Rebbecca Hemmings, Creative Director at The Word Academy

Brit Writers spoke to Rebbecca Hemmings, 
Creative Director at The Word Academy…

What is The Word Academy?

It is simple: The Word Academy is all about allowing young people the freedom to write creatively. We want our future generations to value their natural abilities and fully utilise their creative genius. Our primary aim is to improve literacy skills and build the confidence of our children.

I have worked with young people for years as a creative educator. Their ideas for stories, poems, plays, personal accounts etc… never cease to amaze me. They are not afraid to enjoy their thoughts and let their minds take them to weird and wonderful places. They do not question convention as us adults tend to, they confidently let their intuition guide them, they play with ideas; allow their thoughts to take over and create magnificently, exciting masterpieces!

At The Word Academy we believe that every single child has the potential to become an amazing creative writer. Some may have more technical skills than others but then that is our job to teach and guide them so that the practicalities do not become a barrier to expressing oneself through the power of words.

As Creative Director, what drives your passion for the written word?

All of the above and more! I have always loved to read and write. As a child I was very shy around most adults, even my school teachers. I found it very difficult to express my thoughts vocally. I would often get very angry with myself for not saying what I was thinking. There were many times I felt very left out and alone.

However, through the written word I found my place in the world where I could shout as loud as I wanted, be whomever I desired, do anything I dreamed up and no one else needed to know about it. Plus I had friends in this private world. They were in the stories I read.  They provided me with comfort, advice, lessons and hours and hours of entertainment. I honestly cannot fully express how thrilling that discovery was as an inward thinking child. Just reminiscing about that discovery awakens my inner child and I feel that elation all over again.

Words have the power to:  drastically change our emotions, thoughts, intellect, behaviour, opinions, confidence levels, life purpose and much more. Words have: created conflict, started wars, demotivated and ruined lives  but they have also spurred on nations, improved cultures, minimised oppression, brought peace, inspired and taught fundamental lessons. It is the power of words that drive my passion. For when we know how to administer language in the best possible way, we are powerful beyond our wildest dreams.

3. Tell us about your experience in Creative Writing?

Gladly! After studying my honours degree in Arts Practice and Cultural Policy at Coventry University in 1998, I was focused on becoming an education practitioner in the community. I knew the arts had the power to improve lives and I wanted to be a part of that. My focus was on theatre and literacy. I went on to train as a Further Education lecturer and taught Literacy and Theatre. Whilst I loved teaching, I was not passionate about the amount of administration, marking and planning that came with it. Therefore, I went on to work for theatre companies delivering drama, dance and creative writing workshops to young people. When the work began to dry up, I set up my own theatre company and this is where my creative writing flourished. I wrote several plays and a few musicals which were funded and produced. I loved that people came to see my words being bought to life on stage.

Perhaps one of the highlights of my educational career has been working for the Royal Shakespeare Company for three years as an Education Associate Practitioner. I had always been afraid of Shakespeare’s plays as I could not understand the words. However, the training I received at the RSC was world class!  It helped me to develop a love and a real appreciation of his work. I was then able to pass on the enthusiasm and knowledge I had gained, not only to pupils but also teachers in creative writing/theatre workshops and teachers training days.

I was particularly pleased when I was appointed Director of Radio Drama at an African Caribbean community radio station in Birmingham, New Style Radio. Creative license was given to me to do as I pleased. I took advantage of this and got people in the community to share their stories, write and act in radio plays, listen to and read old traditional Caribbean stories and so much more. My shows became very popular, as at the time, no one else (to my knowledge) was producing these types of shows on radio.

What projects does the Word Academy have coming up?

As a new organisation we have to make sure that we work with creative educators who understand and believe in our ethos and are aptly skilled in their practice. Therefore, one of the projects we will be running in the autumn is a series of training sessions for creative practitioners. We will be working with not just writers but photographers, theatre practitioners, storytellers, dancers and more; challenging them to find innovative and effective methods of teaching creative writing. If you are an artist and are interested in working with us, get in touch.

Another forthcoming project is our creative writing program for former ESOL (English as a Second Language) students. They will work with a literacy educator to use creative writing as a way of improving their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills for everyday use. It will be a fun, yet challenging project from which we are confident the participants will gain from immensely.

Final words?

This is a very exciting time for all of us at The Word Academy and Brit Writers. We are growing and expanding and bringing writer’s dreams to fruition. I urge people to support this movement. The Brit Writers are supporting unpublished writers in a way that is shaking up the publishing industry. Help by encouraging unpublished writers, schools, arts organisations, community groups, business’ etc… to get involved with us. There are a plethora of ways in which we can all work together to improve our young and mature writers to improve their future prospects and inspire others. Don’t think about it, just do it!