Write On! 24, sponsored by Hay Festival is out today. You can see it digitally, or get your physical copy from libraries and other outlets up and down the country.

This issue explores ‘Misunderstandings’ and is focussed on showcasing work that examines how we see ourselves and others while forging our own creative paths. Although we like feeling the same as other people (i.e. shared habits, characteristics, ideas and values), with the many challenges facing us today, we need to be able to readjust our perspectives around how we see ourselves and others.

With that in mind, our lead interview features former-celebrity-journalist-turned-bestselling-author John Marrs, who shares how his determination to bring stories to life led him from self-publishing to becoming a multi-million-copy bestselling author. An example of this determination is how, after 80+ rejections, he self-published his first book: “I had a book but no one wanted it. By the time I self-published my third, I got picked up.”

On our sponsor page, Hay Festival CEO, Julie Finch reflects on the evolution of this powerful creative community and highlights the importance of creating a safe space for sharing different ideas and opinions.

Write On! 25, out on 30 June, will explore the theme of ‘Mindset.’ Sponsored by the Romantic Novelists’ Association, it will feature a headline interview with multi-million-copy bestseller Sheila O’Flanagan and a sponsor interview with another Grande Dame of fiction, Sue Moorcroft.  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, Sunderland and Essex. University distribution points include Christchurch, Sunderland and Goldsmiths. 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 290,000+ 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 Dialogue, Hay Festival, All Stories, Bloomsbury, Penguin, the Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation, Write Back UK, the Curtis Brown Agency, The Margate Bookie, The University Of Sunderland, Christ Church University Canterbury, the Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA), the Alternative Stories and Fake Realities Podcast, The Turner Contemporary, Libraries Unlimited (Devon), Dudley Libraries, The London Library and Becontree Broadcasting Station, 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.