Byron Writers Festival’s Regional Creative Writing Program

Byron Writers Festival takes its travelling schools creative writing program, StoryBoard, to a whole new level with the launch of its magic traveling childrens’ writing bus, thanks to generous funding from Arts NSW.

The $50,000 grant from Arts NSW, supported by North Coast Nationals MLC Ben Franklin, will allow StoryBoard to travel far and wide in an unmissable eye-catchingly decorated bus, which will carry the Storyteller-in-Chief (author) and volunteer tutors directly to regional schools. The StoryBoard bus, a work of art in itself, and the workshop approach, will create the ‘weirdness’ to inspire the creativity of children, teachers and schools across the Northern Rivers.

Byron Writers Festival Director Edwina Johnson says StoryBoard is a new innovative program for the organisation. ‘StoryBoard will bring leading authors and illustrators into schools with the goal of producing next generation readers and writers. Equipping young people with the tools to create their own stories, StoryBoard will foster both creativity and literacy.’

The StoryBoard bus will be at the heart of the project. ‘Our bus will be a beautiful, magical vehicle spreading news of the program and bringing authors and volunteer tutors directly to where they are needed most – our region’s schools,’ says Johnson. ‘The bus represents a ‘new world’ where children step out of their preconceived ideas of writing. It will give the program leverage to be able to travel, visit and tour to schools in the further western regions of Northern Rivers, as well as extending into Northern NSW.’

unnamedMulti-award winning children’s author Tristan Bancks, author Samantha Turnbull and Byron Shire Citizen of the Year, Delta Kay, have joined as Storytellers-in-Chief. Already the program has already attracted 30 volunteers.

‘StoryBoard has been an invaluable experience for The Pocket Public School,’ says the school’s teacher and librarian, Abelia Hissink. ‘Before the writing workshops began our students were bursting with ideas. StoryBoard gave them a sense of direction and opportunity to express themselves as writers. Tristan Bancks showed our students techniques that transformed their ideas into cohesive stories with substance and meaning. Students will be drawing on the experience of StoryBoard every time they pick up a pen to write.’

In its pilot year, StoryBoard will be visiting 20 regional schools within an 80km radius of Byron Bay, accessing students of diverse backgrounds and abilities and offering a range of writing workshops and other youth opportunities. The addition of the dedicated StoryBoard bus allows the program to access over 3000 kids per year and expand to many more regional schools.

For those interested in finding out more about the StoryBoard program please contact the centre on (02) 6685 5115 or coralie@byronwritersfestival.com

For further information visit byronwritersfestival.com