Thursday Connectors: Introducing New Connectors

By Jilly Henderson-Long

Hi! I’m Jilly and I’m the first of your new Thursday Connectors editors, all of whom I will introduce today.

So, welcome to our new-look Thursday Connectors Page. My fellow editors and I look forward to sharing our love of writing with you!

First, a little about myself. I’ve been associated with Pen to Print/Write On! for nearly two years. I joined after coming across a copy of Write On! in Westcliff Library one day and asking if they ever needed new writers. Shortly after that, Madeleine White contacted me and asked if I’d like to start contributing. I was delighted to grasp the challenge, and things just grew from there. I have very much enjoyed my time with the team, having twice edited Showcase pages. I’ve also had poetry, articles and fillers appear in both the online and print issues, including a recent Big Debate page. Although I’m still kind of finding my way, I’m positive I’ll enjoy editing this page over the next three months – it’s a great opportunity to learn more about editing and publishing.

I’ve always maintained that nothing feeds off writers better than other writers and I strongly believe that, the bigger the writing community, the stronger creative writing becomes. Writing has been a lifelong obsession for me. My work has appeared across many media and in other countries, including Australia and America.

As Thursday Connectors Editor, I want to focus on presenting as much of the whole wonderful world of creative writing to as wide a range of writers and readers as possible.

I’d like to start with a short poem I wrote a few years back:

Reading

I start outside and worm my way in.
Slowly the world all around is shut out completely.
I become part of it – that book.
in another place, world, time.
I am animal.  I am child,
ancient being or feathery sprite,
feeling emotions that aren’t mine.
An hour passes – a day, a night, a millennium.
I am Him, Her, Them and That.
I’m locked in, yet free,
lost in those pages.
Reading is the gateway to joyous invisibility – and it is open to all of us!

(c) Jilly Henderson-Long, 2026

Connect with me on Bluesky: @jillyhl.bsky.social

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I’d like now to introduce to fellow editor Nick Burdett.

Hello. I’m Nick.

I’d been aware of Pen to Print for several years before I attended their creative writing course in person in 2023 and 2024. I gleaned lots of useful tips, but what really stood out was the sense of community and the friendships I made along the way. Getting to know other writers is often tough, especially outside of these environments, so it was great to be pulled into the community here.

In late 2024, I entered Pen to Print’s ‘The Book Challenge’ award. My entry, Vigilantes Anonymous, was shortlisted and is now in the running for the prize that will be announced in July 2026. Entering the competition and being shortlisted gave me the kick I needed to be more open and proactive with my writing. This, in turn, led to me becoming involved in Write On! magazine. Outside of fiction, I have an interest in military history and have had a short piece published in a previous Thursday Connectors page related to beginning my journey into history writing. I will be doing more of this when the opportunity arises, as I feel the exploring and telling stories from the past is as important as the ones I invent.

In my months editing the Thursday Connectors pages, I plan to include a range of topics likely to be a mixture of fiction and non-fiction to keep things engaging and hopefully inspire and include anyone that falls on either side of that fence. Above all, I hope these months offer something for everyone to enjoy.

Below is a little something I knocked up I’d like to share:

I Don’t Really Write Poems

I don’t really write poems,
at least, not since I was young,
so, these words will come out,
however they pass my tongue.

The writer in me jumps about,
from fiction, non and more,
but I thought I’d write this out,
to show what I do it for.

My interest in history grows,
primarily the two World Wars,
writing about not only what happened,
but also the people, and the cause.

Digging into the history,
to bring to life the past,
the people; not just forgotten names
whose unique stories did outlast.

I have completed a novel,
for Book Challenge Twenty-Five.
With mentor Anna Robinson’s help,
this year it will come alive.

My hope is that writing,
with the Thursday Connector page,
will help bring in something worthy,
to write for the age.

So that is what I write for,
to get my thoughts reborn,
educate and entertain
and write on for Write On!

(c) Nick Burdett, 2026

Connect with Nick on Instagram:  @nickoburdett, on Bluesky – @nickburdett.bsky.social and Facebook: www.facebook.com/NickBurdettWriter

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My next fellow editor is Sarah Frideswide, who has this to say:

I’m Sarah and I’ve recently joined Write On! because it’s wonderful to be part of such an enthusiastic and supportive group of people who are all passionate about writing. Writing is often a solitary activity and it’s great to be able to do it as part of a team. I also want to develop my experience, particularly on the editorial side of things.

I am neurodiverse and have complex-PTSD after growing up in very adverse circumstances and am passionate about increasing awareness of neurodiversity and childhood trauma. I want to celebrate the ways in which those of us who are traumatised and/or neurodiverse can make rich contributions to culture and society, when given the right support and a platform to speak from.

I also want to raise awareness of the prevalence of childhood trauma and young carers, who are doing unpaid care work for family members and the ways such situations create an impact across the whole of a person’s lifespan. During my months editing Thursday Connectors, I’m aiming to elevate and platform the voices of those who are neurodiverse and/or survivors of childhood trauma or who were young caregivers.

Below is an introduction to my work:

Sticky Bobs

The canal’s voice is not strong enough
to stop me falling inwards, landing
on the dirty riverside paths of childhood
where loosestrife, nettles, umbellifers and brambles,
wove themselves into a tangled, choked-up mass
close enough to swaddle each other’s limbs.

Now, I walk beside the canal’s clogged, industrial vein
wondering if a mother’s words
infect her child’s future
the way goosegrass clings with tiny demon claws,
outwits the most meticulous search at home,
leaves sticky bobs in hair, pockets, under carpets,
ready to sprout on any patch of wasted ground
and grow until it obscures walls, windows, exits
so you have to cut and burn it to be free.

