What have I been up to... That is the question
Things i've done...
CHILDREN'S LAUREATE WALES (2021-2023)
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"Empowering his young audiences through creative expression will be Connor’s priority over the next two years. By introducing poetry as an accessible creative outlet, he hopes to help children and young people unlock their potential, better understand their place in the world, and ultimately take ownership of their futures"
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When I first started my tenure back in 2021 I was quoted with the above statement.
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And I believe I have done that in helping young people all over Wales and beyond unlock their potential and understand their voice and their place in the world, and continue to do that even as my tenure has now come to an end.
The journey and role of Childrens Laureate was an adventure I wont ever forget and I delve into it here with my final blog on my time.
FACE TO FACE
Interview with Adrian Masters
Absolutely thrilled and honoured to have been a guest on the last series of Face to Face with Adrian Masters on ITV Wales. A real honest and invigorating conversation between the two of us where we discuss my teenage years and turning my life around after an encounter with the police and what the role of Childrens Laureate entailed as I started out.
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Watch the interview below
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https://www.itv.com/walesprogrammes/articles/face-to-face-connor-allen
2023 IMISON AWARD WINNER
"The winner of the 2023 Imison Award is ... Connor Allen for The Making of a Monster"
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The 2023 BBC Audio Awards marked the 100 year anniversary of audio/radio drama at the BBC and also marked the 30th anniversary of the Imison Award, which is an award given to the best original script by a writer new to radio and was set up by Richard Imison.
The Making of a Monster (Radio Version) won the 2023 Imison Award
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The judges said the following about the winning piece:
‘The Making of a Monster is a well-shaped play with an important message. It is inventive, heartfelt and bold. We thought it was believable and painted the scene well and overall was both compelling and moving, especially as it’s not something we get to hear much about at all.’
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THE MAKING OF A MONSTER SCRIPT
"Too black for my white friends, but too white for my Black friends. Growing up mixed race in Newport, I fell into a cloud of grey.
Absent Black father, ducking the police, working out what it means to be a man. I was struggling to find my place in the world and in danger of spiralling out of control.
Then one moment changed my life."
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Aurora Metro Books have published the script to The Making of a Monster that was performed at Wales Millennium Centre and what the Radio play was adapted from.
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You can find the script here to buy.
Front cover of The Making of a Monster
Front cover of The Making of a Monster