Aimee Cliff took part in the pilot Wellcome Collection Non-Fiction Awards in 2022, run jointly by Spread the Word and Wellcome Collection.
How to Read Minds is her new book about empathy and neurodivergence – the book that she developed whilst on the programme. We’re thrilled to learn that William Collins will publish the book in March 2026.
Aimee Cliff is a writer and psychotherapist based in London. She began her career as a music and culture journalist, working as Associate Editor of The FADER and Editor of Dazed Digital. Of the Wellcome Collection Non-Fiction Awards, Aimee said: “The Spread the Word x Wellcome Collection Writing Awards gave me vital support at a critical point in turning the tiniest seed of an idea into a reality. Knowing where to start with a non-fiction project can be overwhelming, and without this award, I may never have got off the ground. Thanks to this programme, I had time to write, invaluable insights into craft and the industry, and a cohort of talented, generous people offering me feedback. Perhaps most importantly, I was introduced through the programme to my brilliant agent – who helped me sell my book the following year.”
Commissioning Editor at William Collins, Eva Hodgkin, commented: “How to Read Minds is one of the most quietly radical books I’ve read. By interrogating the science and stereotypes surrounding autism and empathy, it offers an alternative way for all of us to practice real empathy. Aimee is imagining something entirely new and liberatory, and I can’t wait to see her book’s impact in the world.”
On How to Read Minds, Aimee said: “This book is an invitation to expand our working definition of empathy. If we assume that none of us is biologically predisposed to empathise, and all of us must actively cultivate that skill, how could that change us for the better? This has never felt more urgent to me: in a climate of imperialist violence and fascist ideology, strengthening our capacity to connect to one another is an act of liberation and resistance.”
Huge congratulations Aimee!
Read all about it in the Bookseller.
Published: Thursday 17 July 2025
class="post-75832 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-news"Spread the Word Director Ruth Harrison named amongst RSL 2025 Honorary Fellows
We’re proud to share that our director Ruth Harrison was among eight new Honorary Fellows named by the Royal Society of Literature (RSL) last night at their summer party, held at the Garden Museum in London.
The RSL’s Honorary Fellows are individuals who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of literature in the UK, or who have rendered special service to the Society. Being a Fellow is a lifetime honour. The eight new Honorary Fellows announced are: Tracy Bohan, Nic Bottomley, Annette Brook, Ruth Harrison, Lynette Linton, Caroline Michel, Richard Ovenden and Simon Savidge.
RSL President (and co-founder of Spread the Word) Bernardine Evaristo, said:
“The Royal Society of Literature bestows these honours for life on some of the most accomplished figures in British literature. I continue to be amazed every year at the impressive credentials of our new Fellows who work in every area of literature and who increasingly come from a wide range of backgrounds, thereby reflecting the varied populations in our country today. Now, more than ever, the literature sector needs to be supported and these Fellowships are powerful and prestigious tokens of acknowledgement that recognise and reward brilliant individuals for their crucial role in sustaining literature.”
Read all about it and see the complete list of new Fellows on the RSL website.
Posted: Thursday 17 July 2025
class="post-75826 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-news"Quercus signs debut from Emma Lowther, London Writers Awards Alumna, in six-figure deal
Emma Lowther took part in the London Writers Awards in 2021. Now, her debut novel has been “scooped up” by publisher Quercus in a six-figure book deal.
Set in an elite drama school, Fellow Creatures is based on the author’s own experiences growing up and at university – Emma trained in performance at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Fellow Creatures is set to be published in May 2026. Agent Rachel Neely said that she has a, “voice that captured me from the very first page. I have always loved campus novels but I adore how Emma has brought something fresh to that space with an unusual setting and a brilliantly unsettling protagonist.”
We can’t wait to get our hands on a copy. Congratulations Emma!
Read all about it on the Bookseller.
class="post-75709 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-opportunities"Come and work with us as our Finance officer
Our mission is to help London’s underrepresented writers get their work into the world, and to connect communities to words and stories. If you have two or more years experience in charity finances and are motivated by the work we do, we’d love to hear from you!
