Sogidi Primary  brought a group of 10 children who were proud to read parts of their stories. The Mentor explained that the cover of the book which is  called Rural Children’s Dreams, truly depicts the rural area in which they live.

And the back cover was illustrated by them with a photo of the school, really rural and a great tribute to the hard work of the Mentor, the children and the principal. This club is part of the legacy left by Dr Zweli Mkhize with his Priority Project in 2011/2012 when Felicity and a small team visited deep rural areas to give right brain training and motivate towards clubs and publication.

The Dancing Pencils Writing Clubs:  Clubs are being established comprising of people that are passionate about writing. These writers are coached by a mentor, who has been personally trained by Felicity in her unique right-brain method of creative writing. Mentors run clubs in their areas.  Stories are written, shared and the best ones are selected for publishing by umSinsi Press, which is a niche publishing house owned by Felicity. These writing clubs allow people to develop their craft, to share life experiences, and express their feelings in a nurturing environment. Annually they have a book launch which is exciting for the children.

The Benefits: The club system allows for peer evaluation of work and the selection of publication material to remain in the hands of communities. We capture (often for posterity) stories of people from all walks of life for example, stories written by children, which are read by other children.  The children writing the books are given the opportunity to be “heard” and recognised, and the children reading them have the opportunity to read about other peoples’ life experiences.

Right-Brained Writing

The brain’s activity: Our brains have two halves and these two parts function in different ways. The left brain side of the brain is rational, perfectionistic and logical. The right side of the brain 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 ”just writing.” There is no judging and criticizing of content, handwriting, spelling and punctuation. This frees the individual from the blockages of “ought to’s” and surprising material is expressed. People are also encouraged to illustrate their own stories. The right brain has different knowledge from the left brain, and is healing and therapeutic.

The Benefits: People learn how to use their whole brain, and realise the importance of not judging themselves. Many children are the more right-brain types that have difficulty doing regular left-brain, 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 also builds self-esteem and confidence in the aspiring writer. The right brain also has problem solving abilities and is a happy, positive side of a person.

UmSinsi Press

History: umSinsi Press was founded by Felicity Keats- Morrison 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 cc is a niche publisher, and does not accept manuscripts from the public. Dancing Pencils unearths, nurtures and grows talent in a writer. 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, which have been edited, typed and are on CD, along with the handwritten original. Here they are type-set, including illustrations, and published. A short resume about the author and photo appears on the back cover. All books are given an official “launch”. Authors often get exposure in newspaper articles, and on radio and television. Official, teachers, friends and parents all come to recognise and affirm the authors.

Finance: Print runs of books are sponsored by funders, clubs themselves and umSinsi Press itself. The entire operation of Dancing Pencils is dependent on these sponsorships.

Royalties: After signing their contracts, cnce a year, depending on the number of books sold, authors receive “royalties”. (Monies paid to them). This is tremendously exciting and motivating to get youngsters writing! Royalties are often very little but it is nonetheless exciting for authors!

A Life Changing Mentor Training

An Initiative of The Dancing Pencils Writing Clubs

TOPIC: Unlocking Creativity through RIGHT BRAIN techniques with Felicity Keats

Outcome:  Dancing Pencils Mentor Training with the possibilities of Publication of books

When:  one full day as arranged with a group, large or small

Time: 8.30 am until 3.00 pm

Where: as negotiated by the group, or in Durban (Felicity’s home town)

Cost: R2 500 per delegate, includes morning tea and lunch, asset of three training manuals that give help from grade R to adulthood and some books for your club with big discounts for large groups.

Who: People who are passionate about writing and want to make a difference with reading and writing; there is also the possibility of publication for them and their learners (conditions apply.)

Why:
1. to unlock your own talent and ability to write
2. to enable you to unlock talent and ability of anyone, children or adults of any culture and     language to write publishable work
3. To discuss the procedures to publication

What:
unlock your lateral abilities of the right brain; journalism, short story writing, novel writing and publication. Transfer of skills. You learn what to say to shift your learns into the right brain, and how to support the skills of people in a group or class using nonjudgmental and non critical methods.

Benefits: Unearthing your talents gives a great sense of joy and self worth. You may teach anywhere or run clubs. There are no fees to pay for doing this. Publication is also a possibility.
Certificates will be presented.

This course is also available over the internet in a series of 12 lessons that do include voice and music.

Another excellent choice is for teachers to train and then on the second day, to bring along 5 learners who get the same training. This means the instant start of a Dancing Pencils Writing Club in a school.

Dancing Pencils Literacy Development Project Mission

The DPLDP, its Associates, Partners, Members etc shall

• Assist with the donation of books to needy rural or urban schools with no libraries or classroom reading material
• Identify areas of development
• Assist with funding of workshops to mentors
• Assist with funding of writing clubs
• Assist with funding the origination of a book by a club
• Assist with book launches
• Assist with  funding of  selected material into 2000 print runs
• Assist with development of artistic groups/individuals

We had a quorum of members present, that includedPatricia Devenish who kindly took the Minutes, Veena Gangaram, Bonga Zondo (Director), Detlev Diegel, Sam Ndawo and Felicity Keats Morrison (also a director who took the photo!)

