Young writers from across Poole came together at Lighthouse for a showcase of original poems and stories.
The event, held in the Sherling Studio, saw three age groups present their work in front of friends, family and peers.
The Junior Writers group, aged seven to eleven, shared their pieces with each other, while the older groups (ages eleven to fourteen and fifteen to eighteen) read in a combined session.
The workshops are part of the Lighthouse Young Writers programme, delivered with writer development agency ArtfulScribe. Lead facilitator Rohan Gotobed said the showcase was a positive end to the term and praised how the young writers responded to each other’s work.
This year also included the first Young Writers Creative Writing Competition. Local authors Georgie Codd and Steve Couch, along with poet Yasmin Bromby-Phillips, judged the entries.
Junior Writers winner was Mayra Shah for *The Keyhole*. Maya Samarasinghe received the Judges’ Prize for *Edith the Intelligent*. Olive Goodwin won the Young Writers (11–14) prize with her poem *Time*. Emma Bodo and Betsy Wragg shared the Young Writers (15–18) award for their entries *There Is A Light That Never Goes Out* and *hear no evil/see no evil/speak no evil* respectively.
All winners received book vouchers from ArtfulScribe.
Workshops return on Saturday 13 September and are open to new applicants.