First Story is a literacy charity. It was founded in 2007 by Katie Waldegrave and the writer William Fiennes to improve literacy and foster creativity in young people through creative writing. The organisation works with state secondary schools serving low-income communities.
First Story supports and inspires creativity, literacy and confidence in UK secondary schools and their communities. They arrange and pay for acclaimed authors to run weekly creative-writing workshops for groups of up to twenty-one students attending ‘challenging’ secondary schools across the country. At the end of the year-long programme, First Story publishes a professional anthology of the students' work, and each school hosts a book launch event where the students read their work aloud to family, friends and teachers.
Roland ChambersKate ClanchyLaura DockrillBen FacciniKevin FeganSalena GoddenPeter Hobbs (novelist)Courttia NewlandRoss RaisinShauna O'Briain (MC Angel)Lou KuenzlerAnthony AnaxagorouFrances Wilson (writer)Anthony CartwrightDavid ReynoldsJames DawsonAlice AlbiniaFrancesca BeardLeo BenedictusPhilip WomackDiana EvansCaroline BirdEdward Platt (author)Kate KingsleyJulie Bolitho-LeeTim PearsAlan BuckleyJohn BerkavitchGraham Lester GeorgeAnthony CropperNicola ValentineCathy GrindrodIrfan MasterMatt BlackRichard MacSweenAndrew McMillanKate FoxJohn SiddiqueExecutive Director: Katie WaldegraveFounding Director: William FiennesNational Director: Mónica ParleEd Baden-Powell – Partner, Michael Simkins LLPBeth Colocci – CuratorSophie Dalling – Head of English, George Green’s SchoolCharlotte Hogg – Chief Operating Officer, Bank of EnglandSue Horner – Educational ConsultantRob Ind – Head of English, Cranford Community CollegeAndrea Minton Beddoes (Chair) – ConsultantMayowa Sofekun – StudentDavid StephensBetsy Tobin – WriterLord Adonis - Director of The Institute for GovernmentJulian Barnes - WriterJamie Byng - Publisher, Canongate BooksAlex Clark - Editor, GrantaJulia Cleverdon - CEO, Business in the CommunityAndrew Cowan - Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing, UEAJonathan Dimbleby - Writer and BroadcasterMark Haddon - WriterJosephine Hart - Writer and PresenterSimon Jenkins - WriterDerek Johns - Literary ConsultantAndrew Kidd - Literary Agent, Aitken Alexander AssociatesRona Kiley - CEO Academy Sponsors TrustChris Patten - Chancellor, University of OxfordKevin Prunty - HeadteacherDeborah Rogers - Literary AgentZadie Smith - WriterAlicia Stubbersfield - Writer and TeacherWilliam Waldegrave - Chairman, Science MuseumBrett Wigdortz - CEO, Teach FirstDirector William Fiennes, and First Story writers Salena Godden, Kate Clanchy and Jon McGregor talk about First Story in The IndependentTim Pears writes about his experiences as First Story Writer-in-Residence in The GuardianFrances Wilson writes about First Story in the Sunday TimesIrena Barker writes about First Story in the TESJohn Humphreys hears about First Story on the Today ProgrammeAlex Clark writes about First Story in the Daily TelegraphSean Dodson writes about First Story in The Guardian