First Rung

Rope Ladder Fiction: First Rung brings you the opportunity to experience the beautiful minds of fifteen storytellers, each of whom are taking their first step into the realm of creative writing.
Narratives take shape in dynamic forms thanks to these exciting voices and their accompanying biographies, which are stories in themselves.
Also documented are the exercises designed by playwright, screenwriter and poet Cathy Crabb, which were used to guide these writers, and so that you can take your first step too - with a handy section for your creative notes.
We urge everyone encouraged about the joyful world of storytelling to embrace this provocation as an inclusive and accessible safe space to limitlessly explore.

Features new writing by Serena Lukes, Marcus Garland, Libby Hall, Tracy Scott, Dr Sumaira K. Naseem, Christopher Egan, Erykah Blackburn, Louise Croombs, Josh Dixon, Ada Eravarma, Jessica Fay and Umara Khan, plus three short stories from Noah Conway, Amelia Davies and Krishna Jenson, specially chosen by screenwriter Kat Rose-Martin.

Rope Ladder Fiction is a Manchester-based drama production company with a focus on social inclusion and innovation. Creatively led by Cameron Roach, previously Director of Drama at SKY TV, it is committed to nurturing next generation talent whilst developing bold character-led narratives. The first commission for Rope Ladder Fiction is Waterloo Road, a co-production with Wall to Wall for BBC One.
First Rung marks an important component in building innovative outreach projects for Rope Ladder Fiction. The company is committed to an ambitious outreach, training and development programme, working with a wide range of partners including Screen Manchester, Salford University, BBC Bitesize, BBC Education, and Sharpfutures. Cathy Crabb and Joseph Morris have also recently worked with Men's Survivors Manchester and Reform Radio delivering short form audio dramas. These outreach projects aim to ensure more open access to the creative industries, and encourage new voices to emerge. The company is always open to new collaborations and partnerships.

"Not only is the quality of writing outstanding and the stories insightful, moving or funny, reading the authors' notes adds an extra layer. It feels like such an important book, one which has given opportunity to unheard voices that deserve to be listened to. I love it!" Angela Griffin; "A collection of unbound creativity. It's nothing short of inspiring and I can't wait to see all the incredible work this will spawn." Sufiyaan Salam; "It's always great to hear new voices, and there are great new voices here. Electric, eclectic and essential." Tony Walsh; "What's so exciting is the quality and individuality of these stories. These are definitely writers to follow and see what they produce next!" Cherylee Houston

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