Reflective Report on Career and Personal Development

&

A 30 hour Work Placement completed during January 2015 at Nottingham Writers’ Studio

byJade Moore

Contents

1. Summary 3 2. Introduction 3 3. Personal Development Goals 4

3.1. General 4 3.2. Academic Studies 5

4. Professional Development Goals 6 4.1. Academic Studies 6 4.2. Careers 6

5. Work Placement 7 5.1. Intellectual Agility 8 5.2. Information, Communication and Organisational Skills 9

5.3. Global Citizenship 11 6. Conclusion 12 7. Recommendations 12 8. Appendices 14 9. Bibliography 59

1. Summary

To begin with, this report will explore my personal and professional goals which I believe

will help me to decide the next steps I want to take in my personal life with a view to

considering the career path I wish to take. These goals will be set in order to aid my

transition into third year, and what I can do to make the most of my studies before

becoming a graduate. I will also be discussing my interest in doing an MA in Creative

Writing, and how my placement has only strengthened this.

In section 5 of this report, I will focus specifically on the placement itself and reflect

on the process I took to get there, how the duties challenged me, and what skills and

qualities I gained on completion of the placement. This section will refer to the NTU

Graduate Attributes, as they have developed since the beginning of the module when I

completed the Graduate Attributes Checklist (See Appendix 1) in relation to what I have

evidenced in the appendices. At the end of the appendices I will include another Graduate

Attributes checklist to re-evaluate myself in light of my experience. (See Appendix 29) I will

also make brief references to the results from my OPQ test.

The final part of the main report will provide recommendations to myself which will

suggest potential steps that are required if I am to reach a point at which I can reach my

goal of deciding and applying to do an MA in Creative Writing. The Appendices, as well as

evidencing my work on placement, will act as a means of displaying my progress and

development from the beginning of the module to the end, by also including versions of my

CV to demonstrate how the module has helped me to improve it.

2. Introduction

In this report I will explore my personal and professional goals in relation to my placement

experience and how this has shaped my prospects for the future, and developed what I

consider my goals to be. My experience will be discussed alongside references to how it has

proved relevant to my studies, as well as helping me to develop my thinking about future

career plans.

I will detail the steps that I took in order to secure my placement, by focusing on my

development and actions that lead me in the direction of my eventual placement. Therefore,

I will be beginning my reflection from the months leading up to the start date of my

placement. From this I will consider, in retrospect, the steps that I will take to achieve the

goals that are outlined in sections 3 and 4.

For the conclusion, I will evaluate not only my development from having completed

my placement, but also the way the module itself has helped me to develop aspects of my

personal and professional life with regards to deciding on a plan for my future career,

whilst implementing the ways in which I have engaged with and shown in myself elements

of the NTU Graduate Attributes.

3. Personal Development Goals

3.1. General

Continue to keep a record of actions – Through an academic pocket diary (See

Appendix 8), and a personal diary, I am able to keep a detailed record of events,

contacts, meetings, and steps that I take towards gaining experience and building my

CV. I aim to be diligent in noting down anything that will be relevant to reflect on at a

later date, so that I can have a sense of personal organisation as well as a positive

record of achievements.

Get a part-time job over the summer break – During the summer between my first

and second year, I got a casual job so that I could earn money to help towards my

studies as well as acquiring experience. On top of this, I attended tutorials with a

publisher so that I could explore the editorial career path. This summer, I hope to

gain a job with the experience and skills that I have managed to build up over the

course of this module.

Start a blog, or begin writing detailed book reviews – At the moment, my online

presence isn’t strong. I engage mostly with the book site Goodreads, on which I have

written a few book reviews. I think that it would be beneficial for my writing career,

if I were to begin writing reviews seriously. I would either do this via Goodreads, or

look into setting up a personal blog where I might also be able to showcase any other

forms of writing that I do. This will give me something extra that I can refer to and

will enable me to stand out as a writer.

3.2. Academic Studies

Achieve a higher grade than my first year – For my first year modules, I passed

with two High 2:1s and a Mid 2:1. So far in my second year, my strongest area has

been the creative writing aspect of my course, whereas in first year it was my

weakest. Since writing is my main area of interest, I want to continue building my

strength in writing, and achieve a final grade which exceeds my own

expectations. This will provide me with confidence when preparing for my third

year.

Be committed to reading and research over summer – I have become fairly

familiar with the reading lists for my chosen modules for next year, and so that I

am not behind on reading, I aim to read texts in advance so that I will have more

time for secondary research once the module begins. I have also decided that for

my Creative Writing Dissertation I want to write the beginning of a novel. This

piece of writing is already well under way, but requires honing and research. I

aim to make the most of summer by reading similar works of fiction to the one I

wish to write, as well as using a trip to London as a chance to develop my

knowledge of the places I will be referring to in my project piece.

4. Professional Development Goals

4.1. Academic Studies

Make use of the Employability Services at NTU – Being part of the Humanities at

Work module is what first gave me the confidence to take my CV to the

Employability Centre to make use of the drop-in sessions they run so that students

can get feedback and advice. (See Appendix 2, entry for 06/10/14 and Appendix 4). I

want to continue to use this service whilst I am still studying at NTU.

Achieve a grade which enables me to do an MA – Since I have considered the

possibility of continuing to study with NTU, I have decided that I would like to do an

MA in Creative Writing. On visiting the page (See Appendix 28), I discovered that I

need to have a ‘good honours degree (minimum 2:2)’. I am positive that I will be able

to achieve this, and am confidence in my choice of MA. The page also states that the

‘MA is suitable for writers interested in exploring and developing their own creative

work in a lively community of other writers and teachers.’ This is strongly relevant

to my work placement and what I have got out of it. (See Section 5)

4.2. Careers

Apply successfully to the MA Creative Writing course, and be employed by this

point – My future prospects are divided in two. My passion for writing requires that

I continually work towards improving my writing in order to establish myself as a

writer. Therefore, I want to use the MA to strengthen my writing career, but also

have a professional or part-time job that makes use of the skills I have gained so far,

so that I can work on both elements of my career alongside one another.

Be a published writer – If I am to have a successful writing career I need to be active

in submitting pieces of work to be considerate for publication. So far, I have

submitted pieces to the MA Anthology. Last year, my piece was not chosen, and I

have tried again this year by submitted a well-crafted memoir piece that helped me

to earn a low first in my portfolio for the module ‘The Art of Writing’. I am awaiting

the news as to whether the piece has been accepted or not, but am mindful of other

opportunities that have become available to me via my placement at Nottingham

Writers’ Studio.

Be successful in getting a job interview – I have in mind where I would like to apply

for a job if vacancies were to arise, and to enquire of any that might be available.

However, I am open to exploring various jobs so that I can have a diverse set of skills

to help me towards a career aside from my writing one. In particular, I would like to

get a part-time job at Waterstones. I have handed my CV in on a previous occasion

and had no response. Since then, thanks to my placement experience, I have

acquired some valuable skills that would enable me to have a better chance if I were

to apply there again. My goal is to persevere to get an interview, whether it is with

Waterstones or somewhere else. Again, I will make use of the Employability Services

available to me at NTU.

