Dulwich College Libraries
AUTHOR VISITS
Mark Walden , 19 May 2010
Mark Walden, author of the HIVE series of books visited the College to talk to a packed theatre of 150 boys from years 5 - 9. He kept us all entertained talking about why villains make more interesting characters than heroes citing Darth Vader, Lex Luther and the Daleks amongst his many examples. The boys in the audience were involved when they were asked to name their favourite villains and there was also time for a brief question and answer session. There were queues before and after the event as boys waited to get their copies of the HIVE books signed. A big thank you to Mark and Ian from Bloomsbury Books who gave their time for free.
WILL SELF, 1st March 2010
Author, journalist and broadcaster Will Self visited the College on Monday 1st March as part of our World Book Day celebrations. He gave a highly entertaining and thought-provoking talk on psychogeography urging us to leave the car behind and experience our cities on foot to be. He read from his book Psycho Too before fielding questions from the audience of over 60 staff and boys.
On Monday 1st of March, the Wodehouse Library welcomed Will Self to talk on the fascinating - if obscure - topic of psychogeography. Mr Self expounded upon the subject, citing his epiphany as the moment when he realised that he had never seen the mouth of the River Thames, despite having lived in London all his life. Reading from his latest book, Psycho Too, he told us about walking from his home to Heathrow, and explained his belief that to get to know a city, all you have to do is walk across it, sparking much lively discussion and debate. The occasion was memorable, and both Mr Self’s insights and the superb lunch that preceded it were greatly appreciated.
Oliver White, H6L
Boys and staff were entertained on Monday 1 March by a visit and talk from Will Self. After a great spread from the catering team guests enjoyed anecdotes about walking to Heathrow from Stockwell, flying to JFK and then walking to Manhattan. Mr Self also read from his book Psycho Too, now on sale.
Sam Savile, H6X
MATT WHYMAN, 9th October 2009
Acclaimed author of Boy Kills Man visited the College to speak to the whole of Year 9 and to run creative writing workshops in the Lower and Middle Schools. Reports to follow...
JOHN CONNOLLY , 6th October 2009
John Connolly, author of The Gates, gave a fascinating talk to boys from Years 7 & 8 in the Raymond Chandler Library during lunchtime. He kept us all entertained with the physics behind his new novel and dealt with some tricky questions with good humour! Thanks to the boys who also took part. Further reports to follow...
PHILIP REEVE, 26th November 2008
The Carnegie Medal winning author Philip Reeve came to the Lower School Library for a thoroughly enjoyable lunchtime talk about his Here Lies Arthur book and the Mortal Engines quartet. Lots of boys have read his books and were eager to meet him. We are all looking forward to his new book due out in May.
RICK RIORDAN, 1st October 2008
Pupils and staff in the Junior School were very lucky to be entertained by author Rick Riordan as part of his latest tour of the UK. He talked about the ideas which led to the Percy Jackson quintet and about the whole process of publication. We also met Tania Vian-Smith from publishers Puffin who sponsored the event. As part of the talk boys were asked a number of questions relating to Greek myths and amazed the author with their knowledge; eight boys were lucky enough to receive a Percy Jackson T-shirt. After the event Rick talked to the boys and signed copies of his books.
KEVIN BROOKS, 5th February 2008
On the 5th February we welcomed Kevin Brooks to the College. He gave two thoroughly entertaining talks to boys in Year 10 about his latest book, Black Rabbit Summer. He talked about where some of the inspiration for the book came from including the dynamics behind friendships, crime fiction (including Raymond Chandler) and true crime stories such as the murder of Jill Dando and the more recent series of murders in Ipswich. This was followed by a lively question and answer session which covered topics as varied as why did he write for teenagers, which books did he enjoy as a a teenager (Salinger, Steinbeck, Westerns) and what had been his least favourite job (working in a call centre). Kevin was an excellent, down-to-earth speaker who inspired a real interest in reading amongst the boys and both sessions finished with boys queuing to buy books and have them signed.
Copies of all of Kevin's books are available to borrow from the Wodehouse Library [check availability here].
