A hug
By Marianne, Year 10
The poem below by Marianne was composed for the Story Factory Giving Shop, a poetry installation run at the Sydney Writer’s Festival 2025. The installation was based on the idea that a well chosen poem is the perfect gift to share with someone special. Story Factory asked young people in Western Sydney to write poems that celebrate their favourite things about the people they love. In a series of creative workshops, young people from Story Factory’s Year of Poetry wrote about raucous laughs, resilience and everything in between.
To go outside
To run and play at the same time
A hug that only says “thank you!”
― Marianne
Students and Story Factory staff at The Giving Shop