5. Work Placement

I completed my work placement at Nottingham Writers’ Studio as an Administration

Assistant. This role provided me with a number of tasks that proved to be new and

interesting experiences that have been valuable for me to have. These include taking

minutes, bookkeeping/admin, planning events and projects, and updating the website. (See

Appendix 3) I had no experience in doing these before, but now feel confident that I can

undertake these tasks again in any future jobs. Since the placement allowed me to

experience a variety of tasks, they have improved my attitude towards where I place myself

within the graduate attributes.

5.1. Intellectual Agility

During my placement, one of the main tasks assigned to me was to update the NWS

newsletter with information, events, and opportunities. Whilst completing this task, I

demonstrated IA3: ‘An enterprising and creative mindset’ as I wasn’t simply copying

information that was given to me, but having to come up with short and appealing

paragraphs to appear alongside event details so that they entice people to notice them and

be interested in them, as well as providing a summary of the event.

Due to the variety of information that I was receiving to put in the newsletter, and

the successful completion of the task, I was ‘able to thrive in rapidly changing work and

social environments’. The studio is a members’ organisation that is open for their own use

whenever they wish, so throughout the day, members came in and out of the studio, and I

had to maintain my level of work input, whilst being aware of the members around me and

their needs. In my OPQ report results, it stated that I ‘come across as someone who favours

a set way of doing things’ and although this is true, I was able to adapt to my environment

and complete tasks in an effective and thought out way.

Another element of my placement was the planning and research of an event. I was

provided with the information such as venues and requirements (See Appendix 12) and left

to conduct my own research and gather what information I could, through means that I felt

were most effective for this task. I therefore showed IA4: ‘an aptitude for self-directed

learning’, as I was able to put together a document of information (See Appendix 19) which

helped with the long-term planning of the event.

I also demonstrated IA4: ‘Intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm for learning’ whilst

putting together a project plan for the Big City Read. (See Appendices 21 & 23) I felt a

personal interest in the event and the processes and steps that are required in order to

make such an event happen. I was enthusiastic about being involved but also felt challenged

by the amount of information required for an Arts Council Bid.

5.2. Information, Communication and Organisational Skills

At the beginning of the module, I rated myself in terms of ICOS2 as Negative. (See Appendix

1) This meant that I felt I was ‘unaware of’ or had ‘a low interest in the application of digital

communication’ and that I was ‘unable to use industry/role specific IT software

applications’. However, after completing my placement I would place myself at Graduate

level of ICOS2 (See Appendix 29) as I have gained a strong ‘ability to use ICT effectively’.

Throughout my placement I became familiar with, and worked with ‘WordPress’,

‘MailChimp’, and ‘Sage’. This enabled me to demonstrate a ‘proficient use of industry and/or

role specific software applications’ and I have evidenced this where possible ‘within a

portfolio of work’ via the appendices for this report. (See Appendices 2 (entry for 21/01/15)

& 14)

During the placement, I showed Advanced levels of ICOS2 by demonstrating ‘a

development of IT skills’ through my involvement as part of the website team. This also

shows me to have taken an interest in areas of IT such as HTML, whereas before my

placement, I wouldn’t have considered myself skilled enough to participate in a website

team.

My ‘ability to prioritise, plan and manage work and time’ as outlined under ICOS5,

has improved from being at Standard level to Advanced level. During my placement I found

the workload and amount of tasks to be challenging at first, but I was able to develop

‘advanced time management skills to effect a good balance’ of the work I undertook. I

consistently used a notebook for planning purposes before then utilising these notes to aid

my putting together of the appropriate documents. On my first day of placement, I

successfully finished all of my tasks by the time the board meeting was due to begin, and

this could not have been achieved without the development of my time management skills.

My placement provided me with a number of occasions on which to develop my

‘team and collaborative working skills’. These include the board meeting I attended, the

meeting at Five Leaves in relation to the Big City Read, the one-on-one meeting with Pippa

regarding the project plan for the Big City Read, and the meetings of the website team. I

originally rated myself at Standard level of ICOS4 (See Appendix 1) but have now shown

attributes at Advanced level. (See Appendix 29) During the group meeting at Five Leaves I

actively contributed ‘as a member of team/group work’ by providing a relevant document

that I had pre-prepared (See Appendix 21), and then talked through some of the points for

the benefit of the group. This sparked an idea for an important point that could be

emphasised as part of the Arts Council Funding Bid. My OPQ report observes that ‘having

time away from other people’ is important to me, and although I would agree with this, in

light of my placement I have gained an interest and a keenness to work and be involved

with other people.

Both the module and my placement have allowed me to improve my level of ICOS3:

‘Effective communication skills in spoken, written and visual media’. I have shown my

ability to show ‘evidence of a high standard of communication in spoken, written and visual

media’ through my role as Moderator for the NWS Website, which gave me the opportunity

to communicate to members via a forum post. (See Appendix 20) On this module, I created

an Infographics Poster (See Appendix 30) which has allowed me to show an ‘advanced use

and high standard of written communication presentations’. At the module celebration my

poster was presented ‘to a range of recipients’ and therefore demonstrated myself at

graduate level of this attribute.

5.3. Global Citizenship

Although my involvement with Nottingham Festival of Words wasn’t part of the 30 hours

required, it was an important element of the steps I took to be able to secure my eventual

placement.

For this reason, I will discuss it in terms of how it improved my Global Citizenship as

part of my overall placement experience on this module. Over the course of the events that I

attended, (See Appendices 1, entries from 13/10/14 – 19/10/14, 6 & 9), various cultures were

explored and discussed in relation to literature. These events included ‘Writing China’,

‘Writing Hungary’, and ‘Literature Across Faultlines’. The discussions focused on literature

inspired by these countries, how literature has been affected by the country it is written in,

and how conflict has an impact on not just literature but on the authors themselves, and

how literature can change this conflict. In attending these events and becoming engaged in

them I have been able to demonstrate GS1 by having an ‘international awareness and

openness to the world’. The strength of this attribute has improved from Standard level to

Advanced level, as these events allowed me to develop and demonstrate ‘an appreciation of

social and cultural diversity’ through the impact the events had on me, and the

understanding that they gave me.

My participation with the website team is something that arose during my

involvement with NWS before my placement begun. The meetings that were arranged

coincided with my placement period and counted towards my hours, but I consider in

retrospect that being part of this team has enabled me to carry on being active in my work

for the studio, despite my placement having been completed. This demonstrates aspects of

GS3 which is an area I considered to be Negative (See Appendix 1), and now would place

myself between Advanced and Graduate. (See Appendix 29) As part of the team I have

‘acquired experience from extra-curricular activity’ and can reflect ‘on the enhancement of

skills gained as a result’. I have not only gained IT skills, but also developed an

understanding of myself as part of a team, and have actively contributed work via

publishing posts on the NWS website that were done after my placement was complete.

