Literacy news
Nick Hornby launches the Ministry of Stories
22 Nov 2010
Since 2002, Dave Eggers, the American author best known for his novel A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, has been reinventing himself as a literacy guru for children. As part of his 826 Valencia children's writing project, he has opened after-school clubs across America where children can develop their creative writing. Now, bestselling novelist Nick Hornby is bringing the concept to the UK and launching a new storywriting venture in east London to inspire a "nation of storytellers". Workshops will be provided by volunteers: local writers, artists and teachers, all giving their time, skills and talent free of charge. The aim is to inspire and be inspired by young people, working closely with schools, so that it supports the work that teachers already do.
A fantastical shopfront will lure the young people in, based around the theme of monsters. The front of the store will even sell monster-based products, such as "fang floss" and "human snot", while around the back novelists including Zadie Smith, Roddy Doyle and Michael Morpurgo might be found teaching children aged from eight to 18 to learn to write a little like they do.
Hornby's Ministry of Stories opened on Friday 19 November in Hoxton, East London, and is funded by Arts Council England.
Nick Hornby says:
"We think writing should be unrestricted by rules and regulations. In fact, we think you get the best results by keeping it seriously playful."
"It's not just about stories either: we get excited by all forms of writing, from song lyrics to play scripts, screenplays to journalism, blogging to games, and poems to graphic novels. You'll be able to find the Ministry of Stories through a secret door inside the first shop in the world to supply the daily needs of monsters of all shapes and sizes."
You can read more about the Ministry of Stories on:
Most read
Related content
- Will the Olympic Games inspire a nation of readers? in Blogs by Jonathan Douglas
- Commission finds three quarters of schools have boys falling behind in reading in Media centre
- Tom Palmer Euro 2012 blog, part three: Literacy begins at home in Blogs by Tom Palmer
- Tom Palmer Euro 2012 blog, part two: Confessions of a school-visiting author in Blogs by Tom Palmer
- Help! There’s a boy in my class! in Blogs by Jim Sells
