An important part of Write Out Loud’s 20th anniversary year is expanding our work with children and young people. And what better way to start than by linking up again with poet and performer Louise Fazackerley, pictured left. Louise has previously worked with us on young people’s projects in Greater Manchester and Kirklees.

Thanks to generous help from Kirklees funder One Community, Write Out Loud is proud to be sponsoring this year’s Moonraking festival in Slaithwaite, near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. We have funded a day of poetry workshops in three primary schools, a family workshop in Slaithwaite library and will be bringing poetry to the Moonraking finale event with our Pedal Powered Pop-Up Poetry tent.

Slaithwaite is celebrating its 40th year of Moonraking with an illuminated parade and a community re-enactment of the Moonraking legend of smugglers, the canal and the moon. It is an event that takes over the whole village with weeks of lantern-making, carnival procession rehearsals and canoe taster sessions.

Louise visited Wellhouse, Clough Head and Wilberlee junior and Infant schools, near Slaithwaite on Tuesday. In an action-packed day, she presented poems and information about the moon, including a new poem that she had written for the occasion. Children aged 8 to 11 learned new facts about the moon (and shared their own space facts), listened to some great poems, unpicked what makes them successful, composed their own poems and wrote a class poem. They even had time to perform the class poem! 

Louise skilfully combines teaching the art of writing good poems with learning poetic techniques - and the children get it, speaking knowledgeably about alliteration, similes and metaphors, and spotting where to use them.

We will be taking to the road with our pedal powered pop-up poetry during the main event on Saturday 22 February from 4.30-5.30pm tent where Louise, local poets and children will be performing some of the poems they have composed for the Moonraking festival.

You will find us on the corner of Old Bank and Church Street, Slaithwaite HD7 5AS

We are inviting poets and writers from across the North to join us with their own lunar recitations. Bring poems for the open mic inspired by the moon, space, canals or rum and the smuggling of it! Sign up 4.15pm at the pop-up tent or contact julia@writeoutloud.net.

Julia Clark is a director of Write Out Loud and a community arts worker