Shared Writing has published five books of stories written by Derby College Lexis students. Three of them are available to view here on the website.
The first book of Lexis stories, published in 2016, was ‘My Journey to English’. It was written by 19 students from 11 countries. The stories were illustrated by art students from the College. The impact of this was immediate. Sharing their stories in class helped them come together and writing the stories developed their knowledge and use of English. Finally, seeing their stories in print was thrilling and life-affirming.
Since then we have worked with over 300 Lexis and art students. In 2019 we included five graphic novels for students who could not yet write their own stories. The art students did a superb job of telling these stories visually.
The books also have a wider role. Working with University of Derby researchers, we have been using our 2019 book, Our Past, Present and Future, to see if the Lexis stories can encourage empathy in Primary School children. Early results have been very promising.
2019
Our Past, Present & Future
The book is available for sale through the website shop.
The Festival works with young people across the city. You will find out more if you follow the links here or through our Community Page.

2020 Celebration Event
View moreExplore our 2020 books through video, with students reading their poems and stories from our virtual Celebration Event

Shared Writing Publications
View moreIf you want to learn more about our Shared Writing programme and order copies of our books or read them online, including ‘The World and Me’.