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
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …
Young Writers Festival Highlights 2024
On 27 March 2024, nearly 300 First Story participants from across England came together at Downing College, University of Cambridge, to take part in our annual Young Writers Festival. It was a day …
A day of creative collaboration – First Story Writers at the Courtauld Gallery
We recently reignited our partnership with London's Courtauld Gallery, which had previously hosted Schools Connect Events before the pandemic. 10 of our London writers attended a 'meeting of …
Writers-in-Residence Skills Share Day 2023
On Tuesday 5th September, 25 First Story writers attended our annual Skills Share Day at our Webber Street office in London. We were pleased to welcome writers new to First Story including Freddie …
Young Writers Festival Highlights 2023
On 30 March 2023, more than 240 First Story participants from across England came together at the University of Cambridge to take part in our annual Young Writers Festival. Held for the first time at …
Working with First Story: a librarian’s perspective
Dianne Blashill is the School Librarian at Co-op Academy Grange, and she has worked with First Story as School Lead for the Young Writers Programme for the last six years after several previous years …
Passing the Parcel at The Portico Library
First Story and The Writing Squad came together to highlight opportunities available for young writers in Greater Manchester in a taster session hosted by The Portico Library. Through a set of …
Pilot of First Story’s new CPD course for teachers, ‘Think Like a Writer’
Supporting teachers has always been an important part of First Story's work. Through our flagship Young Writers Programme, we freely share creative writing classroom resources with our partner …
First Story Young Writers Festival 2022 – a writer’s perspective
I first attended the Young Writers Festival in Cambridge in 2019, the year before the cliché of the solitary writer became a reality for everyone, even people who aren’t writers. Not only was it my …
Tracy Chevalier announced as First Story Ambassador
Best selling novelist Tracy Chevalier is the latest high profile writer to support First Story as an Ambassador. She joins the celebrated YA author Patrice Lawrence MBE in the role, to help champion …
First Story Writer-in-Residence, Cecilia Knapp wins Ruth Rendell Award
First Story Writer-in-Residence, Cecilia Knapp has won the 2021 Ruth Rendell Award, which honours the author or writer who has had the most significant influence on literacy in the UK over the past …
Patrice Lawrence MBE announced as First Story Ambassador
Carnegie Medal nominee, Patrice Lawrence MBE has been announced as Ambassador for First Story, England’s leading creative writing charity for young people. Lawrence will champion First Story’s mission …
Patrice Lawrence MBE announced as First Story Ambassador
Carnegie Medal nominee, Patrice Lawrence MBE has been announced as Ambassador for First Story, England’s leading creative writing charity for young people. Lawrence will champion First Story’s mission …
First Story Writers Create New Resources for International Women’s Day
To celebrate International Women’s Day on 8 March, we commissioned two of our writers to produce original creative writing-resources for use by other First Story Writers-in-Residence and by teachers …
‘First Story is a project of hope’
Award-winning novelist and long-serving First Story Writer-in-Residence, Anthony Cartwright reflects on what he's learned as a writer and practitioner after eight years of delivering our programme …
How we are navigating COVID-19 to keep supporting young people
First Story hasn't stopped working through the pandemic. This autumn term, new programmes are running in partnership with schools in London, East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside, where we are …
