To celebrate Bradford 2025, the current UK City of Culture, in a truly creative way, First Story Partner School Co-op Academy Grange teamed up with The People Powered Press – a letterpress and arts workshop based in Saltaire, home to the world’s largest printing press of its kind! Under the guidance of poet Antony Dunn …
Young Writers Festival North
We’re excited to be holding our first Young Writers Festival North in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University this summer. In celebration of the inaugural year, current partner schools in the North West, East Midlands and Yorkshire are being offered free tickets for up to 25 students. HEADLINED BY AWARD WINNING MANCHESTER WRITER AND FORMER FIRST …
100 Word Story Competition Winners 2024/25
This year’s 100 Word Story Competition again demonstrated the talent amongst our young writers. 351 students from First Story partner schools wrote brilliant stories, taking on the challenge of writing a compelling narrative in only 100 words. Judged by a panel from Vintage Books, the stories were an impressive mix of theme and subject. We are …
Young Creatives Collective
The Young Creatives Collective is an exciting part of First Story’s new Young Creatives Programme, which will nurture progression opportunities for people interested in writing and other creative careers. Members of the Collective will develop, lead and deliver a project that amplifies the voices of young people and platforms their work to the wider creative …
Your Voice
An intensive KS3 programme to boost confidence and language skills in writing, discussion and sharing. Led by a professional writer, three in-school workshops will encourage students to experiment with language and style to give their writing nuance and impact, the confidence to use their own voice and share their work. Workshops offer students the help …
First Story Young Creatives
First Story is delighted to have secured funding to deliver a new Young Creatives Programme over the next three years. This is an exciting opportunity for us to develop new progression routes for our growing alumni network, leading on from our highly successful Young Writers Programme. We’re delighted to be able to respond to what …
Six Word Story Competition Winners 2024/25
Our annual Six Word Story competition is a challenge in concise storytelling. Inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s famous six word story “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” we ask our young writers to captivate us in just six words – a real skill and testament to their creativity in this flash fiction challenge. Participation was high once again, with 867 …
First Story students appear live on Leeds radio station Chapel FM
First Story students from Co-op Academy Grange in Bradford were invited to read their writing live on Leeds’ Chapel FM on Friday 6 December. Students had prepared pieces for the broadcast, with writer Anthony Dunn, on the theme of recovery – the 2024 theme for Chapel FM’s literature festival ‘Writing on Air’. They also read work …
Sophie Hiscock announced as new CEO of First Story
Sophie Hiscock, currently Director of Communications and Impact at Oxford’s The Story Museum, has been announced as the new Chief Executive of First Story and will take over from Antonia Byatt who has led the education and creative writing charity since 2019. Sophie will join First Story in February 2025. Sophie has over 30 years’ experience …
First Story’s response to the Curriculum Review
Last week First Story submitted a response to the Government’s curriculum review. We welcome the chance to respond and wanted to share what we said. Enrichment programmes like First Story’s Young Writers Programme are currently not in the scope of the review, yet they are crucial for so many underserved young people who do not …
First Story Alumni Event at the London Library
We invited First Story Alumni to an in-person event at The London Library on 8 November. It was a chance for those who’d taken part in the Young Writers Programme to meet each other, and us, and take part in a Q&A and writing workshop with acclaimed author Yassmin Abdel-Magied. Alumni travelled from across London, Hertfordshire and Derby …
Fair Education Alliance Youth Summit 2024
By Tilly Wiggins, First Story Alumnus The 2024 Fair Education Youth Summit took place on Tuesday 29 October and brought together 200 young people passionate about reducing inequalities in education. Its intention is to empower young people, champion change and to enable learning from one another in a youth lead space. Alumnus Tilly Wiggins attended on …
Announcing: Folio Academy Mentorships 2024/25
In its sixth year, the Rathbones Folio Prize Mentorships scheme pairs six talented First Story alumni with acclaimed writers from the Folio Academy, receiving a year of 1:1 mentoring support to further develop their writing craft.
Inua Ellams announced as First Story Ambassador
Award-winning poet, playwright and performer, Inua Ellams has been announced as an Ambassador for First Story, England’s leading creative writing charity for young people. He joins the celebrated novelists Patrice Lawrence MBE and Tracy Chevalier FRSL, in the role, to help champion First Story’s work with young people and promote the pleasure and power of creative writing.
Writers-in-Residence Skills Share Day 2024
Our Annual Skills Share Day is a chance for our writers to come together, undertake peer to peer training and hear our plans for the year ahead. On Tuesday 5th September, we welcomed First Story writers from East Midlands, London, the North West and Yorkshire to our 2024 event at our office in London. Writers who are …
First Story Young Writers Residential 2024
Sixteen young writers from First Story partner schools across England came together for a week at Arvon’s centre in Hebden Bridge.
First Story in Alternative Provision
A key strand of First Story’s organisational strategy is to reach and benefit more of the most underserved young people by increasing access to our Young Writers Programme for students in Alternative Provision (AP) schools. We are grateful for the support of The Portal Trust and The Blue Thread for letting us explore how we …
Folio Academy Mentorships 2024 showcase
In July the Rathbones Folio Mentorships 2021/22 cohort performed their writing at the London Library for an audience of mentors, family and friends.
London Connect 2024
Over 80 students – Year 7 to Year 12 – from six London schools took part in our Connect event at the University of Greenwich in early July 2024. Connect events are included in our offer for Young Writers Programme cohorts. As region-specific provision, these events encourage participants to connect with each other as a …
Manchester Connect 2024
66 students from four Greater Manchester schools took part in our Connect event at the Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) in July 2024. Connect events are included in our offer for Young Writers Programme cohorts. As region-specific provision, these events encourage participants to connect with each other as a community of young writers, as well as …
East Midlands Connect 2024
50 students from three East Midlands schools took part in our Connect event at the University of Lincoln in June 2024. Connect events are included in our offer for Young Writers Programme cohorts. As region-specific provision, these events encourage participants to connect with each other as a community of young writers, as well as strengthening …
Eco-Poetry competition winners 2024
The environment is always something which comes up in our school anthologies, so we know it is something which means a great deal to a great number of First Story young writers. The entries to this year’s Eco Poetry competition were testament to this, as they were as evocative and thought provoking as ever.
Winners of the inaugural Philip Pyke Memorial Prize announced
Open to writers of poetry and prose who have completed our Young Writers Programme, the Prize is awarded in memory of Philip Pyke to support young writers as they continue their writing journey. Winners receive prestigious tutoring by acclaimed Arvon authors. You can read the winning pieces by clicking on the title. First Prize Emily …
100 Word Story Competition Winners 2023/24
This year’s 100 Word Story Competition again demonstrated the talent amongst our young writers. Over 270 students from First Story partner schools wrote brilliant stories, taking on the challenge of writing a compelling narrative in only 100 words. Judged by a panel from Vintage Books, the stories were an impressive mix of theme and subject. We are …
