Creative Cameo Writing School

By Dunedin City of Literature | Posted:

At Macandrew Bay primary school on the beautiful Otago Peninsula, they take creativity seriously! Students are encouraged to participate in a wide range of artistic endeavour and creative writing is a cornerstone of their engaging and learning.  

‘Cameo writing’ regularly produces imaginative, original work. This year, local poet and writer Annie Villiers has participated in poetry workshops with each class to encourage the children in that medium. The results are amazing. An anthology of the children’s work will be published and celebrated with a formal book launch at the end of the school year.

In the meanwhile here are a couple of cameos for you to enjoy by pupils in Year 6 at  Macandrew Bay  school:

The Storm

I look outside when I hear a whistle and a moan,
To see the wind make the branches creak and groan,
Hail splatters against the windows,
Allowing me to see only white,
I make sure that the window is shut tight.
Then, suddenly the hail stops,
The silence is unbearable,
Then, suddenly it is blinding white,
I think it was a lightning strike,
Then I hear a sound
A sound so loud it cracks the ground…
…One mississipi…. Two…
by Emma DeLange

Flanders Fields

Blood seeps from wounds of the walking dead
Bleaching poppies, leaving their mark on those
Horrible years we called war
Flanders Fields
Young men lay down to rest on an
Eternal bed of poppies
Never to rise again
Flanders Fields
They were marched off to war
Pride in heart
That fire that burnt has been passed on
We will remember.
By Solomon Harcombe