Student teachers at The University of Chester were recently treated to a day with children's writers, Linda Buckley-Archer, Justin Somper and Dianne Hofmeyr,  who explored the theme 'Bringing the Past to Life' as part of Write Away's Read to Inspire conference series.

Linda Buckley-Archer's thoughtful presentation prompted students to think about why writers are interested in the past and gave them an insight into the allure of the eighteenth century. Linda talked affectionately about the Tar Man , the vigorous villain of her Time Quake Trilogy.

Showman Justin Somper had the audience quaking as he waved his cutlass and looked every bit like one of the characters from Demons of the Oceans He talked about the research underpinning his thrilling Vampirates series. Speaking after the event, Justin said, ' It is important to stress the enjoyment that books bring, and this event is a great opportunity to meet both student teachers and other writers.”  Visit the new Vampirates website.  http://www.vampirates.co.uk/  

Students were captivated by Dianne Hofmeyr's total immersion approach, using music, images and artefacts to bring the world of her novels Eye of the Moon and Eye of the Sun to life. Visit Dianne's website  

Justin, Dianne and Linda were pleased to be asked to read stories written by the students for children and took part in judging the final selection. Well done to all students in Chester who submitted stories.

Jaki Brien, Senior Lecturer within the Faculty of Education and Children’s Services, said: “We are delighted to have been able to host this event, which includes so many esteemed figures within the world of children’s literature. “It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to meet these authors and get an insight into their work. We want our students to love books, so the children they teach will also love them.”

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for their generous sponsorship of this event.

If you would like to know more about Read to Inspire and the Write Away's other activities contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it