Interview with M2C 2012 Teen Curator Sheena McGuirk

Sheena McGuirk, one of the Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival’s Teen Curators in 2012 talks about her role in the festival and the Teen Curators’ Event:

Ideas, Imagination and the Craft of Writing with Writers Michelle Harrison and Philip Reeve

Michelle Harrison & Philip Reeve with Teen Curators Sheena McGuirk, Chloe O’Hara & Erin Jennings

How you got involved in the activity?

Sarah Webb (one of the Book Festival Curators) contacted our English department in school and, through one of our English teacher Ms Anna Johnson, we heard about the Teen Curators Event and volunteered for the position of Teen Curators.

Were you enthusiastic about it or a little shy or…?

Very excited about reading the books and meeting the authors (Phillip Reeves and Michelle Harrison) but when the day of the event arrived, we were nervous, almost anxious. We had never taken part in anything like this event before so that didn’t help with the nerves! But Phillip and Michelle were really friendly and reassuring.

How the project proceeded from the beginning and did it meet expectations and in what way?

The whole project took about seven/eight months, from January to September 2012 and we kept in contact with Sarah Webb throughout the project. We began with researching authors we would like to invite and sending off about emails and letters asking if they would be interested in taking part in the Teen Curators event. When Phillip (Reeve) and Michelle (Harrison) said they would be happy to take part, we began reading their books and making endless lists of questions we hoped would interest the authors and the audience at the event. We were not really sure what to expect but we thoroughly enjoyed the interview and would definitely love to do something like it again. We learned a lot about novel writing and gained useful interviewing skills. It felt like a real achievement. J

Why did you get involved?

The three of us have a great love of reading; you will rarely find us without a book! We were interested to learn more about how authors think, work and overcome problems throughout their career. It also sounded like fun!

What was the value to you personally, as a school community and the wider community?

It wasn’t really a school event but it was great for young people in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown community to meet the authors they admire so much. It was especially great for young people who aspire to be an author or work in the writing industry to hear about Phillip and Michelle’s real experiences as authors.

Any advice, tips, recommendations for other festivals?

Get more Teens and young people involved! We are more capable than you think! Curators and organizers could get more involved in schools to gain support and a bigger audience. Never underestimate the amount of work involved in organizing any event; always put aside enough time to fully focus on it, whether it is reading books, researching a celebrity…etc.

Is there value in young people taking an active part in organizing events for other young people and why might this be so?

Yes, definitely. Young people are much more aware of what their friends and other people their age are interested in. It is a great way for young people with the same interests to get together. Organizing an event experience, learning to deal with the responsibility of organizing an event and it helps you gain confidence speaking in front of crowds.

What support did you get? What support did you not get (do feel free to be honest here!)?

We had brilliant support and encouragement from Sarah Webb and Tom Donegan (Book Festival Curators). They gave us great advice throughout the event, especially on what questions would be appropriate and inappropriate to ask our authors. However, they gave us a lot if freedom to write to any authors of books for young people we were interested in, with the possibility of video chat for long-distance interviews, and to ask a wide range of questions. They also stopped us getting too nervous on the day of the interview! The teachers in our school were great too, letting us use their classrooms for meeting during lunchtimes and after school.

What were the challenges?

The main challenge was getting a reply from authors. Often the replies were automatic emails informing us we would receive a reply with a few weeks- we didn’t! Most of the emails we sent off never even got replies. Nevertheless, did not get disheartened and kept trying! Dealing with nerves on the day of the event was a little challenging, but Phillip and Michelle were so relaxed we couldn’t help but feel at ease.

What were the successes?

The whole event was a success; we had fun and met two very talented authors. We ended up reading books we may never have chosen to read ourselves. It pushed us to read different genres and books from a wider variety of authors.

Would you recommend getting involved in something like this to other young people?

Yes, definitely, but you have to be interested in the topic of the event. If we weren’t’ such enthusiastic readers we would not have enjoyed the event half as much; it would have been much more of a struggle. It gives you confidence in working in front of an audience for the future and confidence in your own abilities. The event was a great personal achievement for us too, a great memory to have. It will also looks great on our CVs!

What did you learn from the teen curator project?

We gained great interview skills and confidence in speaking in front of an audience. It was interesting to see how different Michelle and Phillip were, Phillip being much more extravert, but both are successful authors. They also had very different writing methods and techniques, which showed us that you really have to find what works for you; no one can tell you how to write, they can only help you find your way.

This year the Teen Curators will be interviewing Patrick Ness on Saturday 7th September.