Ministry of Stories

The Ministry of Stories is a non-profit organisation in East London dedicated to helping children and young adults develop writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

Overview

Located in Hoxton, a district in the London Borough of Hackney, England, The Ministry of Stories was founded in 2010 by the British author Nick Hornby and co-directors Lucy Macnab and Ben Payne.[1] The company provides mentoring and advice to young writers, relying on the work of volunteer writers, teachers and artists. The MoS aims to inspire young people to transform their lives through creative writing. The company works closely with schools, supporting teachers, but also provides one-to-one mentoring for young people to enjoy imaginative stories, improve language skills, increase abilities in communication, and develop social and educational confidence.[2]

As of late 2012, 5,000 young people have taken part in activities sponsored by the MoS. About 500 trained volunteers have contributed to the effort, as have writers including Joe Dunthorne, David Nicholls and Zadie Smith, as well as actors Colin Firth and Emma Thompson.[3]

The MoS is patterned after Dave Eggers' 826 Valencia, founded in 2002 in San Francisco, and Roddy Doyle's Fighting Words, founded in 2009 in Dublin.[4]

The MoS receives funding from the Arts Council England.[5]

Hoxton Street Monster Supplies

The MoS is located behind its Hoxton Street Monster Supplies, a sweets and oddities shop selling Fang Floss, jars of Human Snot and cans marked Creeping Dread and Escalating Panic.[3][6]

References
  1. East, Ben (30 October 2011). "Ministry of Stories offers magical writing classes". The National. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  2. Stratton, Allegra (November 18, 2010). "Nick Hornby opens Ministry of Stories to get Britain's kids writing again". The Guardian. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  3. Curtis, Nick (4 December 2012). "Nick Hornby: Minister of Stories". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  4. Day, Elizabeth (March 11, 2012). "Roddy Doyle: the joy of teaching children to write". The Guardian. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  5. "The Ministry of Stories". Arts Council England. Archived from the original on 11 March 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  6. Hosken, Andrew (November 19, 2010). "Ministry of Stories opens behind monster shop facade". BBC. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
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