Our prime concern is our end of year Dancing Pencils Book launch which seems to be scheduled now to take place on Friday 2nd December 2011, at the Drama Theatre in the Playhouse, which is a prestigious venue, as the City Hall is now booked for Climate Change conference meetings.

Over a thirty year period, Felicity Keats-Morrison has developed a unique method of unlocking creativity in different fields of creativity ie  writing, maths and science subjects, arts and culture and storytelling. She also established a publishing company for the purpose of documenting all the above talents. In 1998, she presented the method to ELITS –  Education Library Information Technology Services (KZN).  She trained mentors for this department in 2002. ELITS project was a success and since then, most of the other Departments of Education in South Africa have incorporated this right brain method, in small or big ways.

The Dancing Pencils Literacy Development Project was born as an initiative of heads of libraries and as an initiative  in some education departments in different provinces,  The company,  a non-profit making organisation, called Dancing Pencils Literacy Development Project, was established mainly to assist develop the  Dancing Pencils Writing clubs nationally.

The company strives to provide professionalism and excellence in  developing of writing clubs nationally. Our latest success is the partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Office of the Premier in helping to raise literacy levels in KwaZulu-Natal through the establishment of Dancing Pencils Writing Clubs in schools in all districts. Books published by the writing clubs become reading material for the members as well as for other young people so this does raise both the reading and writing levels in the province.

With the collective education industry’s knowledge and the experience of our management team we are well equipped to meet the demands of a changing education. KZN Arts, Culture and Tourism, and the Rights on the Child’s Commission have also become involved.
Felicity Keats-Morrison also works in partnership with the PanSALanguage Board in mentor training and unlocking creativity of learners, with great success, The outcome has been the publishing of books in South Africa’s marginalised home languages.

Strategic Position

The non profit company has been set up to

• Pay for mentor training
• Pay for the origination of new books by Dancing Pencils Writing clubs
• Pay for the printing of these books in bigger print runs to give to disadvantaged schools in rural and township areas.

Our strategy is to achieve exceptional growth in our core business by aggressively and consistently marketing the company at every opportunity.

Board Members

Previous board member and executive director, Luke Dhlamini, now passed on on 6th July 2005, whose energy and passion and desire for a non profit company brought things to this point.

Luke Dhlamini collected his experience by working as a manager for Hopkins and Associates, a Labour Relations Law firm, for three years (1989 – 1993). In 1993 he joined the local Peace Accord (Newcastle) and he successfully created a healthy atmosphere for the youths of different political affiliation.  One of his highlights with the Peace Accord was in 1994 when he was sponsored by then Iscor Pty Ltd to a tune of forty thousand Rands to stage a pre-election festival that would calm all the youths in the area. That was superbly achieved, and he raised more than  seventy thousand Rands in that particular project.

During 1996/97 he attended and successfully completed a basic level sports administration course organised and conducted by the then National Sports council. He was also instrumental in setting up the South African Football Players’ Union together with Mr Julius Tivhani Sono, Marks Maponyane etc.

During 1998 he was offered by Saka-Northern an opportunity to raise funds for the organisation, which he successfully accomplished with flying colours. His main task and goal within the Dancing Pencils Literacy Development Project was to have corporate partners who assist in the development of literacy in South Africa and the rest of Africa in the future. His education background from school was not a bed of roses.
He then completed his schooling with Damelin Newcastle, 1998-2001 where he obtained his Diploma in Marketing.

Profile of Bonga Zondo

Bonga Zondo has a three year National Diploma in Journalism from M.L.Sultan Technikon (Now called Durban University of Technology.

In 1999, he worked as Communications Officer at KZN Newspaper.
From 2001 to 2005, he worked at University of KwaZulu-Natal, as Research Assistant and as a translator.
From 2006 till July 2008, worked as a book editor, typesetter and translator at umSinsi Press.
From 24 February 2007-20 January 2008, worked as a coordinator of Anti-Crime Musical Project funded by Department of Community Safety and Liaison.
In April 2007, represented South Africa, under Dancing Pencils Literacy Development Project, in England at the London Book Fair which was partly sponsored by Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism.
In 2001, authored a novel titled “Gone to Earth” which received a lot of newspaper review.

His anthology of poetry book was published in 2004.

In 2006, directed a traditional poetical music by artists from different local municipalities under Zululand District.
In 2006, he began a musical campaign against crime.
In 2006, he received an award for creative writing from EThekwini Municipality.
In 2006, he authored a second novel called “Potato Dance” which was launched at Klaarwater Community Hall.

