Creative Wisbech students see their work published

Powerful writing and artwork by a group of students at a Wisbech academy has seen them published in a joint project with Trinity College, Cambridge.

The Litmus Project is aimed at creative writers or artists and encourages pupils from years nine to 11 to submit poetry, prose or artwork based on a theme - which this year was Over the Border.

Months of hard work by the Thomas Clarkson Academy group saw seven of them have work selected to feature in a published booklet - the first time so many pieces from one school have been included.

“Students spent months working on the project and producing some excellent work which, for the first time at our academy, had more than 200 entrants. The successful authors and artists were overjoyed, and we are all very proud of the achievement,” said Renee Callaghan, English teacher and champion for High Attaining Pupils (in the English Department) at Thomas Clarkson Academy.

A three-way collaboration with Trinity College, Cambridge Literary Festival and non-fee-paying schools saw this year’s project launch in April. All submissions appear online but a selection is made for a publication.

The Litmus began in 2019 and encourages students to use their imagination to create words or pictures and all the entries are on the project website. A selection of pieces, made by project founder and author Ali Smith, will appear in a published booklet.

Students whose work was chosen are Julia (The Tyrant); Deborah (Never let Go); Arrow (Crossing into Insanity); Daniel (The Border and the Oil Lamp); Pawel (Displacement and War) and Maddie (Glitch and Lost).