‘In the late Barry Hines’ novel Kes — so memorably adapted for the big screen in 1969 by Ken Loach — there is a scene in which the young hero, Billy Casper, stands at the front of the class and talks with great excitement about the kestrel he is raising. Looking after the bird has clearly unlocked a wellspring of confidence, creative energy and passion in him, and he can barely contain his excitment as he talks.
It is that same unlocking of self-expression — in this instance through writing — that First Story, the London Book Fair’s Charity of the Year 2016, seeks to achieve’.
In a London Book Fair Special, Roger Tagholm from The Bookseller reports on the ‘substantial impact’ of First Story in deprived schools across the UK. Read the full article here.
The winner of our Letters Live Six-Word Story Competition