(See Appendix 27)

6. Conclusion

As a whole, this module has proved to be a journey in the development of my experience

and skills, and has given me an awareness of the steps I need to take leading into my third

year and after I graduate. I have found the Graduate Attributes useful when comparing

where I placed myself at the beginning of the module, to where I place myself now. (See

Appendices 1 & 29) I feel accomplished in that I have acquired attributes that I did not

expect to during the course of the placement. I will utilise the personal and professional

goals in order to make this module worthwhile even after it has finished, and so that I can

stay on track with my goal towards doing an MA and setting myself up for a professional

career alongside becoming a writer.

7. Recommendations

During the summer break before the start of my third year, find a part-time job and

conduct research and reading in preparation for my dissertation and third year

modules.

Continue to write and make use of my NWS Membership by attending critique

groups and sending off pieces to be considered for publication.

- Submit a piece to the next NWS Journal before May 31st

Graduate with a degree higher than 2:2 so that I can apply to do an MA in Creative

Writing.

Be published by the time I apply for the MA so that I can improve my chances of

being accepted onto the course as evidence of my commitment to writing.

In the time before graduation and post-graduate study, have a job so that I can work

on building my career alongside continuing to study.

8. Appendices

Appendix 1:

Graduate Attributes Checklist, as completed at the beginning of the module

Intellectual Agility (IA) N S A GIA1. Extensive understanding of their chosen

profession or discipline, including the associated practices, technologies, research, methodologies, values and ethics.

IA2. Aptitude for independent, critical thought and rational inquiry, alongside the capacity for analysis and problem-solving in multiple contexts.

IA3. An enterprising and creative mindset, able to thrive in rapidly changing work and social environments.

IA4. Intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm for learning and an aptitude for self-directed learning.

Information, Communication and Organisational Skills (ICOS)

N S A G

ICOS1. Proficiency in finding, evaluating, analysing and applying data.

ICOS2. Digital literacy and the ability to use ICT effectively.

ICOS3. Effective communication skills in spoken, written and visual media.

ICOS4. Good team and collaborative working skills.

ICOS5. Ability to prioritise, plan and manage work and time.

ICOS6. Capacity to appropriately judge self-efficacy and to give and receive feedback effectively.

Global Citizenship (GS) N S A GGS1. International awareness and openness

to the world, based on appreciation of social and cultural diversity, respect for human rights and dignity.

GS2. Understanding and appreciation of social, economic or environmental sustainability issues.

GS3. Leadership capacity, including a willingness to engage in constructive public discourse, and to accept social and civic responsibility.

Appendix 2:

Reflective Diary

Monday 6th October 2014:

I updated my CV (see Appendix 4) and took it to the Employability Centre for a drop-in

session with Julia Bristow, after coming across an opportunity to volunteer for the Festival

of Words, via Nottingham Writers’ Studio. Since I am studying English with Creative

Writing, I felt that this was the kind of opportunity I would be able to get the most out of

and which would benefit me.

I had recently found a programme of events for the Festival of Words, and had never heard

of it before and thought it would be good to take part, or attend some events. Once I found

out about the volunteering opportunity, I wanted that more, as it would be better to become

involved and help in any way I could.

During the meeting with Julia, I was advised that having a skills based CV would be better

for me and that I should re-order my work experience so that the most recent experience

appeared first. Immediately after this meeting, I made some of these changes to what I

thought was the best I could do in the time I had, as I wanted to get my application in before

the deadline. (See Appendix 5)

Wednesday 8th October 2014:

I received a call from the Development Director (Pippa Hennessy) of Nottingham Writers’

Studio and arranged a meeting for the 10th (Friday) at 1 o’clock. At this point, I had never

visited the studio before, and had no idea what to expect when I got there, so I was both

excited that this opportunity was moving along, and that I had been successful in the

application, but also nervous about going there for the first time, and hopeful because I

really wanted this to work out.

Friday 10th October 2014:

I went to NWS for my meeting/interview and was greeted by Pippa. The meeting was casual

and so I felt at ease talking to her. She gave me a tour around the Studio, including the fire

escape for health and safety purposes. The studio, as I was already aware, is a space for

writers to be able to write in a comfortable and relaxed environment, and I felt that sense of

comfort when we sat down on some sofas to discuss days and times that I would be able to

volunteer.

She noted down which events I would be attending and said she would send me an

email to confirm these. The work placement module was mentioned, so she knew that I

would be interested in doing my placement at the studio, but the volunteering would just be

a precursor to the actual placement. This would allow me to become familiar with the

surroundings and develop a closer working relationship with Pippa, as preparation for the

work involved during the placement itself.

She gave me some leaflets (See Appendix 6) about some of the events and then we had a

more general chat about writing, and the kind of writing I do. I told her about one particular

story I am working on, and, based on what I told her, she recommended a series of books

that I should read that she thought would be of interest to me in line with the subject of my

story. I left in a positive mood, knowing that I would definitely be helping out with the

Festival of Words, just as I’d hoped.

Sunday 12th October 2014:

The day before the Festival of Words start date. I received an email from Pippa (See

Appendix 7), which was also sent to three other volunteers, detailing all the times and

events that I would be attending. I noted them down in my diary to remind me (See

Appendix 8). I felt relief at having confirmed dates written down, which I could tick off after

they had been attended.

Monday 13th October 2014:

The first day of the Festival and I arrived at the studio half an hour before the event ‘Writing

from China’ was due to start. There were a few other volunteers at this event as well as

myself, including an NTU Journalism student who I got to know. We helped to set up the

event by setting out chairs, making sure the lighting was appropriate (as the event was

being filmed and photographed), and setting out refreshments. During the event we

provided refreshments to the speakers and people attending. Afterwards we cleared up and

helped with the washing and drying up of mugs that had been used.

Tuesday 14th October 2014:

Arrived at Waterstones to help with the ‘Faultlines’ event, which was held in the Sillitoe

Room on the top floor of the building. This was similar to the previous event in that most of

the help needed was for providing refreshments and the general setting up of the

refreshments tables, and tidying up afterwards.

Wednesday 15th October 2014:

Attended and helped at the ‘Writing Hungary’ event at NWS, provided tea, coffee, and

biscuits. As with all these events, I found it rewarding to be able to be there and not only to

help, but to see the events themselves and listen to the various talks and readings.

Friday 17th October 2014:

At this event, I turned out to be the only volunteer at the 9-10pm ‘Lara Elena Donnelly’ talk.

I sold tickets to people on the door and kept a record of how many were sold.

Sunday 19th October 2014:

Went to NWS for the Open House, and along with another volunteer, talked to people who

came in to see what NWS is all about. This also gave me a chance to meet another member

who had come to volunteer and to find out more about what the members do and how the

studio is beneficial to writers.

Later on it was the ‘Burning Eye’ event. Many people turned up for this and I sold

tickets to them on the door. After this, I went to the performance space (where all the NWS

events had taken place) and watched the event. I ended up enjoying it and as a result I

bought one of the performance poet’s books, which he then signed for me.

I left with a sense of satisfaction and achievement that I had gone from simply

coming across the programme for Nottingham Festival of Words, to then being involved

with many of the events (See Appendix 9)

Wednesday 5th November 2014:

Visited NWS to talk to Pippa about doing my work placement there and she said that she

would be in contact.

