Society of Authors hands out £179k in grants to support authors' new work

The Society of Authors has distributed more than £179,000 between 69 authors to support the completion of their writing projects.

The grants for work in progress are part of the Authors’ Foundation and K Blundell Trust and are currently given twice yearly to afford authors time to write, to help with research costs or to otherwise fund their work.

The recipients of the November 2022 round of grants include investigative journalist and author Hil Aked, poet Laura Theis and Greek poet and writer Constantine Alexander Blintzios. Their writing projects range from memoirs examining the “courage and transformation” of life as a quadriplegic, to a poetry collection about our relationship with the environment and the climate crisis, with a focus on the importance of hope and wonder, to the story of Britain’s medieval churches told “through their forgotten features, furnishings, and monuments”.

Beginning in 2023, the grants will be awarded throughout the year, on a rolling basis, rather than in two rounds.  

Aked said the award was “a huge confidence boost” while Blintzios described it as a “tremendously validating experience” with the grant used to pay for travel for interviews.

Fellow author Araba Ofori-Acquah said: “The grant which accompanies this award will provide much-needed time, space and peace of mind to allow me to continue pouring into this project the energy and love it deserves.”