In March 2024, The Working Class Collective, the Working-Class Studies Association and the Working-Class Theatre Makers united in solidarity to share working-class stories, as told by working-class people.


The International Working-Class StoryFest took place over three days online, with live events also taking place in Leicester, England, and Placerville, California. With a truly global focus, presenters and audiences joined from the UK, Canada, Australia and the US.


Featuring poetry, prose, theatre, audio drama, and discussions from new and established working-class creatives, the StoryFest was a celebration of working-class stories and the people who make them. The art of storytelling in working-class communities has always been and still is an important way to build solidarity and recognise the diversity of our experience. Through the StoryFest, we established a global dialogue, platformed under-represented talent and built solidarity with other working-class storytellers.


A Global Showcase of Working-Class Creativity, Online and On the Ground


We kicked things off on Friday 22 March with poetry and prose from the festival’s contributors, an interview with author Kerry Hudson, and a presentation on the collective’s first ‘Working Class Fantastic Spaces’ event at Bestwood Village.


Saturday 22 March featured an eclectic line up of working-class writers, activists, academics and theatre makers, starting with a presentation by educational inequality campaigners Class Divide. The day continued with a live event hosted by the Working-Class Theatre Makers in Leicester; in the afternoon, writers Tommy Sissons and Jim Gibson discussed writing from a male working-class perspective, and each performed a reading of their work. The day ended with presentations by working-class writers from Western Sydney, and a theatre showcase from our festival contributors.


Storytelling Sunday: A Tribute to Working-Class Women (Showcase & Open-Mic)


The festival wrapped up on Sunday 24 March, with a special ‘Storytelling Sunday’ event at the Green Room bar in Placerville, California. Working-class poet and Past-President of the Working-Class Studies Association, Jen Vernon, was joined by performance poet and ‘Storytelling Sunday’ founder, Rina Wakefield. In solidarity with the International Working-Class StoryFest and in celebration of Women’s History Month, the showcase included creative work that paid tribute to working-class women, and voiced the lived experience of work, women and class.