[lead]Lost for words[/lead]

Pupils at The Hawthorne’s School were treated to a visit from spoken word artist David Bowden.

David, an acclaimed poet from Oklahoma in the United States performed in assemblies and lessons, inspiring young people to explore the spoken word.

Best known for his poems such as ‘Start something that matters’, David is currently on a 10 day tour of the UK visiting schools and churches, although he is more used to speaking to packed arenas of up to 22,000 people or performing in advertisements for TOMS shoes.

‘I couldn’t wait to meet David Bowden and for him to work with my Year 11 group’ said one year 11 pupil, ‘I had watched some of his work on Youtube and was blown away! I want to thank David and his friend Brady, for giving us an amazing experience and opening our eyes to the power of words!’

The visit was organised by Ykids children’s charity as part of the run up to the Bootle Children’s Literacy Festival (10 famous authors and poets visiting local schools and signing books at a pop-up bookshop in the Strand Shopping Centre) promoting literacy in schools across Bootle.

‘David was a superb presence in our school,’ said Shirley Mullany, Head of Literacy at The Hawthorne’s school. ‘He captivated the students with his poetry and performances throughout the day. He was inspirational, engaging and challenged the students to think about their own ‘inner voice’. Fantastic!’