About the MoS

The Ministry of Stories is a creative writing and mentoring centre for young people in east London. We use storytelling to inspire young people aged 8-18, in the belief that writing unleashes their imaginations and builds confidence, self-respect and communication.

Nick Hornby, Lucy Macnab and Ben Payne founded the Ministry of Stories in 2010. In its first year, over 3000 young people took part in our volunteer-led workshops and writing projects. Our inspiration came from the writer Dave Eggers and educator Ninive Calegari, who opened a shop for pirates and writing centre called 826 Valencia in San Francisco.

To find us, you'll need to go through Hoxton Street Monster Supplies, Purveyor of Quality Goods for Monsters of Every Kind...

For more details about the Ministry, read our FAQs.

To see some of the amazing people involved in the Ministry, click here.

What are
we here for?

The Ministry of Stories was founded by Nick Hornby and co-directors Lucy Macnab and Ben Payne. Hidden away at the back of The Monster Shop (where else would you expect it?), the Ministry of Stories provides a free space for fresh writing by young people. Here in Hoxton we provide workshops and one-to-one mentoring. The services are provided by volunteers: local writers, artists and teachers, all giving their time and talent for free.

The MoS is inspired by young people, and aims to inspire them to transform their lives through writing. We work closely with schools, supporting the work of teachers, but our great benefit is that we provide one-to-one mentoring for young people to enjoy imaginative stories, improve language skills, increase abilities in communication, add to social and educational confidence.

Welcome to the
Ministry of Stories

We are an organisation dedicated to the creation of stories by a new storytelling generation.
Fire your imagination, have a look around and get involved.

Dispatches from The Ministry

Volunteer Opportunity: Chief Technology Advisor Needed

Do you have the manner of an owl, big listening ears and the planning acumen of a Queen Bee? The Ministry of Stories is looking for a Chief Technology Advisor to help us plan and manage our overall technology initiatives.

Spring Offer: 50% off all Tinned Fear (Children’s range)

News Alert from the Minister for Monster Relations: It seems, unfortunately, that Spring has arrived. The days are getting longer, and the sun is out, the painful the sounds of birdsong, human laughter and children playing are unavoidable.

The Ministry
Weblog

What's on our mind as we go about our storytelling business.

My Secret Life as a Shop Zombie

What is it like serving behind the counter at Hoxton Street Monster Supplies? We asked volunteer Alice Park to let us in on a few secrets. Here’s her volunteering story.

Minister of the Month: Nura Abdo

This month, we introduce volunteer writing mentor Nura Abdo. We couldn’t be more pleased to share this interview with her, in celebration of Volunteer Week.

“My name is Nura, I’m a housewife with six children – and at the same time I’m a student as well!