Story Factory Marching Forward

 

Marching Forward Here we are at 80% vaccination in NSW and finally seeing students return to school - what a thrilling milestone! Our admiration for teachers, already some of our favourite people, has only deepened as we’ve seen them handle a rapidly changing situation while working tirelessly to support students learning from home. We've been proud to work with teachers who have called their students every day to check on their wellbeing, who have organised and delivered food hampers for families doing it tough, or driven around their LGA giving lessons over the fence for students without access to devices. Our team has also been working hard to bring our digital creative writing workshops to more schools and more students, and to make writing fun and joyful.  As we all re-emerge from lockdown into living with COVID-19 there will be more challenges ahead, and we’ll be there to make sure that our students can write their way through it.   Onwards, Story Factory

We're absolutely tickled pink that students are returning to the classroom. Image by Jacquie Manning.

Art Write Light workshops Art Write Light connects Australian artists with young people in creative writing workshops where students write in response to the work of living artists, and to each other. This term we’re offering high schools in NSW the chance to participate in special one-off digital Art Write Light workshops, responding to the work of acclaimed painter and proud Dhungatti man Blak Douglas. Art Write Light one-off workshops are available between November 22 - December 10, 2021 to public schools across NSW.

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Congratulations Jihad We're over the moon that one of our Year of Poetry writers Jihad Yassine has been awarded The 2021 Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers in the poetry category for his poem Box. The prize was presented online as part of the National Young Writers Festival. We couldn't be more proud of Jihad - congratulations!

READ JIHAD'S POEM HERE

We're Looking for a Senior Program Manager Are you an experienced English teacher looking for a job that will let your creativity run free? Are you passionate about creative writing and making a difference in the lives of young people? This is a busy, exciting role for an experienced educator and manager who can write new programs, work collaboratively to refine and improve existing programs, and train and support our talented team of storytellers to deliver them to the highest possible standard. Find out more about the role through the button below.

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Winner Winner Chicken Dinner Sometimes it's in the trying times that the very best stuff happens.  Among the many teachers who went the extra mile these past months were the amazing staff at our long-term partner, Chifley College, Shalvey Campus. When they found out many local families were going hungry, they started working closely with PCYC Mt Druitt to help facilitate food deliveries - on top of all their other duties. We asked others to help too and were blown away when Manettas Seafood Market supplied hampers full of fresh seafood, meat, fruit and vegetables for 50 families. Similarly, M&J Chickens stepped up to deliver ready-to-eat chicken over several weeks to families stuck in isolation, or impacted by job losses, who were struggling to make ends meet. Thank you to all these legends!

Student Writing This ode to one of the greatest meals ever created has us planning something cheesy, heavy and wonderful for dinner. Written last week by a Year 7/8 student from Camden High, we think how hungry we feel reading it really demonstrates the power of great writing! Lasagne   Lasagne, oh how you glisten on exiting the heated runway of the oven. As glorious as heavenly light, you are a shining beacon of greatness!   Golden sheets, meaty goodness, so good smelling.

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An Ode to (or with) Bilal Our very own Bilal Hafda joined Simon Marnie on ABC Radio last weekend, taking listeners through how to write an ode, just like the ode to lasagne above. You can listen (and have a go yourself) through the link below.

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But Wait, There's More... The award-winning Boundless Festival returns in 2021 with a line-up of emerging and established writers, discussing everything from the evolution of Indigenous storytelling, to the challenges facing Muslim writers, to the restorative power of literature in times of isolation and lockdown, and features our Story Engineer Bilal Hafda!  Click here for the previous post