towards reading.

Given my love of all things literary, it will come as no surprise that when I discovered this course my heart not only skipped a beat but completed a triathlon. The idea that my time would be spent reading and exploring the works of a wide range of authors as well as writing and developing my own work made me determined to do whatever it took to ensure I would be reading my name on the top of an acceptance letter. I have been on both an Arvon foundation and Poetry School writing course and subscribed to The Writer’s Magazine. I created Home Grown Writing, a blog in which I post all that I write and for my part-time job I write legal articles for a barrister. More recently, I was published in an e-anthology, entered several poetry competitions and was chosen to be the news & creative writing editor for the school magazine. I also read a large variety of books from Maureen Freely’s The Other Rebecca to Tolstoy’s War & Peace, with my favourite being those that push their society’s boundaries such as Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children and Hardy’s Jude the Obscure.

One experience, however, has prepared me the most for the demands that this course will require. I was chosen out of 60 applicants by the Hummer Tuttle Foundation to be part of a group of young people on a US-UK leadership and dialogue programme. It involved months of residential weekends with 100% attendance, research and presentations in order to prepare us for a 2 week trip to the US with Americans and Iraqis. This experience gave me a never-ending list of skills, including leadership, independent learning and the ability to balance heavy workloads with a social life.

My aim in life is to become a novelist and poet and so this course is perfect to the letter. I have myself have taken many steps towards this and now look to you to hold out a hand and help me take the final leap in achieving my dream.

Robyn