On 30 March 2023, more than 240 First Story participants from across England came together at the University of Cambridge to take part in our annual Young Writers Festival. Held for the first time at Downing College, our 2023 festival was headlined by multi-award-winning children’s author, actress, playwright and screenwriter Manjeet Mann.
MC’ed by John Berkavitch
The festival opened with a performance by the Broken Orchestra, experimental sound artists from Hull, featuring acclaimed poet and playwright Vicky Foster, before First Story writer and spoken word artist John Berkavitch introduced our guest speakers.
Welcome talks
On behalf of Downing, Dr Bonnie Lander-Johnson, fiction writer, essayist and Shakespeare scholar, warmly welcomed festival attendees to the College.
Mukahang Limbu is a Nepalese writer based in Oxford who completed First Story’s programme whilst a student at Oxford Spires Academy. A three-time Foyle Young Poet, Mukahang gave an inspirational talk about his journey from aspiring young writer to award-winning published poet.
Headlined by Manjeet Mann
In conversation with First Story Young Ambassadors
Manjeet Mann‘s debut YA novel RUN, REBEL was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal 2021 and won the CILIP Carnegie Shadowers Choice Award. Her second novel The Crossing was shortlisted for the Waterstones Book Prize 2022, the Carnegie Medal 2022 and the CLPE CLIPPA Poetry Award 2022, and won The 2021 Costa Children’s Book Award. At the festival, Manjeet gave a thrilling reading from the loosely autobiographical RUN, REBEL, before being interviewed by a panel of First Story students and taking audience questions.
If you want a career in the arts […] you have to fight for what you want to do. I’m from a council estate in Walsall. I’m from a high-rise block of flats. My parents were illiterate. I was that kid at school who was from a very disadvantaged background. We came from nothing, but I have a career […] Look at me. I am here, I’ve done it. It is a viable career choice. You can become a success – whatever success means to you. It might be painful and it might be hard, but if it’s something that you want to do, you’ve got to go for it.
Manjeet Mann
Writing workshops
Festival participants attended two different group writing workshops during the day, facilitated by 19 First Story writers, in a variety of impressive settings around the College campus.
Young Writers showcase
The festival culminated with everyone returning to the main hall for a showcase of the day’s best writing. Students volunteered to take to the mic and perform their work. We heard so many powerful, funny, original pieces – the queue to read just kept getting longer!
Also at the festival…
A college tour, lunch expo, bookstall and signing session by Manjeet Mann
Downing College, Cambridge is one of the University’s few open colleges, set amongst a spacious, stunning landscape of lawns and gardens. Downing staff and students were such welcoming, generous festival hosts.
Titles for the lunchtime bookstall were generously donated by publishers Penguin Random House, Vintage, Hachette, Harper Collins, Faber, Own it! and Pan Macmillan, as well as individual First Story writers.
The Expo also included a the creation of a Festival Poem in celebration of First Story’s 15th Birthday. Click here to read about the creation of the poem.
Participants feedback
100%
of teachers agreed the festival helped their students enjoy and/or appreciate writing, and also feel more confident to share and talk about their work with others.
93%
of participants agreed that they enjoy and/or appreciate writing more after attending.
96%
of participants would recommend taking part in the Young Writers Festival to other students.
80%
of participants agreed that after attending the festival they are more confident about sharing and talking about their work with others.
The festival was a brilliant opportunity to share and create work in a nurturing and safe environment. I had a brilliant time working with the writers and learning about people’s processes and experience.
The atmosphere was so warm and supportive, and all the writers were really nice and inspirational. The Cambridge student volunteers who toured us around were also so nice and helpful.
I enjoyed touring around, it made me inspired to do better in school to maybe one day attend places like this while being successful and happy.
I liked the ability to meet writers who have a career in writing because it helps to broaden your perspective on where you can go as a writer. It was interesting to hear their stories.
I really enjoyed the different workshops we got to participate in, listening to other people’s thoughts and ideas and along with giving me motivation to write and work hard to get accepted to Cambridge.
I liked the freedom to write what I wanted while also having the support of skilled and accomplished writers. It was fun and free and enjoyable.
The entire experience from departure to return is invaluable for our students; to give them an opportunity to travel, see new things, write and dream. The event allows our students to appreciate their own stories and creativity; the diversity of writing and the opening of spaces which once seemed inaccessible.
Michael Krasser, teacher at Kingsbury High School
Eco-poetry Competition now open for 2023
