Book Week Scotland workshops proved popular among Forth Valley College students and staff recently.
Taking place from Monday 15 till Sunday21 November, FVC celebrated the annual event by organising two interactive online workshops for staff and students.
To celebrate, Forth Valley College organised two online events with the help of funding from the Scottish Book Trust:
First up was Ryan Van Winkle – who gave an Interactive Zine Workshop on Wednesday 17 November from 10.30am-11.30am. Ryan – an award winning poet, writer and zine creator - gave the audience the chance to create their own Zine (mini magazine).
On Friday 19 November award winning contemporary Scottish author and broadcaster Chris McQueer visited the Falkirk Campus and from the boardroom delivered an online lively session and gave readings from his books: 'Hings' published in 2017 and won the Best Short Story Collection at the 2018 Saboteur Awards and his next series HWFG (Here We F*****g Go) published in 2018.
Growing up in the east End of Glasgow, Chris makes good use of the Scots language within his work. Among his many talents, Chris has worked as a crime scene cleaner prior to becoming a full-time author.
He said: “It was brilliant to be back in front of an audience and back in the swing of things. I really enjoyed speaking to the Forth Valley College students and staff and they asked some great questions about Scots Language, my influences and themes and some stuff I had not previously thought about before. I would 100% come back and speak at the college in a heartbeat!
“My advice to any budding writers would be to write and read as much as you can. It is important to absorb as many styles, genres and cultures as possible. Then set yourself targets with word counts and make sure you celebrate it when you reach them. Celebrate praise too, but don’t take criticism too personally. Don’t take no for an answer and keep knocking on doors and you will get there eventually.”
Lisa MacLaren, FVC’s Learning Services Manager, said: “These two events have gone very well and everyone who took part seemed to take a lot away from the sessions. We can't thank Ryan Van Winkle and Chris McQueer enough for their efforts during our celebrations of Book Week Scotland, and we are sure they have inspired both students and staff alike.”
Nuala, Scott, FVC’s Learning Skills and Resource Assistant added: “What a great week it has been and both Chris and Ryan have been absolutely brilliant. The feedback we have had already has been excellent. Hopefully they can come back and visit us soon.”
