First Story’s National Writing Competition public talk and prize giving ceremony will be held as part of LSE’s Literary Festival
Date: Monday 9 March 2015
Time: 6-7.30pm
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building, LSE
Map: New Academic Building is on Sardinia Street
Speakers: James Dawson, Kate Kingsley, Anthony McGowan
The First Story National Writing Competition invited students from state secondary schools across the country to write stories and poems around the theme of ‘Home’. This event is a celebration of all the students’ work. It is a chance to hear readings from the shortlisted students and a discussion from an award-winning panel of authors around the theme of ‘Home’, what it means to them and how it influences their writing.
Read the overall winning poem by Mukahang Limbu from Oxford Spires Academy on The Sunday Times online here.
MORE DETAILS
The authors taking part in the discussion will be:
James Dawson: author of YA thrillers including Hollow Pike,Cruel Summer and Say Her Name, and non-fiction books Being a Boy and This Book is Gay. In 2014 James was voted ‘Queen of Teen’. He previously worked as a primary school teacher and is currently a writer-in-residence with First Story and School Role Model for the charity Stonewall.
Kate Kingsley: author of the YA series Young, Loaded & Fabulous and, most recently, a romantic novella for teens called Under the Mistletoe. She is currently a writer-in-residence with First Story.
Anthony McGowan: author of adult, YA and children’s novels including The Knife that Killed Me, Hellbent and Henry Tumor, which won the 2006 Booktrust Teenage prize and the 2007 Catalyst Award. His most recent books are Brock, and Hello Darkness, currently nominated for the Carnegie Medal. The Knife that Killed Me has recently been made into a film. Anthony teaches creative writing at the Faber Academy, and at Royal Holloway, University of London.
The First Story National Writing Competition 2014 is judged by Anthony McGowan, Bernardine Evaristo, James Dawson, Kate Kingsley and Laura Dockrill.
Read the longlisted National Writing Competition pieces here.