To find out more about Kevin Brooks click here for some links.
"The talk by Kevin Brooks made me interested in reading his books." David Dabieh 10L
MELVIN BURGESS, 22nd January 2008
"I really liked Melvin Burgess's talk because he was truthful and unafraid to talk about subjects that other writers shy away from." Louis Tully, 9S.
"Melvin Burgess talked about a lot of interesting things about our age group and made us understand why it was very awkward to write for teenagers. His talk was fun and inciteful." Saagar Naresh, 9W.
"Melvin Burgess is an inspiring author who talked about his writing with passion. He kept us all entertained for over an hour." Jay Shah, 9W.
"I thought Melvin Burgess was a very good speaker who related to our age group very well. He also promoted his books very well in his talk." Max Stormer, 9W.
"The visit by Melvin Burgess was great. He talked about some things which I think are really important, such as censorship, but he was also very funny at the same time." Benedict Claxton-Stephens, 9B.
"I really enjoyed the talk by Melvin Burgess. He spoke excellently and the talk really encouraged me to read some of his books." Sam Collier, 9B.
Award winning author Melvin Burgess visited the College on Tuesday 22nd January. He spoke to boys in Year 9 about writing teenage fiction, and talked about his new book Sara's Face which is a chilling read dealing with the issues of body image and fame. He told us that the book was inspired by the film Eyes Without a Face in which a young girl is kidnapped in order to have her face transplanted on to another girl. He read some short passages from the book and showed us the vlog (extracts from Sara's video diary performed by an actress) on the Spinebreakers website. [The vlog is well worth watching - a new extract is being added every few days in the run up to publication of Sara's Face in paperback - check it out here] It was an excellent talk that was enjoyed by all. There was time for a question and answer session in which Melvin handled questions ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous with good humour. Boys then had the opportunity to buy copies of Junk, Bloodsong and Sara's Face and to get them signed.
To find out more about Melvin Burgess visit his website or click here for more links.
ALAN GIBBONS, 21 November 2007
Today, Alan Gibbons came to Dulwich College, he delivered a workshop, had lunch with the pupil librarians and gave a very interesting talk to the boys. He has 18 years teaching experience but now as a successful writer he divides his time between writing, public speaking and running creative writing workshops. 7R were very privileged to take part in a writing workshop based on the picture “Perseus turning Phineas to Stone” by Luca Giordano; the boys were encouraged to rewrite this legend by using their imaginations to feel, touch and even taste the words. Alan Gibbons explained how using exaggerated adjectives can create interest for the reader. The boys were encouraged to write, not from their own experience, but from stories and tales that they already know. His own Legendeer Trilogy of books are excellent examples of how to have an award winning best-selling book from ancient legends; “You don’t need to kill any dragons yourself”.
Workshop in the Lower School Library
A buffet lunch provided a more informal setting for the hard-working Pupil Librarians and Book and Breakfast Club members to meet and chat with this fascinating author. This was followed by a talk to other interested boys and staff. Alan explained how he had to write 26 books before he got noticed! He had many an amusing tale and anecdote to tell, keeping the boys in stitches most of the time. He also gave good, solid advice about how to get on and be a successful writer: “I don’t know how anyone can be a good writer without being a good reader”. He told us that although he wasn’t the best at English in his class, he read 2/3 books a week and continues to read.
Find his books in the Lower School Library
DAVID GILMAN, 13 June 2007
On June 13 the Lower School Library hosted an exciting lunch with David Gilman, author of a new adventure novel The Devil's Breath. The novel features Max Gordon, a teenage hero, in the mould of Alex Rider, whose life at a private school in Devon is turned upside down when he is shot at by an unknown assassin. When he learns that his father has gone missing in Namibia , Max sets off to find him and his adventures in the African wilderness with the Bushmen begin...
