Current iteration

Storyslingers was founded by two young writers in 2011 keen to develop our craft with like-minded writers and plug a hole we kept falling into when it came to local resources for writers like us. We juggled a lot of personal commitments all the while until in 2015 I (Jennifer Kyte) began an MA in Writing for Young people, and moved from our base of Dorset to Somerset. From that point Storyslingers entered a semi-hiatus that had turned into full dormancy by 2016/2017.

In 2020 I was hungering after the buzz we’d had in those early days, probably in part due to the complete lack of buzz being in Covid lockdown. I had a lot of plans for what I wanted to do with it, but as the world opened up again I was back to having very little time. I’d find myself constantly getting frustrated and stressed at not achieving even a quarter of what I wanted to. Ultimately I was losing out on my own writing time without really getting far with ‘Slingers.

So, in 2021 I’ve made the decision to accept that those early Storyslingers days are not attainable in my current set-up. That’s not to say I’m abandoning it to the level of the 2015-2019 dormancy. I plan to still do the occasional Instagram posts, to organise one-off literary events when I’m able to, to be available for others to contact me with questions or requiring support. But those big dreams of regular feedback meetings, monthly talks and themed zine creation just aren’t possible unless I give up my day job, or writing, or both. Like most people I need to earn a living and like all writers, I need to write.