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 …
News
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
London Voice Connect at UCL East
By Professor Teresa Cremin, the Open University What a fascinating morning I spent yesterday at First Story’s London Voice Connect! Mainly KS3 students attended from five London schools who’ve been …
Young Writers Festival North Highlights 2025
On 3 June 2025, First Story participants from Bradford, Manchester and Rochdale came together at Manchester Metropolitan University, to take part in our first ever Young Writers Festival North. Hosted …
Winners of the 2025 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. …
Co-op Academy Grange visit The People Powered Press
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 …
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 …
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 …
Young Writers Festival Highlights 2025
On 2 April 2025, 260 First Story participants from across England came together at the University of Cambridge, to take part in our annual Young Writers Festival. It was a day packed with workshops, …
