From Page to Stage at Young Writers Workshop 6th March 2026 Academic Creative Arts Our Year 6 trip to Hurstpierpoint College for the Hurst Book Awards Workshops this week was an inspiring and creativity‑filled experience. We were thrilled to meet horror author Jack Mackay, who spoke to us about his debut novel Gloam, one of the five books we’ve been asked to read before May. Hearing about his journey as a writer—especially at just 22 years old—was incredibly motivating. We also took part in an engaging workshop with Mr Parkin, an English teacher at Hurst, who helped us develop ideas for the collaborative book we are writing alongside the other participating schools. Our story is based around the charming teacher, Miss Lent, who is certainly not as she seems! To round off the morning, Bright Torches led us in a lively drama workshop, where we learned lines from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and deepened our understanding of the play through performance activities. Overall, it was a wonderful morning in which our creativity blossomed and our ideas truly came to life.