Seven Stories
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Seven Stories is the only centre for children's literature in the United Kingdom and is based in the Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, close to the city's newly regenerated quayside. The centre takes its name from the theory that there are only seven basic plots in literature, and the fact that the renovated Victorian mill in which it is housed has seven levels.
One of the centre's aims is to create and maintain a national corpus of literature aimed at children. A huge amount of original artwork and manuscripts has been donated to the centre already and the collection continues to grow. Jacqueline Wilson, Terry Jones, Philip Pullman and Quentin Blake are among some of the centre's most distinguished patrons.
Seven Stories has developed strong liaisons with local institutions such as Newcastle's Discovery Museum, where an exhibition celebrating the work of Miffy creator Dick Bruna has been held, and the University of Newcastle upon Tyne with which it jointly hosts a number of PhD studentships funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
It is hoped that many children's authors and illustrators will visit the centre to run workshops and give talks; some of the first guests include David Almond and the previously mentioned Jacqueline Wilson. Seven Stories opened to the public on the 19th August 2005.
