Page 13 - Autumn 2018 Echo AVE

Englishhead of Department: heather lilley 11

Award Winning Poet and hip hop Artist Inspires Students

On Wednesday, 31 October, the College welcomed Karl Nova, award winning Poet and Hip Hop artist, to the
Learning Resources Centre. Karl has recently been thrust into literary fame after winning the ClIPPA award for
his first ever book, Rhythm and Poetry. Not many people know, but RAP stands for rhythm and poetry, and
that’s what Karl Nova is all about.
Karl’s book is a collection of poems, influenced by hip hop, about the growth from childhood to adulthood
and is filled with humour, wit, and plenty of positivity. Ivybridge students were treated to live performances of
his poems, true Colours and No Beef. While Karl’s writing is enjoyable to read, it is a whole new experience to
hear it read aloud with such enthusiasm and charm. With each of his poems, Karl explained the story behind
them, highlighting the need for care when on social media, sparking discussions on fake news, cat fishing, and
trolling. Karl then invited the students to write their own poems or raps about the pros and cons of social
media.
During lunchtime, Karl did a personal meet and greet session for student librarians and budding writers, in
which he told us all about his childhood, and his experiences with growing up with difficult parental
expectations. We discussed dreams and aspirations and that the world takes you to strange and wonderful
places, no matter what you may have planned.

Visiting Author Chris Bradford’s Samurai Skills

Did you know that you can live for three months without food, three days without water, and three minutes
without air, but you cannot live for a single second without chi?
Students at the College know this now, after learning all about the infamous death touch, and other ancient
martial art techniques, when Chris Bradford visited the College on tuesday, 20 November.
Chris is author of the Young Samurai and Bodyguard series, as well as a Black-Belt in
the martial arts. Students who have demonstrated determination and made progress
on their Book Quest (the College’s new whole-school reading challenge) were invited
to witness Chris’ superior skills with his seriously sharp samurai sword. he taught us all
about his Katana – its deadly blade, sharp enough to cut through four bodies; its
intricately designed guard personalised to each samurai; and how a sword is
supposed to contain the samurai’s soul and so should not be touched by any other
person.
After describing how he researched for his books by travelling to exotic locations, as
well as working as a bodyguard himself, Chris did a live-action reading from his book,
the Way of the Warrior, which had students literally ducking for their lives as his sword
swooped down over their heads.
later, some students learnt how to write their own dynamic action scenes following
Chris’ advice that you should “write the type of books you’d want to read, books
filled with relentless action, believable characters and a plot that twists and turns
through the pages!”