The BLUE GOOSE Writers Group
Bringing together non-professional writers in the north of Portugal, and producing work in Portuguese, English, and other languages.
SIX YEARS A-GROWING
This non-professional writers group was founded six years ago in Ponte de Lima north of Porto. The writing is not only in English – we have writers who write in Portuguese, German, Afrikaans, Spanish, Flemish, and Swiss German. The nationalities of the writers are Portuguese, English, Irish, Canadian, American,and Swiss.
PUBLIC READINGS AND PATRONAGE
We have held one private and one public ‘reading’ (at the Itso Café in Porto), are planning more, plus a book with samples of our works: short stories, poetry, Radio plays, essays. We are currently attempting to make contact with J.K. Rowling (who lived in Porto before returning to the UK and fame and fortune) to ask her to be our patron.
OUTREACH INTO PORTUGUESE SOCIETY
We intend to have a significant ‘public face’ and to engage in outreach to different age-groups in Portuguese society and the expatriate community. We are considering going into schools – both Portuguese and English-speaking – to share our writing with older students and encourage them in creative-writing as well as the English language. This could extend to social centres, such as old persons’ homes, hospitals, etc.
SUPPORTING GOVERNMENT’S AIMS
We believe that the Portuguese government will welcome our engagement, especially in schools and colleges, as their declared policy is to improve the standard of English in the student-body, as well as the young workforce, as a matter of priority.
POTENTIAL FOR SPONSORSHIP
We would very much value sponsors at this point, especially to enable us to develop a website of our own and publish the book of our writing mentioned above. We feel the sponsors would benefit from the publicity that the above activities will generate in the Media – Press, Radio, and TV, as well as at the public readings. We could also perform at company events.
It is our belief that there are companies ready and willing to sponsor the Arts in general, and particularly when it involves outreach into their local community (Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR).
September, 2009
