Chairperson: Keith O'Sullivan

Arts programmers and practitioners are invited to take some time out to be inspired. Dublin Writers Festival and Children’s Books Ireland have gathered together some of Europe’s leading arts programmers for children to discover some new ways of thinking and working to engage young minds. Featuring Sally Goldsworthy (Discover Story Centre, London), Tamsin Ace (Southbank Centre, London), Sean Love (Fighting Words) and Arthur Lappin (The Ark).

Discover, London’s children’s museum, is a place where children and their families can create stories together through play. Connecting Stories, a multimedia project, explored links between diverse communities and cultures.

Southbank Centre recently ran the innovative Imagine Festival. A panel of local schoolchildren aged between 7 and 11 – the Festival Ideas Cloud – programmed festival events, from discussions with writers to series of debates on issues that affect them most.

The Ark’s “Poetry Trees”, originally commissioned in 1997 from artists Genevive Murphy and John Kelly, take on the shape and nature of the poems they bear as leaves and feature poetry by acclaimed poets. The Ark is currently developing a national tour for the exhibition.

Fighting Words is a creative writing centre established by Roddy Doyle and Sean Love. The clarity of its mission and ideology has attracted voluntary participation from filmmakers, composers, illustrators and writers. This event is on from 11am - 1pm. Tickets are free but booking is required via Tel 01 6707788 or boxoffice@ark.ie