Daisy was part of the Young Writers Programme at Laureate Academy from 2021/22. In 2024, she successfully applied for a place on the Young Writers Residential and in 2025 she joined First Story’s Young Creatives Collective.
I was in Year 9 when First Story came to my school. My school was big on extracurriculars – especially my year, ‘the COVID year’. My teacher had worked with First Story at his previous school and said, ‘come and do it because it’s really beneficial, and it’ll be fun’. Me and my friends decided to go, and were hooked.
I’m quite a creative person, I think that’s what appealed to me. This one poet, the ‘chocolate cake, nice’ guy [Michael Rosen], had come into my primary school. I thought, if First Story is anything like that, I’m sure it’ll be incredible. And it was; I’ve learnt so much from it.
I wasn’t necessarily shy, but I struggled to put the words in my head onto paper, and while I still struggle with it, I’m a lot more eloquent than before. First Story really helped me with my vocabulary and how I put myself across, the way I talk. Whether it’s through poetry or prose, I’m a lot more succinct. Being able to efficiently say what you want to say is a very mature thing and helped me grow up a little bit. I used to not be a big reader at all; I used to be a reading hater, now I love it.
I wrote a lot about my dad who passed away when I was quite young. Being able to navigate experiences like that through writing is such an important thing. Adam Kammerling, our Writer-in-Residence, was like, “you should always build off something that you’ve known”. Adam is such a big, bold, bright personality. He’s always energetic, so funny and engaging. There were a lot of younger years in the group, but he engaged everyone, even the teachers took part. I made a lot of connections with people that I would never talk to before. I’ve been able to speak to them because we share First Story, we share this interest in creative writing. It was just such a community.
I enjoyed Adam’s way of listening to our work, and the responses he gave. He always paid attention to detail and made you feel so positive about your work that there was such happiness and joy around sharing. I was scared to step out of my comfort zone but through First Story I developed this belief in myself, that my work was good. It’s helped me take criticism better so I can change what I need to change, and what I want to change.
In Year 10, I went to the Young Writers Festival at the University of Cambridge. I never would I have thought that I would get up at the front of the lecture hall and perform my writing. First Story has helped me break past what I have done before, it has increased my confidence in my work and myself. As a 14-year-old, being able to take something that I’d created less than a couple hours ago and speak it to 300 people gave me this rush of adrenaline, excitement and pride. That moment was such a turning point. Public speaking is such a good skill to have; it terrifies so many people. If you can get up on a stage, confidently in front of people, you can do anything and nothing’s scary.
Before the Cambridge visit, I didn’t know what any university looked like. I was blown away. It helped solidify my belief that I want to go to university. Manjit Mann, the keynote speaker, was incredible. It was nice to have her talk about her experiences because, as much as I love writing, I don’t think that I ever even considered it as a future, just as a hobby. Hearing an author’s perspective makes it a lot more real.
Hemel Hempstead is not the richest place. People go to university, but there’s a lot of discussion about “how will I afford it?”. Being able to ask Cambridge students questions about bursaries, how much the rooms are etc., helped me realise what I can achieve. I feel a lot more confident in getting to where I want to go to.
In 2024, I successfully applied for a place on the Young Writers Residential to Yorkshire, which I loved. I found 15 friends for life. That week away prioritised creativity, it put it at the forefront of our minds. We still have a group chat where we share and talk about our work. We’ve nurtured creativity to the point where we’ve accepted it into our daily lives.
I’m now in Year 13. I’ve been really enjoying it so far. I study Sociology, Criminology and Philosophy & Ethics A Levels. First Story has helped me to ask better questions, a skill you need in Key Stage 5. First Story has also taught me to make time for my writing. So, if I have a free period, I might try and write something rather than doom scrolling on Instagram.
In 2025, I applied to be part of First Story’s Young Creatives Collective (YCC). I wanted to develop transferable skills, specifically project planning. The YCC has given me the ability to take responsibility for decisions and deadlines and to see an intricate plan materialise. It also gives me the opportunity to put these skills on my CV and uni applications. I definitely want to go to university; I’ll be the first person in my entire family to achieve any form of higher education. I’m looking to study Forensic Psychology or Criminology.
I recently performed at my first poetry open mic. I plan to dedicate a lot more time to writing and trying more styles. I know for sure I’m going to write a book one day. I’m excited to turn 18, because it will open so many more doors in the creative world, and I can’t wait to explore.
