Award-Winning Author
On Wednesday 13th March, as part of World Book Day celebrations, we hosted award-winning children’s author Alex Wheatle MBE.
Alex Wheatle is a British novelist of Jamaican heritage. Wheatle’s fiction largely focuses on working-class stories of Black British culture.
His stories often centre around childhood and teenage experiences of growing up in Brixton, taking inspiration from his own life. In the 1980s, while Wheatle lived in a social services hostel in Brixton, he witnessed the 1981 Brixton riots.
In 2008, Wheatle was awarded an MBE for services to literature. He now visits schools, colleges, universities, libraries and prisons, facilitating creative writing classes and delivering inspiring speeches.
Years 9 and 10 were gripped by Wheatle’s talk, tracing his life’s journey, the challenges he faced as a child, and how he became an author. Despite exploring some heavy themes, he kept the audience engaged with his humour and wisdom.
The recurring message in his talk was the transformative power of stories and the importance of reading. He used his life as an example of how reading and education can change lives and lead to success.
During break time, pupils were able to meet and interact with him while he signed copies of his books in the library.
Overall it was an enriching and inspiring day for our pupils.