September Artist of the Month –Ken Preston

Our October ‘Artist of the Month’ is author Ken Preston

About Ken Preston

Ken Preston is an author, creative writing teacher, and editor. Ken has been working in schools with children and young adults since 2017, but he has been writing most of his life. He thinks he has the best job in the world, and he loves Mondays.

What a visit from Ken entails

Ken’s workshops are fun, fast and all about inspiring the young people to start writing as soon as possible, and getting them over the dreaded ‘but I don’t know what to write!’ stage. He encourages the young people to share their work and the results always surprise and delight the school staff. The sessions can be flexible and he is happy to talk with you about any particular outcomes the school might have for the day.

You can see details on his visits here

Testimonials from previous visits.

"As English Lead, I am aiming to inspire our pupils to write more for pleasure. Ken visited our school to lead several creative writing workshops in both KS1 and KS2. His sessions were not only child-led but they were absolutely inclusive for all levels of ability. One highlight was Ken's use of the matrices for generating characters, settings and objects for gothic fiction writing which our pupils loved! Ken had a lovely manner with the children, both calm, approachable and celebratory of their achievements.”

Newbridge Prep School

“Ken is such a lovely guy, I found him easy to talk to and approachable. Virtual assembly and workshops were brilliant. Really happy with how the day went.”

The Leigh Academy

“We were very pleased with Ken. Students wrote a lot and we feel like they got a lot out of the session.”

Allerton High School

Interview with Ken Preston

You write a wide range of genres, do you have a favourite to create or does it keep changing?

I just love writing a good story. I am currently reaching the end of my current work in progress, and already I am thinking about the next project. I also get bored quite easily, and so I think writing across a wide range of genres, from romance to horror, and thriller to young adult books, helps keep me interested and challenged.

You have participated in quite a few ongoing projects such as creative writing clubs. What are the benefits of an ongoing workshop and the impact this can have?

For me it is getting to know the writers and their creativity. I always start my regular workshops with the question, What have you been reading? This started off as an icebreaker, but has become a way of me creating an endless to-read list! And I love hearing the writers read out their work, and see them progress. I love building relationships with the writers, and seeing them building new friendships with each other.

Do you believe everyone has a story in them?

I believe everyone has their own story, but should they write it? Maybe not. Not everyone is a writer. But I do believe everyone is creative and should create, whether that be writing, painting, photography, ceramics, gardening, cake making …

Considering the impact reading for pleasure has, how do you encourage young people to pick up a book?

That’s a difficult one. One way I think is to not pass judgement on what a young person wants to read. Reading is reading, and that includes comic books or listening to audio books.

You are particularly skilled at helping young people get over writer’s block or initial nerves putting pen to paper. What’s your tip?

I start every workshop in schools with a speed writing exercise, and turn the act of writing into a game. I get the young people to write from a visual prompt, and they have to write as many words as they can in one minute. They count up their words and then we do it again, only this time they have to beat their previous word count. It works every time, because it helps banish their inner editor, and the fear of getting it wrong.

How much of writing is formulaic and how much is simply sharing your imagination?

These questions are hard! I think using your imagination is important, but recognising that some of the writing may be formulaic. That’s where the rewriting and the editing start!

What can a school look forward to if they book you for a visit?

I will get the young people writing, and they will be excited about writing. When I use my Story Matrices (which is a favourite amongst schools and the workshop I run the most often) there are five to ten minutes of controlled chaos as the young people gather their ideas and prepare to write. And then they start writing, and for ten minutes you can hear a pin drop.

After the writing session is over I encourage some of them to share their work. I make a big deal of this, getting them to stand at the front of class, encouraging the class to be quiet and respectful, giving the speaker tips on speaking clearly, etc, and always finishing with a round of applause and some encouraging feedback from me on the piece they have just read.

I love it!

What are you hoping to achieve when you visit schools?

For the young people to leave the workshops with a renewed excitement about creative writing.

What has been a memorable moment from a school or library visit?

