Doodling Poet brings family fun for National Storytelling Week

Posted on: Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Families can enjoy a fun celebration of National Storytelling Week at the National Civil War Centre on Saturday 4 February with a fantastic star guest. Free for Newark and Sherwood residents, the monthly Family Saturday event will be welcoming ‘doodling poet’ Chris White for 30-minute sessions of rhyming mayhem throughout the day.

Author, illustrator, and performance poet Chris has performed across the world in places such as Dubai, China, the Congo, Vietnam, the Edinburgh Fringe and at our very own Newark Book Festival as well as on BBC TV and radio. His books include ‘Never Give a Duck a Pen!’ and ‘The A to Z of Completely Made-Up Dinosaurs.’

He said: “I’m excited to meet lots of Newark’s brilliant young people for some fast-paced family fun and chuckles with piles of poems and oodles of doodles. Join me as I draw some silly pictures, read some peculiar poems, and help you to unleash your inner artist! Just bring along your imagination and your smiles. You’ll laugh! You’ll clap! You’ll shout! You’ll draw stuff! But whatever happens, you’ll have a good time.”

Sessions with Chris will be taking place at 10.30am, 11.30am, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm and there’ll be fascinating family-friendly museum tours taking place throughout the day as well as some amazing objects to handle too.

Councillor Rhona Holloway, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development and Visitors at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “Stories and creativity are so important for young people so it’s wonderful that this great event celebrating National Storytelling Week is totally free for residents. Chris is a brilliant author and we’ve seen from his previous sessions at the Newark Book Festival that he has an amazing ability to engage young people with his riotous rhyming fun.” 

The National Civil War Centre’s Family Saturdays are a regular event taking place on the first Saturday of the month with a different theme each time. Follow them on Facebook to keep updated with the latest themes and other events.