Fellfoot Fables for the wider community

Fellfoot Fables aims to hear the future voice of Fellfoot. Keeping within government guidelines on social distancing, we want you to look closely at your corner of the North Pennines AONB and the Eden Valley – to record your observations from home during this period of change. What is your relationship with the landscape? What stories or history do you know about it? What changes in the landscape have you noticed whilst spending this time at home? What do you cherish about it?

Fellfoot Fables is being delivered by Eden Valley-based poet and novelist, Katie Hale (halekatie.com).

Katie has adapted the following videos from the Fellfoot Fables for schools workshops to offer advice and inspiration to help you create your own record for Fellfoot Fables. You can use the help sheet for tips too. Submissions can be made by emailing halekatie.writer@gmail.com or on the Fellfoot Forward Facebook group.

By submitting your work, it is on the understanding that you are happy for us to share your writing with others. Work produced from Fellfoot Fables will be featured on our website, social media channels and the Fellfoot Forward Facebook group. You can join this group to become part of the online Fellfoot Forward community.

*Please note if you share video or film as part of your Fables submission, please include a completed image consent form when send in with your work.

Thanks for taking part!

Bitesize Fables

If you haven’t yet taken part in Fellfoot Fables, then why not try Bitesize Fables first? This is for anyone to have a go at over the summer (children & adults alike) – and if you have already written a poem for Fellfoot Fables, why not have a go at Bitesize Fables with family or friends?

Instead of the full workshop series, we just want you to video yourself (or get someone to video you) telling us something about your land. Start with the following phrase, ‘I come from a land…’ and tell us about where you live.

You could describe what the land is like through closely observing it,or talk about how you feel about your land. Or you could tell us a piece of history or legend associated with where you live. You might want to write it out as a poem or paragraph before you start (feel free to watch some of the videos for hints and tips), or just speak to camera off the top of your head. The choice is yours – but don’t forget to film in landscape (not portrait), to stick to social distancing rules, and to start with ‘I come from a land…‘

Workshop 1

Step 1: Watch the ‘Community Introduction’ video below. If you can’t access the video there is a short PDF here.

Step 2: Watch video 2 (‘Noticing like a writer’). The PDF is here if you can’t view the video.

Step 3: When you have been for your walk in step 2, come back and make some notes. Go back to the main workshop PDF to check what sort of things can help here.

Workshop 2

Introduction: read through the PDF about this workshop

Step 1: Watch video 4 below (‘Offcomer‘). If you can’t access the video there is a short PDF here.

Step 2: Use the poem, ‘Offcomer’ in video 4, to think about how to structure your own poem. The workshop 2 PDF takes you through some questions to help you do this.

Step 3: Watch video 5 (‘Putting it all together’). Use the advice in this video to start building your own poem. The PDF is here if you can’t view the video.

Workshop 3

Introduction: read through the PDF about this workshop

Step 1: Watch video 6 below (‘Editing a Poem‘). If you can’t access the video there is a short PDF here.

Step 2: Have a look back through your poem now, are there things that jump out at you that you want you change? Be prepared to make some big changes as part of the editing process.

Step 3: Watch video 7 below (‘Making Your Poem Shine‘). If you can’t access the video there is a short PDF here.

Step 4: After following the advice from video 7, your poem might now look a bit messy with all your editing notes but this is part of the process. Write up a presentation version of your poem – we’ll be using this in Workshop 4 when we talk about ways of sharing our work.

Workshop 4

Introduction: read through the PDF about this workshop

Step 1: Watch video 8 below (‘Sharing your work‘). If you can’t access the video there is a short PDF here.

Step 2: Think about who in your household you might want to share your poem with. Could you make a video of yourself reading it or record just the audio? You might need to someone to help with this to offer feedback or to film you. Can you illustrate your poem or create drawings or other artwork to complement your writing?

Step 3:  Congratulations, you’ve finished! It’s time to send your work to our poet, Katie Hale. She can offer  you feedback if you would like it and please also help us by completing a feedback form and including this in your email to Katie. You can also share your work immediately online via the Fellfoot Forward Facebook group.  Why not encourage your family and neighbours to have a go too?

Why not watch an example video created by the Fellfoot Forward Community Engagement Officer? Sam reads her poem, adapted from Katie Hale’s ‘Offcomer’, using the first line ‘I come from a land…‘