Monday 15th July 2024: The Amazon Literary Partnership has announced the non-profit literary organisations to receive grants for 2024, as it continues to support and champion writers of all ages and stages on their creative journey. This year, the partnership is expanding to the Republic of Ireland, supporting more organisations than ever before, with 37 organisations set to receive grants across the UK and Ireland.
The Amazon Literary Partnership has been awarding grants to deserving groups since it was first formed in the UK five years ago. The grants support various non-profit literary organisations, writing centres and community engagement programmes. While each has a different cause, all have a shared goal of offering opportunities to aspiring writers and empowering those from underrepresented communities to experience the magic of storytelling.
Darren Hardy, Senior Manager, EU+UK Author/Agent & Editorial Programmes at Amazon said:
“Championing the creativity and talent of diverse writers both young and old is more important than ever, and so we are thrilled to once again be working with inspiring literary organisations to help create a positive impact in communities around the UK. We are also proud to be extending the partnership to the Republic of Ireland this year, and look forward to playing a small part in inspiring the next generation of writers alongside our partner organisations for the first time.”
This year’s grant recipients include continued relationships with a number of organisations such as Africa Writes, Literature Works and Creative Future, as well as new groups including Stories of Our Lives, and Ironclad Creative CIC. In its inaugural year supporting groups across the Republic of Ireland, the partnership has awarded funding to the Graffiti Theatre Company and Fighting Words.
One of the grant’s new recipients, community writing project Stories of Our Lives, will use the partnership’s funding to help run workshops within its local community in Greater Manchester. Thanks to their recent grant, these workshops are now increasing in frequency, with meetings now taking place twice a month, providing more space for creativity, storytelling and engagement from their diverse range of participants. The team has also brought on a selection of creative writing specialists to help inspire creativity during the sessions.
Commenting on the impact of the grant, a spokesperson from Stories of Our Lives said, “The funds granted by the Amazon Literary Partnership will be used to support our Stories of Our Lives project. This includes delivering workshops focused on wellbeing, storytelling, writing, blogging, and media skills to diverse groups across Greater Manchester, many of whom are older and previously isolated. These activities promote intergenerational dialogue and mutual support, fostering a sense of belonging and enhancing mental wellbeing.”
Speaking on their experience of receiving support from Stories of Our Lives, one writer who has attended various workshops said: "The sessions have provided me with stimulation and motivation through sharing ideas and experiences. After 30 years of not writing, I am now on a Creative Writing MA!"
One group from the Republic of Ireland set to receive support from the Amazon Literary Partnership is Fighting Words. Founded in 2008, the organisation aims to champion creativity and self-expression through writing workshops. The grant will go towards supporting two of the organisation’s major programmes, Write Club, a weekly session to help teens develop their writing skills through prose, poetry, script writing and more, and Word Warriors, a weekly after-school programme for 9-12 year olds from disadvantaged schools, where participants can work together and individually to create plays, short films, poems and stories.
Speaking on how the funding will help support and expand their work with young people across Dublin and Limerick, a spokesperson from Fighting Words said: “At our Dublin Centre, Write Club currently runs weekly in-person and bi-monthly online, while Word Warriors provides a regular space to explore creative writing with our team of volunteer writing mentors. With the new support from the Amazon Literary Partnership, we plan to establish a Write Club in Limerick as well as a space for members to read, share and perform their work, which will give them the opportunity to build audiences for their writing. We will also establish new Word Warriors clubs in Limerick and Dublin’s south inner city and Tallaght areas, to help more children develop not only their writing skills but also their confidence and resilience.”
The team is also set to launch a new Story Slam open mic night at their Dublin centre for Write Club members and other young people who want to share their stories.
The Amazon Literary Partnership is also continuing to support existing partner Literature Works, an organisation which promotes creativity and wellbeing in the South West of England by connecting people and communities, and breaking down barriers through words and stories. Literature Works’ various programmes range from online talent development, coined Wordspace, to the team’s ongoing Community Writing programmes, which will be extended to Gloucester later this year.
On using the grant to support the Word Space and Community Writing programmes, a spokesperson from Literature Works said: “We plan to use the funds to support access to our annual online talent development programme, Word Space. It is in its third year now, and is aimed at supporting marginalised voices and providing ways for talented, dedicated writers to take their work to the next stage over a twelve-month period. We will also put some of the money towards our ongoing Community Writing strand, where we work with existing community groups to co-design word-based creative activity that supports the work they are doing. We have worked with recovery groups, women’s groups, mental health support groups and many others around the South West.”
Complete List of Supported Organisations for 2024:
Africa Writes (Royal African Society)
Edinburgh World City of Literature Trust
Fighting Words Northern Ireland
Kernow Education Arts Partnership
Literature Wales / Llenyddiaeth Cymru
Queen's University of Belfast Foundation
Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage (Serendipity Artists Movement Ltd.)
Society of Authors on behalf of Authors’ Awards and Advancement
Stories of Our Lives / Joy Ethic
Swanwick Writers' Summer School
The Bridport Prize / Bridport Arts Centre
The Folio Academy Foundation / The Literature Prize Foundation
– ENDS –
About the Amazon Literary Partnership
Building on the success of the previous four years, the Amazon Literary Partnership provides grants to UK literary organisations that empower a whole host of writers, no matter what age or stage they find themselves. In 2023, the partnership supported a variety of literary groups, ranging from organisations that run after school workshops, to writing retreats, all the way through to organisations running their own events to champion local and diverse writers.
Applications for 2025 grants from the Amazon Literary Partnership will commence towards the end of this year.
For further information please contact:
Hunt & Gather Email: BooksProjects@hunt-gather.com
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