23 young people from Western Sydney become published poets and authors
16 Dec 2025
Year of Poetry and Year of Novella 2025 students. Photography by Natasha Capstick.
Last Sunday we celebrated one of the most exciting moments during the Story Factory calendar – our Year of Poetry and Year of the Novella students becoming published writers (some for the second, third, and even fourth time!). We launched 13 novellas and 10 poetry collections into the world, at a joyful event at the University of Sydney, in front of a beaming audience of 150 family members and friends. The young authors shared excerpts from their work and signed copies of their books – as professional authors do.
These books were written by young people in Years 7-12 who came together from across Western Sydney for weekly workshops at our Parramatta centre throughout 2025. In workshops, and between them, they wrote their poems and stories on their writing tool of choice – scraps of paper, scrolls, the Notes App, even a letter board. Week by week, they workshopped their ideas, wrote (and re-wrote) their drafts, and learned from visiting authors and professional editors. They supported each other on their writing quests, and cheered each other on.
“Over the past three years, every Thursday I have travelled from Penrith to Parramatta,” said Oliver Muzzatti, a Year 12 student, who has just published his third book with us. “I’ve had the great pleasure of calling Story Factory Parramatta my home. [Here] I found love and passion for the art of storytelling.”
Across both of the programs, each student brought their own unique writing style and voice. Our young poets conjured up hip hop-tinged verse, hilarious conversational lines, and personal vulnerability. Our novelists wrote 25,000+ word stories across genres from fantasy to historical fiction, and sci-fi.
As well as developing the students into professional writers, the programs offer a space where young people build tight knit friendships and develop a sense of belonging to a literary community. “It’s a refuge, they feel safe and comfortable, they can just write and they know they’ll be accepted,” said Philip Wilcox, Year of Poetry Storyteller. “That’s been the biggest thing.”
None of the students are the same at the end of the program. Jerry Ray, Year of the Novella Storyteller, shared how each of the students has experienced a transformation and area of growth through their time at Story Factory, describing students as “seeing themselves in a new light”.
“What Story Factory does with all our programs, is particularly evident in Year of the Novella and Year of Poetry. The students really identify as a writer, they become a writer. That’s really special,” Jerry added.
Dr Catherine Keenan AM, Executive Director and Co-founder at Story Factory, echoed this sentiment. “What we’re really celebrating today – what is, I think, truly special, and what I am most proud of – is something that’s harder to see than the books themselves. The book is just the end product. The thing that matters is that each and every one of your young writers has found their voice and used it.”
One of the unique parts of the program is the way in which the young people are provided with opportunities to develop into professional writers. This year’s Novella students received author visits from Debra Oswald, Nadine J. Cohen, Jeremy Lachlan, and Benjamin Law, and the Poetry students hosted professional poets Dakota Feirer, Hani Abdile, and Miles Merrill. Professional typesetters, editors and designers also worked closely with the students to ensure that their book covers reflected the stories within them.
The 13 novellas and 10 poetry collections are available to purchase through the Story Factory online book shop.
Applications for Year of Poetry and Year of the Novella 2026 are open until 20th January 2026! If you’re a young person who would like to publish your own book, we can’t wait to hear from you.
Year of Poetry 2025 was proudly supported by Create NSW, The University of Sydney, the Jibb Foundation and the City of Parramatta.
Year of the Novella 2025 was proudly supported by Create NSW and The University of Sydney.
Year of the Novella in-kind supporters were Penguin Random House, Griffin Press, Midland Typesetters and Post Pre-press Group
Additional thanks to our typesetters, editors, printers, volunteers and guest authors.