Hive South Yorkshire was set up in 2016 by writer and creative practitioner, Vicky Morris, with consortium support from the Writing Squad, and Yorkshire literary charity, Grimm & Co.
We are a small, labour of love, user-led project, with a young writer steering group that helps to shape our activity. We are grassroots and choose to stay small to keep the integrity in our work and ensure what little funds we have go directly to developing young writers. Collaboration is also an important aspect of what Hive is about and our steering and wider partners include: the Off the Shelf Festival of Words; Slambarz, Doncaster Community Arts (Darts); Barnsley College; Doncaster Creates, Sheffield Libraries, Rotherham Libraries, The Civic Barnsley, RMBC Events, Arvon; Sheffield Hallam University; South Yorkshire Library Services.
Wins and accolades by Hive Young Writers
Some of the awards and competitions young writers from Hive groups have won over the last few years include: Young Northern Writers Award, the BBC Young Writer of the Year, Matthew Halew Award, Streetcake Prize, Orwell Youth Prize, Foyle Young Poet of the Year, the New Poets Prize, Ledbury Poetry Competition, Prole Poet Laureate Competition, the Women Poets Prize, the Wales Young Poets Award, Young Poets network challenges (the Poetry Society), Sheffield & Barnsley Poet Laureates, Hear My Voice Competition, the Winchester and Bridport Poetry Prizes.
New partnerships
Hive runs outreach projects working with partners in the community to deliver workshops and projects that encourage participation and help remove barriers to enjoying and accessing writing opportunities. We create tailored projects that enable young people to use creative writing to address specific motivations, themes, issues, and concerns while improving their writing skills.
Groups we’ve worked with include: Sheffield Young Carers, Chilipep in Barnsley and Sheffield, Sheffield Youth Justice Services, Children in Care Council, the Care Leavers Union, Pause Doncaster, CAHMS services in South Yorkshire, Arvon, Apples & Snakes.
We are always looking for new and exciting collaborations with community and youth projects, schools, colleges and other arts organisations. If that’s you, please get in touch for a chat.
History
Hive continues and builds on South Yorkshire young writers’ work initiated in 2007 through the Signposts Writing Project. The project, founded by poet Matt Black in Sheffield in 1997 to signpost writing opportunities in the local community, went on to pioneer a wide range of young writers’ activity in the region.
Hive South Yorkshire is funded in part by Arts Council England