Keep Your Head High - Story Factory

 

At the end of a difficult year, we wanted to share with you some remarkable stories of achievement and resilience.   We know this pandemic has disproportionately affected young people in under-resourced communities. Many have been left months behind in their education. And yet, the amazing young people we work with have kept on writing.   In fact, right now we're in the midst of a publishing bonanza, with incredible writing going out into the world in beautiful anthologies including From My Window, We're Writing to Say, and A User's Guide to a Pandemic.   We have also published books by individual students. Last Sunday we were thrilled to launch seven novellas and 11 books of poetry by students in our longest programs: Year of the Novella and Year of Poetry. All year, despite all the obstacles, these students have continued to write and edit, and write some more. We welcomed their friends and family to a launch party that was the perfect end to this extraordinary year - moving, joyful and ultimately triumphant.   It made me think of the words of one of our students in From My Window:   In hindsight, COVID-19 was a flower. Even through the haze, I managed to hold on tight To pursue my ambitions and keep my head high.   On behalf of everyone at Story Factory, we wish you and your loved ones a happy and peaceful holiday period, and look forward to seeing you again in 2021.   Warmest,   Dr Cath Keenan AM Executive director and co-founder Story Factory

Here they are! The graduates of 2020 Year of Poetry and Year of the Novella.

Congratulations Year of Poetry and Year of the Novella students On Sunday morning our excitement and pride knew no bounds as we celebrated the publication of 18 new books - novellas and poetry chapbooks - written by the brilliant students from Year of Poetry and Year of the Novella. The launch event for friends and families of our students is always a highlight of our year, with Story Factory staff wiping away tears of pride and happiness while applauding the achievement of Australia's newest published authors. Incredibly, we are already almost completely sold out of most books, but we are still taking orders over the break ahead of a reprint in the new year. Get your order in today for these exciting new authors!

BROWSE THE BOOKSHOP

From My Window, in my Reading Pile   From My Window is a collaboration between Story Factory, Outloud, and three amazing high schools from the Bankstown area: Wiley Park Girls High School, Punchbowl Boys High School and Birrong Girls High School. Students wrote performance poetry pieces that were then recorded as short films. The poems and videos respond to some aspect of the COVID-19 crisis. Students reflected on the positive events and occurrences they witnessed along the way, from small day-to-day happenings that sustained them, to larger events that offered a sense of optimism. The accompanying films will be released on the Story Factory and Outloud websites in early 2021, but you can buy the book of this beautiful work through the link below.

BUY THE BOOK

Image by Seb Ruiz.

A Christmas gift that keeps giving There's still time to snap up a beautiful art print of Sydney, framed and delivered to your door, donated by some incredible artists, including our very own Board Chair Michael Gonski. All proceeds will go towards Story Factory programs in 2021 - sure to be a monster year of writing, literacy and imagination to catch up learning lost in the disruptions of 2020.

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Make your holidays a write off! It's nearly school holidays again, and we can't think of anything better than to get kids writing, imagining and creating stories. We have two online school holiday workshops running in January - one for primary aged students and the other for high school students. As always, these workshops are provided free of charge and created specifically for kids from under-resourced communities who otherwise would not have access to these writing opportunities. If you know a young person like this who would benefit from participating, click through for more information.

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But Wait, There's More... Female-identifying writers aged 16 and up are invited to submit their enties to a writing competition focused on sharing diverse stories by Voices Women. If this sounds like you, your story should be around the word ‘entanglement’ and must be written in the first person so an actor can bring it to life. They're after stories that are moving, immediate, funny, powerful, brave, dramatic, curious, quirky, beautiful, uplifting, devastating. Apply here. Spineless Wonders is seeking place-specific short Australian stories, written by Sydney locals or those who frequent the city, with the intent of activating and visualising these ‘banal’ spaces especially as the city regrows in the wake of COVID-19. Most importantly, take care of yourself these holidays! We'll be back with so much more exciting writing from young people across Sydney. We can't wait!

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