Thursday 11th December 2014:

Completed and submitted the work placement online form with Pippa. We decided that I

would do my placement there every Wednesday in January.

Friday 12th December 2014:

Received an email, along with others, from NWS due to having shown an interest (during

the Festival of Words week) in being part of the NWS Website Team (See Appendix 10)

The email contained a link to a ‘Doodle Poll’ which we used to help decide on a date

and time for a meeting to take place.

Tuesday 23rd December 2014:

Received an email to confirm the date and time of the aforementioned website meeting.

(See Appendix 10)

Monday 5th January 2015:

I sent a text to Pippa to ask what time she wanted me to start work at the studio. We

arranged that I would get there at 11 o’clock and stay until 7 o’clock to take minutes of a

board meeting.

I’d never taken minutes before, so I did a bit of research into how to take good

minutes, but eventually decided that the best thing to do would be to have the experience

and see how I got on.

I was excited as well as scared, but I just hoped to do a good job whatever tasks I was

given to do.

Wednesday 7th January 2015:

On my journey to the studio I got a bit nervous, but not too much. I arrived at the studio at

almost exactly 11 o’clock and Pippa was at the front door speaking to a couple of people, so

she let me in then. I got given the door code (I had been given this previously during the

Festival of Words, but was sure I had remembered it correctly), I memorised it the second

time round.

We went into Pippa’s office and she explained that I would mainly be working on the

newsletter. She also mentioned that the week after she would like me, and another

volunteer, to phone up every member of NWS and ask them a few questions regarding what

they want from the studio. However, this task was never done. The other volunteer didn’t

come in, and so if those calls were eventually made, they were done at a time after my

placement was completed.

Pippa showed me how to use ‘Mail Chimp’ which is what the studio uses to send

their online email. She also signed my email address up to receive the NWS members’

newsletter, which is what I would be working on.

She set up the last newsletter as a template for me to use to update with new items,

events, opportunities, and information that she then sent to me by email (See Appendix 11). I

received 18 emails in total and I spent most of the day from 11 o’clock until 5 o’clock doing

the newsletter.

During that time I had a break from doing the newsletter to sit in on a talk that Pippa

was having with one of the members regarding international projects and contacts. This

was presumably to allow me to become aware of the other types of projects that the studio

likes to get involved with, and to engage with a member. Coincidentally, this particular

member happened to be a teacher from my primary school who I remembered teaching me

at reception level. Once I got back to working on the newsletter she came over to me and we

had a talk about what I had gone on to do and how it was that I ended up working at the

studio. I found this conversation helped to put my progress in another perspective, which

made me feel a sense of accomplishment and pride that I’d got to the point in life that I was

currently at. After the conversation I felt encouraged to keep achieving new things.

After completing the newsletter and leaving it with Pippa to add her individual

introduction and to check everything was okay before posting it, she emailed me my next

task – to find out information about venues in London. (See Appendix 12) As she asked, I put

this information in a document on the NWS laptop which I updated as more information

was gained. (See Appendix 19)

I used Pippa’s laptop to write the minutes and was given the previous meeting’s

minutes, which gave me an idea of what I should produce. The meeting lasted from 5 o’clock

until 7 o’clock. I was unsure whether I had done a good job of the minutes, but for a first

time attempt I think I managed to do them well enough (See Appendix 13)

Once I had returned home I looked forward to when the newsletter would get sent

out, as I would know that I contributed to it. (See Appendix 14)

Monday 12th January 2015:

I arrived early at the studio for the website meeting, but eventually others arrived and we

started the meeting. Attending was myself, Pippa, Giselle, Nicki, and Jordanne. The meeting

lasted an hour, during which we discussed elements of the website that could be improved,

news articles that could be posted etc. I took notes throughout the meeting for future

reference. (See Appendix 15) At the end of the meeting we arranged the next one which

would be a training session, led by Giselle, on how to use the WordPress software that runs

the website for NWS. We scheduled the meeting for Wednesday 28th January 2015, to run

from 7 o’clock to 9 o’clock pm.

Wednesday 14th January 2015:

At Monday’s meeting, Pippa, Jordanne and I had also agreed to meet at 10 o’clock am to

have a short, casual meeting to discuss forums for the website. I arrived on time and the

three of us sat down and came up with a few ideas and also discussed the upcoming NWS

Birthday Party. On this occasion, I was less able to contribute, but I offered a few

suggestions throughout the talk.

Afterwards, Pippa gave me a list of tasks for me to get on with (See Appendix 16). The

first on the list was ‘Finish venue-hunting exercise’. When I saw this I remembered it from

the previous week, and was told to phone each of the venues to find out the relevant

information. At first I felt reluctant about this task, as I know I find it uncomfortable to

speak over the phone to people I do not know, and I thought that I would find it challenging

to maintain a professional manner of speaking. I collected the details for each venue and

tried contacting them. In the end, I only got through to two. I then decided it would be

beneficial to write an email to send to the venues I couldn’t get hold of. I sent 5 emails to the

remaining venues. (See Appendix 17) When I received responses from the venues I

forwarded them to Pippa in order to inform her of the developments whilst I was away

from the studio. (See Appendix 18) I emailed the information I’d gathered from my

correspondences and research, in a word document, to Pippa so she could refer to it when

securing a venue. (See Appendix 19)

The next couple of tasks were quite menial. I had to go through the list of members

on the website and change their roles to ‘Participant’, and whilst doing this I had to print 10

copies of a 25 page document that Pippa sent to me. These didn’t take long and afterwards I

created an online blog post of last week’s newsletter (See Appendix 14)

During the morning’s meeting, I had been asked that in my spare moments it would

be useful to look up word games etc. that could be played at the birthday party. I found this

to be a more relaxed task and one that I could get more personal pleasure out of. Another

area of the meeting had been the online forums. Not many members use them, so we

wanted to come up with ideas for posts that we could put on in order to get people using

them and communication via them. I ended up planning and writing a post in the ‘Tips,

tricks and advice’ forum, hoping to generate interest. (See Appendix 20) Unfortunately, this

post didn’t attract attention from other members, and still hasn’t had any responses to it.

Tuesday 20 th January 2015

I texted Pippa to ask her if I was to be at the studio at 10 o’clock, and she replied to confirm

that time and also to tell me that she had come admin and a potentially interesting project

lined up for me. It made me feel excited to find out what this project would be, and I looked

forward to going in.

Wednesday 21 st January 2015

After arriving at the studio I found Pippa down in the performance area, and she

immediately told me about the project. She said it is called the ‘Big City Read’ and involves

an entire city in reading a particular book. She asked me to find out what other cities had

done it and what kind of events they put on. I went into her office and used her laptop to

research these facts and took some notes. I put these notes into a word document (See

Appendix 21)

Next, Pippa trained me on how to keep track of the members’ invoices via Sage.

There were a lot of steps to remember and I made a rough note of these in my notebook

while they were fresh in my mind. I only had to ask about one of the steps that I wasn’t sure

of, but after this was clarified I was able to get on with the job and complete it. Part of this

task involved printing the invoices which were then sent by post to the relevant people, and

also emailing them to remind them their invoice was due.

