ACCLAIMED WRITERS GATHER FOR PETER SYMONDS LITERACY FESTIVAL
 - teacher of philosophy, Dr Lawrence Harvey; Principal, Sara Russell and Head of English A Level, Isobel Sallon-Simons - Dec 2025.jpg "Peter Symonds College Writers' Festival (3) - teacher of philosophy, Dr Lawrence Harvey; Principal, Sara Russell and Head of English A Level, Isobel Sallon-Simons - Dec 2025")
Peter Symonds College once again brought the literary world to its campus through its annual PSC Writers’ Festival, giving students exclusive access to over 25 professionals including poets, playwrights, songwriters and novelists. The three-day celebration saw acclaimed writers engage with students through talks, competitions and hands-on workshops designed to inspire and develop emerging creative talent.
Led by the College’s English Department, the Festival offered students valuable insight into the craft of writing, the sources of creative inspiration, the realities of professional practice and the wide-ranging possibilities of a career in the literary and creative industries. The packed programme featured poetry, drama, fiction and professional writing, and offered opportunities for students to interact with writers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds.
Isobel Sallon-Simons, Head of English Language and Literature, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to offer our students access to so many writers with such successful and varied careers. Hearing their own stories and their passion is not only inspirational, but could also be life changing.”
“Symonds’ extracurricular provision to students is just as vital as our academic offering. We pride ourselves on supporting and extending our students' creativity and literacy beyond the curriculum and into reality. In an increasingly complex world, there remains a huge groundswell of creativity and passion for reading and writing amongst young people.”
The Symonds English Department comprises three specialist A Levels - English Literature, English Language, and English Language & Literature. The Festival was brought to life for the second year running by Isobel Sallon-Simons alongside Susannah Putigny, Head of English Literature, and Ben Farndon, Head of English Language. More than 650 students took part in the event, with long-established independent bookseller PG Wells in residence throughout the Festival.
This year’s visiting speakers were:
- academics and writers - Professor John McGavin, Professor Alice Hunt and Dr. Lawrence Harvey
- children's book writer and illustrator - Margaret Sturton
- journalists - Tom Prentki and Radhika Sanghani.
- local writers - Francesco Sarti and Johnathan Reid
- manager of P&G Wells - Steve Scholey
- memoir writer - Miriam Coley
- musicians and songwriters - Ryan O'Reilly and Will Taylor
- novelists - Helen Cullen, Judith Heneghan, Claire Fuller and Beth O'Leary
- playwright - Edmund Morris
- poets - Joan McGavin, Kaycee Hill, Elizabeth Woodgate, Julian Stannard, Vic Pickup and John Berkavitch
- screenwriter - Martin Day
- short story writer - Gemma Seltzer
- theatre director - Noelle Jones
- travel writer - Jodi Longyear
Posted: 3 December 2025
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