During the week of 26-30 September OLA will be hosting a Reading Festival, with a selection of authors and poets coming to the junior and senior school to talk about their work. Here are the highlights for the Senior School.
Monday 26th: David Melling, children’s book illustrator, in the Art Department in the afternoon.
Tuesday 27th: Bernard O'Donohue, Whitbread Poetry Prize winner. Evening event for Sixth formers and adults. 6 pm - Refreshments. 6.30 pm - Poetry reading for about 30 minutes. 7 pm – Book signing. Parents, readers and poetry lovers welcome. All welcome.
Wednesday 28th : Katherine Rundell, young author of The Girl Savage and Oxford University academic. P.3: Year 7; P.5: Year 8. Lunchtime in the Library - available for questions about writing, and studying English at university.
Thursday 29th: Steve Wilson. Journalist and travel writer. P. 4 : Year 9, Non-Fiction writing and his travels across Africa on a motorbike; P7 - PSHE : Yrs 9 upwards, Journalism and P8 Q & A (optional, depends on teacher). Weather permitting Steve will arrive on his classic motorbike which will be in the Mall or outside reception and he will be ready to chat about it during lunch break.
Friday 30th September: Theresa Breslin. Prisoner of the Inquisition was shortlisted for this year’s Carnegie Medal, the prestigious award which she won in 1994 for Whispers in the Graveyard. P 1 & 2 : JS Yrs 3 & 4+ 150 visitors in CMA; P. 3 & 4: Yrs 9-10, Fact into Fiction and Power of Place; P. 6 & 7 Yr 8: Brisk beginnings.
The OLA Reading Festival also sees the construction of OLA's House of Books, which was started on World Book Day earlier this year. This exciting installation is being developed by the Art Department who are involving the whole school and will culminate in a structure made of books. Inspired by the work of prize-winning Canadians Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, who exhibited at Modern Art Oxford in 2009, OLA's construction will be made of old books individually wrapped. Each contributor has labelled their parcel (an old book) with details of their favourite book and a one-word description.
