WRITE UP: Christmas Edition

The idea

WRITE UP Christmas is a collaborative project aimed at empowering emerging writers by providing a unique platform to share their Christmas-themed work within a supportive and vibrant community. Leveraging the success of our Summer launch, this initiative seeks to amplify diverse voices, ensuring fair compensation for their talent while cultivating grassroots spaces for creativity and expression. By connecting storytellers and celebrating the festive spirit, WRITE UP Christmas Edition opens doors for fresh perspectives and strengthens bonds within our growing artistic network.

What we'll deliver

Diverse stories on christmas theme

A community celebration and network opportunity

Increased visibility for artists

Why it's a great idea

- Strengthening connections within the artistic network during the festive season.
- Providing a dedicated platform to inspire and showcase creativity.
- Encouraging collaboration and camaraderie among emerging writers.
- Amplifying fresh perspectives and unique voices in storytelling.
- Cultivating an environment for enhancing artistic skills with focused seasonal content.

Steps to get it done

Open submissions

Announce winners

Publicity on winners

Host event

Location

By The Story Pod

The Story Pod is a non-profit with the aim of crea... Learn More

About

Thanks to your generosity we’re excited to launch WRITE UP: Studio. We had a wee bit left in the kitty after WRITE UP: Christmas edited so we used it to create five mentoring places for new writers whose submissions captured the judges’ imaginations and been longlisted for WRITE UP: Christmas Edition. Throughout January writers and mentors Amy Beeson, Tom Wentworth and Emma Simpson have been working with these brilliant writers—individually and as a group—to develop their work. Congratulations to to selected writers Jessica Montoya, Jennifer Granville, Océane Meftah, Helen Poore and Jemma Asquith who will be reading their funny, heartwarming and dramatic tales at Barons Court Theatre at 2.30pm on Saturday 31 January. Come hear their stories and be part of this vibrant creative storytelling event. Pay what you can tickets available here https://app.lineupnow.com/event/write-up-studio-2 It would be lovely to see you. Amy

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our backers, WRITE UP has grown faster and stronger than we could have imagined. Because of this success and following advice from Hammersmith & Fulham Council, we expanded our project target to £6,000 to deepen the impact of WRITE UP: Christmas Edition and support even more emerging writers in our community. What the additional funding will enable 1. Two more writers were added to the live lineup on Saturday night which was an inspirational event 2. Six development placements for shortlisted and longlisted writers We’ve created six development placements for writers who showed real potential but need structured creative support to take their next step. These placements will include in depth feedback, mentoring and a workshop These opportunities directly grow talent, helping writers build confidence, skills and a pathway. Why we’ve increased the target Hammersmith & Fulham Council have recommended WRITE UP for support and advised that, because of the strength of the campaign, they could increase their match funding proportionally, enabling us to deliver these additional opportunities for the community. Thank you We are blown away by the community response. Your pledges didn't just fund an event — your helping to create spaces, encouragement and real opportunities for emerging voices. We’ll keep you updated as we look forward to doing even more to strengthen our work in 2026. With gratitude Amy & the WRITE UP Team