Everything All At Once

Story

Over the course of a single week, one secondary school seems to experience everything all at once. Following a huge cast of interlocking characters, this clever, funny collection explores the wide range of teenage life, from friendship to love to anxiety.

Why we chose it

All school life is here. Steven Camden brilliantly captures the life of a secondary school - the humour, the emotion, worries, friendships, finding your place, wanting to fit in - the world of school.

Where it came from

Steven Camden is a respected spoken word artist, poet, author, and playwright from Birmingham, who now lives in London. Growing up, he was surrounded by storytellers in his family, but never knew a writer until he became one.

He sometimes goes by his stage name, Polarbear, which he says always makes him chuckle. He has performed worldwide, and on stages which range from Glastonbury to the Royal Shakespeare Company. He also teaches storytelling in schools and was a lead artist for the Ministry of Stories, a non-profit organisation which encourages children and young adults to develop writing skills.

Where it went next

Everything All At Once was very well-received, and won the 2019 CLiPPA Award.

Associated stories

Steven Camden has written several Young Adult novels, Tape (2014), It’s About Love (2015), and Nobody Real (2018). He has also written several plays and theatre pieces, including his debut Back Down and the critically acclaimed family show Mouth Open, Jump Out. He has also written radio plays and is working on a television series. His first novel for younger readers, My Big Mouth, is due to be published in 2021.