By Eithne Cullen
Welcome to November’s Thoughtful Tuesday page. There’s an evolution going on all around us as the seasons change, the cyclical revolutions of autumn to winter, and the promise of what winter will bring. So, it’s fitting we push on with this (R) Evolution theme.
A few weeks ago I wrote my own piece about my fears for creativity in the current and changing school curriculum. Interestingly, Jilly Henderson-Long has chosen a related theme for the first piece I’m sharing, today. The revolutionary power of words is so important that we must never lose the importance of reading and writing, too. This piece is a celebration of opening the doors to creativity for young readers. Thanks for sharing, Jilly.
Where Reading Can Lead To Writers
Three things have occurred recently which is helping to fuel this article. Back in March this year, I was lucky enough to be accepted as a Reading Assistant at a local school. This is a voluntary role, and it means that for one and a half hours a week, I give ten to fifteen minutes of individual time to five or six Year 2 children (age 7) to help them with their reading. As someone who was able to read myself at a very young age, and having seen a number of grandchildren through their reading books over the years, becoming a Reading Assistant just seemed like the next logical step and I find it unbelievably rewarding! When I arrived at the most recent session, the Head of Reading told me that the children I have been helping are not only making amazing progress but have been asking for me personally to continue helping them. What an enormous honour!
Secondly, I went into a local charity shop the other day and came upon a book entitled Tiny Treasures – Tales From Essex. It contains over two hundred 50-word ‘mini sagas’ all of which were written by children aged 7 to 11, all of whom attend Essex schools. I am already halfway through the book and, as with my own Young Writer group between 2012 and 2018; I am blown away by the extent of Creative Writing talent being shown by such young pen smiths! This cannot be mere coincidence! It isn’t just the fact that these youngsters read, it is the fact they can write – and not only write, but produce a story complete with a beginning, middle and end in just fifty words. I used to run Creative Writing courses at further education colleges where even adult students often struggled with such constraints!
And thirdly, Pen to Print and Write On! published the opening paragraph of a book being written by my ten-year-old grandson, who has always been very proud of the fact I am a published writer, often decreeing that one day, we will write a book together.
Since I have long been an ambassador for introducing young children to the wonders of Creative Writing, all three of these instances have only encouraged me to continue with my quest to see more Creative Writing opportunities become available to youngsters as an extra-curricular activity. As children, we first learn to appreciate stories when they are read to us. We then learn to read in order to learn to write. The two are not exclusive and much more needs to be done to aid this transition. If not, the day may yet come when there simply are no debut writers, only AI produced content, which would, in my opinion anyway, be a literary catastrophe! At the end of the day, reading makes for writers, writers make for reading which is exactly how it should be – and long may it continue.
© Jilly Henderson-Long, 2025
Connect with Jilly on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/jhendersonlong
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Reading this piece, I’m reminded of how lovely it is to read with a child in school (or at home). Reading with children is a way of recycling our own love of books and reading. I love seeing my granddaughter’s reading log from school, which features comments from all the people who read with her… parents, grandparents, TAs and teachers. Such a positive input to her reading life.
The next piece is a poem in response to a question I raised about how recycling and reuse might be connected to evolution and revolution, too. Tavinder picked up the thread and submitted this.
Reuse Recycle Reprocess
reuse recycle reprocess,
Save it; don’t discard it,
The waste around us is piling up.
reuse, recycle, reprocess
leftover bits and bobs,
make, create, shape it.
Give it another lease of life.
Bottles, cans, and rubbish are spoiling the planet’s beauty,
recover the inner child, so go play!
Save it; don’t discard it,
Disposing is easy; reusing is the creativity of the mind and soul.
reuse, recycle, reprocess,
Discover your passions of the heart and soul,
Save. Don’t throw it away,
You never know what you may create.