Due to my creative writing course, I found that one of the members’ whose invoice I

was printing happened to be my university tutor. This gave me the feeling that I was doing

something worthwhile that is not only related to my studies, but also gives me the skills and

confidence needed in the world of work, such as administration.

Pippa informed me that at 3 o’clock we would be heading down to the Five Leaves

bookshop for a meeting about the Big City Read. This reminded me of the beginning of the

summer break during 2014, when I had re-done my CV completely for the first time in a

long while, so that I could give it in at Five Leaves, in the hope that they had a part-time

bookseller role. Unfortunately, I wasn’t contacted and my attempt was unsuccessful.

However, going there for this meeting, I felt like even though I had had previous set-backs,

I’d still worked to arrive at the point where I still managed to become involved with Five

Leaves, but under different circumstances.

There were four of us at the meeting, including myself and Pippa. The owner of Five

Leaves, Ross Bradshaw, was there along with another woman who was keen on the project

coming to fruition. We each got given a document outlining the Aims of the project and

tasks to be completed in relation to the project development. (See Appendix 22) I also

provided the document I had put together earlier with my research about other cities that

had done a Big City Read. (See Appendix 23)

Wednesday 28th January 2015:

I decided to go into the studio for 1 o’clock, as I knew I would be staying for the website

training session from 7-9pm, and so this would give me the 8 hours remaining of the 30

hours required. When I arrived, I discovered that Notts TV were coming in to do some

filming for their 6:30pm show. They interviewed Pippa and another member about the use

of apostrophes. I later found this On Demand and watched it. It was interesting to see how

they filmed interviews, i.e. doing shots of hand movements separately to then edit in

afterwards to make the film look more natural onscreen.

Once Notts TV had left, Pippa and I had a meeting about the Big City Read and what

information needs to go into a funding bid from the Arts Council. Most of my day was spent

putting together a project plan (See Appendix 23), including the information that would be

required in order to write a funding bid. When I emailed this to Pippa she told me that it

was exactly what she wanted.

At this point, she filled in the Humanities at Work Placement Reference Form and

gave it back to me. (See Appendix 3)

I then had the task of working on the most recent newsletter so that it could be

posted online. Once I had finished this, Pippa told me to leave it with her so she could check

over it and insert pictures. However, due to reasons I am unsure of, this post still remains as

a draft and did not get posted.

As a thank you for doing my placement at the studio and helping her out, Pippa gave

me a copy of the studio’s most recent journal, entitled ‘A Sense of Place’ (See Appendix 24)

At 7pm we had the website/WordPress training session. From this I made notes (See

Appendix 25) and learnt quite a lot about HTML. During the session we did practise posts in

order to familiarise ourselves with how WordPress works. (See Appendix 26) I had already

become familiar with this, as I’d used it for the online Newsletter posts, but the session gave

me a better understanding of how to make a blog post/online post appropriately. We

arranged the next session to take place on Tuesday 10th February 2015, at 7:30pm –

9:30pm.

After the session ended, Pippa told me that I should apply to become an official

member of the writers’ studio. She informed me that because I am a student, the studio has

a bursary scheme so that students don’t have to pay the fee that other members do. This left

me feeling that this placement was exactly the right one to do, and it has not only given me

career related skills, but has also provided me with the opportunity to enhance my writing

and become a part of a writing community. This also meant that, although it was the last

day of my placement, I would still be able to be involved the studio.

Appendix 3:

Humanities at Work Placement Reference Form

Appendix 4:

CV, October 2014

Appendix 5:

CV, edited ready to be sent to Nottingham Writers’ Studio

I do not need to include my nationality and date of birth in my details.

A line of description, underneath my contact details, about my current career prospects is missing.

On the first page I had my GCSE’s and A Level qualification details in full, but was advised that I should make this more concise.

My experience is in the wrong order. I was advised that I should have the most recent experience appearing first, as this would be more relevant to the employer looking at my CV.

My skills are set out in a bullet point list. However, my CV would benefit from being skills-based. This requires choosing my strongest skills and providing evidence as to why I have them and how I came to acquire them.

This is the version of my CV edited immediately after my drop in session at the employability centre, and the version that was emailed to Nottingham Writers’ Studio regarding the volunteering opportunity for the Festival of Words.

Appendix 6:

Leaflets about various events held as part of the Festival of Words

I have got rid of my nationality details and added a short description of what I am studying at NTU and mention my search for a work placement.

I have summarised my GCSE details into a concise sentence, and left my A Level details in a list.

My skills section now is the first to appear after my qualifications. As this was a ‘work in progress’ CV that I simply needed to improve for the purpose of sending it off for application, I chose to highlight skills that I considered to be most relevant for the role: Teamwork, initiative, and efficiency.

My Work Experience section is in order from the most recent experience gained. These experiences are explored in more detail in the improved skills section.

Previously, my Personal Interests section included a description of myself as a person, but this was irrelevant and could not be evidenced effectively. Therefore I changed this section to include personal hobbies relevant to the sort of job/experience that I would hope to gain.

Burning Eye event:

Write Across Borders events:

Appendix 7:

Text content of email received by NWS the day before the Festival of Words

Dear all,

Thank you so much for agreeing to help out with our Festival events. This email is to confirm what was discussed on Friday.

Duties will include (but are unlikely to be limited to):- setting up and putting away tables/chairs/etc before and after events- manning the door and taking tickets/money- book sales- helping out with serving drinks and washing up afterwards- looking after the writers- keeping me sane throughout (!)

On the Sunday open day, it'll be slightly different - there are a couple of events/readings happening, and I'm hoping to encourage random people to take the mic and read... I'd like to get writing of various sorts happening all through the Studio, so if you can think of anything that might be fun and participatory (e.g. people contributing a line to a poem, or writing something short on index cards in response to pictures) we'll go with it. There might be lots of people there, there might be none... we'll see...

I hope you'll also use your initiative - if you can think of anything that would improve the events or make things run better, please feel free to suggest or action it.

There's no dress code, wear what you like.

In return, you get to see the events for free, meet the writers, have something to put on your CV, have my undying gratitude (and a reference if you need one), and I'll do my best to get you comp tickets for any other events you'd like to attend.

If you could arrive half an hour before the event and be prepared to stay for half an hour after the event that would be fantastic. I'd also like someone to help out with buying/transporting wine and glasses to Waterstones on Tuesday from 5.30, so if anyone's available that would be brilliant.

This is what I have written down for who's going to be around when (all at NWS apart from Faultlines):

Writing China, Monday 7.30-9, Jade, Kate, GeorginaFaultlines, Tuesday 7-9 (Waterstones), Jade, Kate, GeorginaWriting Hungary, Wednesday 4-6, Jade, possibly Kate, JordanneLara Donnelly, Friday 9-10, Jade, Kate, GeorginaOpen Studio, Sunday 12-8, Jade from 2.30, Kate till 3, Georgina 12-2Burning Eye, Sunday 8-10, Jade, possibly Kate from 9

Hope that's all sufficiently clear. If you're not sure about anything feel free to contact me. And if for whatever reason you can't come along any time you've said you would, please let me know so I can arrange other cover if necessary.

thanks again, you're all wonderful!

