I first became aware of Ykids in 2014 when I moved to Crosby (Liverpool).  I passed their offices many times, wondering what Ykids was all about!  I spent years volunteering in my kids schools in the States (yes, I’m an American/Brit if you haven’t found that out yet), as I love being around and supporting kids to bring out their creative side.  I suppose a combination of dealing with the effects of PTSD from a 2012 Trauma and settling into the area, I didn’t let my curiosity get the better of me until May of 2020, why I drove past the building one more time.  This time, when I got home, I looked up their website, liked what I saw, and called.  I was fortunate that day that Claire Morgans, the CEO and Founder of Ykids answered the phone.  I immediately bonded with the whole concept of what was being done at Ykids and learned about their book store, Kingsley and Co., in the Bootle Strand.  I immediately declared to Claire that I wanted to volunteer in any capacity where I might fit it.  I was told about the Bootle Children’s Literary Festival and asked if I would participate as an Author……it was a resounding, YES!  But we were in Lockdown and it took a year and a half, this past November, before their first event would take place.  I was asked to conduct two Workshops (one teaching  how to write Haiku and the other teaching  how to write Limericks).  The photos show my TECHNO-HUMAN character, Qwerty KeyBoard Head™ arriving at the Festival classroom where I would do the Workshops.  The photos also show my book, HECK NO! TECH NO! A Humorous Glimpse at the Madness of Technology, my Author Spotlight bio, etc., on display.  However, there are no images of me doing the workshops because the night before the appointed day, 13th of November, I managed to take a disastrous ‘trip’ down the stairs in my building, thus spending the day in Hospital, rather than having fun with the kids.  Fortunately, Ali Harwood (photos included), a fellow Poet, stepped in and did the workshops for me!   I had attended activities prior to the 13th and got to witness and experience what an AMAZING Festival it is!  I will be rescheduled to do Workshops during the upcoming year which I am really looking forward to.  Please check out Ykids.co.uk and Kingsley and Co.  If you have kids, grandkids, or are just a ‘BIG kid’ yourself, Kingsley and Co. is an AWESOME place to hang out in, buy books, have tea and cake, and meet Authors who drop in……all while being taken care of by an INCREDIBLY friendl

A Peek at the Festival...

y staff! It’s a Magical experience for sure!