Downing hosts Young Writers Festival
On Wednesday 27 March, Downing College hosted the First Story Young Writers Festival.
First Story is a 15-year-old London-based creative writing charity. Its flagship Young Writers programme places professional writers in residence in non-selective secondary schools serving low-income communities across the country. The writers work with a consistent group of students towards the publication of a printed anthology.
This is the second successive year Downing has partnered with the charity to run the festival.
300 secondary school children aged between 12 and 16 – the majority on free school meals – gathered in Cambridge for a series of writing workshops with professional poets, including Dean Atta, Francesca Beard, Maria Ferguson, Lewis Buxton, Ruth Awolola and Sonya Hundal.
The young people had a tour of Downing College, a lunchtime expo in which they wrote a collaborative poem, and met with reps from Hachette, the BBC and Cambridge University Museums.
At the end of the day, they gathered in the Bristol Meyer-Squibb lecture hall for a showcase: they read from the work they had written during the day, to resounding applause. Lewis Buxton performed their collaborative poem, and they heard talks about Cambridge University admissions and student experience.
A number of CEOs from Multi Academic Trusts joined for the day and learned more about Cambridge outreach and access and the importance of creativity in the curriculum.
Dr Bonnie Lander Johnson, Fellow in English, said: "The First Story festival is one of the most inspiring events of the academic year for me. It’s amazing what these kids can produce in just one day.
"They learn to tell the story of their own lives in verse or prose; they learn how to craft their voice, to be playful with words. They get to meet other kids like them – kids who are into reading and writing but not always supported at home in these skills. They learn about Cambridge life and can picture themselves as future university students, writers or publishers."
Published 4 April 2024