Pippa

Appendix 8:

Reminder of events in diary

Appendix 9:

Events I attended highlighted in the programme event schedule

Appendix 10:

Emails regarding NWS Website Team involvement (Link no longer relevant)

First email –

Hi all,

Thanks for offering to help with keeping the NWS website up-to-date and adding content to it. On the basis that you're still interested in helping out, it would be good if we could meet sometime soon and go through what needs doing and allocate roles/tasks. I've included Jordanne Hall (volunteer who's been helping with newsletters who I'd like to give more interesting work to) and Jade Moore (who's going to be working on placement at NWS on Wednesdays in January, and Giselle Leeb, who developed the website for us in the first place.

I've set up a doodle poll with some suggested meeting times - if you could add your availability I'll get something set up.

http://doodle.com/srganwteg89ikqpu

If there are alternative times you can make on any of the suggested days, please add those in the comments.

thanks,Pippa

Second email –

Hi all,

Thanks to those of you who've responded. Have decided to go for Monday 12th January at 7pm for the website group meeting. Hope you can all make it.

Appendix 11:

Print screen of a selection of emails received containing information to be put into the newsletter

Appendix 12:

Emailed details of venue hunting task

Right, this is the other job.

NWS is putting on a spoken word event in London on March 21st, 7.30-9.30pm -- people reading/performing poems and stories from our first three journals. We need to book a venue for this, so I'd like you to find out availability and cost for the list of venues below. What I need to know for each is: is the venue available? how much does it cost? what is the audience capacity? what are the facilities i.e. is there a bar? do they serve food? and what are the tech facilities i.e. data projector / screen? microphone? And anything else that might be relevant.

You'll need to search for the websites and either get the info from there or phone them up to find out.

The Troubadour

Courtyard Theatre Studio space: http://www.thecourtyard.org.uk/rooms/2/studio

The Green Note in Camden

Barbican Music Library

Keats House in Hampstead

The Troy Bar in Hoxton

Rich Mix: http://www.richmix.org.uk/ (venue 1 or venue 2 probably most appropriate for this one)

If you could stick all the info you get in a document on the desktop of that laptop that'd be great.

thanks,Pippa

Appendix 13:

Minutes from the board meeting (including notes added afterwards by Pippa)

NWS Board Meeting, Wednesday 7th January 2015

Present: Victoria Villasenor, Anne McDonnell, Andrew Kells, Deborah Bailey, Pippa Hennessy, James Walker (chair), Jade Moore (minutes), Aly Stoneman

1. Apologies from Viv Purkiss, Sarah Dale

2. Minutes of last meeting: agreed as an accurate record

3. Matters arising / Development Director update

- Curtains fitted in back office

- Noticeboards sorted

- Outstanding action – PH to do breakdown of tasks

- VV has contacted Gareth Summers, keen to proceed. VV to follow up on developing schools membership.

- PH has 3 volunteers helping with charity conversion, meeting to sort out policy documents. Changing constitution to take out over 18 restriction in membership to be discussed at AGM along with any other changes.

- Action PH: Develop presentation for AGM – date set as Wednesday 25th March AGM 7:00

- Action PH: organise new cleaner

- Nothing done yet about downstairs ventilation [update 8/1: Mick has put extractor fan in ladies loo]

- Board members expenses to be reimbursed – provide receipts to PH to get costs back

- Proposal for consideration at AGM: members attending events and help out e.g. hosting workshops, helping at performances, get discount on costs. Meets Arts Council objective of accommodating needs for different people.

- PH: Action plan, still outstanding

- Festival of Words: still haven’t had ticket receipts data and dosh back from WEM. Will add PH project management time to budget for international strand.

- Interns to call round all members and ask questions to find out what members want from the studio: ask when were you last in the studio? James suggests ending the call with a reminder about the AGM. Action: PH to write question script and brief interns on issues.

- Members development day, members only to share knowledge: late June (possibly to kick off summer tasters) – DB/AM willing to help but not to take on organisation. Action PH: Ask Sunita Samra if she’d like to get involved, start organisation

- Want another session of Summer Tasters, think of titles Action Writer Dev Committee

- Renting the office: Nottingham photography hub have shown an interest, running photography sessions for 16-18 year olds. [update 8/1: they want to rent the space from March 1st]

- James suggests advertising through property rental companies if this doesn’t work out

- Nottingham actors’ studio? Need details [update 8/1: I contacted them, they’re not interested]

- Lighting in Susannah Wright room to be changed – Action AK to follow up. [Update 8/1: Rob Smith’s electrician is Paul Smith, 07930 557182]

- Environmental psychology students from NTU to come in and look at the whole space – Action JW to organise.

- SW room will only take max 8 people, so will have to run workshops downstairs in main event space, AK suggests sign ‘workshop in progress’.

4. Treasurer report

- Festival of Words: still waiting for finance report – meet once pip has figures

- Event income – improve the website Action PH: pass to website committee/Farida Khan

- Grant income – do we have a grants committee? JW will serve on this after AGM. Action: PH to add this to list of committees

- Need to apply for more funding, to talk about at next board meeting and ask at the AGM, members to learn about funding and opportunities to join committees. PH suggests newsletter targeted around an issue (every other newsletter): member engagement, website ideas etc. Action PH: first of these to be sent next week around Future of NWS. Action All: email to PH by next Tuesday of a paragraph of where people think the studio is going/what want studio to become/future of the studio, Pip will put it together to include in a newsletter – to start discussion. James: the studio has expanded rather than being an intimate space – debate at AGM

- Membership participation: new members early on in career, membership with committee, increasing membership fee, AGM issue.

- AM suggests flagging up diversity of writing styles, chance to build more relationship

- DB suggests ‘members speed dating’

4.1 Classes income

- Reasons for insufficient take up of classes – no interest? Member feedback before offering classes, get an agent in professional skills.

- need more info for what members want from membership, either increase non-member price, or increase member price and offer some free courses (Anne suggestion), summer tasters for £5, some events for free (what the membership fee pays for) Options to be discussed – action sustainability committee.

- Income issue for members. James suggests – paying in instalments i.e £40 course paid £20/£20, flexible to people’s need.

- Is PayPal making a difference? PayPal feels more of a commitment. Refund is easy if needed. Stick link to PayPal site and logo in newsletters (Action PH).

- Need another admin person? Apply for funding to get someone, income from courses Action sust. committee – look at possibilities

5. Light Night

Around the theme of letters, 6-7pm on feb 6th, followed by social. Free event with good programme - want a good turnout, tester to see how many people turn up. Action JW: give PH info on event for publicity material

9. AOB

9.1: Board

JW: stepping down as chair at AGM, but wants to join funding committee, need to target specific people to join the board – think about what other members can bring, people that can offer something and support us.

