The Storytelling Support Network

The Storytelling Support Network is an online space dedicated to furthering knowledge exchange benefits, bringing together participants from the Storytelling Summits to develop book ideas, hear research findings from scientists and obtain guidance on developing work for publication from industry professionals and BookTrust. It ran from 2023-2025, supporting two cohorts of authors and illustrators each benefiting from the programme. 

Aims

• Strengthen working relationships and connections made at the Summits between writers, illustrators and scientists. 

• Provide a forum for the discussion of and feedback on work. 

• Develop more complex and detailed responses to themes discussed at the Summits. Listen and respond to feedback that will aid the development of books. 

• Facilitate mentoring between experienced and less experienced writers. 

• Develop creative work towards publication, with the assistance of publishers and other industry professionals. 

• Provide publishing industry guidance and support for creatives. 

From left to right: Author Dara McAnulty speaking at the RENEW x BookTrust Biodiversity Storytelling Summit 2024 at the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester. Bottom left: Professor of Poetry John Wedgwood Clarke speaking at the RENEW x BookTrust Biodiversity Storytelling Summit 2023 at Kew Gardens, London. Bottom right: Mutual fans, keynote speaker illustrator and author Nicola Davies joins children’s author Hiba Noor Khan.

Content

Thanks to dedicated researchers and RENEW ecologists at the University of Exeter as well as the London Wildlife Trusts, the Story Support Network has hosted talks on bees, sycamore trees, birds, the value of natural spaces, personalised ecology, St Piran’s hermit crab and the small red-eyed damselfly among others.

We have held two publishing-industry focused sessions with guest speakers: 

Award-winning author Dr Nick Crumpton in conversation with Sophie Hallam, Editor at Bonnier Books and Caroline Hill-Trevor, Head of Book Selection and Purchasing at BookTrust.

Author and Illustrator Jo Empson in conversation with Deborah Patterson, Children’s Books Editor at the National Trust and Caroline Hill-Trevor, Head of Book Selection and Purchasing at BookTrust.