(c) Sarah Frideswide, 2026

Connect with Sarah on Substack: substack.com@Sarahfrideswide or Instagram: @sarahfrideswide

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Now we move on to Mirabel Lavelle.

Hi! I’m Mirabel–one of the new Thursday Connectors editors.

I first came across Pen to Print online during lockdown, and I decided to jump into a workshop Madeleine White was running called ‘What Makes A Magazine.’ Not long afterwards, I ended up writing a feature about what inspires my work. One thing led to another, and after attending an editorial meeting, Madeleine invited me to interview Georgina Brown, CEO of The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation, for Issue 10 of Write On! I was thrilled – and slightly terrified – to appear alongside Wilbur Smith himself!

In May 2023, after editing Wednesday Showcases for a while, I joined the Pen to Print panel at the Hay Festival. Fast-forward a year, and I published my first children’s book Zeb, Jet And The Ice-Cream Calamity, an adventure story with food-allergy awareness at its heart. Storytelling really has always been my thing, so that moment felt huge!

Being part of the Pen to Print community has genuinely changed things for me; especially my confidence. I’ve met so many brilliant and diverse writers along the way, and every one of them has shaped how I write and how I think. Now, as one of the Thursday Connectors editors, I’m excited to explore themes I really care about: spotlighting marginalised female voices and championing children’s literacy, because I believe books should be in the hands of every child, full stop. I can’t wait to read your submissions and get to know your stories.

I wrote this prose poetry recently and would like to share it with you first. It is different to how I usually write.

Home Turf

“Go home before it gets dark.”
“Yes sir,” I assure my rugby teacher as I rub spit into my grazed elbow.
“Straight home, lad,” he adds.
I give sir a cheeky grin.
I’m always careful walking home.
Mum is proud of me. She knows I’m sensible.

Mum is mopping up hot bacon fat with thick white bread.
I grab my share and head for my evening paper round.
Mum cleans people’s houses for cash in hand.
She manages to feed and clothe all seven of us.
All my siblings do their fair bit. Mum’s sound.
We’re a team, mum and her boys.

I finally start my maths homework.
I’m a straight A student. Education is power.
Pencil sharpened, head down, I focus.
Then, his minacious breath creeps up behind me.
Running away will incur worse pain later …

“How’s it coming along son?”
The voice, sardonic.
The voice, penetrating.
I keep focussing …

Wet, shimmering, red beads
drip and twirl upon my maths book.
I grasp short breaths from my mouth.
My nose crunching
under my left eye.

That night, as I curl up on the mattress upstairs,
I dream of home,
The school rugby pitch.
My arena.
The turf where I’m the alpha dog.

(c) Mirabel Lavelle, 2026

Connect with Mirabel on Instagram: @mir.j.car

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Last, but by no means least, I’d like to introduce Afsana:

Welcome. I’m Afsana. I’m delighted to address you as readers and writers in this wonderful writers’ community of Pen to Print. I first joined the team remotely during the COVID19 lockdown (which seems a lifetime ago), and have been an active member ever since. The fellow writers I’ve met and shared my stories with have become confidantes, supporters and, most importantly, my friends and writing family. I wish the same for you and encourage you to engage!

As a well-respected poet, author, speaker, journalist, editor, artist and fine art photographer, my published work features in magazines, anthologies, newspapers, books, journals, exhibitions, podcasts and movies. My poetry and fictional work delve into the unseen depths of situations and explore deep themes, such as experiences of cancer patients, the journey of change and the legacy of family members. When presenting or storytelling, I take the audience on a journey full of highs and lows, with hope, trust and compassion at the core. Being passionate about diversity, equality and inclusion, I use my writing to explore relatable experiences, often drawing from diverse heritages. I also enjoy looking at the everyday mundane things that surround us and finding beauty in their existence.

Working as a co-creator has enabled me to engage and include diverse communities, giving them a platform to showcase their work and I’m so excited to invite you to write and share your stories within this community of writers.

I’m a firm believer that our lives are enriched by the different people we share our journey of life with and want to hear your experiences, stories and words of enlightenment no matter your background, circumstances or where you live on this beautiful planet.

I’d like to share the following piece of work with you:

Love Letter To The Trees – Tree Outside My Window

My dearest darling treasured tree,
I see you and feel glee.
I see you each morning as I draw the curtain,
You will be there for certain.
I hear your branches squeak, leaves rustling in the wind.
By your beauty I am blind.
I want to thank you for being my constant.
I smell your freshness.
Such loveliness.
I feel your happiness every time the sun rises,
Streaming sun beams through your leaves is better than any prizes.
I touch your trunk as I travel past you to say I see you,
How much calm you gave my heart, If only you knew.
I want to thank you for being my constant.

Above me you tower
with such power.
Below me you provide a colourful carpet of leaves,
just like precious jewels.
I imagine you surrounding me in entirety.
If only your importance was understood by society.
I want to thank you for being my constant.

You remind me of happy times.
I wish it was only me and you sometimes.
I want to ask you do you notice me?
But how could you, you are a tree.
I want to tell you I would miss you if you were no longer there.
Nature needs to remain free, so I remember you in my prayer.
I want to thank you for being my constant.

(c) Afsana Elanko, 2026

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Hello, Jilly here again to round things off. So, there you are: our new editors all raring to go, each looking forward to bringing creative writing to the fore.

I’m very honoured to be presenting the first Connectors pages of 2026, which is also the National Year Of Reading. Reading and writing are the communications highway for all of us, even with the advent of AI –  and we at Pen to Print and Write On! look forward to your company throughout the coming year.