Information About Jonathan - Hackney teacher

Personal Description:

I'm 59 with two grown-up children, I've been a published writer of fiction and non-fiction for thirty years, worked as a journalist and book reviewer and have had two plays produced on the London stage. I also founded the Tower Theatre 2012 new writing programme. I'm a screenwriter which has greatly increased my insights into the process of telling a story. I also very much enjoy speaking to writers' groups and working with children's poetry competitions - it's always a two-way learning process! I live in Dalston, East London.

Teaching Experience:

ILEA adult literacy teacher, Brixton, 1976 and Lewisham 1977. Private tutor to foreign students 1982-4 starting with improved literacy and going all the way through the 'O' and 'A' level curriculum - all three students won places at Oxford University. Since then I have mentored numerous writers and playwrights.

Teaching Approach:

I try to help people bring out the stories inside them through a combination of identifying the classic elements of story and then helping people to use these techniques to best express what they want to say. Everyone is unique and it is this interaction between the self and the great traditions of storytelling that can make for the thrilling experience of taking your work to where you want (and perhaps didn't expect) to go. I also try to help people with getting their work published in various media.