Purpose: This project was established by Felicity Keats with the vision of building literacy in sub-Saharan Africa. There is an enormous need for literacy and a lack of material in indigenous languages to read about. The literacy project is comprised of writing clubs
The Dancing Pencils Writing Clubs: Clubs are being established around the country. They are comprised of about 20 people and are facilitated by a mentor. Mentors run between one and three writing clubs in their area. They are trained by Felicity in teaching methods that facilitate creative writing. Stories are written, shared and the best ones selected for publishing. These writing clubs allow the children to develop their craft, to share their life experiences, and express their feelings in a nurturing environment.
Right Brained Writing
The brain’s activity: Our brains have two halves and these two parts function in different ways. The left brain side is rational, perfectionistic and logical. The right side is imaginative, intuitive, creative and lateral. Creative writing entails accessing the right side of the brain.
How: To encourage the right brain, attention is given to freeing the imagination. The inner critic, with its need to “get things right”, is cast aside. Permission is given to making mistakes. No judging and criticising of content, handwriting, spelling and punctuation are allowed. This freeze the individual from the blockages of “ought to’s” and surprising material is expressed. Children are encouraged to illustrate their stories.
Benefits: Children learn how to use their whole brains, and realise the importance of not judging themselves. Many children are the more right brained types that have difficulty doing regular left brained, rote learning school activity. This method affirms and nurtures the potential of the natural artist – it enhances the development of song writers, play writers, poets, artists and authors. It builds self-esteem and confidence.
Umsinsi Press
History: Umsinsi Press was founded by Felicity Keats in 1995. At the time she was teaching private creative writing courses and established Umsinsi in order to give her students a platform from which to be “heard”.
Function: Umsinsi Press is the vehicle for printing the works of students and the selected products of the dancing pencils’ literacy project. Stories are sent to Umsinsi, typed and on CD and in handwritten form, where they are type set, including illustrations. A short resume about the author and their photo appears on the back cover. Books are “launched” regularly. Officials, teachers, friends and parents all come to recognise and affirm the authors.
Finance: Mentor training is charged for but there are no club fees. Print runs of books are sponsored by Education Departments, Corporate sponsors and Umsinsi Press itself. The entire operation of the company is dependent on this sponsorship.
Royalties: Once a year, depending on the number of books sold, authors receive “royalties” (Monies paid to them). This is tremendously exciting and motivating to get the youngsters writing! E.g. With a print run of 3000 copies of her book, an 8 year old, received in the region of R5000 at year-end.
About Felicity Keats-Morrison:
Felicity has a B. Com, and UED. She has always had a love of the creative process and has for the past 40 years been intermittently producing journal articles, books, writing stories and painting pictures. She was the editor of South Africa’s Bee Journal for many years and is the author of 10 children’s books and 9 writing guides.
In 1992 she began facilitating creative writing to small groups of interested people. This extended to classes of young scholars in, mostly, model C schools. These schools sponsored their own books. Finally, Felicity extended herself out into less privileged schools, facilitating as many as 200 students at a time. Finding it impossible to reach all the children, no matter how rural, she realised she needed to teach others to do what she does and hence she now teaches teachers and librarians.
Right brain writing is being establishing in a number of districts in provinces around South Africa as the immense benefits of a rapid flow of thoughts increase the learners’ interest in both writing, reading, listening and communicating, and in critical thinking. In fact literacy levels have risen from 50% to 82.7% in the Shine Centre in Cape town, using this method.
Felicity trains not only high level education specialists in right brain writing, but has developed a course for master trainers who have all the skills that she has. This will lead to a rapid increase in literacy in our country.