David kept the other lunch guests, who included the boys from the Book and the Breakfast Club, contributors to the Dulwich Despatch and the Lower School Librarians, entertained with stories about the research that he had undertaken to ensure the utmost accuracy in his new novel. His best tip for writing success was for the boys to learn to touch-type; he expounded that a writer spends hours and hours tapping away at a keyboard and it is very difficult with thoughts and ideas coming thick and fast to get it all down. Being able to touch type makes the process of writing less stressful and quicker. He also said that he had been brought up with little in the way of entertainments other than books, so he quickly became an avid reader. Having read so many books helped with his career as a writer, he enjoyed writing exciting plots and narratives and seeing the characters develop and become real.
He is also an experienced script-writer and has written episodes of A Touch of Frost and Dalziel and Pascoe. The boys (and members of staff!) were enthralled with his stories of working in television alongside big names such as David Jason. He also spoke to individual boys about their own writing and he and his Publicity Manager, Jodie, provided some valuable insights and encouragement to the boys.
Following a splendid lunch, David took time to sign copies of The Devil's Breath before heading off to the Junior School .
The Year 6 Junior School boys were treated to a short talk during which David Gilman explained that his inspiration for the book came from his time in Africa and as a soldier. Like many authors, his work was based on his own experiences but not directly autobiographical. Gilman explained that he chose Namibia as the setting because of its reputation as one of the most inhospitable environments on the planet, and Max faces having to survive here. Of course he cannot without the help of the bushmen and here we come to the “message” in the book. Gilman feels very passionately about ecology and in particular the problems that face the bushmen.
"I wanted to get Max Gordon into a place of death, where a shaman would save his life and take him into an internal, spiritual experience that would lead him into shape-shifting." This is part of an inner journey for Max that Gilman will pursue through further adventures with the character. Each Danger Zone story will be set in a different part of the world and will explore other cultures and environments.
"I wanted to create a fast-paced adventure story where a lot happens and readers want to turn the page; that's the way I have always written," Gilman says. "But I also wanted to explore other cultures and celebrate the multiculturalism of today's world—young people are very lucky to have that.
"I wanted to develop Max's personal journey too. I think there is something in the ether at the moment, a sense of us all saying: 'We are all responsible for ourselves'. And that's the key issue: if we change ourselves, we change the world." [www.puffin.co.uk]
The boys were then given quiz sheets and worked in small groups to try and guess some rather helpful survival techniques. They had tricky decisions to make: It is 3.00pm and the sun is very hot. You come across an old Land Rover. Do you... a) Sit in the cab and wait for help b) Take shelter under the wreck until evening when it is cooler or c) Start walking straight away so you don't lose any time.
The lucky winning team received t-shirts. This quiz and lots of other interesting survival techniques and stuff can be found on www.dangerzone.co.uk . Gilman finished off with a question and answer session and signed lots of copies of The Devil's Breath which the boys are now reading avidly.
CHRIS RIDDELL & PAUL STEWART, 26 April 2007
Staff and boys in the Junior School had a wonderful time listening to Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell talking about their collaboration on two series of books, the Edge Chronicles and the Far-Flung Adventures. Paul read extracts from their books and spoke about events in his life which have influenced his writing. The boys were fascinated to learn that he carried a notebook everywhere he went and made notes recording the quirky details of his travels which he later used in his writing. During the talk Chris recreated one of the illustrations from their latest book, Hugo Pepper, which will be framed and displayed in the Junior School Library. (AED)
Find their books in the library
NICOLA MORGAN, 15 November 2006
Nicola Morgan, author of a diverse range of best-selling children's novels, spoke to boys in Years 7 and 8 in the Lower School Library on November 15th. She prefaced her talk with a warning that her audience might find some of what she had to say rather gruesome - and this of course guaranteed that they hung on her every word!
She talked first about the condition called synaesthesia, the subject of her first published novel, Mondays are Red. However the main theme of the book is the corrupting effect of power, and what happens to a young man who wakes up from a coma to find that he can suddenly do all kinds of amazing things. Nicola then described how she had come to write Fleshmarket; set in 1820s Edinburgh, it tells the tale of a boy who sets out to revenge himself on the surgeon who was responsible for the painful death of his mother. Many readers find the graphic description of how operations were conducted in the days before anaesthetics and antibiotics rather shocking; from an attention-grabbing beginning, the reader is drawn, with Robbie, into the murky world of those who supplied the anatomists with bodies to dissect in the pursuit of medical research... and where those bodies come from.