We particularly welcome applications from people who are currently underrepresented in the literature and publishing industries. If you rarely see people like yourself in the arts, for any reason, we encourage you to apply.
About the Role
- Job title: Finance Officer
- Contract: Part-time, 1 day a week (7 hours), freelance contract
- Day rate: £160 (£22.86 per hour)
- Ideal start date: end of August
We’re looking for someone who is empathetic, a good listener and communicator, and able to balance and prioritise a busy workload. You will be able to demonstrate good practice in financial management and commitment to accessibility, equality, and inclusion, as well as a passion for engaging people with words and stories.
The Finance Officer will work closely with the Director and our accountants. The Finance Officer is responsible for supporting the delivery of our financial objectives and ensuring good financial management and processes are in place.
This is a freelance role based at our offices in the Albany in Deptford. We offer hybrid working. You will be expected to work from the office at least one day a month.
Job Description
Please download and read the full job description before applying.
How to apply
- Job advertised from: Monday 11 July
- Shortlist confirmed: by Wednesday 20 August
- Interviews: Friday 22 August
- Decision made by Monday 25 August with the candidate in role as soon as possible afterwards.
Please apply by completing the questions in the online application form and attaching the following files:
- A cover letter outlining how you meet the job description and person specification and why you would like the role (no longer than 2 sides A4 or a video file of no longer than 3 minutes);
- Your CV (no longer than 2 sides A4);
- Completed Equal Opportunities form. The form will be separated from your application on receipt. You can download it here.
The deadline to apply is 12pm on Monday 18 August. Late applications will not be considered. We are a writing and reading charity; applications that are written by AI will not be accepted.
If you would like to request any reasonable adjustments to the application process please contact us via [email protected].
Interview process
The shortlist will be confirmed on Wednesday 20 August and interviews will be arranged for Friday 22 August.
The decision will be made by Monday 25 August, with the candidate in role as soon as possible afterwards.
class="post-75601 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-opportunities"Free workshop on Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants Funding
This autumn we’ll be running a free online workshop on applying for Arts Council England’s Projects Grant Fund for London-based writers on Monday 29 September, 7pm-8.30pm with Tom MacAndrew.
This workshop will:
- Give you an insight into the purpose of the grants
- Help you think through your project
- Take you through key stages of the application process and application form
- Look at what makes a strong application
- Provide opportunities for you to ask questions about your own proposal
What you will need for the workshop:
- A clear idea of what your proposed project is, what you want to achieve and how you are going to go about it
- To be able to show how your project is going to engage people or communities with artistic work or cultural education
- To have read through the Arts Council’s NLPG guidance
Please read through all the Arts Council’s NLPG guidance beforehand, so that you are reasonably sure that what you have in mind is suitable for project grant funding. If what you want to do does not involve engaging audiences or participants, but is looking purely to develop new work, or to focus on your professional development then you should likely apply for the Arts Council’s Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) fund instead. We are running a DYCP workshop on Monday 6 October.
Arts Council England’s National Lottery project Grants are open for individual artists or cultural organisations to apply at any time. They range from £1,000 to £100,000, and you can choose whether you would like to apply for up to £30,000 or over £30,000. Projects can vary, but in general should be seeking to reach people and communities with artistic work or cultural education.
It is open to writers of any literary form inc. playwriting and graphic novels. Please note, this session is specifically tailored to writers in London, and it is not open to artists working in other media (e.g fine arts etc.) or writers living outside London. Sessions will run again in 2026.
Access
This session will take place on Zoom with auto-captioning and BSL interpretation- upon request. You are welcome to attend with your camera off, and the workshop will be a relaxed space. Please note that the workshop will not be recorded. Workshop notes will be circulated to attendees.
If you require BSL interpretation, and/or have other access needs please email [email protected] so we can accommodate you.
Booking Your Place
This online workshop is FREE. Book now here.
Due to the limited number of places available, please only sign up if the session is applicable to you. We anticipate that demand will be high for this workshop, so please book with a commitment to attend.
