As Malta’s sweltering sun began its afternoon descent towards the horizon on Saturday, 6th May, a group of authors met at the Valletta main entrance to take shelter from the heat before setting off on the first ‘Valletta in writing’ tour.
The event, organised by non Government organisation Outdoor Artists, Maltese author Miriam Calleja and tour guide Charlene Vella, combined a guided tour of Valletta with a comprehensive creative writing workshop.
Tour guide, Charlene Vella, led the group through Valletta’s distinctive streets while weaving tales of famed Maltese poets; such as Manuel Dimech and Dun Karm Psaila, whose interesting lives were unmistakably marred by tragedy.
Ms Vella gave three 30 minute seminars exploring distinctive episodes of the history of poetry and poets in Valletta.
After each session, Ms Calleja took control with creative workshops, offering ideas, techniques and directions to help guide the group in writing about new concepts.
After 2 hours of exploring the charming city of Valetta, the writers retired to the Maori bar, on the coast and dug into some tasty grub before enjoying a final workshop from Ms Calleja.
The poet tasked everyone with writing about an eclectic collection of photographs and asked those brave enough to share their work.
The wordsmiths also competed at a word search to win a fantastic hand painted cup, depicting the former Azure Window.
Judging by the success of the first ‘Valletta in writing’ tour, it would be a huge shock and a shame if Ms Calleja and Outdoor Artists chose not to organize a similar event in the future.
If they do, this writer encourages you, the reader, that the small €15 charge is an absolute bargain for a wonderful afternoon of words.