Finally, she talked about her newly published book, The Highwayman's Footsteps. Drawing on one of Nicola's favourite poems, The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes, it is set in the 1700s and tells of two very different young people and how they get mixed up with highwaymen. All about 'dark deeds and danger', it already has a sequel in the pipeline. The talk ended with a lively question and answer session, and the signing of copies of her books.
MARCUS SEDGWICK, 02 March 2006
We were lucky enough to be able to welcome author Marcus Sedgwick to Dulwich College on World Book Day. Marcus has written a number of very successful novels: Floodland (2002) which won the Branford-Boase award for 'Best Children's Debut Novel'; Witch Hill (2001) which was nominated for an 'Edgar Allen Poe Award', the 'Independent Reading Association Award' and the 'Portsmouth Book Award'; The Dark Horse (2002) which was shortlisted for the 'Guardian Children's Fiction Prize', the 'Carnegie Medal' and the 'Blue Peter Book Award'; The book of Dead Days (2003); The Dark Flight Down (2004) and The Foreshadowing (2005).
Marcus gave Year 6, 7 & 8 boys a talk in the Old Library during lunchtime where he demonstrated how much time and effort was involved in publishing a book, especially before a word of the manuscript is even written.
He engaged the audience by showing copies of his original plans and manuscripts. He answered questions and signed copies of his books.
Later that afternoon Marcus hosted an English lesson with 7R in the Lower School Library. 7R were involved in developing characters, locations and themes with Marcus. They then had to spend ten minutes writing a story.
Some of these were read aloud to the class and were met with applause. Marcus also introduced 7R to his next book entitled My Swordhand is Singing (2007) which takes inspiration from 17th century vampire legends. The class was also informed that Marcus drew his own illustrations for his novels. They discovered that his original pencil drawings were scanned and then had digital effects applied to them to give them their unique style.
Many thanks to Marcus Sedgwick for giving us really interesting and entertaining talks on World Book Day.
For more information about Marcus Sedgwick and his books, visit his website www.marcussedgwick.com
LCEY 03 March 2006
DARREN SHAN, 26 January 2006
Popular Horror writer, Darren Shan, visited Dulwich College on Thursday 26 January. Although the session in the Edward Alleyn Theatre clashed with Lower School House Music, the crowd of thirty to forty, very enthusiastic, fans had a chance to ask numerous questions about the 'Saga of Darren Shan' and 'Demonata' series. Darren Shan read extracts from forthcoming novels in the series to whet the boys' appetites. Darren Shan signed copies of his books before his talk.
LCEY 31 January 2006
DAVID ALMOND, 16 November 2005
David Almond began his day's visit with a stimulating workshop on the writing process to 8L's English lesson in the morning. At lunchtime, to a theatre full of boys from years 6, 7 and 8, he elaborated on the theme, treating his audience to a glimpse of his writing journals. He told of how he had longed to be a writer from an early age, and described how he transformed the scribbles and jottings in his journal into that loveliest of objects, a book. He read with great feeling from his first and best-known novel, Skellig, which is studied by a number of Lower School English classes. He talked about his latest novel, Clay. A lively question and answer session was followed by a book signing.
AMB, 16 November 2005
ROBERT MUCHAMORE, 5 October 2005
Robert Muchamore, author of the incredibly popular Cherub series of books, visited the College to talk about his writing today. He spoke to two Year 8 English classes in the morning, and to a packed theatre at lunchtime. His audience included all of Years 5 and 6, a large number of Lower School boys, and even some fans from the Middle and Upper Schools who had heard of his visit. There was a queue of boys to have their copies of his latest book, The Killing, signed beforehand. The boys learned that he had only been writing for a couple of years, in which time four best-selling titles have been published; two are due for publication in 2006, and numbers 7 and 8 are in the planning stages. There were lots of eager questions from boys wanting to know all about how the books came into being. More than one wanted to know where he could get a Cherub t-shirt - and the good news is that one can be won in a raffle on Friday October 7th as part of Jeans for Genes day.
