Over the weekend,

What stories lurk in a 100 Story Building? Last Saturday, we threw open the doors of our brand new centre for young writers in Footscray to see if we could draw some of them out. And drawn out they were. We discovered the story of ‘Monster vs Hero Super on the Great Wall of Comics’, a tale of a flower who grows very sharp teeth and eats stars in the roll of Never-Ending Stories and a jarful of words was used to pitch stories to the Early Harvest Editorial Board.

We couldn’t have asked for a better day to do it. Outside, the Puagme Festival provided an all-singing, all-dancing soundtrack, and the mall was filled with families out to vote and do their market shopping. It was a wonderful backdrop to introduce the actual 100 Story Building. Our centre for young writers is a permanent space for children and young people to tell their stories and share their ideas with other people who love writing, books and storytelling. At our grand opening on Saturday we had guest storytellers Bernard Caleo, Jackie Kerin and Oslo Davis chalk drawing, Kamishibai storytelling and covert sketching. Children (and adults) rubbed shoulders with their favourite authors, including Sally Rippin and Alice Pung, and created comics, stories and story pitches in our built-to-inspire workshop space.

Photos from Simon Conlon.

They seemed pretty happy to stay above ground, but if young writers don’t find enough in the first level to inspire them, then there’s always the 99 levels below, accessed by a trapdoor in the corner. Unfortunately that is all still under construction but you can read the staff noticeboard and take part in the dodgeball competition. There also may or may not be a secret door somewhere with bookish treasures concealed behind it.

We’d like to thank The Readings Foundation for their support. Part of the funds they provided were used to purchase the beautiful hand-crafted wood tables that fill the workshop space, and going by the comics on the wall, the tables are perfect surfaces to inspire young writers.

What to next? Our daily workshops and after-school activities are open for bookings, along with a bunch of fun school holiday workshops and a writing workshop with Sally Rippin.

Image from Oslo Davis.

Still not sure what stories make up a 100 Story Building?