RESOURCES FOR WRITERS OF COLOUR
Footnote will always welcome submissions, especially from marginalised writers. However, because of a lack of opportunities many writers of colour just don’t feel ready to pull together a book proposal – yet.
Below are some brilliant resources which will help you access the experience and expertise you need to start or continue writing.
Organisations_
ReWrite
ReWrite champions debut and emerging Black women and women writers of colour with courses, editorial services, book reviews, an online literary magazine and events.
Creative Future
Brighton-based Creative Futures showcase underrepresented creatives across industries. They provide skills training, mentoring, exhibiting, promoting, and publishing opportunities.
Spread The Word
Spread The Word are aim to kick-start the careers of London’s new writers, and campaign to ensure that publishing reflects the city’s diversity through workshops, schemes, prizes and projects.
Jericho Writers
Oxford-based Jericho Writers are a team of well-connected real-life writers offering courses IRL and online, editing services and mentoring to new authors.
Creative Access
An equal access creative industries employer, Creative Access have a rich alumni retention programme for mentoring new interns and are always advertising exclusive vacancies.
Megaphone
Megaphone is a writer development scheme, giving support to BAME (Black, Asian or other Minority Ethnic) writers as they write their first novel for children or teenagers.
Writers of Colour
Words of Colour is an immersive change agency, creates sustainable opportunities for writers, creatives, entrepreneurs and communities of colour to thrive.
Speaking Volumes
Speaking Volumes is a live literature organisation specialising in getting underrepresented voices heard, reaching diverse audiences and finding exciting ways to present the work of writers.
Mentoring programmes_
The Clare Mackintosh Scholarship for Black Writers
Author Clare Mackintosh sponsors a place on Curtis Brown Creative’s Six Month Novel Writing Course, featuring direct input from their literary agent team and with mentoring from Clare herself.
Black Girl Writers Mentoring Programme
Black Girl Writers is a free mentoring programme for Black women who write. They pair Black women with a range of industry professionals, including experienced authors and agents. They also host online workshops throughout the year.
Prizes_
Jessica Kingsley Publishers Writing Prize
Open to new and un-agented authors, particularly people of colour, accepting entries centred on stories of resistance.
Spread The Word Life Writing Prize
For new, emerging and unpublished life writers to celebrate and develop life writing in the UK.
Creative Future Writers’ Award
An award for talented writers from a wealth of backgrounds supported by industry experts that has been running for almost a decade.
Mo Prize
A prize to help discover new Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicity voices in publishing.
Online spaces_
Media Diversified
Media Diversified is a non-profit magazine working to enrich the UK’s media landscape and challenge the homogeneity of voices in UK news media, through addressing the under-representation of marginalised communities.
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A weekly newsletter from the inimitable Nikesh Shukla which offers writing advice, musings and valuable insight into the publishing industry.