Cape Town: The writing and publishing workshop got youth on the page. A group of young people will soon see their creative writing in print after they completed a ‘Creative Writing Programme’ hosted by the Community, Arts and Culture Development Department of the City of Cape Town.
Reportedly, the 62 youngsters from Dunoon, Philippi, Atlantis and Langa will participate in the Conscious Craft of Creative Writing programme, which will be facilitated by the experts in the field. The representatives of the community were involved in the Cultural Mapping and Planning initiative of the City of Cape Town that will be selected by suitable young people for the programme.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Services and Health – Councillor Francine Higham said that the aim of the programme is to give wings to local writing, and help new writers to find their voice and share the stories of their culture and communities. The writing allows people to cement and share their identity and help them develop as an author and express themselves.
The Creative Writing Programme began with a workshop which covered everything that the writers need to know from the business of writing considering marketing, branding, monetising creative writing and social media to publishing, copyright and editing.
Furthermore, the participants between the age of 18 and 35, were then paired with experienced mentors who will guide them in a three-week mentorship in writing stories and poems about their lives, communities and global themes such as resilience, hope and culture.
The final component is to create a print-ready book within the next two months. The authors of the most compelling stories and poems will have an opportunity to have their stories and poetry professionally edited and compiled, by giving them a chance to share their work.
The youngsters then can also choose to self-publish or present their work to a publisher. This pilot programme will be assessed and will provide further opportunities to join the initiative in future that will be communicated.