Sri Lanka with the Gratiaen Trust
Journalling and diary writing have been part of my life and writing practice since childhood. They are a record that bring much reflection and can be catalysts for creativity. Here I reflect on my recent visit to Sri Lanka, holding creative writing workshops with children, sixth formers, teachers and children’s authors.
I last visited Sri Lanka for my honeymoon in 1995. In accepting the invitation I reflected deeply on time, turmoil, unrest, trauma, environmental devastation, change, regeneration and growth. The young Sita (a name deeply resonant in Sri Lanka and India) could not have imagined herself returning to Sri Lanka as an author. If you had told the twenty nine year old Sita that when she next returned it would be as a children’s and young adult author and that she’d have three adult children of her own with her Leo - she could not have dreamed of such a future.
Writing for the young and young adults is all about investing in dreams and opportunity, keeping possibilities open for regeneration and peace. In the Kairos time of ‘Where The River Runs Gold’ all portals for hope and peace remain open.
The mantle of ‘specialist’ has always sat uncomfortably with me, but I have a love of sharing the insights I have gained as a writer who began doodling and daydreaming stories as a child, who treasured her wide diaspora roots and branches in India and UK. The approach I took with children and adult groups was of collaboration as we embarked on a joint treasure hunt of the imagination and a quest for our young people to find their voices using a method I call the patchwork of storytelling.
The patchwork storytelling quilt was crafted by artist Grace Emily Manning. It contains all the layers of the heart from my first book ‘Artichoke Hearts.’ It is made of pieces of my story as a writer and, in the pockets related to each book, contains objects that are the catalyst inspiration for many stories.The patchwork storytelling quilt is now too heavy for me to travel with! But I took along some potent pieces as oral history storytelling inspiration, and it’s a joy to hear from all the groups I met that it is impacting on the stitching of their own new stories.
The Patchwork Storytelling Quilt
The pieces I chose to carry to Sri Lanka included holey stones, an artichoke charm and a painting palette (Artichoke Hearts), a sari (Jasmine Skies and When Secrets Set Sail) seed packets (Where The River Runs Gold). The quilt has become a method of sharing the joys of creative writing as a vital means of self expression for young people (as journal writer Kai finds in When Shadows Fall). It is also a joyful collaborative hearth around which to gather and share what it is to be writing for our young, who are making the vulnerable and tender rites of passage journey from child to adult in our fissured world today.
The Gratiaen Trust was founded as the generous gift of Michael Ondaatje following his Booker Prize winning novel ‘The English Patient’. Funds are used to build infrastuctural opportunities for Sri Lankan authors and aspiring writers. The invitation to Sri Lanka was supported by The British Council. Events took place in Galle with A Level students and teachers. In Colombo I met children aged 12 - 16 and Sri Lankan authors at the British Council Library.
Following IBBY’s awarding of Tender Earth as its 2018 UK Honour Book it was also a joy to meet Chair of IBBY Sri Lanka -Dinesh Kulatunga and author Deepthi Horagoda to hear of their work.
With huge thanks to Professor Neloufer de Mel and coordinator Lihini Nilaweera for their care in curating inspiring meetings of minds and hearts.
Thanks to the Sarasavi Bookshop for stocking and selling my books in Sri Lanka.
An article on the visit featured in the Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. 22/10/23
