Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing, has announced the seven teenage writers and illustrators who have been recruited to steer the nationwide What’s Your Story? programme, aimed at helping to increase opportunities for young people to access and contribute to literary culture across Scotland.
Three Edinburgh teenagers have been selected for this year’s programme. Amelia Puchala from Leith will be working on poetry, and Anna MacDonald from Bruntsfield will be focusing on novel-writing. Laura Penman, who has been awarded the Gaelic place funded by the Gaelic Books Council, will specialise in short story writing. The young people will receive mentoring from experts in their specific creative fields.
The group are representative of teen engagement with creative writing and illustration in Scotland, and include: a comic book artist, a poet, an illustrator, a storyteller, two novelists and a writer of short stories. The teens are aged from 14 to 17 years old.
This team of young writers and illustrators will be responsible for planning and hosting StoryCon 2018, Scotland’s biggest creative writing and illustration conference for young people. Last year this took place in Glasgow and was attended by around 150 young people.
The What’s Your Story? participants will also work on their own creative development, benefitting from an induction programme with The National Library of Scotland, professional mentoring from writers working in their chosen forms and genres, and a week-long retreat at Moniack Mhor, Scotland’s creative writing centre. In previous years, the participants have had the chance to interview bestselling authors at Edinburgh International Book Festival and Aye Write!
The What’s Your Story? programme will culminate with a showcase, presenting the work the young people have created throughout the year. Creative professionals will train the teens to perform their work live, against a background of visuals and music.
Organised and run by Scottish Book Trust, What’s Your Story? was originally funded by Time to Shine, Creative Scotland’s national youth arts strategy and is the first nationwide programme of its kind in Scotland. This year it is funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s Young Start programme and The Badenoch Trust, as well as other trusts and private donors. What’s Your Story? is free to take part in and travel expenses will be covered for all participants. The Gaelic Books Council also funds a Gaelic-language place.
The teens were selected by a judging team, which included one of the previous What’s Your Story? participants, and representatives from Creative Scotland, The National Library of Scotland, The Gaelic Books Council and Scottish Book Trust. Participants were selected on the enthusiasm and dedication they expressed for teenage participation in creative and literary culture.
This is the third year of the programme and including the new participants, twenty-four young people will have benefitted from the opportunity to progress their creative specialty.
Amelia Puchala (above) said: “I went to StoryCon last year and heard about What’s Your Story?, and just thought that that’s something I’d really love to take part in it. I write poems, I really enjoy playing with words and metaphors, and poetry, for me anyway, is the best way to do that.”
Anna MacDonald (above) said: “I have been to StoryCon for the last two years which I really enjoyed and so I applied for the What’s Your Story? programme last year. I write short stories and novels. I’ve always read a lot and since I was very young I have loved creating my own worlds and characters.”
Laura Penman (above) added: “My teacher recommended that I went for What’s Your Story? and when I looked it up online it looked right up my street! I write short stories in both Gaidhlig and English (however I am focusing on Gaidhlig for the programme). I love creating characters, storylines and whole worlds from scratch.”
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “As we enter the third year of the What’s Your Story? programme, Scottish Book Trust is delighted to have chosen its seven new teen participants from around Scotland. These seven teens, and the hundreds more who have engaged with the programme’s activities since we launched in 2015, are proving that Scotland’s young people believe wholeheartedly in the importance of creative writing and illustration in their lives and want to contribute to Scotland’s literary culture now, and in the future. We can’t wait to support these new recruits through this journey and discover what they’re capable of.”
Maureen McGinn, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, said: “Congratulations to the seven young authors and illustrators recruited to drive forward the What’s Your Story? programme. What’s Your Story? is a unique opportunity for budding young writers across Scotland to come together to nurture their creative talent. Working with a diverse range of young people, it will develop skills and confidence, and is an excellent example of the type of activity Young Start funding makes possible.”
Graeme Hawley, General Collections Manager at the National Library of Scotland, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to meet the writers of the future and to inspire them at the start of their journey. By introducing them to the national collection of books, magazines, pamphlets, letters, diaries and film we can show them the diversity of the written word, and introduce them to resources that they can use in their own work. Congratulations to this year’s new writers.”
Rosemary Ward, Director of Gaelic Books Council, said: “The Gaelic Books Council is delighted to once again be involved in this exciting youth initiative. I am particularly encouraged that year on year young Gaelic writers have the confidence to submit samples of their work and present compelling arguments on the impact that their participation in the programme might have on their writing. Congratulations to everyone who has made it on to this year’s programme. I wish them all the very best.”
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