In 2006, he facilitated an autobiographical story-workshop to people with disability.

Profile of Felicity Keats-Morrison

Felicity Keats-Morrison has a B.Com, and UED. Her brief teaching career ended with the desire to write professionally. This she has been doing for nearly fifty years, intermittently, as a freelance journalist, short story writer, editor of South Africa’s Beekeeping journal, and more recently (since 1988) as a children’s author, and in writing books dealing with the unearthing of the talents of the right brain.

In 1992 she began teaching writing, using all her knowledge and further designing a powerful lateral right brain  teaching course that cut out the usual academics of the left brain and got people writing publishable work almost immediately.
Because of the need for her pupils to have a platform from which to be “heard”, she started a publishing company, umSinsi Press cc, in 1995. The number of published titles grew, from three in the first year, to a total of over 1 200 titles thirteen years later. In 1998 she started a rural literacy project, using a specially registered cc for the purpose.  Five corporates assisted with five print runs of books in 2000 and 3000 print runs which went to disadvantaged rural schools without reading material

In 2002 she started to “skills transfer” her knowledge in the form of compressed “mentor” courses which take place over three days.  Two and a half years ago, the concept of writing clubs was established, with the outcome being anthologies published annually, as well as some individual work from clubs Felicity is also publishing for Education departments under their trained mentors. This has resulted in the spread of good writing in many parts of South Africa, leading to better school passes and better job opportunities.

Felicity has personally trained more than 1000 mentors, each training taking a full two to three days,  and has worked in all nine provinces of South Africa, traing education specialists, curriculum implementers, district officials, provincial education department officials, and educators,  to use non judgmental non critical methods of helping children to read and write publishable work and so rapidly increase literacy levels, even in the deepest rural areas.

In 2011 she was granted a Living Legends Award by the eThekwini Municipality for Academics and Services rendered nationally

Felicity also enjoys  watercolour painting and photography as a hobby.

Profile of Kumbulani Ndawo

Sam Ndawo’s qualifications are:  STD (University of Zululand); B.A. (UNISA);  B. Ed (UNISA) Post Graduate Diploma in Librarianship (Liverpool, UK).  He is passionate not only about reading, but about writing and believes that a “writing and a reading nation is a winning nation.” Sam Ndawo has taken hugely revolutionary steps in encouraging educators and children in Mpumalaga to write their own stories in their own languages and in English and Afrikaans.

These have been put into books and ordered in 2000 print runs for use in Mpumalanga school classrooms and libraries. Authors earn royalties, other provinces are purchasing these books from the publisher as some of them are written in South Africa’s official languages. One book, Tinganekwane 2003, had stories by educators in nine different official South African languages. In recent years, curriculum implementers have written big books which they have also illustrated.

Profile of Patricia Devenish

Qualifications
BA  University of the Witwatersrand,
BA  Hons  Unisa
Transvaaal Teachers’ Higher Diploma JCE
L.T.CL Trinty College London

Experience
Teacher: Primary School, Secondary School  (including Special Education)
Lecturer Various Teachers’ Training Colleges
Tutor in English at the University of the Western Cape
Educator/Librarian   at the Open Air School

Other information
Workshops Have presented workshops for Very Special  Arts (Speech and Drama)
APEK (now Naptosa) Speech and Drama Dance and Music
Dancing Pencils Writing dialogue for children’s plays
Conferences attended International School Libraries 2003 Durban
School Libraries 2006 Portugal where I presented a paper “Creating a Book Culture in  a Special Needs School”

Profile of Veena Gangaram – Educator, Facilitator, Mentor

Experience and Career
Qualified educator with 29 years teaching experience in the intermediate and senior phase. In charge of Reading and Creative Writing Motivation Programmes since 1989 to date. Post graduate course in resource Centre Management. Trained as a Creative Writing Mentor in 2002 under Felicity Keats. Started the first club under the banner of Dancing Pencils. Published the first learner’s book in the Kwa-Mashu District. Since 2002, published 25 stand alone books and 5 anthologies to date. Learners are workshop on how to  “Develop their creative Writing Skills” once a week after school hours.

Workshop
Conducted the following workshops for ELITS (Education Library Informatio and Technology services) for the Department of Education – KZN.

1. “How to motivate learners to read” – 5 workshops in the Kwa Mashu, Ndwedwe, Inanda, Newlands East, Newlands West and Tongaat areas  in 2002 for educators.
2. Workshopped educations on “Reading and Creative Writing “ at a Tent Reading Festival in Bergville, Estcourt in September 2003.
3. Workshopped Chief Education Specialists for Languages in the Intermediate and Senior Phase in Mpumalanga in August 2008 on “Get Addicted to Reading” and “Reading Strategies.”
4. Currently conducting workshops on “How to develop creative writing skills using the Right Brain” on Saturdays for learners from 11.00 to 13.00 at the BAT Centre, Durban.