WORD Festival
We listened to a range of speakers, from authors and poets, to mathematicians and activists. There was an opportunity to meet the authors and have books signed. We explored the Canterbury University library and browsed through the bookshop, with students finding some gems amongst the shelves.
Key messages included:“You can all write poems, you can all write stories. In this way you have a voice, and all your voices are valid. It is important that you all share. It is one of the ways in which we can make change. Keep sharing your voice and your stories.” - Melanie Dixon
“The greatest thing we have ever invented is words. With those simple devices, that you can scratch in the sand with a stick, I can define my whole existence. I can show everything I know, don’t know, dream, forget, remember - with a bunch of symbols, a bunch of words. If you do nothing else in your life that is of any value, at least once write something worthy" - Ben Brown
“Don’t just dream at night. Dream during the day. Give your brain a chance to access all that stuff that is there. People ask ‘where is the inspiration?’ You’re your inspiration. You just need to give it space to breathe.” - Jane Higgins