The new Plymouth Young City Laureate is Frankie Baldry
After an open call earlier this year seeking the Ocean City’s most talented young writers, we’re delighted to introduce Frankie Baldry as the next Plymouth Young City Laureate.
During her Laureateship, Frankie will undertake writing commissions and perform at events across the city.
Speaking about her appointment, Frankie said:
I am absolutely delighted to have been chosen as Plymouth Young City Laureate! As a born and bred Janner, my writing is endlessly inspired by my family, my love of astronomy from nights stargazing on the moors and our shared ancient myths and legends. My aim in this role is to uplift marginalised voices within our city, in particular to champion queer and disabled youth to know the power of their words and have agency over their own stories. I can’t wait to see what this amazing opportunity to connect with my community brings.
Young writers aged between 14 and 19 at the time of entry, who live, work or study in Plymouth were invited to send in samples of their creative writing on the topics of ‘Plymouth, the Sea and Me’, as well as a piece of writing that best represented them as a writer. They all told us what they’d do with the role if they became Plymouth Young City Laureate.
The Laureateship is a partnership between Literature Works and Plymouth Culture. It gives a young writer the opportunity to represent their city in words, while also developing their creative practice through public writing commissions and events in the community.
Sabrina Candido, Sector Development Officer at Plymouth Culture said:
“As an organisation dedicated to fostering a vibrant creative cultural sector in the city, we are very happy to work with Literature Works on this programme that brings young voices to the spotlight and supports their career development. We can’t wait to see Frankie’s work as the new Plymouth Young City Laureate.”
Helen Chaloner, CEO of Literature Works said:
“It’s a delight to help develop young writers whenever we can and the support from Plymouth for this unique opportunity has been fantastic. We are looking forward to working with Frankie, helping her to develop and grow creatively while celebrating the city and its people.”
We’ll soon be sharing more about Frankie’s plans and first activities in their role as Laureate, keep on eye on our website and subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to hear. If you or your organisation would like to commission Frankie to be part of a project or activity in Plymouth, get in touch via info@literatureworks.org.uk.
