Inspired by his friend Dave Eggers, Irish novelist Roddy Doyle set up Fighting Words to nurture the creative skills of deprived children – with a little help from some big names
Roddy Doyle with children at a Fighting Words workshop in Dublin. Photograph: Patrick Bolger for the Observer
It is a Monday morning in the heart of Dublin. In a light, airy room situated in the shadow of the city's looming Croke Park stadium, two dozen schoolgirls in matching navy blue jumpers sit attentively on coloured beanbags. The room is lined with bookshelves. High up on one wall there are a series of framed posters entitled "Ten Rules for Writing Fiction", compiled by different well-known authors. In Anne Enright's rules, there is the warning: "Only bad writers think that their work is really good." Number One in Richard Ford's list is: "Marry somebody you love and who thinks you being a writer's a good idea."
The girls, aged eight, nine and 10, are not at that stage quite yet. They gaze around the room wide-eyed, cowed into silence by the excitement of unfamiliar surroundings and a morning off school.
"Does anybody know why you are here this morning?" asks a woman standing at the front.
A tentative hand goes up. "To write a story," comes the reply from a pupil called Sophie.
"That's right – and we're here to help you."
The girls' legs jiggle in anticipation. This is Fighting Words, a workshop set up by the author Roddy Doyle in 2009 to encourage creative writing in students of all ages across Ireland. Since its inception, the centre has seen several thousand come through its doors. The majority are from local primary schools in Ballybough, an economically deprived area of Dublin, but other students have travelled hundreds of miles. Fighting Words, which relies largely on volunteer staff and offers all its lessons free of charge, has proved so popular that sessions are booked up a year in advance. "The interest is huge," says Sean Love, the executive director and co-founder. "We're obviously filling a gap that is not filled in formal education."
Full story at The Observer.
The girls, aged eight, nine and 10, are not at that stage quite yet. They gaze around the room wide-eyed, cowed into silence by the excitement of unfamiliar surroundings and a morning off school.
"Does anybody know why you are here this morning?" asks a woman standing at the front.
A tentative hand goes up. "To write a story," comes the reply from a pupil called Sophie.
"That's right – and we're here to help you."
The girls' legs jiggle in anticipation. This is Fighting Words, a workshop set up by the author Roddy Doyle in 2009 to encourage creative writing in students of all ages across Ireland. Since its inception, the centre has seen several thousand come through its doors. The majority are from local primary schools in Ballybough, an economically deprived area of Dublin, but other students have travelled hundreds of miles. Fighting Words, which relies largely on volunteer staff and offers all its lessons free of charge, has proved so popular that sessions are booked up a year in advance. "The interest is huge," says Sean Love, the executive director and co-founder. "We're obviously filling a gap that is not filled in formal education."
Full story at The Observer.
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