Aspiring writers in North Devon will have the chance to learn from award-nominated author Polly Ho-Yen as Barnstaple Library hosts a free Writing for Children workshop on Saturday, 22 February 2025, at 12.30pm.

The event comes after Barnstaple Library was selected through the All Stories national competition to host one of 16 fully funded workshops across the UK, aimed at supporting writers from underrepresented backgrounds. 

The initiative, funded by Arts Council England, Inclusive Books for Children, and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society, seeks to break down barriers and encourage new voices in children’s literature.

The workshop is open to anyone interested in writing for children, with no prior experience required. 

It particularly welcomes participants from underrepresented backgrounds, including people of colour, disabled and neurodivergent individuals, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and those from working-class or socio-economically marginalised backgrounds.

Alongside the workshop, Barnstaple Library will establish an ongoing writing group to support local writers. A ‘writer resources’ pack with information on supportive organisations will also be made available to workshop attendees and visitors.

A spokesperson for the library team said: “This is an exciting opportunity for the community of Dover and Dover Library to be able to facilitate such a fantastic project. The project will help those that are socio-economically marginalised to have a sense of belonging within the community and break down any barriers, building community cohesion and positive wellbeing, giving the confidence they may need to progress with their writing.”

The workshop will be led by Polly Ho-Yen, the Bristol-based author behind Boy in the Tower, Where Monsters Lie, Fly Me Home, and How I Saved the World in a Week. 

Her debut novel was shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, and the Federation of Children’s Book Groups Book Award, and four of her novels have been nominated for the Carnegie Medal.

A former primary school teacher in South London, Ho-Yen’s writing is deeply rooted in real-world settings, often incorporating science fiction or fantastical elements that young readers can relate to. 

She regularly runs writing workshops in schools across the UK, sharing her expertise with aspiring authors.

The Writing for Children workshop at Barnstaple Library is free to attend.

To book a place, visit allstories.org.uk/writing-workshop