Ever wondered about what career opportunities might be linked to creative writing? First Story alumni hosted a series of panel events with creative professionals to find out how they got into their roles and about how they use writing, language, and literacy in their work. These informative and insightful conversations have something for everyone, no …
Tiny Poems Competition Winners 2025/26
We’re excited to announce the winners of our Tiny Poems Competition – for poems of five lines or fewer. Judged by Kimberley Knaggs, Shaniah Shields and May Tatum from Penguin Random House, the poems chosen were a mix of poignant, nostalgic and witty. The judges were hugely impressed by the entries commenting We’ve had the …
North West Connect at Manchester Metropolitan University
In sunny June, First Story hosted their North West connect event at Manchester Metropolitan University, in partnership with the Manchester Poetry Library and the Festival of Libraries. The day was hosted by the wonderful Nik Berry, who got students up on stage straight away, keeping everyone’s energy levels up! Kaye Tew, Education Manager at the Poetry Library and Ivan Wadeson, Executive Director at …
First Story Presents: London Voice
A creative-writing podcast that puts students’ voices and experiences at the forefront. We’re excited to share Season 2 of First Story Presents: London Voice, the creative writing podcast that foregrounds the voices of First Story young writers. How to Listen Released on National Writing Day 2026, Season 2 of First Story Presents: London Voice is available on all …
Young Creatives Collective 2026/27- Applications Now Open
First Story’s Young Creatives Collective is a fun and enthusiastic group that co-creates projects that showcase work from young writers. Members also develop leadership and communication skills and build their networks in the creative industries. We are recruiting up to 10 new young people (ages 16-25) to join the Collective and help champion the work …
Winners of the 2026 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 Amal …
First Story at Literary Leicester 2026
Every March the University of Leicester opens its doors to the general public for a sumptuous array of free literature events. Since 2022, schools in the region have been invited to take part, writing along with First Story professional writers and then performing their work to an open audience in the First Story showcase event. …
100 Word Story Competition Winners 2025/26
This year’s 100 Word Story Competition again demonstrated the talent amongst our young writers. 410 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 Bonnier Books, the stories were an impressive mix of theme and subject. We are …
First Story students on Leeds radio station Chapel FM
Students from Co-op Academy Grange in Bradford and Ruth Gorse Academy in Leeds had a memorable opportunity to showcase their creative writing on Leeds’ Chapel FM radio station in February. The young writers took to the airwaves to share pieces they had developed through workshops led by their Writers-in-Residence, Testament and Andy Craven-Griffiths. It was …
Engage Programme
Investigating the link between creative writing, self-belief and belonging Helping to combat the engagement dip from Year 7 to 8, First Story’s new programme, Engage, builds enjoyment of writing as well as a sense of belonging for year 7 to 8 students. More than 1 in 4 pupils begin to disengage from school during Year 7 according to Mind …
Young Writers Festival North 2026 at Lowry
On 2 March 2026, 160 young writers from across Greater Manchester and Yorkshire arrived at Lowry, Salford Quays for our second Young Writers Festival North. With the Quays glittering outside and a packed programme inside, the festival became a vibrant celebration of imagination, community and the power of young people’s stories. Guiding the day was poet and MC Testament, whose humour, enthusiasm and occasional beat-boxing set the tone from the first …
Sophie’s National Year of Reading Challenge
We all love book recommendations. The students taking part in Young Writers Programme will often discover new authors to read via the example texts their Writers-in-Residence use. As a team, we read widely and are always keen to discover new books. As 2026 is the National Year of Reading, we thought what better opportunity to …
First Story Internships – an Intern’s view
Our Young Creatives programme provides various opportunities for young people from underserved communities to develop employment skills and networks in the Creative Industries, with the ultimate aim to increase access to employment and diversify the workforce. Part of that commitment includes supporting Internships, which we’re now in the second year of running. Ben Carr, our …
How did we get here? First Story chats with Creative Career experts
As part of our Young Creatives programme, we are holding a series of free online talks about career opportunities linked to creative writing. Members of First Story’s Alumni will chat with creative professionals about how they got into their roles and about how they use writing, language, and literacy in their work. There will also be a …
Six Word Story Competition Winners 2025/26
Our annual Six Word Story competition is a challenge in concise storytelling. Inspired by the famous six word story attributed to Ernest Hemingway “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 …
East Midlands Connect at Nottingham Trent University
On a brisk Tuesday morning in December, First Story young writers from across the East Midlands came together at Nottingham Trent University for our annual East Midlands Connect event — a day of workshops, talks and creative writing that builds confidence and helps students feel part of a wider writing community. Students and staff attended …
Announcing: Folio Academy Mentorships 2025/26
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.
Writers-in-Residence Skills Share Day 2025
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 9th September, we welcomed First Story writers from East Midlands, London, the North West and Yorkshire to our 2025 event at our office in London. Writers who are …
Folio Academy Mentorships Showcase 2025
On Saturday 5 July, we celebrated the achievements of the 2024/25 Folio Academy Mentorship recipients at a showcase event hosted by the London Library. This was the eighth year of First Story’s partnership with Folio Academy and The Writers’ Prize, enabling us to offer year-long one-to-one creative writing mentoring to four First Story alumni dedicated …
London Connect 2025
In early July, First Story young writers from across London gathered at the University of Greenwich for our annual London Connect. Students from Aylward Academy, Commerce House, St Paul’s Way School and Thomas Tallis School joined us for a day of creative writing workshops at the historic Old Royal Naval College. A Creative Welcome First …
Time Travel, Crime, and Creativity: An afternoon with Elly Griffiths at Bromley House Library
This July, the historic Bromley House Library in Nottingham opened its doors to a group of young writers from The Bulwell Academy for a unique creative writing workshop. Led by acclaimed crime novelist Elly Griffiths, the event brought together ten students from the school’s First Story group for an afternoon of inspiration, imagination, and lots …
Facilitate
Feedback from participants The programme blew me away – I learned so much, both from the facilitators and the other participants, and reframing facilitation as a ‘part of creative practice’ rather than something at the edges was nourishing and inspiring. The course has coincided with my first role as a facilitator in a school and …
Tiny Poems Competition Winners 2024/25
We’re excited to announce the winners of our first ever Tiny Poems Competition – for poems of five lines or fewer. Participation was high, with 231 young writers taking part. This year’s judges were Jay Bhadricha, First Story alumni and Head of Programmes at Forward Arts Foundation; John McAuliffe, Professor of Poetry at the University of Manchester; and Leeds-based …
First Story Presents: London Voice
A creative-writing podcast that puts students’ voices and experiences at the forefront. Helping young people navigate and express their views around the continually changing sociopolitical landscape has never been more important. Since the pandemic, schools have been faced with a widening attainment gap and an alarming increase in students reporting mental health issues. London Voice …