Honestly, there have been so many, it’s hard to choose. One that comes to mind is working with a group of struggling pupils in Year 11. After the session had finished the teacher told me how pleased she was with how it went, but I said (always being my harshest critic) that I had been disappointed that one young man had hardly written anything. The teacher looked at me with a big smile and said, ‘He never writes anything at all, but today he did!’

I love moments like that, when I realise that maybe I have made a small difference.

Quite a few of your books are scary – what is the spookiest thing that has ever happened to you/you have read about?

I’m quite boring really, in that I don’t believe in ghosts or the supernatural. The scariest things for me are the secrets in my family history, especially on my father’s side, but those are stories for another time. Let’s just say that I have been encouraged several times to write a book about it all!

How do you encourage reluctant readers and writers to pick up a book or a pen?

I don’t know, it’s hard, isn’t it? I think mainly by giving them the freedom and opportunity to read and write whatever they want. The absence of judgement that I mentioned earlier.

There is a huge push about encouraging young people to learn about STEM – which are important – why are the arts just as important in their own way?

In a report from 2024, the government estimated that creative industries generated £126bn to the economy and employed 2.4 million people in 2022. The arts were also found to have positive impacts on child development, and mental and physical wellbeing. And really, if we stop to think about it, what a dreadful existence we would have without the arts: No books, no music or dancing, no cinema, no theatre or museums and galleries …

Which authors do you admire?

Stephen King, for the number of amazing books he has written. I devoured his books as a child, (and yes, I was far too young to be reading them!) Anna Sewell for Black Beauty, which had me sobbing at one point. Harper Lee, for writing To Kill a Mockingbird, which is one of my favourite books ever. Angie Thomas for writing The Hate U Give, a Young Adult book I read as an adult, which held me captivated and entertained even as she addressed important issues of race in America. The list could go on and on!

How do you make books for young adults scary and engaging whilst ensuring they are still age appropriate when there is such a range of abilities and sensitives within young people these days?

I try to keep my audience in mind while writing, but once the book is out in the wild, there’s not a lot I can do about its reception. I think authors should write honestly, tell the story that needs telling, but also bear in mind the responsibility they have to their audience, especially if it is a younger one. Sorry, that is a rather woolly answer, isn’t it?

Fiction is great at encouraging empathy within readers. Which story of yours/that you have read had the biggest emotional impact?

My short story, Billy, has probably received the most feedback for touching readers. It is set in a Victorian freak show, and how the young people who are the ‘exhibits’ learn to see beyond their physical differences.

Do you think AI will ever be able to truly replace an author or artist? If it can create work of the same standard, does it have the same value if created by a machine?

In my humble opinion, no, AI will never replace an author or artist. AI is built on scraping the works of the past, and then produces an approximation of it, an imitation. Writers and artists look forward and strive to create something new, built on the back of a lived life and a multitude of experiences.

On one of your books, what percentage of time would you say is writing, and what percentage is editing?

That’s hard to quantify, but if I can put it another way, it’s probably 10% inspiration and 90% doing the work. Rewriting and editing are very important, and an essential part of the creative process.

What habit has helped you be such a prolific and successful writer?

Writing every weekday morning at the same time and in the same place. Showing up and doing the work. Writer’s Block is a myth. After all, you never hear of Nurse’s Block or Teacher’s Block. I have a job to do, so I show up every day and do it.

Quick Fire

Best treat to hand out at Trick or Treat?

My wife who is lovely (but sometimes a little evil) once covered raw sprouts in chocolate and crushed nuts and put them in Ferrero Rocher pouches to hand out at Halloween! To be fair, she only gave them to the adults, the children got proper treats.

Which character would you like to see represented as a carved pumpkin?

Bruce, the shark from Jaws, which is my favourite film ever.

What is scarier – a werewolf or a vampire?

Vampires, because they can turn up every night, but werewolves only come out on a full moon.

Do you think cryptids such as Big Foot are out there?

No.

If a witch turned you into an animal, what would you like to be?
Easy, a cat. They get to do whatever they want, treat their ‘owners’ like slaves, and yet still manage to be cute, funny, adorable, and cuddly.

Always end with this question so not spooky! If you were Prime Minister for the day, what law would you introduce?

I would make it a law that everyone has to perform one act of kindness to a random stranger every single day.