The Northern Newsletter

On Thursday the 11th of April, I had the pleasure of attending an eye opening event with author and film maker Matt Dickinson. Who is most notably famous for ascending into the clouds through the notorious North Face of Mount Everest in 1996, amid the worst inclement conditions ever recorded. This would leave a significant mark on the author as it influenced him to write ‘The Everest Files’ – an award winning trilogy.

I attended the event as an exclusive journalist, where I was able to learn about Matt’s enthralling adventure through the narrow corridors of publishing and during his exploration through the worlds library. He has met authors such as Jeff Kinney, Micheal Morpurgo and astonishingly at Edinburgh Book Festival; Matt met the then unknown writer of the Harry Potter series – J.K Rowling who was preparing to publicise the first of a soon to be successful series. As well as his writing career, Matt has also worked on the debut series of ‘Man Vs Wild’ which not only begun but elevated the then unknown Bear Grylls’s and his future career. Which the students had the grotesque experience of viewing Bear consume a pair of Palm Weevil grubs, alive and wild.

Continuing on his influences, Matt told us about how he himself had become interested regarding Everest and his creativity. The Ascent of Everest by John Hunt which Matt had been given by his grandfather was the match that sparked his future.

Since we were all completely encapsulated within the idea of writing our own individual climb up the almost unconquerable peak, Matt then proposed that we could write a piece of writing in the style of a postcard. Which would entail our experience or journey upon the ‘goddess mother of the world’. Helping to enhance our imaginations, Matt had collected pictures to paint his powerpoint canvas. These detailed the Mountains beautifulness while contrasting this with some lamentable and startling ones that certainly taught the attendees the power of mother nature. Arguably, the most notable pictures proposed the argument of should Everest become a tourist attraction or stay sacred and belong to the locals. This could clearly be seen as certain pictures showed the landfill and exploitation of the porters*. Once the event had closed, the students were able to have their books signed by Matt himself and to be treasured forever.

I am certain that myself and the fellow attendees would recommend this experience to anyone else if they want to attend a future talk featuring Matt. Definitely, also check out Matts books and notably the fascinating Everest Files trilogy. Perfect for those interested in geography, creative writing and a thrilling story.

*A porter is someone who is employed to carry luggage and other loads. Shockingly, some porters are even as young as 16 and hired to carry 116 kilos for £8 a day.