Stepping Into Stories Kids’ Lit Fest
The Stepping Into Stories Kids’ Lit Fest is a week-long, annual festival of children’s poetry, performance, writing and illustration, featuring multi-award-winning figureheads from the world of children’s books.
I’m delighted to be a founding member of the delivery team, together with Mo O’Hara, Margaret Bateson Hill, Hayley Byfield and the fabulous Tales On Moon Lane Bookshop.
Launched in 2019, by and for the local community, the festival has grown year on year. Our 2023 festival was opened by Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho. Over 6,500 people took part, including 1,844 children from 14 local schools, in some of London’s highest areas of deprivation. With 60+ school, public and virtual events running through the week, and a story-making competition with international reach, the festival puts South East London, firmly on the map for world class children’s literature.
In 2023, we secured additional funding from The Walcot Foundation to launch the Stepping Into Stories ‘Write Club’. This regular programme of free creative writing events runs throughout the year and is available specifically for Lambeth resident children from low income families. We are delivering the Write Club in partnership with The Baytree Centre Brixton, a social inclusion charity for women and girls from marginalised communities.
We believe all children should have access to world class books and stories, and the life-changing opportunities that reading for pleasure brings.
Roles: co-founder, project manager, fundraising, comms, volunteer coordination, community engagement, events delivery, evaluation
Photo credits: Portrayed Photography
Waterstones Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho
