Valerie Thornton
Telephone:
0141 334 1389BRAW network:
noLL funded:
yesBiography:
I am a poet and short story writer, a creative writing tutor and an editor. I have worked in creative education for 30 years and have written three school text books on creative writing. I have held two Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellowships at the University of Glasgow, most recently working with student teachers on their academic writing. I trained as an English teacher and have taught in schools, colleges and universities. I am currently an Associate Lecturer with the Open University teaching creative writing online. I have edited four volumes of New Writing Scotland for the Association of Scottish Literary Studies, and three anthologies of children’s writing for Renfrewshire Libraries. I also wrote a chapter for Writing Matters: the Royal Literary Fund Report on Higher Education, published in February 2006, which looks at the link between school education and the writing skills of university students. About writer's work:
My work falls into three categories. First, my poetry is inspired by people who move me, by the natural world, by birds and cats and by realisations of unexpected connections between things. I care about the sound of the language, the music, the emotion and I enjoy playing with conceptual and sensual patterns.
Second, my short stories are mostly about outsiders, about those who are different. I care about style and pattern, about poetic prose, rather than straight narrative. Those who inspire me include Tennessee Williams, Iain Crichton Smith, George Mackay Brown and Annie Proulx.
Third, my teaching books aim to engage young writers by providing inspiration from many other writers, including their peers. I also enlighten them about the tools of the trade by explaining about literary techniques and grammar.
Awards etc. June 2003: prize-winning runner-up in the Asham Short Story Prize with Or Maybe Gold. 2001: short story, A Bird in the Hand, short-listed in the same biennial competition for women writers. 1996: first creative-writing text book, Working Words (Hodder & Stoughton Educational, 1995) won joint first prize as the Times Educational Supplement Scotland and Saltire Society Educational Book of the Year. 1992: short story, Changing Hands, short-listed for the Macallan / Scotland on Sunday Prize.
About writer's events and projects:
I am happy to lead one-off workshops, or a series of workshops or residencies. I prefer no more than 15 students in a workshop. I can also give adjudications (poetry, short story, article) and readings. I am happy working with pupils from P5 to AH level, or with their teachers, and have provided CPD creative writing courses for teachers for the University of Glasgow and for the Scottish Network for Able Pupils.
Recent work includes: a series of creative writing workshops with P5-7 pupils at Mearns Primary School; poetry workshops at Balfron High School for their Creative Writing Group in connection with a publication they compiled and edited themselves; I also visited Hyndland Secondary School in Glasgow to work with the Advanced Higher class on their poetry. I have developed and delivered two series of creative writing workshops for the Greenock Writers, both culminating in group publications. Private work includes one-to-one mentoring/editing.
Language:
EnglishAge groups:
9-12, Teens, Adults
