From: British & Irish poets [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of rupertmallin
Sent: 10 February 2007 20:28
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Leaving teaching

I'm leaving formal teaching for good by the end of March - and am determined to end on a high (I like the classroom, love the students and learning support staff (Shirley particularly) and some lecturers but detest the rotting core from on high that is British Education -- I am the child of the free school, A.S. Neill and Rising Hill Comprehensive School. Out of the frying pan into the fire!?

There's a photo of my InPrint group (presently five artists, four poets) on my blog www.mallin.blogspot.com taken by Erin aged 10 and a bit after an intensive session at our factory studios. We've huge projects on - three weeks of Norfolk Open Studios (May/June) for which we're building a huge installation (poets leading), the tiny Welborne Festival and our proposed projections/performance tour - but not forgetting our poetry vending machines. Meanwhile, I'm involving film makers and a theatre company in using the huge spaces of the factory itself.

Norfolk Arts Partnership has come up with promised work: using collaborative, multi-media arts to promote 'youth advocacy/involvement' in a world increasingly dishing them.

Ready to break into action is our Great Yarmouth 'artists regenerating community' group ARC. This dovetails into work I'm pressing to expand for Norfolk's Black History Month and with the Portuguese Community in the region (via my trade union Portuguese contact I knew the reality of Avian Flu at the nearby turkey factory processing plant).

My most important 'work' is the retelling of the Burston Strike School Story, 1907 to 1939 ( a tiny village in South Norfolk). Somehow, with my lovely archive photographer Adam, we've managed to get arts officers, council executives, the museum service and trade unionists to come on board. The school 'strike' was lead by a 13 year old girl - and knowing Erin (10 and a bit) I know how art and poetry and activity and free expression can bring the rotting walls down.

More importantly than 'bringing down' is to do, to build. Poetry at centre.

Go strong, go gentle, Rupert

PS - please don't eat Bernard Mattews' foul - for your health