[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-why-story-centres-the-guardian-books-podcast":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"Hey, The Guardian recently mentioned the \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/367873.html\">Make-your-own-Monster Mega-Challenge event\u003C/a> that I did at the \u003Cb>Just Imagine centre in Chelmsford, Essex\u003C/b> with fab friend and writer \u003Cb>Steve Cole\u003C/b>! There's a good section in it about story centres and the rise of them, (particularly as so many libraries are getting the government axe.. and yes, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13207256\">\u003Ci>dear\u003C/i>\u003C/a>, we're still angry about that). I've been working with two of the story centres lately, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.facebook.com/pages/Just-Imagine/160858473949007\">Just Imagine\u003C/a> and Stratford's \u003Ca href=\"http://www.discover.org.uk/\">Discover centre\u003C/a>, both amazing places with loads of opportunities for kids, writers, storytellers, illustrators and more. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/audio/2011/apr/22/podcast-jennifer-egan-easter\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/guardian_books-83525dfff6.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/justimagine2-e1d57fa759.jpg\">\\r\n\u003C!--more More under the cut-->\\r\nHere's a little index, if you don't want to listen to the whole thing:\\r\n8:50 - \u003Ca href=\"http://www.ministryofstories.org/\">The Ministry of Stories\u003C/a> Monster Store\\r\n9:45 - \u003Ca href=\"http://www.facebook.com/pages/Just-Imagine/160858473949007\">Just Imagine\u003C/a> story centre\\r\n10:33 - Interview with Just Imagine founder Nikki Gamble (who also heads the huge \u003Ca href=\"http://www.writeaway.org.uk/\">Write Away\u003C/a> book and learning material database )\\r\n10:45 - a bit about our Sarah & Steve show, with an inventive kid talking about his monster\\r\n11:31 - Interview with \u003Ca href=\"http://www.stevecolebooks.co.uk>\">Steve Cole\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/audio/2011/apr/22/podcast-jennifer-egan-easter\">Click here for the Guardian Books podcast.\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nSteve was asked, 'Why do you think there's a particular demand for these story centres?' and his response was a good one. (Steve's often been a good spokesperson for getting kids reading and storytelling.) \\r\n\\r\n\u003Ci>We're living in a time where the media itself is changing, and the rise of e-books, and lots of bookshops are finding that sales are being channeled through websites rather than the traditional bookstores. I think people are realising that it's not just about selling books, it's about fostering a community of getting people into books, and into reading,  into writing, and into improving those skills, and just encouraging them. I think it offers more of a way to reach out to a wider spectrum... Like, the smell of books! I mean, there's something so much more tangible about them in a place like this.\\r\n\\r\n\"I do quite a lot of school events, and you do get children who put their hands up and say, 'Can I go into a book shop wearing trainers? Do I have to wear smart shoes?' They have this idea that books are these dusty things and that all authors should be wearing dinner suits. I think just finding that actual writers are alive can be quite inspiring to children! I think a lot of them are sort of like, it seems a remote thing, they don't grasp it until you go along and talk to them about writing, and how EASY it is to come up with ideas for stories. And once you find the right story, that will hopefully start them off on a life-long love of reading and realising that it's not a chore, that it can be a lot of fun.\u003C/i>","2011-04-27T17:17:00.000Z","why-story-centres-the-guardian-books-podcast",[],"why story centres? - the guardian books podcast",1776628720063]