Action PH: notice in the newsletter for people interested in joining the board

Need to consider whether worth asking someone from outside but related to business. Suggestions: Tim Harris, Rob Howie Smith

9.2: Journal

- NWS in London, Sat March 21st – venue still needs sorting

- Launch at NWS of the journal, at the March social

- Readers have a rehearsal session before to practise reading – participants to show up an hour beforehand – performance is an important part, raise the profile of the journal. Action PH to organise

- blog post – experience in submitting to a journal Action DB to organise

-calling for submissions to go in newsletter Action PH/DB

10: Date of next meeting: February 4th, 5pm

Appendix 14:

Print screen of NWS Newsletter, January 8 th 2015 Part of the newsletter once it had been sent out to members:

Pippa suggested taking the content of the newsletter and creating a post to publish on the website to allow members to read it there as well as via email. This was because the statistics showed a low percentage of members were opening the newsletter when it was sent by email.

Link to the published post, as seen below: http://nottinghamwritersstudio.co.uk/nws-newsletter-january-8th-2015/

Appendix 15:

Notes from the website meeting

Appendix 16:

List of tasks

Of these tasks, I completed numbers 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6. Pippa didn’t show me how to remove the PayPal buttons from the website, so I was unable to complete that task.

Appendix 17:

Print screen and content of emails sent to venues

Text content of the email sent:

Dear Sir/Madam at …………….,

I am emailing on behalf of Nottingham Writers' Studio regarding a spoken word event that they wish to put on. The event will take place on Saturday 21st March and will be from 7:30 - 9:30pm. We hope to have around 40-50 approx people attending the event. The information required is as follows:

- What is the availability of your venue for the specified date?- How much would the venue hire cost?- What is the audience capacity?

- Facilities (i.e is there a bar, do you serve food?)- Tech facilities (Do you have a data projector/screen and a microphone?)

Any other information that you can provide about the venue would be useful.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Kind Regards,

Jade Moore.

Appendix 18:

Email responses from venues that I subsequently forwarded onto NWS

Appendix 19:

Document containing all the venue information collected

Venues:

Troubadour – https://troubadour.co.uk/

Courtyard Theatre Studio Space – http://www.thecourtyard.org.uk/rooms/2/studio- Seating capacity 80- Fitted with a dance floor and has a mirrored wall- Spacious performance area with raised stage that has been used for dramas, musicals

and live comedy. - Can be used for day-hire

The Green Note –- Green Note is available for hire for a variety of events, from private parties, both for

adults and children, to record industry showcases and film screenings. We have a full PA system, a projector, a fully-stocked bar, and catering facilities. We can also provide entertainment if required.

- Email with any enquiries: mail@greennote.co.ukBarbican Music Library –

Keats House – Chester room –

- Accommodates up to 42 people for performances, presentations, receptionsKeats House – Nightingale room-

- Accommodates up to 100 people for private functions, performances, meetings or classes.

- Available for hire in the evenings and during the day time on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

- Pricing: http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/attractions-around-london/keats-house/Pages/keats-house-venue-hire.aspx (table on the page shows prices)

- Does not provide cateringRich Mix - http://www.richmix.org.uk/venues/rates/

- Venue 1 rates: Evening rate (6pm-midnight) - £1,200- Venue 2 rates: Evening rate (6pm-midnight) – £1,100

http://www.richmix.org.uk/downloads/venue-pages/Rich_Mix_Venue_Hire_Rate_Card_20132.pdf

VENUES CONTACTED –

TROUBADOUR:

- The Gallery is the only available space for Saturday March 21st 2015, as the club is booked.

- The Gallery had had an event holding 50 people in there before.- I have sent an email to mary@troubadour.co.uk with all the information and she said she

will get onto her colleague who would be able to make sure The Gallery had the tech facilities needed for this event, as that space doesn’t usually have those facilities.

KEATS HOUSE:

- Nightingale room is available- Holds up to 100 people (Chester room only accommodates 42 people) - Charged hourly including set up time- £125 (min 2 hours)- Special charity rate, £100 per hour- No alcohol licensed bar- They will serve either white wine or sparkling- Limited catering (probably have to organise separate catering to attend the event) but

we are welcome to have drinks and snacks. - They have microphones and speakers and a projector that would be set up on a table

with a laptop (i.e it isn’t an overhead projector)- If you decide to hold the event here, bookings are made by emailing

vicky.carroll@cityoflondon.gov.uk - THE COURTYARD (EMAIL)

Equipment and availability wise we'd be all set there. We have two venues; the main house seats 150 while the studio is at 80 capacity.They are from £4-500 +vat per one-off event.

There is a public bar serving both theatres

If you would like to go into further talk on facilities such as local marketing support etc or would like to arrange a viewing do email any possible dates. I'm on site as a rule Monday - Friday

Many thanks,

Rupert HollowayRupert@thecourtyard.org.uk07789 992 840020 7729 2202

Other Venues:

I have tried calling the venues that went to voicemail/answerphone again, and they still didn’t answer the phone, but I have emailed all of them.

Venues still to hear from:

- The Green Note- Barbican Music Library- The Troy Bar- Rich Mix

Appendix 20:

Print screen of post in ‘Tips, tricks and advice’ forum

Appendix 21:

Big City Read research

Appendix 22:

Big City Read Aims and Tasks

Appendix 23:

Project plan for the Big City Read

BIG CITY READ – INFORMATION FOR THE FUNDING BID

Description of project –

The project plans to commission new writing by commissioning five Nottingham-related writers to write a short story about or inspired by Nottingham which will be published by Five Leaves in a printed book and e-book alongside a story by Alan Sillitoe.

Time Scale (What happens when? Who’s involved?) –

To happen as an event in association with the Nottingham Festival of Words (October 2015)

Publishing the book and creating publicity around the project

Host various events and activities:

- Reading groups- Events at local libraries- (Coming up with ideas for other events/activities)- Events for specific people with disabilities who would benefit from the nature of the

activities: Target children/adults who have dyslexia, and elderly people who have dementia

Website –

Generate content to help with publicity and to involve and inform the public:

- Conduct and post interviews with authors (Could be either in print form or could video the author responding to various questions)

- Include a section of the website for people to post comments (general comments, comments on a specific article/interview)

- Videos of events in order to give website visitors an idea of what takes place and to leave a legacy for future events. Videos are a good way to involve young people, as they interact and identify more with visual content.

Writers and partners involved –

Writers:

(Include a biography of each individual writer)

- Alan Sillitoe: 4th March 1928 – 25th April 2010. One of the ‘Angry Young Men’ of the 1950’s. Born in Nottingham. His Father, like Arthur Seaton (anti-hero of Saturday Night and Sunday Morning), worked at the Raleigh Bicycle Company Factory, as did he when he left school at the age of 14. Awarded an Honorary Degree from Nottingham Trent University. University of Nottingham

awarded him an Honorary D. Litt in 2006. His best known play was staged at the University’s Lakeside Arts Theatre.

- John Harvey: British author of crime fiction. Most famous for his series of jazz-influenced Charlie Resnick novels which are based in Nottingham.

