This is the fifth year of our partnership with the prestigious Rathbones Folio Prize, through which talented First Story students benefit from working one-to-one with an acclaimed writer from the …
Alumni
WATCH: Rathbones Folio Prize Mentorships 2020-21 Showcase
Now in its fifth year, our exclusive partnership with the Rathbones Folio Prize offers a unique opportunity for talented First Story alumni to be mentored for an academic year by five acclaimed Folio …
Summer 2021 residential highlights: another digital success
Our annual summer residential programme is usually hosted at Lumb Bank, Arvon's idyllic venue in rural West Yorkshire. The pandemic kept us away for a second consecutive year. But after last year's …
WATCH: Rathbones Folio Prize Mentorships 2019/20 Showcase
Now in its fourth year, our exclusive partnership with the Rathbones Folio Prize offers a unique opportunity for five talented First Story alumni to be mentored for an academic year by five acclaimed …
New First Story Young Ambassadors Programme
Young writers who complete our flagship programme constantly tell us that they enjoyed it so much, they just want to keep going. We are keen to develop new pathways for our alumni to continue creative …
Announcing: Rathbones Folio Prize Mentorships 2020/21
This is the fourth year of our partnership with the prestigious Rathbones Folio Prize, through which four talented First Story students benefit from working one-to-one with an acclaimed writer from …
Summer 2020 Virtual Residential
Our annual summer residential programme provides an incredible opportunity for a small number of First Story participants who've shown great promise during the academic year, to further develop their …
Rathbones Folio Mentorships 2020-21 Open
Applications are open now for the 2020/21 Rathbones Folio Mentorships programme beginning this September. Our exclusive partnership with the Rathbones Folio Prize offers a unique opportunity for …
National Writing Day Instagram takeover!
In the week leading up to this year's National Writing Day on 24 June, we invited two former First Story students from West Yorkshire, Henna Ravjibhai (17) and Sophie Crabtree (19), to take over our …
First Story alumna featured in Rathbones Review
Henna Ravjibhai took part in the Rathbones Folio Prize Mentorships scheme in 2019. She has recently been featured in the Rathbones review to talk First Story, working with Joe Dunthorne, and writing …
BBC Radio 1 Life Hacks with Chloe Holland
Chloe Holland took part in First Story's intensive creative writing programme during 2016-17, as a student at Appleton Academy in Bradford. Diagnosed with severe dyslexia and also dyspraxia, Chloe …
Announcing our 2019-20 Rathbones Folio Mentees
We’re delighted to announce the four First Story programme graduates from our 2018-19 cohort chosen to participate in the third year of the Rathbones Folio Mentorships programme. The Folio …
First Story alumni in Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2019
The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is the biggest poetry competition in the world for 11–17 year olds. Organised by the Poetry Society, and this year judged by First Story favourites Jackie Kay …
First Story at BBC Contains Strong Language festival
Contains Strong Language is the UK’s biggest annual poetry and performance festival. Over three days the BBC festival stages some 30 events in the city of Hull, with leading poets and world-class …
Imaru Lewis at YWF18
Imaru Lewis is a graduate of our intensive Writer-in-Residence programme from Highgate Wood school in London. We invited him back in 2018 to speak at First Story's Young Writers’ Festival. His …
Make your voice heard as a First Story Ambassador
We're looking for 15 First Story graduates to shape what we do – how we can make First Story a better experience and how we can shout about what we do. This is a great opportunity to have your voice …
The Folio Academy Mentorship Scheme needs you
How does a one-year mentorship with an acclaimed author from the Folio Academy sound? They’ll offer you one-to-one guidance and advice on a writing project. Learn from a creative writing master. Get …
