The Guardian reports on the opening of a new London venture:
"...[Nick Hornby] the bestselling writer, creator of Fever Pitch and High Fidelity, launched a laudable public enterprise that aims to put the act of storytelling ahead of all the other distractions surrounding his celebrity.The Ministry of Stories Literacy Project will turn an empty shop in Hoxton, east London, into a purveyor of monster supplies intended to draw a stream of young people across its threshold. Once inside, the children will find, in Hornby's words, "a ministry of stories secreted behind its humble facade".
Acclaimed fellow writers Roddy Doyle and Zadie Smith are backing the scheme, which has been inspired by the success of the American novelist Dave Eggers's 826 National movement."
The store will sell supplies needed by any self-respecting monster, including Fang Floss, Zombie Mints, tins of Mortal Terror, and a line of edible human preserves. In the back, however, kids will have the chance to take part in a variety of activities related to story telling and story writing.
They need volunteers as well as funds. You can find out more at www.minstryofstories.org. I hope the project will spread to other cities world-wide--at a time when it's more important than ever to get kids writing.
