Roffey, Lawrence and Bhattacharya judge Spread The Word's Early Year Bursary
Monique Roffey, Patrice Lawrence and Santanu Bhattacharya have been named as judges of the Spread the Word Early Career Bursary for London Writers for 2023.
It is the second year of the three bursaries, worth £15,000 each, which aim to make a significant difference to writers’ development of their craft and support career progression. Organisers hope that others will join the scheme to help fund future intakes as the cost-of-living crisis continues.
This year’s focus is on unagented and unpublished London writers of fiction for adults, YA fiction and narrative non-fiction who are on a low income and are working on an existing or early-stage book project.
The three bursaries include £10,000 being awarded as cash and £5,000 towards talent development, including mentoring. There is no obligation to create a final product. The project, which won at last year’s Achates Philanthropy Prize, is made possible by a donation from Sam and Rosie Berwick.
Authors Roffey, Lawrence and Bhattacharya will judge this year’s intake. Lawrence said: “I started Orangeboy [Hachette Children’s Group] in 2011; it was published in 2016. I wrote it at weekends and on buses and trains, to and from work. A bursary would not only have bought me vital time to write, but equally importantly, time to research the publishing industry. It’s such a privilege to be able support emerging writers on this early part of their journey.”
Spread the Word director Ruth Harrison believes the current economic squeeze is affecting authors. “The cost of living crisis is directly affecting writers’ ability to create the time and space to develop their work and build connections and community,” she said.
“We are delighted to be re-opening the Early Career Bursaries for a second year and thank Sam and Rosie Berwick for their continued support. If we want to read stories from across our communities, the need to invest in writers on a low-income is evident. With Sam and Rosie, we hope that others will join us in supporting writers and changing range of the stories we get to hear, read and see.”
The Berwicks said: “We are both unreservedly looking forward to working with Spread the Word and more exceptional writers in 2024. As we move forward, we hope that others might join us in expanding this programme to help more new writers to have the time and space to develop their art, particularly in the context of this extremely difficult economic environment.”
The first-year bursaries received 127 applications after the project launched last September, with the three bursaries being awarded to Sheila Atuona, Lilee Cathcart and Selina Suzelle. Their mentors are Leone Ross and Kerry Hudson.
Suzelle described the experience as “extremely validating”. She added: “As my writing project continues to develop, my long-term goals feel more tangible and achievable.”
Cathcart said: “Through the professional development provided by the ECB, I have had the incredible opportunity of being mentored by a professional writer. I have never previously had someone with such wisdom and experience look at my work, and this has greatly improved the quality of my writing.”
Atuona described it as “unlocking the next level of your journey as a writer; you have this dedicated time not just for writing but for experimenting and honing your work through mentoring, workshops, and research and field trips”.
Spread the Word and the Berwicks said they welcome a wider conversation with the publishing industry, philanthropists and funders on support for writers on a low income. Contact Bobby Nayyar at Spread the Word at bobby@spreadtheword.org.uk.
A free online information session will be run on 25th July from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., for people considering applying. Applications for entries are open from 12 p.m. on Wednesday (12th July) until 12 p.m. (midday) on 18th September 2023. For more information, visit spreadtheword.org.uk.
