Alex Wheatle, Anni Cameron and Dave Hook: Unheard voices panel

In this broadcast our panel author Alex Wheatle, poet Anni Cameron and rapper Dave Hook discuss unheard voices in the writing industry. All three of our panellists have faced barriers in breaking into the writing industry, coming up against race, class, age and nationality. The panel explore how this experience has given them a unique perspective.

Our learning resource on challenging racism in school(this will open in a new window) contains a mix of activities which you can use in school to explore prejudice and discrimination further.

A full transcript of the event is available to download below.

If you only do one thing

We know that time is tight, so here is just one activity you could do with your class before or after watching this broadcast.

Whose voice? LIT 3-01a, LIT 4-02a, LIT 3-04a, LIT 3-11a, LIT 3-19a

Present your class with a selection of well-known young adult and teen fiction. Discuss the characters in the novels. Then split the class into pairs or small groups and give each of them a book to focus on. Ask your pupils to answer the following questions: do your pupils feel they can relate to the characters? Are all the characters from a similar background? Which persepectives and experiences do they feel are missing? Is the range of characters and experiences diverse? If they were going to write a novel, which "unheard voice" would they like to include? 

For shorter clips from the event visit BBC Scotland Learning(this will open in a new window) website.

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