Basket: 
Theodore Forcer reflects on their experience as Hartlepool’s Reader-in-Residence.
As this year’s festival comes to a close, I have been taking some time to reflect on the events, experiences, and of course the books that have made Crossing The Tees for me.
I must first give thanks: so many people have supported me to deliver my workshops over the course of the festival. Thank you to Denise, Sandra and everyone over at the Local and Family History Centre, you have been absolutely instrumental to the smooth running of these events, and I have sincerely appreciated your support! Thanks also to everyone who managed to make it to one of my workshops – it was so wonderful to get to know you, and I am so heartwarmed that you chose to spend your time with me.
I hope that this year’s events have extended your reading list – I have certainly added a fair few books to my TBR! If you are a crafter, a writer, or experimenting with either I hope you have got plenty of inspiration out of the festival. If you are feeling the creative energy post-festival and are unsure where to put it, I have detailed a few activities you could try below, which are suitable for any age or experience level! Please do let me know if you end up trying any of these, I’d love to see what you come up with!
Why not try making a zine?
A zine (pronounced zeen) is a self-published, non-commercial print-work that is typically produced in small, limited batches. Zines are created and bound in many ways, but traditionally editions are made by hand and easily reproduced. Made simply out of folded paper and whatever craft supplies you have at hand, zines are a simple and easy way to express yourself creatively! There are tons of tutorials of how to make zines found easily online, and you could even challenge yourself and try more complicated binding methods. They can be narrative or not, they can be just a place to put some art or collage! You could create collages out of found materials like magazines or newspapers, or you could doodle on top of images. There are truly endless possibilities.
Try writing a beachcombing poem!
Have you ever been walking along the shore and found an old boot? Some sea glass? Something weirder? Then this is for you! Go have a read of Beachcomber by George Mackay Brown, and have a go at making your own beachcombing poem after Brown! You could start by listing items you might find on the coast, and the natural/man-made things that wash up! You could also find a beach vocabulary word list online to get you started.
Try making a blackout poem!
This one is perfect to do with kids, but can easily be adapted to suit any age, and is one I love to do to get the creative juices flowing! If you have any damaged books, or fancy raiding a charity shop for a cheap book (I’d definitely do a quick Google first to make sure it’s not rare or expensive) then you truly just need to take a page or two and some pens and paper! Blackout poetry is an easy way to introduce young kids to poetry, as well as to help kickstart some creative ideas. Just do a quick scan with the pencil, outlining any words you want to keep to make your found poem, and use a pen to block out the rest!
If you are in the mood for some reading but don’t know where to start, I’d encourage you to look at some of the posts the other readers-in-residence have made to help you find your next read!
And with that, my time as the reader-in-residence for Hartlepool comes to a close. Thank you again to anyone who has come along to any of my workshops or supported me to put them on. I can’t wait to see what the next Crossing The Tees will look like. See you again next year!
