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 …
News archive
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Alumni Strategy Day
By Nidaa Raoof, Young Creatives Collective member What is collaboration? It’s a beautiful exchange of knowledge, perspectives and personal experiences. Collaboration is exactly what we did in our …
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. …
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 …
Young Creatives Collective – Zine launch
by Tilly Wiggins, Young Creatives Collective The biggest, most influential, most groundbreaking launch of the year happened this month. No, I'm not talking about the Artemis moon mission. I am of …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Announcing: Folio Academy Mentorships 2025/26
We are now in the ninth year of our partnership with The Writers' Prize, through which talented First Story students benefit from working one-to-one with an acclaimed writer from The Folio …
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 …
Young Creatives Collective update
By Alfie Wilson, YCC member Being part of the First Story Young Creatives Collective (YCC) is one of the best parts of all our First Story journeys. Not only does this new alumni initiative give …
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 …
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 …
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 …