- John McGregor: British novelist and short story writer. Lives in Nottingham. Published a collection of short stories titled: This Isn’t The Sort Of Thing That Happens To Someone Like You.

- Alison Moore: Born in Manchester in 1971. Novel The Lighthouse was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2012.

- Paula Rawsthorne: Award winning writer of teen fiction. Appointed a First Story writer in residence for Nottingham Emmanuel School. Novel The Truth About Celia Frost won the Nottingham Brilliant Book Award 2013. Does author talks and workshops in Secondary Schools around the UK. Lives in Nottingham.

- Shreya Sen Handley: A Former journalist and television producer who now writes and illustrates for British and Indian media.

Partners:(Include paragraph about partners)

- Writing East Midlands: The writer development agency for the region. Runs creative writing events and projects and develops opportunities for emerging and established writers.

- Nottingham City Libraries- Nottingham County Libraries- Nottingham City Council- Nottingham Writers’ Studio- Nottingham Festival of Words- The Bookcase:

A friendly independent bookshop situation in the village of Lowdham (8 miles north of Nottingham). Runs an active events programme so their customers are part of a community of like-minded people. Slogan ‘More than just a bookshop’.

- Bromley House Library: Home of the Nottingham Subscription Library (founded in 1816). An independent lending library. Houses around 40,000 books.

- Five Leaves: Five Leaves Publications set up in 1996. Involved with Lowdham Book Festival and is in partnership with The Bookcase.

- Left Lion- Lowdham Book Festival

Gain publicity via:

- Nottingham Post- Notts TV - Nottingham City Council

Public Engagement –

People who will benefit and engage from the project:

- How they will benefit and what they get out of it- The writers themselves- Anyone taking part in any events associated with the project- People who look at and interact with the website- Members of the local libraries in and around the city (Clifton, Bulwell, West-Bridgford,

Beeston)- Active participants: reading the published book and providing feedback and writing

reviews of the stories/book (to be posted on a page on the website)- Audience members: Those who attend readings/talks with authors

How it will have a lasting impact on those involved:

- Children and young people: Children/people with dyslexia will benefit from engaging in reading sessions and will then associate a positive experience with that of the act of reading and will provide them with a positive attitude to have towards reading (rather than seeing it as a struggle or something which hinders them) from having been a part of the B.C.R. Will give them more confidence in managing/dealing with their disability.

- Children from specific schools: Compliment the core taught curriculum by introducing/keeping familiar/raising awareness of the importance of reading (may encourage/make positive reading throughout education)

- Readings for people with dementia: Will benefit them by giving them the opportunity to have an experience that differs from their everyday activities. Will entertain them and engage them through the activity of reading/listening to a story be read.

- Readings for people who are deaf: Have the author reading out their story, or talking to the people about an interesting aspect of reading/literature/being an author/writing, and have an interpreter to translate for the audience so that they feel as though they are as much involved in the event as anyone else and give them the sense of having attended a quality event that they found to be entertaining.

Target Audience –

- The partners- Care homes (for dementia patients)- Possibly schools (to involve Children and young people, are there any school library

clubs/groups that would get involved in events)- Reading groups for deaf people (get an interpreter, and have the author reading out to

them- An inclusive project

How to reach the target audience:

- Posters/flyers in association with the NFoW- Website, social media such as Twitter (twitter Q&A with authors), videos on YouTube,

and on website, photo’s posted on website/twitter, live twitter feeds from events/readings.

- Banner on the Council HouseEvaluation –

- Feedback forms at the end of events/talks/readings- Talk to people who have taken part- Gather information as the project develops and goes along- Have a written evaluation at the end of the project- Evaluate and make notes of the planning process- Collect information to report back to those who are interested (target

audience/partners: any positive feedback/information can help towards publicity)- Outline aims, objectives and targets- Findings from market research (include initial research into other cities that have

participated in Big City Read, and how Nottingham’s City Read stands out (Not choosing an already published book but producing new writing from writers’ related to the city)

- Review notes from the first meeting of the project and what decisions were made and subsequently acted upon

- Conduct questionnaires by those involved relating to the project and its development- Video the thoughts of people involved (video of someone speaking about what the

project hopes to achieve and include could go onto the website to aid publicity)- Assign someone to keep a regular diary of meetings/ideas/contributions and anything

related to the project and its development. Flag up any problems that arise and how these can be/are overcome. Write about experience of events, what happened, what people said about it (get quotes from people who attend the event, alongside feedback forms. Comments can be posted online as legacies)

- Take photographs of the process/set up and eventual outcome of events

Appendix 24:

NWS Journal: A Sense of Place

Appendix 25:

Notes from Website/WordPress Training session

Appendix 26:

Print screen of ‘New Post’ page on WordPress used for practise draft

posts

Appendix 27:

Print screen of, and links to, posts published as part of the website team

http://nottinghamwritersstudio.co.uk/susannahwright/

http://nottinghamwritersstudio.co.uk/call-for-submissions-the-malt-cross-gallery/

Evidence of myself as author of these posts:

Appendix 28:

NTU MA Creative Writing webpage

Appendix 29:

Re-evaluation of my Graduate Attributes after placement completion

Intellectual Agility (IA) N S A GIA1. Extensive understanding of their chosen

profession or discipline, including the associated practices, technologies, research, methodologies, values and ethics.

IA2. Aptitude for independent, critical thought and rational inquiry, alongside the capacity for analysis and problem-solving in multiple contexts.

IA3. An enterprising and creative mindset, able to thrive in rapidly changing work and social environments.

IA4. Intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm for learning and an aptitude for self-directed learning.

Information, Communication and Organisational Skills (ICOS)

N S A G

ICOS1. Proficiency in finding, evaluating, analysing and applying data.

ICOS2. Digital literacy and the ability to use ICT effectively.

ICOS3. Effective communication skills in spoken, written and visual media.

ICOS4. Good team and collaborative working skills.

ICOS5. Ability to prioritise, plan and manage work and time.

ICOS6. Capacity to appropriately judge self-efficacy and to give and receive feedback effectively.

Global Citizenship (GS) N S A GGS1. International awareness and openness

to the world, based on appreciation of social and cultural diversity, respect for human rights and dignity.

GS2. Understanding and appreciation of social, economic or environmental sustainability issues.

GS3. Leadership capacity, including a willingness to engage in constructive public discourse, and to accept social and civic responsibility.

Appendix 30:

Infographics Poster for the module celebration

9. Bibliography

Anon, ‘MA Creative Writing’, Nottingham Trent University Courses <http://www.ntu.ac.uk/apps/pss/course_finder/61048-1/39/ma_creative_writing.aspx> [Accessed 24th April 2015]

Anon, ‘Masters Degrees’, Prospects <http://www.prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate_qualifications_masters.htm> [Accessed 24th April 2015]

Anon, ‘So you want to be a writer…’, The Guardian <http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/mar/14/creative-writing-courses-advice-students> [Accessed 1st May 2015]

McKay, Dawn Rosenburg, ‘Taking Meeting Minutes: An Important Skill’, About Careers <http://careerplanning.about.com/cs/communication/a/minutes.htm> [Accessed 7th January 2015]