Write On! Issue 29 OUT TODAY

Write On! 29, sponsored by London Writers’ Salon is out today. Our Summer issue explores the theme of ‘Borrowed’: We inherit more than we realise: stories, traditions, languages, landscapes and ideas. Some are passed down deliberately; others arrive quietly through culture, community and experience. As writers, we constantly draw upon what has come before us, borrowing voices, influences and fragments of history as we seek to understand ourselves and the world around us.

Leading the issue is award-winning author, historian and journalist Tharik Hussain, whose work explores overlooked histories, cultural memory and belonging. In conversation with writer Nick Burdett, Tharik reflects on Muslim Europe, his latest book in terms of travel, identity and the stories that connect us across time and place. Discussing his approach to uncovering hidden histories, Tharik says:

“I’m always trying to bring history to life by giving it context; making it vivid within its own moral and social framework…. Making history readable doesn’t mean making it inaccurate.”

On our sponsor page, we hear from Parul Bavishi and Matt Trinetti, co-founders of London Writers’ Salon, about the importance of showing up, for each other and our writing.

Issue 30, themed ‘Nostalgia’ with headliner, the bestselling thriller-writer Gillian McAllister is sponsored by LoveReading and will be out 16 September 2026.

This theme will also inform content for the digital Write On! Extra (accessible through this website) and Write On! Audio. (This podcast can be accessed on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.) Just type pen to print into your browser. Alternatively, find us via our Spotify Podcast hosting site.

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Launched in April 2019, Pen to Print’s Write On! continues to reach new readers as Barking & Dagenham’s Arts Council England Library NPO (National Portfolio Organisation) magazine. United by a desire to come together beyond boundaries of geography, culture and expectations, Write On! is created by and for writers. Write On! is available digitally and through Barking and Dagenham libraries and other libraries and centres in different parts of London, Devon, Manchester, Birmingham, Kent, Newcastle, the West Midlands, Warwickshire and Essex. University distribution points include Canterbury Christ Church University, Queen Mary’s University London and the University Of Sunderland. Increasingly, we are sharing the printed magazine with writers from across the UK who are asking for copies for their writing groups and local bookstores.

Pen to Print is part of Barking and Dagenham Libraries, which means the ethos of the organisation is founded on promoting an inclusive community spirit. Due to the reach of our publications, which includes Write On! Audio and Write On! Extra in the digital sphere, we connect beyond Barking & Dagenham to create wider ripple effects. We are therefore delighted that this has encouraged nearly 400, 000 users from 198 countries to respond to the ideals of engagement, transparency, connection and inclusion.

A Call To Action:

1. 1. For up-to-date editorial information, including how to submit to the Write On! suite of publications, including audio, see:  Editor’s Introduction.
   2. Partnerships: Write On! has already facilitated partnerships and co-operation with The Hay Festival, The RNA (Romantic Novelists’ Association), All Stories, Bloomsbury, Penguin, the Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation, Write Back UK, the Curtis Brown Agency, LoveReading, Libraro, London Writers’ Salon, Queen Mary’s University London, The University Of Sunderland, Christ Church University Canterbury, the Alternative Stories and Fake Realities Podcast, The Turner Contemporary, Library networks across the country, The Turner Contemporary, Library networks across the country and The London Library with many others currently being explored. If you would like to discuss ideas, please do get in touch at:  pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk
   3. To advertise online or in the next issue, please see Write On! Together magazine, with demographics, testimonials and lots of information.