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 to promote the power and pleasure of creative writing to students in low-income communities.
Author of nine books including Eight Pieces of Silva, Orangeboy and Splinters of Sunshine, Patrice Lawrence’s work has won the inaugural Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize, the Waterstones Prize for Older Children’s Fiction, the Bookseller YA Prize and been shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Award.
Exploring themes of race and class, Lawrence’s work offers its young readers the opportunity to see their lives and identities reflected on the page. The characters in Lawrence’s fiction come from the marginalised communities where many First Story schools are situated; her gripping narratives are set in worlds that are familiar to First Story students and tell of the friendships, challenges and dilemmas that they experience. Lawrence’s belief in the power of creative writing to give young people a voice is reflected in First Story’s mission: to change lives through creative writing, and with Lawrence’s support, First Story hopes to reach more young people than ever in 2022.
I am incredibly proud to be the ambassador for First Story. Young people are funny, passionate, compassionate, astute and often deeply empathetic. It’s a privilege to represent an organisation that elevates those voices which are so often ignored.
Patrice Lawrence
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