Inspiring a new generation of black and Asian writers
22nd July, 2006
Words of Colour Productions, a new community partnership established to nurture and train a new generation of writers from diverse communities, has been awarded a £5,000 grant from Awards for All.
Through tailored consultancy, workshops, online training, personal development and career advice, Words of Colour aims to boost the numbers of visible poets, authors and journalists from often excluded communities. The programme will enable their work to be published and performed, and communities will be facilitated to explore, share and preserve their traditions, cultures and heritage
According to a 2003 study by the Arts Council England and Office for National Statistics, an estimated 72 percent of black people and 61 percent of Asian people, read for pleasure.
Yet their presence in bookstores is marginal. In Free Verse, a recent study of black and Asian poets in the UK, the first of its kind, 43 percent of those surveyed said that opportunities for their work to be published were 'poor' or 'very poor'.
Elise Dilsworth, founding-director of Diversity in Publishing, said: "The Diversity in Publishing Network welcomes the launch of the Words of Colour project and supports the initiative's desire to promote diversity in the field of publishing through encouraging writers from racially and culturally diverse backgrounds to develop their creative skills."
Joy Francis, Creative Arts Director of Words of Colour, added: "Despite worthy statements from publishers about their search for talent among black and minority ethnic communities, they are still falling short. We are confident that after our first year there will be a few more focused and confident novelist, poets and journalists taking that crucial step forward in their training and careers."
Words of Colour Productions is a community partnership established to facilitate adults, particularly from BME communities, about literature and to develop and promote creative writing and personal development skills to enable their work to be published and performed.
Words of Colour will run online and offline workshops to help widen the access and participation of creative writing for adults who are more likely to be excluded.
The new website - www.wordsofcolour.com - will be launched in August.
Through tailored consultancy, workshops, online training, personal development and career advice, Words of Colour aims to boost the numbers of visible poets, authors and journalists from often excluded communities. The programme will enable their work to be published and performed, and communities will be facilitated to explore, share and preserve their traditions, cultures and heritage
According to a 2003 study by the Arts Council England and Office for National Statistics, an estimated 72 percent of black people and 61 percent of Asian people, read for pleasure.
Yet their presence in bookstores is marginal. In Free Verse, a recent study of black and Asian poets in the UK, the first of its kind, 43 percent of those surveyed said that opportunities for their work to be published were 'poor' or 'very poor'.
Elise Dilsworth, founding-director of Diversity in Publishing, said: "The Diversity in Publishing Network welcomes the launch of the Words of Colour project and supports the initiative's desire to promote diversity in the field of publishing through encouraging writers from racially and culturally diverse backgrounds to develop their creative skills."
Joy Francis, Creative Arts Director of Words of Colour, added: "Despite worthy statements from publishers about their search for talent among black and minority ethnic communities, they are still falling short. We are confident that after our first year there will be a few more focused and confident novelist, poets and journalists taking that crucial step forward in their training and careers."
Words of Colour Productions is a community partnership established to facilitate adults, particularly from BME communities, about literature and to develop and promote creative writing and personal development skills to enable their work to be published and performed.
Words of Colour will run online and offline workshops to help widen the access and participation of creative writing for adults who are more likely to be excluded.
The new website - www.wordsofcolour.com - will be launched in August.
