We are delighted to announce that aspiring writer, Ishani Patel (Upper Sixth), was one of the two runners-up in the GSA Creative Writing 2023 competition.

With over 1000 entries across the competition, the Years 10-Upper Sixth category was whittled down to only three students.  

This year’s theme, Let Me Put You on Speaker, urges girls to speak-up, speak-out, and speak-louder in a poetic celebration of female friendship and allyship.

Ishani’s brilliant and emotive poem, Daisy Chains, evokes a sense of nostalgia and captures the essence of a deep and enduring friendship. Read it here. 

Ishani reflected: “Competitions like these are a great challenge for me to exercise my writing ability and to explore significant themes, such as the power of friendship. The focus of this particular competition demonstrated the theme of giving a voice to enduring friendships, and I wanted to vehemently portray the way in which friendships have evolved over time, in regards to how simple life was then, compared to now, where girls must stick together in order to be safe in the world.

“I was inspired to write Daisy Chains based on the activity of making accessories out of daisies, which most of us would remember from childhood. I was delighted to have been shortlisted out of 1000 young poets across the UK, and no doubt will this achievement keep me keen in my future writing endeavours. I am grateful for the encouragement I have received from my English teachers and my form tutor Mrs Barber.”

Many congratulations, Ishani!