5 October 2005
The 'Two Steves' , 15 June 2005
Junior and Lower School pupils were hugely entertained by the performances of the 2 Steves, Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore on June 15. Boys in Years 3 and 4 were introduced to Erik Bloodaxe and the Viking way of life. Other talks were based on the writing experience. All were very well received and we are looking forward to a repeat performance soon. AED
Cliff McNish , 8 March 2005
The popular author of the Doomspell and Silver Sequence books, Cliff McNish, visited the College on Tuesday March 8th. He gave two talks to large audiences of boys in the Lower School, followed by a workshop for a Year 8 English class in the library in the afternoon. He signed books for his many fans in the Edward Alleyn Theatre at lunchtime.
He gave his audiences a fascinating insight into the writing process. Formerly working in IT, he only ever intended to write a story for his daughter, Rachel. She ordered a story with herself as heroine, and a truly evil witch at the centre. The result delighted Rachel, one thing led to another and before he knew it he had published a best-seller. He told the budding young writers who were listening that any one of them could use his imagination to create a story, and that writing was more about hard work than moments of inspiration. During the workshop he demonstrated how the creative instinct in all of us could be harnessed to provide material for the writer.
14 March 2005
Anthony Horowitz, 12 October 2004
On Tuesday October 12th the enormously popular author Anthony Horowitz spoke to boys from Years 5, 6 and 8 in the Great Hall of the College. Clutching copies of their favourite titles - mostly from the Alex Rider series of novels - the boys took part in a stimulating and entertaining question and answer session. Anthony fielded a wide range of questions, from 'how much money do you make?' and 'how long does each book take to write?' (questions from budding authors?) to 'who's your favourite villain?' and 'what gadget do you like best?'. Boys were treated to excerpts from the next book in the Alex Rider series, which he is currently writing - and the most pressing question of all, 'Did Alex Rider die at the end of Scorpia?' was finally answered.
Anthony spoke about how he started writing (at the age of 8), and of his particular interest in the adventure and horror genres. He had plenty of tips for budding writers, including the warning that it was not necessary to have lots of blood to produce the shock effect; he held his audience spellbound as he described how horror can be found in the most ordinary of everyday objects, such as a bath. He ascribed the success of the Alex Rider novels - soon to be transferred to the silver screen - to the fact that his young hero proves himself much cleverer and cooler than the adults, who in most of his books are conspicuous by their absence.
After an hour or more - and with lots of hands still waving and questions still unanswered - the boys reluctantly returned to the next lesson of the day. But not before Anthony signed more than 100 of their books, and leaving them keenly anticipating the next one.
13 October 2004
Caroline Lawrence, 14 November 2003
Caroline Lawrence, author of the Roman Mysteries, visited the Junior School on Friday 14th November. She arrived dressed as a Roman ladyand gave three lively,and at times hilarious, talks during the morning telling the boys about her books and the artefacts which inspired the different titles. The boys were intrigued by bleeding cup and greatly amused by the "sponge on a stick."
A hectic signing sessions followed during lunchtime, when Caroline signed more than 150 books.
Instruction in the art of Roman cleansing, using the strigil
Julia Jarman, 6 October 2003
On Monday 6th October the author Julia Jarman visted the Lower School. As well as hosting a number of English lessons she enthralled a group of boys and staff with an insight into her writing styles and technique as well as explaining where her ideas came from.
Reading extracts from her books, she invited feedback and even asked for a consensus of opinion about the cover of her new book. Julia then spent some time signing copies of her books for the boys.
A great day was had by all.
You can visit her website and also check which books of hers we have in the library.
Caroline Lawrence, 17 June 2003
On Tuesday 17 June the Lower School Library was visited by Caroline Lawrence, author of the popular Roman Mysteries series of books. She enthralled boys in Years 7 and 8 with talks about how to become a writer, excerpts from her own books and tales of bathing and toilets in Ancient Rome.
She even found time to chat to each of the boys whilst signing copies of her books for them.
A great day was had by all!
Visit her website at http://www.romanmysteries.com.
Nick Arnold, 21 March 2003
