
(Bluesky/Instagram: @madeleinefwhite)
Coming into June, we seem to be on the cusp of a very hot summer, with plenty to play for – and I’m not just talking about the World Cup! Over the summer months we’ll be surrounded by stories, opinions, headlines and conversations competing for our attention, not to mention the longest day of the year. At times like this, it can be tempting not to think too hard about the words and language that surround us. Yet I increasingly believe we’re moving into a world where language needs to be understood more carefully than ever before and that here stories matter
Perhaps this is one way of thinking about our current theme, Borrowed. Much of what we inherit comes to us through language: stories, traditions, beliefs, identities and ideas. We borrow words from those who came before us, but we also have a responsibility to examine them, challenge them and, where necessary, redefine them. As we move through June, I hope you’ll spend some time thinking about the words that matter to you and what they really mean in practice.

With that in mind, I’m delighted to share our summer print issue of Write On! with you. Available in libraries up and down the country – as well as other outlets – issue 29 is sponsored by the London Writers’ Salon (LWS) and includes a free one month Writers’ Hour Membership code for every Write On! reader. Our headline interview is with bestselling travel writer and historian Tharik Hussain. Themes of history, identity, belonging and the stories we inherit in order to better understand who we are today are woven into Issue 29.
(Discover where you can pick up a free copy here: Write On! Distribution).
I’m proud of the work we see in Write On! (digital, audio and in print) and of the communities that make it possible. With that in mind, I’m also delighted to share that our partners the Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation have released an exciting shortlist for this year’s Adventure Writing Prize, while another, Libraro, have announced the winner of their inaugural Prize: Donna Fisher, with Sheep’s Clothing.
Together, we’re forming not only the stories we tell, but the society we become. Do check out our latest issue (29). It includes a conversation with bestseller travel writer Tharik Hussain.
As ever, it’s your work and ideas being featured: co-creation in action. So please do see our submissions guidelines here. and submit around our our new theme from July: Nostalgia.


