The Wonder of Words.

St Augustine’s Priory has a long link with authors starting with George Sand (real name Aurore Dupin), the nineteenth century French novelist who attended the school when it was in Paris.  Fast forward to the twenty-first century and award-winning poet Mona Arshi is an Augustinian parent and award-winning poet Neil Elder is a member of the English Department, not to mention past and current pupils who are also poets, playwrights and screenwriters.

As next week is Book Week, which includes World Book Day on Thursday 5^th March, we are celebrating all that the written word has to offer. The week will focus on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales theme for this year, ‘The God Who Speaks:  The Year of the Word’.

From Nursery to Upper VI all girls will be involved in a variety of events, including quizzes, a Drop Everything and Read slot, book sales and visits from authors Mel Darbon, Eoin McLaughlin and Anthea Hill.  There will also be creative writing sessions for our own aspiring writers.  On World Book Day itself pupils and staff will be coming to school dressed as their favourite character from the Bible.

    

Just before Half Term Mr Elder, English Department, visited the Scriptorium to see what was on offer:

‘I’m in the Scriptorium admiring many of the new titles Ms Bhatti has purchased, some even recommended by me I’m happy to report!

The photos show just a selection of some of the new, interesting and worthwhile books available  – there are lots more but there wasn’t room to display them all for the photograph but, apart from the ones pictured, books here include such authors as George Eliot, Henry James, Jean Rhys, Elizabeth Gaskell and Alice Munro.

You may be surprised by some of the books and writers up here, it’s a great selection and worth a visit to the Scriptorium to see them all.  Why not give them a home for a week or two?’