© Tavinder Kaur New, 2025
Connect with Tavinder on X: @NewTavinder or via their website: tavindernew.wordpress.com
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The final piece I’m sharing, today, is a poem from Alex Murdock. It’s a reflection on personal growth and evolution. Alex has submitted the poem along with an explanation of how the poem came about.
The Messy Child
Daylight comes with a bite,
running until midnight,
perhaps then I’ll be alright.
What about the fright that lives in my eyes?
Compulsion dictates to tell no lies,
despite a threat to make-cry;
bloody red,
an explosion in my head,
mental space,
a forensic type of place,
dark as the villainous type,
never saw it coming,
cursing myself,
and my inability to see around corners;
until I’m cornered,
searching for resolve,
seeking fluid to run like a slippery touch,
perhaps then I could make flexible my clutch,
adaptable to rust and excess exhaust.
Curtail my stories,
breathing resilience,
I exhale adaptability,
it left me polished,
striking as a match,
burning once struck,
yellow as the sun,
pending my ascension,
yet,
to live in the bottom of the barrel,
if I ever submit to the crows,
though in thought not so bad,
for I’ve already made them pets;
darkness,
just a type of spark- yes,
such periods,
they define my life,
for I’ve had to rewrite the script,
thousand multiplied,
and yet,
still, perfect- I could not find,
driven to a new current,
on different occasions,
I will be fine,
making mistakes is not a crime.
Living high in the valleys,
that will make me wise,
but no fortune for lying on your belly,
so I’m driven to find my prize.
What happens when I make a mess?
Do it again,
maybe multiply,
maybe you’ll do better as a messy child,
for it takes time to find,
thus,
a crime to be sublime,
transitional fluid running through my timeline,
like the ghosts I’ve left behind,
conceited,
I could see them hanging on my insides,
creeping for my mind,
it took some time-see,
but I found me,
without the propensity to live compact,
picture sardine,
so hard to breathe,
I broke chains to find relief,
driven by times one only knew grief,
yet I stand,
seldom smiling for the child who never lived.
© Alex Murdock, 2025
The Courage To Be The ‘Messy Child’
My poem takes a deep dive into the mind of a perfectionist, the kind of person who takes perfectionism to a level where we walk on eggshells. The line ‘Daylight comes with a bite, running until midnight,’ reflects the constant, exhausting effort of tiptoeing around our imperfections to the degree that we completely lack flexibility.
Over time, this intense effort leads to regression, an inability to exhale, and severe self-limitation, transforming our mental space into ‘a forensic type of place.’ This paralysing circumstance can render us brittle and confined- forcing us to ‘live compact, picture sardine, so hard to breathe.’
However, no matter how daunting the circumstance, there is always an opportunity for growth and evolution. It takes tremendous courage to initiate that change.
The turning point is the decision to ‘Break chains’ and make those very imperfections our strength. This is the essence of resilience: ‘Breathing resilience, I exhale adaptability, it left me polished, striking as a match, burning once struck.’ The strike, or the failure, is what activates the refinement. This action liberates our mind from shackles that previously caused constant undermining.
As human beings, we are fallible creatures, but there is immense strength in embracing that fact. The concluding lines- ‘So hard to breathe, I broke chains to find relief, driven by times one only knew grief, yet I stand, seldom smiling for the child who never lived’- incite the strength of a self that has evolved beyond the impossible ideal of perfection.
© Alex Murdock, 2025
Connect with Alex via his website: DIEN.UK or via Instagram: @themadpo3t
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Thanks for sharing the poem, Alex and your own thoughts for us to respond to, reminding us that making mistakes is not a crime. And finally, let’s not forget the excitement of change and evolution, adventure lies ahead.
Eithne
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Issue 26, featuring Patrick Vernon OBE, is out now. You will find it in libraries and other outlets. Alternatively, all current and previous editions can be found on our magazines page here.
You can hear great new ideas, creative work and writing tips on Write On! Audio. Find us on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Google Podcasts and Spotify. Type Pen to Print into your browser and look for our logo or find us on Spotify.
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