Storytelling is an ancient art, it can transport you, transform you, leave you in such a state that you forget where you are. And how wonderful, particularly during a global pandemic where physical travel and social gathering has been restricted, that can be. Whether the story you are listening to is being told with words spoken, letters written, colours stitched, canvas painted, or signed with hands, all stories are magical.
So, although we of course must celebrate and congratulate the authors within this book (all of whom are young and very far from ancient themselves) for working so hard to craft and create stories even as the world slowed, and socially distanced... we really mustn’t express too much shock. Because these storytellers, as with the stories they tell, are magical.
These stories have been waiting to be told, and are eager to be heard. So instead of saying, “oh my! You wrote in a pandemic?!” Let’s say to these authors and the team who supported their journey, “Thank you! Thank you for taking the time and care to stitch together and bring together your thoughts, feelings, imaginings, experiences, and words in order to produce this very special magic which we now get to partake in as readers and listeners and recipients.”
- Foreword by AMY THUNIG
This is the first volume in our Best of Story Factory series, highlighting the outstanding work written by young people in Story Factory creative writing workshops in 2020.
Writing through the disruptions of the COVID pandemic, more than 6,000 young people aged 7 - 17 participated in creative writing programs run in schools, at our writing centres in Redfern and Parramatta, and online. We’re proud to present their work as an annual collection for the first time - happy reading!