Our annual Young Writers Festival brings schools from across our regions together for a day of creativity at the University of Cambridge.
The 2025 Young Writers Festival was a packed day of workshops, readings, performances and more!
Highlights from the Young Writers Festival 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, readings, performances and more.
Our 2025 festival was headlined by award-winning YA author, Steven Camden.
Hosted by Ruth Awolola
A playlist compiled from suggestions made by First Story writers and participants welcomed attendees in to the Lady Mitchell Hall. First Story writer Ruth Awolola welcomed everyone to the day.
I liked the fact that it was very welcoming which made me feel more safe and confident. I also liked the fact that we were given opportunities to share our pieces of writing and opinions.
Festival participant
Welcome talks
Shakira Irfan (First Story alumni) and
Dr Bonnie Lander-Johnson (Writer and Downing College Fellow) gave welcome talks.
On behalf of the Faculty of English, Dr Bonnie Lander-Johnson, fiction writer, essayist and Shakespeare scholar, warmly welcomed festival attendees and shared what student life is like at the university.
First Story alumni Shakira Irfan, now a doctor, gave an inspirational talk on how poetry supports her work in medicine.
Headlined by Steven Camden
In conversation with First Story panelists.
Steven Camden, aka Polarbear, an internationally acclaimed spoken word artist from Smethwick in the West Midlands. He has been writing, performing and sharing his stories for nearly twenty years and won the CLiPPA Award for his debut collection, Everything All at Once (Macmillan Children’s Books) in 2019. He writes novels, plays, screenplays and poems celebrating his mixed heritage and the amazing people he grew up around.
Writing workshops
Festival participants attended two different group writing workshops during the day, facilitated by First Story writers, in a variety of impressive settings in the Faculty of English.
I loved exploring different types of writing and using techniques I hadn’t used before, producing some writing that I’m really proud of!
Festival participant
Young Writers Showcase
The festival culminated with everyone returning to the main hall for a showcase of the day’s best writing. Students took to the mic and performed their work. We heard so many inspiring, funny, original pieces!
I liked that I could come out of my shell and be confident in reading out my writing, I’m very proud of myself.
Festival participant
Lunchtime Activities
At lunchtime participants were given tours of Newnham College campus by Student Ambassadors. Plus, there was a buzzy expo which included a bookstall, participatory festival poem, stall from Hachette and the BBC, and book signing with Steven Camden.
Titles for the lunchtime bookstall were generously donated by CLPE, Penguin Random House, Hachette, Harper Collins, Pan Macmillan, Usbourne and World of Books.
Quentin Blake Competition
In the afternoon, the winner of our Quentin Blake Competition was announced. This unique creative writing competition is exclusively open to students who attend Festival.
Praise Ariyo from Co-op Academy Grange in Bradford won the 2024 Prize with her piece ‘My World’ inspired by Quentin’s illustration of some people looking in a bin.
Festival Poem
The day concluded with First Story writer Maria Ferguson reading out the collaborative Festival Poem that had been created by Festival attendees.
Created via a fun tombola game at the lunchtime expo and written on a very, very long roll of paper – the final couplet was a fitting way to conclude the day.
You can read the full poem here.
Feedback from participants
It helps young people to understand things which may not be taught in school, such as what being a writer is like, life at university, and techniques to write.
Festival participant
96%
of participants would recommend taking part in the Young Writers Festival to other students.
94%
of participants agreed that they enjoy and/or appreciate writing more after attending.
We got to express ourselves and not be limited!
Festival participant
We could present our poems to other people who share the same interests as us.
Festival participant
83%
of participants agreed that after attending the festival they are more confident about sharing their ideas through writing.
With thanks to our generous festival funder:
And thanks to our core supporters:
