Disabled Poets Prize

Deptford Literature Festival

Lewisham, Borough of Literature

30th Anniversary Commissions

London Writers Awards

Wellcome Collection Non-Fiction Awards

class="post-73643 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-news"Early Career Bursary alumna Ana Diamond signs major deal with Canongatea person with long hair, dark brown at the roots and lighter brown at the ends, sits on a chair in front of a tall bookcase. They are dressed smartly and smiling.

Narrative non-fiction writer Ana Diamond, who wrote during the Spread the Word Early Career Bursary programme under the name A.D. Aaba Atach, has signed a major deal with Canongate for her book, Breaking Silence: The Daughters of Iran.  Curtis Brown have acquired world rights, and Simon and Schuster, North American rights. Breaking Silence is told through the lens of Ana’s own experience as a teenager being imprisoned on death row in Iran’s “notorious” Evin Prison. Breaking Silence: The Daughters of Iran is scheduled for publication in spring 2027.

Ana Diamond (A. D. Aaba Atach) was a recipient of the 2024 Early Career Bursary. The bursaries provided three London writers on a low income with bursaries each worth £15,000; £10,000 cash and £5,000, to put towards development opportunities.

On receiving the bursary, Ana Diamond said: “In the pursuit of an inclusive publishing industry, few organisations actually champion writers on a low income by recognising our talent and contributions to the literary world. Being awarded the Early Career Bursary is not merely a privilege; it’s a sanctuary that nurtures the literary potential of those whose stories were often borrowed and written by others more fortunate. I am immensely grateful to have been given this opportunity to join a supportive community of writers in London and develop my craft to its fullest extent.”

Read more about Ana’s book deal in the Bookseller.

The Early Career Bursaries were made possible by a generous philanthropic gift from Sam and Rosie Berwick.

class="post-73505 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-misc"Sky Breaks – an interactive walk by Amber Obasi and 皚桐 (Aí Tung)

Break, noun
The interruption of continuity or uniformity; a pause in work or during an activity or event.

What is the point of breaks? What happens when we look at the sky, the streets, passers by? What transformations can be ushered in through daydreams?

Sky Breaks an interactive piece of writing produced by Amber Obasi and 皚桐 (Aí Tung), and created in collaboration with Deptford residents. It explores these questions, using benches, bus-stops, low walls, and other public seating areas across Deptford to consider the power of public breaks. Not just as single moments of time, but as interconnected processes in the creation of change.

You are invited to immerse yourself in and be guided by these poems and recordings drawn from and inspired by Deptford.

The walk is based around x locations in Deptford. Amber and Aí have created new poetic sound works, designed specifically to be listened to at each of these sites. To take part, we encourage you to navigate your way to the different locations and listen to the pieces as you stop, reflect, and consider what we truly want when we’re not stuck in “business as usual”. Directions and a map to the locations are included below.

 

You can also follow the route on Google Maps, or download the route as a .gpx file.

Or download a map and directions, including a transcript of the poems (PDF). Printouts of the map will also be available from the Deptford Literature Festival Info Desk at Deptford Lounge on Saturday 29 March 2025.

Credits
Created and written by Amber Obasi
Production and sound design by 皚桐 (Aí Tung)

If you enjoyed this walking tour, you may also like:

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Published 27 March 2025

class="post-73319 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-news"Campaign Update February 2025: Lewisham, Borough of Literature

On 4 February we held the second public meeting for our Lewisham, Borough of Literature campaign. The campaign aims to see Lewisham declared as the UK’s first Borough of Literature in order to give our borough recognition, drive funding towards word-related activities in the area, and give existing and new, talented writers and audiences more opportunities to develop their creativity and share their work.

The meeting on 4 February aimed to bring together local community members and grassroots community groups. The session, which was held at the Fellowship Inn in Bellingham, followed the same broad agenda as our first meeting.

We started with a mapping exercise to understand what word-related events and projects already exist in Lewisham. Participants shared a broad range of existing activities such as local book groups, scratch nights, festivals, adult literacy and numeracy classes, creative writing sesssions, libraries and cafes that offer a programme of events.

From there, we moved on to imagining what a ‘Borough of Literature’ could look like and the group had loads of brilliant ideas. Some key concerns included: supporting children and young people to read for pleasure; creating opportunities in the many different languages spoken in Lewisham, not just in English; making sure it is a celebration for everyone that brings literature to people where they are; commemorating famous local authors like H. G. Wells and E. Nesbit; creating intergenerational spaces; and enabling young people to understand the career paths available to them in publishing, writing and literature more broadly.

Lewisham is an incredibly diverse borough and making sure that the Borough of Literature campaign is truly for all local people is a priority for the team, as well as being raised at all of our meetings so far by local participants. Alongside English, languages spoken in the borough according to the 2021 census include: Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Arabic, East Asian and South Asian languages, and languages from Africa. Unfortunately, more detailed information about languages spoken was not available in 2021 census data. 0.5% of the local population cannot speak English and a further 2.8% cannot speak it well. For the Borough of Literature, activities carried out in other languages and focused on translation will be important to make sure that everyone living in Lewisham has the opportunity to take part.

Next, we talked about what a thriving literature ecosystem in the borough would look like. Key points included: funding; accessible venues;  and opportunities in all types of literature and creative activities, from poetry to photography.

Finally, we asked what difference a Borough of Literautre could make to Lewisham residents. The conversation covered: buiding a collective sense of pride in the area and it’s different communities; creating a strong legacy of increased opportunities and recognition for the borough; preserving the local history of migration; and reinvigorating local venues and businesses.

 

On Tuesday 25 February we will be popping up at a LEAN (Lewisham Education Arts Network) meeting to talk to local teachers about the Lewisham Borough of Literature. If you are not a teacher but would love to share your ideas for the campaign, we will hold another public meeting during Deptford Literature Festival on Saturday 29 March. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet our advisory group and hear commissioned writers read their pieces about Lewisham. The meeting is free to attend but places must be booked.

class="post-73219 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-news"Announcing the 2025 London Writers Awards winners

Spread the Word, London’s literature development agency, is delighted to announce the names of the 24 writers who have been selected for the 2025 London Writers Awards. The programme has returned for a fifth year thanks to a generous philanthropic donation by Sam and Rosie Berwick. Founding partners are: the Independent Publishers Guild and the Society of Authors, this year’s sponsors are A M Heath, Bell Lomax Moreton, Janklow and Nesbit and Susanna Lea Associates.

In 2025, 24 London-based writers from communities underrepresented in UK publishing – Black, Asian or Global Majority, Working Class, LGBTQIA+, D/deaf and disabled, and writers on a low income – will be supported and nurtured through a ten-month development programme in preparation for meeting with agents and publishers and pursuing their writing careers.

The 2025 cohort comes from a diverse range of backgrounds, writing across Literary Fiction, Commercial Fiction and YA/Children’s Fiction. They include a trainee solicitor, documentary filmmaker, Jordanian-Palestinian playwright, mental health doctor, and an occasional drag queen.

The full list of London Writers Award winners is:

Literary Fiction: Maddy Accalia, Lishani Ramanayake, Laila Obeidat, Meher Iqbal, J. Lian Ho, Jose Ignacio Narciso, Susie Thornberry, V. Matsumari, Swithun Cooper, Judah Abraham-Silas, Sophia Khan, Sukie Wilson

Commercial Fiction: Ally Coker, Daniel Culpan, Nic Falvo, Emily D. Bean, Nkenna Ndujiuba, L.A. Chase

YA/Children’s Fiction: Coggin Galbreath, Victoria Ibbett, Damisi Adetola, Noel Emerald, Rukiya Shanthi, Shivanthi Sathanandan

Oisín McKenna 2025 judge, says: “I was completely thrilled by the quality of the submissions to this year’s London Writers Awards – they are bold, strange, enticing and powerful, written by writers with a remarkable grasp of their own craft and vision. As an alumnus of the programme, I can say with certainty that it’s a career-changing experience. It can make a life and career in writing imaginable and tangible, where before it may have felt remote, nebulous, and difficult to reach, giving participants permission to handle their own work with confidence and seriousness. I’m certain that with the transformative support offered by the London Writers Awards that there are bright futures ahead for these writers.”

Sam Berwick, philanthropist and funder of the 2025 London Writers Awards, says: “Rosie and I have had the great fortune to have worked with Spread the Word over the past three years, and we can’t say strongly enough what a great experience that has been. Now, being in a position to help them bring back such a critical project as the London Writers Award is a huge and very exciting privilege for us. We look forward to helping Spread the Word in this mission, and we would kindly call strongly and hopefully persuasively for both individuals and foundations to join us in further helping them in growing projects like the London Writers Awards. They are needed more than ever in the current environment.”

Ruth Harrison, Director of Spread the Word, comments: “We are delighted to be welcoming a new cohort of writers to this year’s London Writers Awards. Becoming a writer is a precarious endeavour. In this challenging time for arts funding, we would like to thank Sam and Rosie Berwick for their commitment to supporting writers with the craft, connections and community to take forward their careers. Sustained and accessible development opportunities are essential to ensuring we get to read and hear the stories writers want to tell from across our communities. This commitment is needed more than ever, and we welcome conversations on how we can increase the support and opportunities available to writers from underrepresented backgrounds in publishing.”

About the London Writers Awards

The London Writers Awards is the UK’s most successful development programme for writers from communities underrepresented in UK publishing. To date, 50 alumni have been agented and 37 have made book deals as a result of participating in the programme. The London Writers Awards has launched the careers of, amongst others: Natasha Brown, Tice Cin, Ashani Lewis, Cecile Pin, Pam Williams, Santanu Bhattacharya and Tom Newlands, whose debut novel Only Here, Only Now was selected as a Guardian Fiction Book of the Year, and Shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize 2025.

Originally launched in 2018, the programme ran for 4 years and supported 120 writers. In 2021, the London Writers Awards was cited by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Creative Diversity as an exemplary writer development programme. The cohort from our most recent programme in 2022 included writers who have gone on to receive considerable acclaim, including Oisín Mckenna (Evenings and Weekends, Fourth Estate) and Chris Bridges (Sick to Death, Avon).

This new iteration of the programme will support 24 unagented and unpublished London writers of Literary, Commercial and YA/Children’s Fiction each year from 2025 to 2027. The annual 10-month programme is free to participate in and offers bursary and access funds.

The 24 writers begin with a Writers’ Lab on Saturday 22 February. Over the course of ten months, the award recipients will: attend fortnightly critical feedback groups to grow and develop their work; participate in nine masterclasses led by writers and industry professionals; attend two Writers Labs, one with peers, judges and programme alumni and another with editors, publishers and agents; and receive a variety of bespoke development opportunities with editors, agents and the Spread the Word team.

All Awardees will receive 1-2-1 professional development sessions with members of the Spread the Word team to support their development whilst on the programme. Information about the Awardees’ projects will be distributed to over 350 agents and editors. Spread the Word has also set up an alumni network for the 120 previous recipients of the Award, to which 2025 awardees will be invited to join. This includes on-going craft, career and networking opportunities.

#LondonWritersAwards2025

For more information, visit: https://www.spreadtheword.org.uk/projects/london-writers-awards

Published 19 February 2025

class="post-72991 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-opportunities"Volunteer at Deptford Literature Festival 2025

Are you interested in being a part of a large and vibrant literature event? Volunteering at Deptford Literature Festival events offers a fabulous opportunity to immerse yourself in literature for a day.

What does it involve?

We’re looking for volunteers to support on Saturday 29 March. You’d need to be available 9am – 6pm on that day.

You will mostly be based at Deptford Lounge and/or The Albany, but might be ask to cover some events at venues nearby (e.g: Brookmill Park or the Moonshot Centre) or on one of our walking tours (max. 3-4 mile walk).

Your responsibilities will include:

You will also get to attend and take part in the sessions that you support.

Volunteers are provided with a festival t-shirt, a £30 travel and food stipend, and are offered a free ticket to our opening event Lewisham Lyricists at the Albany on Friday 28 March.

Volunteer briefing

If you sign up to become a festival volunteer we will need you to attend our online briefing session. Please check before you sign up that you will be able to attend the session. Volunteer briefing will happen via Zoom on Monday 17 March at 7-8.30pm.

This session will explain how the festival works, talk through the schedule for the day and outline how we’d like you to support visitors. This session will also include training from Fuse Theatre offering an introduction to British Sign Language and to working bilingually and with sign language users and interpreters.

Sign up to volunteer

Please complete the application form by Monday 10 March to be considered for a volunteering role. We’ll be in touch shortly after the deadline to confirm your involvement.

If you have any questions or would like to request any reasonable adjustments to the application process, please get in touch with us via [email protected].

class="post-72863 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-news"Announcing the 2025 Disabled Poets Prize ShortlistA composite image of the three prize judges with the Disabled Poetry Prize 2025 gold logo.

Spread the Word and CRIPtic Arts are delighted to announce the shortlist for the 2025 Disabled Poets Prize. 

The Disabled Poets Prize was founded by Jamie Hale, with CRIPtic Arts, Spread the Word, and Verve Poetry Press. The Prize is supported by ALCS, the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society. The Prize aims to nurture, encourage, and celebrate the talents and successes of deaf and disabled poets. 

Barriers to entry to the arts for deaf and disabled people are high, with often inaccessible live spaces and expensive entry prizes. The Disabled Poets Prize, which is free to enter and open to deaf and disabled UK writers, saw 220 entries across two categories – Best Single Poem, and Best Unpublished Pamphlet. 

There are a number of cash prizes. Prize-winners and all shortlisted writers will also receive career development opportunities courtesy of Spread the Word, CRIPtic Arts, The Literary Consultancy and Arvon Foundation; while the winner of the Best Unpublished Pamphlet prize will be offered the opportunity to have their book published by Verve Poetry Press.

The final results will be announced at a special event broadcast online as part of 2025 Deptford Literature Festival on Saturday 29 March. Tickets are available to book on Eventbrite.  

The 2025 Disabled Poet Prize judges are Khairani Barokka, Polly Atkin and the Prize’s founder, poet Jamie Hale.

2025 Best Single Poem 

Shortlist

Longlist

2025 Best Unpublished Pamphlet 

Shortlist

Longlist 

Congratulations to all the poets and thank you to all those who entered. The judges enjoyed reading all your work.

We hope you will be able to join us on Saturday 29 March for a special broadcast to announce the winners. The event will feature readings from the winning poets and is part of the 2025 Deptford Literature Festival programme. Free tickets are now available to book via Eventbrite. 

Donations enable the Prize to develop and grow, so we can reach more disabled poets and provide more opportunities to nurture their writing, artistry and audiences. If you are able to give, please consider doing so on our Total Giving page.

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