Poet James Nash at Ireland Wood Primary School

Sally Bavage writes:

War comes to Ireland Wood

Well, it does when published poet and author James Nash comes.  James was commissioned by Headingley LitFest to run a series of poetry workshops on the WW1 theme with both year 6 classes at Ireland Wood primary school, culminating in a performance assembly in the school hall.  After last year's valiant work totally via Zoom this is so much more real.  Real emotions, real pride in performance, even some real tears.

Covid precautions are still in place and the young people's performances are videoed so that parents, governors and others can see the finale.  We were treated to sixty readings both recorded (compilations of best or favourite lines chosen by the writers themselves) as well as live, nerves soon banished by the supportive atmosphere from all the staff and pupils present. Additionally, classroom assistants put original poems and artwork on display screens for the assembly hall and technical support helped with the slide show and music as well.  As James said ”I never thought in the past that one could work with SO many children so successfully, but the school gives such strong support and the staff are so talented.”  And James doesn't normally use such strong descriptions in his prose – only his poetry!

 James took as his theme a battered trumpet, likening it to a soldier on the field of battle. Empathising with the fallen instrument, the youngsters could write of sorrow and waste, of courage and commitment without becoming maudlin.  Ghosts of dead soldiers were conjured up, you could hear the mournful notes of the trumpet somehow capturing the mood of the troops, yet there was a steady pride in using new vocabulary and producing original work that has somehow entered the souls of the soldiers.

 The year 5 classes came to watch and were extraordinarily attentive and absorbed in the simply excellent quality of the performances – using a mike to talk to 120+ at age ten is never less than daunting.  They were also bursting with contributions to what they had learnt from watching; a forest of hands went up and all agreed they had picked up some really good tips for their forthcoming poetry work.  So four classes altogether got real joy from the work.

 And what about the performed original poems, researched, drafted, re-drafted and crafted by year 6?   Two words.  Wow!  Impressive!   Actually, three - add very.  The year 6 teachers felt that this year, by working over an extended block of time concentrated into less than two weeks, it had made the immersion into poetry even more profound. And by working in the autumn term it would add more depth and understanding to other explorations of poetry in the following terms.  So many wins.

 It would be invidious to single out much individual work because you would be hard pressed to leave any of the sixty finished poems out.  When asked in the assembly what they felt they had gained from the work, again so many contributions directly from the children involved spoke of how poetry moves your emotions around, that different poems (which needn't rhyme, they had been pleased to find) used very different writing styles and that the poems left imagery in your head long afterwards.  Poetry isn't a story but it tells one and can cover years in ten seconds.  Wow. They also appreciated how they had gained experience of performing in front of an audience. As one child declared to Adrienne Amos, year 6 teacher: “So you’ve worked with James Nash for nine years, aren’t you a lucky lady?”

 And the school staff?  Simply blown away by some of the writing and performances shining out from unsuspected hidden depths. So proud of what the young people had achieved.  So pleased to see the development in confidence and self-belief.  This work just keeps on giving.

I wish that I was a human,

To touch my surroundings,

To consume the energy of daylight and dawn,

To be able to feel my soul.

Feel tears, feel joy,

To be able to see.

To have a heart

To be able to be who I want to be.

But without love, there is no rhythm to life.

 

Headingley LitFest is most grateful to the Inner North West Community Committee, whose strong support and funding for this work is so much appreciated.