{"id":9039,"date":"2024-03-08T10:48:19","date_gmt":"2024-03-08T10:48:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/?p=9039"},"modified":"2024-03-08T10:48:21","modified_gmt":"2024-03-08T10:48:21","slug":"alice-frecknall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/2024\/03\/08\/alice-frecknall\/","title":{"rendered":"Alice Frecknall"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Spine<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Alice is part of SPINE Festival 2024<\/a>, along with an incredible team of poets they’ll be leading workshops and arts activities for children in Libraries and schools across London this Spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Describe yourself in 3 words\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Awkward lil’ geek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What inspires you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

People and art. And people making art. In a living, breathing, needful way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us about your worst ever gig?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t think of one, which likely means I\u2019ve blocked it out. Probably for the best!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s your number one poetry pet peeve?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a reader, I do have a strange aversion to the word \u2018poem\u2019 or \u2018poet\u2019 appearing within poems, in a self-referencing way. I think it\u2019s because, for me, it kind of punctures the world or moment that the writer\u2019s created and takes me out of it; it makes me aware I\u2019m reading a poem. Though, like all these things, there are always exceptions to the rule. And it\u2019s all just a matter of taste at the end of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whose words do you love at the moment?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rachael Allen, Ada Lim\u00f3n, Ocean Vuong, Kim Addonizio, Joe Carrick-Varty\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What piece of advice would you give to your younger self?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Risk it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you relate to the themes of magic & imagination?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The magic of imagination. The power we all possess through our imaginations to invent and transport and redefine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you enjoy most about working with children, families and libraries?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I think it\u2019s the bringing together of community through creativity. Libraries have always felt like a place of sanctuary for me, somewhere I feel comfortable and safe but also somewhere that feels boundless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever I get to work with children, I\u2019m always struck by how often they\u2019re seemingly able to write completely uninhibited. They put pen to paper and start, and they write immaculately until they get to the end of whatever it is they\u2019re writing. It rarely happens like that for me; the pages of my notebooks are full of false starts, fits of ink, and crossed out scribbles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working with families is a real joy. When I was an Artist-in-Residence for SPINE Festival 2023, alongside wonderful storyteller Bernadette Russell, we had the privilege of running an intimate group workshop with families. The session was intended for children but only a few came on that day, so we invited parents and siblings to join too. It was so special to get to see a meeting of generations through creativity, across the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you could only have one sandwich for the rest of your life, what would it be?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Probably some kind of grilled cheese situation.<\/p>\n\n\n