The Writers Go to School project organises meetings with writers and authors’ readings at selected schools. The project’s principal aim is to address children during their compulsory schooling, when it is possible to engage the interest not only of children whose reading is guided but also ‘non-readers’. As part of Growing with the Book, a campaign in support of book-reading, Book World Ltd. first introduced Writers Go to School in 2008 to very positive feedback. The project was just as successful in 2011 and even more authors, schools and children could be connected in 2012, when 13 authors, illustrators and translatorsvisited 20 schools throughout the Czech Republic. A total of 36 events were attended by 1 042 children.
The choice of authors was made on the basis of cooperation with and recommendations of partners in the Growing with the Book campaign.
The intention was to address schools nationwide, i.e. in the whole of the republic. The selection of schools was governed by the Growing with the Book campaign’s participation and cooperation in other projects (e.g., the Readers’ Challenge competition) and schools were approached with regard to the place of residence of the authors. The project was then successfully extended to include 15 towns in the Czech Republic.
Without exception all events were positively evaluated by teachers and met with extraordinary interest and an enthusiastic reception on the part of pupils. The authors were able to reward at least the most active and attentive of their listeners with small presents and promotional materials from the Growing with the Book campaign – bookmarks, magnetic notepads and Rostík’s measuring strip. The writers and illustrators, too, responded positively to the events; in particular they appreciated the project’s efforts to arouse in children and young people an interest in reading, literature and the authors themselves.
This project is run by Svět Knihy (Czech Republic).
Categories: Authors, Children, Illustrators, Pupils, School, Teachers, Workshops, Writers, Young People