London Library announces 40 new writers for Emerging Writers Programme

The London Library has announced 40 new writers for its Emerging Writers Programme, which supports writers at the start of their careers. 

Writers were selected from almost 950 applicants by a panel of judges featuring YA novelist, essayist and chair Yassmin Abdel-Magied, non-fiction writer Simon Garfield, playwright and novelist Nell Leyshon, poet Rachel Long, screen and children’s writer John McNally and literary agent Eli Keren. 

This year’s cohort is working on a diverse array of projects. Spanning the globe from the US to India, the Philippines to Israel, France to Trinidad, they explore the Troubles and the Arab Spring, 12th-Century York, 19th-Century Northumberland and present-day London. They delve into topics as diverse as neurology, art, cryogenics, the countryside, sexuality and storytelling; and feature selkies, bats, whales and a platypus. 

Of the 40 writers, 11 are novelists, eight are writing for stage or screen, seven are working on non-fiction or graphic non-fiction, five are short story writers, five are writing for children or YA and four are poets. The writers span an age range of early 20s to early 50s. 

Participants benefit from one year’s free membership of The London Library alongside a programme of writing development and networking opportunities, peer support and guidance.  

Abdel-Magied said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to chair the judging panel of this year’s Emerging Writers Programme. As a panel, we were bowled over by the sheer volume and outstanding quality of submissions we received, not to mention the diversity of discipline/genre and the scope of the storytelling. Whittling down to 40 was not easy but we are so excited by the talent of those we chose to be on the programme and we can’t wait to see where they take their wonderful array of projects over the course of the year.” 

Philip Marshall, director, added: “I am delighted that we are able to welcome 40 new writers into membership through the Emerging Writers Programme. Not only does the programme support writers at the start of their career through workshops and networking opportunities, it enables participants to use the library’s extensive resources – resources that have fuelled and provided a home for creativity and inspiration for more than 180 years.”