Two Edinburgh teenagers have been selected by Scottish Book Trust to work on a project aimed at increasing opportunities for young people to access and contribute to literary culture across Scotland.
Mikaela Carmichael (16) an aspiring Gaelic poet from Liberton, and Anni Cameron (17), an aspiring poet from Joppa, applied and were accepted to work with eight other young people on the national What’s Your Story? project.
The first nationwide programme of its kind in Scotland, What’s Your Story? will create a two-day creative writing conference in June 2016, a network of young writers/illustrators groups across Scotland and an online resource to embolden and support Scotland’s teenage writers.
These resources will be developed by the ten teen participants, in collaboration with Scottish Book Trust and partners, for other young writers throughout Scotland. The teen participants are also being professionally mentored in their chosen forms and genres, and will be showcasing work completed during their mentorship on the programme at the two-day conference.
The group of ten teenagers, who represent many different genres of writing, includes a screenwriter, a pair of poets, two non-fiction writers of travelogues and life stories, a novelist and two short story writers. A Gaelic poet and a graphic novelist complete the round-up.
Mikaela said: “I’m really passionate about Gaelic writing and I thought this would be a good opportunity to learn from a mentor and also to organise an event that would help inspire other young people to take up Gaelic writing because there really aren’t enough of us.”
Anni added: “This is a good opportunity and a good way to explore myself on a deeper level.”
Nicole Brandon, Young Writers Co-ordinator at Scottish Book Trust said: “The enthusiasm for creative writing and illustration shown by our ten teens in the initial weeks of the programme has been both extraordinary and joyous. Their faith in the ability of literature to inspire adventure, empathy and imagination has given What’s Your Story? phenomenal momentum, and we cannot wait to showcase their contributions to Scotland’s literary and creative culture.
“Their passion and conviction only reaffirms that young people have always deserved to be a part of our literary culture as creators and critics – not resigned to a default role as consumers. As access points to that side of our creative culture, Scotland’s literary organisations have a responsibility to help them get involved. It’s our privilege to follow the lead of our teenage participants and create new and fruitful opportunities for them and their peers to connect with each other, grow in confidence and ability, and collaborate to create their own new facet to Scotland’s literary culture.”
Colin Bradie, TTS Programme Manager, Creative Scotland: “We are delighted to be supporting this important initiative that will nurture and celebrate the talents and ambitions of young writers and illustrators across Scotland. A key element on Time to Shine, Scotland’s national youth arts strategy this ambitious project will look to ensure young people are playing a key role in inspiring and shaping wider youth engagement.”
What’s Your Story? is funded by Time to Shine, Creative Scotland’s arts strategy for young people, and is intended to celebrate and nurture the talent and ambition of young writers and illustrators of all backgrounds, connect them with others across the country who hold similar interests, and help them shape the future of literature in Scotland. The support of The Gaelic Books Council has aided this goal through specific provision for a teen participant working in Gaelic.
The judging team, including two teenage members of Youth Arts Voice Scotland, and representatives from Creative Scotland, The Gaelic Books Council and Scottish Book Trust carefully reviewed 50 entries from around Scotland before selecting the final ten. Participants were selected on the enthusiasm and dedication they expressed for teenage participation in creative and literary culture.
More information about What’s Your Story? is available at www.thestoryis.co.uk and throughout 2016 at www.scottishbooktrust.com.
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