An exclusive interview with Sunday Times bestselling author Jane Corry sits at the heart of an extraordinary COVID-19 edition of Write On! 5. However, Jane’s is just one of the voices that has contributed experience, strength and hope to the issue. This Special Edition (see it here)  brings together the diverse voices that have created such power through Write On! Extra into a beautifully designed, digital magazine.

Write On! Extra, the online daily digest, was launched in early April. During lockdown, it allowed writers from the local community to share experiences which encouraged other writers to reciprocate with their own. The result: positive engagement with thousands of creatives and writers – many sharing their response to the pandemic in a variety of forms. These included: spoken word, prose, flash fiction, illustrations, cartoons, essays and poetry. It has put Barking and Dagenham at the heart of words and stories flying in from across the UK and 93 countries around the world!

From Sunday 19th to Wednesday 28th July we will be showcasing Write On! Digital Issue 5 by featuring pages from this edition. Then, through the summer and into the autumn, Write On! Extra will continue to explore our evolving ‘new normal’. The new Write On! Extra season officially starts on Wednesday 29th July. The stories and ideas collated will  feed into Write On! Issue 6. Themed A Kaleidoscope Of Colours, we explore the shifting landscape we are living through at the moment, looking at how we are adapting to the ever-changing, ever-swirling patterns of life. Government restrictions permitting, we are planning a printed 32-page bumper issue 6 in September, to include issue 5.

Since Write On! Extra launched, thousands of visitors have engaged with our content – so you can be sure your writing and ideas will be read and treasured. We also welcome partnership discussions with organisations wishing to contribute, so the voices of their beneficiaries and teams can be heard.

London Borough of Barking & Dagenham Cabinet Member for Community, Leadership and Engagement Cllr Saima Ashraf shares the following statement of support:

“As Chair of the Pen to Print Advisory Board, it has been an honour to contribute to the work of the programme. BAME and LGBTQ+ writers, and writers from working-class backgrounds, have long been underrepresented in the publishing industry. We established Pen to Print in 2014 to address this; nurturing our local writing talent as a way for the voices of residents in Barking and Dagenham to be heard.”

How To Get Involved:

If you have something to say or share, please do get in touch at pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk. For further details around Write On! Extra and also submission guidelines, please see the Editor’s Introduction.

For online advertising and partnership opportunities, please see our Media Pack,