Heroes, Villains & Favourite Things is a collection of writings and illustrations by pupils from Sanquhar Academy and Primary schools in Dumfries and Galloway. It was launched at WESTword: a young writer’s Festival, developed in partnership with Wigtown Book Festival. WESTword aims
to encourage a love of and joy in listening, talking, reading and writing of all kinds, through workingalongside contemporary authors and their work. The writing in this anthology was created as a direct result of the Writer’s Fellow, Julian Colton, working with the pupils over two years.

'Most school children are capable of writing a story, perhaps even a poem. However there does seem to be a perception amongst potential younger writers that creative writing, particularly starting a piece of creative writing, is difficult and especially so with regard to poetry.'

Julian Colton's job as Writer’s Fellow was to help pupils discover that writing is far from difficult to engage with and not necessarily the chore they imagine it to be.

'In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It can be enjoyable, cathartic and even therapeutic. Given a little persistence, writing can bear wonderful fruit.'

It was our job to collate this wonderful collection of imagination and creativity by the Sanquhar cluster pupils, pushing the students further to illustrate their words with pictures and add a further dimension of engagement for the audience.