July/August 2008

Moving On...

By Nicole Moore – Co-founder of Words of Colour

I can’t believe that it has been four years since I co-founded Words of Colour Productions with Joy Francis. Back then in 2004, I was determined to raise funds to support the organisation’s development as I knew it was such a worthwhile project and I am proud of the organisation’s achievements, which include the ‘Get Started’ Writing Programme, a new website, a national writing competition, online workshops, events’ listings and much more.

I officially resigned from my role as Words of Colour’s Creative Arts Director in April; a decision that was clear and came to me in the middle of the night! I knew then that it was the right thing to do. Although I have resigned, I hope to work in collaboration with Words of Colour Productions in the future as an Associate Partner. In particular, I have enjoyed writing for this column and hope to continue to contribute further columns.

My reason for resigning? Well, mainly, I felt the need to focus on my artistic development, particularly Shangwe Arts, which I also founded in 2004. So I have been creatively thinking and, as a result, have revised my website and started a blog, which is linked to www.shangwe.com as a commitment to writing something creative on a daily basis.

The aim is to write and share a selection of my poems, publish selected authors’ poems, share reviews of books I’ve read this year, keep a creative journal of arts/literary events I’ve attended, post creative writing tips and write a monthly interactive commentary called Talking Point where I along with invited guests write a column on whatever inspires and motivates such as writing project ideas and works in progress.

The creative thinking has also involved writing a Grants for the Arts funding application, which was submitted at the beginning of June 2008 to the Arts Council England, to develop and deliver a Shangwe Cultural Heritage Creative Writing Programme; to develop my quarterly online newsletter ‘Shangwe News’ in particular to improve the style and content, to increase membership and build awareness of specific arts/literary issues and current affairs, to run contests and to provide information that encourages members to meet their writing goals; and to develop, navigate and manage my website.

Subject to funding, the programme of cultural heritage writing workshops will commence during Black History Month in October 2008 and be held in the London Borough of Enfield in collaboration with Nehanda Black Women’s Organisation www.nehanda.org.uk and Enfield County Upper Secondary School for Girls www.enfieldcs.enfield.sch.uk.

The project will involve designing and facilitating creative writing workshops using the writing themes of ‘Journeys’, ‘Freedom’, ‘Home’ & ‘Belonging’ and using the anthology Brown Eyes: A selection of creative expressions by black and mixed-race women (2005) as a reference for dialogue, discussion and writing.

The workshops will provide an opportunity for participants to write, discuss and express their cultural heritage using the genre of creative non-fiction, memoir, autobiography, poetry and prose. The project will also encourage participants to pursue their potential and future creative writing goals or projects through writing competitions and publishing their work.

Four artists/facilitators including myself will deliver the programme as well as write reflective pieces within the same cultural heritage context. Two showcases of artists and participants’ completed work will be held at the end of each set of workshops. And selected works will be published on my website and blog.

The Brown Eyes anthology is a culturally diverse production and offers a unique and groundbreaking development opportunity, and as a resource will provide creative and artistic methods for reaching wider audiences. In the long term this project could be developed on a wider scale providing a model for cultural heritage creative writing workshops for London-wide secondary schools’ After School Projects, community and youth sectors, Black & Minority Ethnic groups, Black women’s organisations and multicultural organisations.

For more information about the Grants for the Arts funding application visit www.artscouncil.org.uk

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