The Women’s Prize for Fiction has shifted the dial and raised awareness of women’s writing over the last 29 years, but some women are still excluded from this progress. We want to inspire and support women who never imagined themselves as writers to pick up a pen and share their story or expertise.
Categories
Beneficiaries
Situation
Some women still face barriers to taking up writing and building a career as a writer - there aren’t many models in their communities to inspire them, they suffer from a lack of confidence and don't have access to the knowledge about how to get started. The diverse experiences of contemporary Britain are therefore not being represented in its writing, and opportunities to access sustainable creative careers and the intrinsic benefits of participating in creativity are not available for all.
Solution
We will expand our Writers’ Room programme to create a community for sharing experience, collaborating and mentoring, for aspiring writers and those with experience. Networking events will enable women to create strong communities to support each other through writing challenges; free resources will be shared online; mentorships and free tickets to writing workshops will help writers from underrepresented backgrounds. Women’s Prize Writers from underrepresented backgrounds will front the promotion of these opportunities as role models.