About Tom
Tom MacAndrew is a freelance consultant specialising in poetry, spoken word and live literature. He has delivered projects for clients including Apples & Snakes, the British Museum, CLPE, Forward Arts Foundation, Poet in the City, Roundhouse, Spread the Word and World Book Day.
As a creative producer he has delivered work for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Arts; he edited the anthology Bedtime Stories for the End of the World; and runs Propel Magazine which promotes work by emerging poets. He has developed and toured shows nationally and internationally with poets including Joelle Taylor, Adam Kammerling, Joshua Idehen, Francesca Beard and John Hegley. Tom is the producer for Out-Spoken, London’s largest regular poetry night, resident at Southbank Centre, and for their publishing house Out-Spoken Press. In partnership with Spread the Word he runs the annual Deptford Literature Festival. He is a trustee at the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre.
Published 14 July 2025
class="post-75640 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-opportunities"Free workshops on Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice Fund
This autumn we’ll be running a free online workshop on applying for Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice Fund for London-based writers on Monday 6 October, 7pm-8.30pm with Ruth Harrison.
This workshop will:
- Give you an insight into the purpose of the fund
- Help you think through your project
- Take you through key stages of the application process and application form
- Look at what makes a strong application
- Provide opportunities for you to ask questions about your own proposal
What you will need for the workshop:
- A clear idea of what your proposed project is, what you want to achieve and how you are going to go about it
- To be able to show how your project is a real development opportunity for your creative practice and/or professional profile, networks and partnerships
- To have read through the Arts Council’s DYCP guidance
- To have read the successful applicant case studies on the Arts Council’s website
Please read through all the Arts Council’s DYCP guidance beforehand, so that you are reasonably sure that what you have in mind is suitable for DYCP funding. If what you want to do involves engaging audiences or participants, then you should likely apply for a National Lottery Project Grant (NLPG) instead. We are running a NLPG funding workshop on 29 September 2025.
Arts Council England’s DYCP Fund is for individual artists to apply for lottery funding to develop a new piece of creative work and/or a new way of working. You can apply for up to £12,000 towards, for example: mentoring, time to create new work, research, training or professional development costs. Whatever it is you want to do, the project you have in mind must be a clear development opportunity.
To be considered for DYCP you will also need to show at least one year’s track record as a writer outside of a formal educational setting. This could include being published or produced (e.g.: by small independent publisher or producer or mainstream publisher/producer), published in magazines, shortlisted for writing competitions or expression of interest from an agent, editor or producer, or working professionally on the poetry circuit).
Please note the next round of DYCP funding opens for applications on 23 October 2025 and closes for applications on 20 November 2025, with decisions announced on 19 February 2026.
It is open to writers of any literary form inc. playwriting and graphic novels. Please note, this session is specifically tailored to writers in London, and it is not open to artists working in other media (e.g fine arts etc) or writers living outside London. Sessions will run again in 2026.
Access
This session will take place on Zoom with auto-captioning and BSL interpretation- upon request. You are welcome to attend with your camera off, and the workshop will be a relaxed space. Please note that the workshop will not be recorded. Workshop notes will be circulated to attendees.
If you require BSL interpretation, and/or have other access needs please email [email protected] so we can accommodate you.
Booking Your Place
This workshop is FREE. Book now here.
Due to the limited number of places available, please only sign up if the session is applicable to you. We anticipate that demand will be high for this workshop, so please book with a commitment to attend.
About Ruth
Ruth Harrison joined Spread the Word as director in 2015. Her working life has been in the field of the arts and particularly in literature. She has been Director of Apples and Snakes, a literature development officer and programme manager at The Reading Agency. She is passionate about not only widening people’s engagement with writers and writing but also in developing writing talent. Widening participation and engagement alongside developing and building awareness of new voices has been core to her work.
At Spread the Word, Ruth is responsible for leading the company artistically and strategically and working with our highly skilled and dedicated team to make a difference to and for writers and their audiences in London.
Published 14 July 2025