The Crescent connects writers and schools year-round and fosters connectivity into the Festival week.
Here's a taste of this years schools programme;
Barry Falls at Fane Street Primary School in partnership with BookTrust
Barry Falls is an award-winning illustrator and artist from Northern Ireland. Having studied Graphic Design at Ulster University Barry has produced book covers for Faber & Faber, Random House and Macmillan and illustrated short stories in The New Yorker. His first picture book, It’s Your World Now!, was published by Pavilion in 2019. Alone was published in March 2021 and Dare we be Dragons is due to be published in 2022. His poetic writing style contains rhythmical rhyme, and his stunning illustrations are produced with pen, pencil, paint and found materials, collaging individual sections on the computer.
Barry will be leading pupils of Fane Street Primary School in two dynamic creative sessions on the theme of belonging. The end result will be the pupils’ very own Book of Belonging which will be produced and printed for them to keep as part of the Belfast Book Festival. A signed copy of one of Barry’s books will also be provided for every child.
The Belfast Book Festival and BookTrust have been working in partnership for the last 4 years to bring inspirational authors and illustrators to pupils in South Belfast helping to establish and maintain reading habits and sharing a love of books and reading.
Sue Divin at Victoria College Belfast
The Crescent was built in 1873 as the Ladies’ Collegiate School, at the behest of Margaret Byers, an advocate and pioneer for women's education. The College grew and prospered, and almost 100 years later relocated to its present-day home in Cranmore Park, South Belfast as Victoria College, so named during Queen Victoria’s Jubilee year in recognition of the outstanding achievements of Mrs Byers and her staff.
The Crescent loves having a close working relationship with Victoria College, and for the Belfast Book Festival 2022 acclaimed writer Sue Divin will deliver a number of workshops for students of the school in the run-up to the Festival.
Further to the Workshops, we look forward to welcoming Sue to the Festival in a public discussion of her work, on Saturday 11 June, 330pm. Join Sue Divin in conversation with Mícheál McCann.
With our thanks to the Enkalon Foundation for making this work possible
