Arts Council funded magazine showcasing emerging writers to launch in June

A new magazine, backed by Arts Council England, showcasing the works of emerging writers will launch this summer. 

Write On! has been given £180,000 per year (totalling £750,000 from April 2018 to March 2022) from ACE as a National Portfolio organisation from £100,000 from Barking and Dagenham Council and support from New Generation Publishing and writer development agency Spread the Word. 

The new quarterly magazine published by Pen to Print will link local writing communities to the publishing industry by showcasing the work of emerging writers, said organisers, and will launch on 27th June. 

ACE director for libraries Sue Williamson said: “The Arts Council is delighted that the Pen to Print project, run by Barking and Dagenham Libraries, is launching Write On! magazine in print and online. Pen to Print is being funded as one of the six new library National Portfolio Organisations in the Arts Council portfolio and we believe that Write On! provides a great platform for the excellent work that is being done to support writing talent in the community.
 
"We are keen for the UK's literary landscape to become more representative. Write On! catalyses outreach and opportunity by showcasing homegrown voices, built with expert support from their local community. We are hopeful that by inviting engagement from other emerging writing communities, Write On! will encourage the publishing industry to engage further with underrepresented grass roots writers.”

10,000 copies of the magazine will be distributed directly through Libraries and other community spaces in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham as well as Havering, Newham, Southend, Redbridge. National and international communities are reached via an online publication on pentoprint.org with a projected readership of 30,000. The volunteer editorial team is drawn from local writing communities, including Wilbur and Niso Smith Foundation adventure writing finalists.  
 
Saima Ashraf, deputy leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, said: “We believe that Write On! provides a unique meeting point, propelling writers from working-class and minority backgrounds with something to say into publication. An authentic storytelling platform inspires readers, writers and commercial entities to come together in new and innovative ways; building positive social change by helping our Borough record who we are now, while creating a blueprint for who we want to be in the future.”