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Scottish BAME Writers Network provides advocacy, literary events, and development opportunities for BAME writers based in or from Scotland. You can visit our website for more info, contact us through e-mail, or catch us on Twitter. We also have an online Facebook group for Black and POC writers.
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SBWN at the Edinburgh Book Festival
Next month, we're heading to the Edinburgh Book Festival with our live event Afrofuturism - Present Realities, Possible Futures!
On Saturday 21 August, 1-2pm at the New York Times Theatre, our lineup of writers will be tackling the question: How can Afrofuturism help the African diaspora in Scotland engender a better future for today?
Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic that combines science-fiction, history and fantasy to reimagine the history of the African diaspora, while invoking hopeful and technically advanced speculative Black futures. This fluid ideology has empowered Black artists including Octavia E Butler, George Clinton, Namwali Serpell and Jean-Michel Basquiat to reconstruct representations of Blackness in popular culture. Eilidh Akilade talks to writer Martha Adonai Williams, artist and researcher Natasha Thembiso Ruwona and writer T L Huchu to discuss the potential that Afrofuturism has to build community in the Black diaspora in Scotland, and to connect on a common past, present and future.
Book your tickets and find out more here!
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We are thrilled to announce our new collaboration with Floris Books and their Editorial Director Sally Polson!
Until 30th November, submissions of children’s books directly to Floris are open to Scottish BAME Writers Network members.
Normally writers need agents to submit to editors at publishing companies, so we are delighted to offer this opportunity to our writers!
What are they looking for?
In Sally's words:
'We are particularly looking for books that feature characters of colour, written by people of colour, across all the genres and age groups we publish for, outlined below. We also welcome books that include characters from a range of economic and family backgrounds and across the broad spectrums of ability, gender and sexuality.
We love submissions that give something special to readers: that will grab the interest of children in a particular age group and involve them.'
Read full details and find submission guidelines over on our site.
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Our QTIPOC Writers Group returns next month on Thursday 5th August, 7pm-8:30pm, facilitated by Jess Brough. Jess Brough is a writer, producer and psycholinguistics PhD student at the University of Edinburgh. Jess is the founder of Fringe of Colour – an Edinburgh-based multi-award-winning arts initiative for Black and Brown people/People of Colour, with its second online arts festival Fringe of Colour Films taking place in August 2021 at fringeofcolour.co.uk.
Register here for our QTIPOC Writers Group.
In each session, the group will discuss and creatively respond to a short piece of media produced by QTIPOC.
This group is a relaxed, supportive space where queer writers of colour can celebrate the work of other QTIPOC artists while using it to inspire their own creative practice.
We can't wait to see you there!
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Join us on Saturday 14th August, 10am-11:30am, for A Writing Workshop Using Indian Dance and Yoga as Prompts led by Leela Soma! Leela Soma was born in Madras, India and now lives in Glasgow, Scotland. Her poems and short stories have been published in several anthologies, and publications. She has published three novels, short stories and two collections of poetry. She was nominated for the Puschcart Prize 2019 and the Erbacce prize 2020.
Register here for A Writing Workshop Using Indian Dance and Yoga as Prompts
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'The first loss is the world’s. The second is your own.'
Our latest guest blog entry, by Bhavika Govil, is a heartfelt look at personal and creative upheaval in a time of pandemic. Read it on our site here.
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Our partnership with the National Theatre of Scotland continues as we bring you another exciting guest writer from the world of stage and radio!
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Scottish Black Writers Group is a new, free writers group and peer support and social space facilitated by our Co-Director Dean Atta and in association with the National Theatre of Scotland. It is a space to meet, chat, network and talk about the writing life - writers both published and unpublished are welcome to join us.
This is a monthly event open to writers across the UK and Ireland who are Black/from the African diaspora, including people of mixed heritage. Please be mindful while booking!
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In August we'll be joined by May Sumbwanyambe. May Sumbwanyambe is a librettist, radio dramatist, academic and award-winning playwright from Edinburgh.
Previous productions include; After Independence (Arcola Theatre, Papatango Theatre) The Parrot House (The Royal Opera House, Guildhall School of Music and Drama) ‘After Independence’ and ‘The Trial of Joseph Knight (BBC Radio 4).
He is currently writing new stage plays for The National Theatre of Scotland and The Citizens Theatre, and a new TV Series for Two Rivers Media and the BBC. His last play saw him described by The Times as 'a rare discovery' and The Telegraph as 'a writer of terrific potential'.
In 2016 May’s debut play was the winner of the Alfred Fagon Award, he has also won the BBC PAF’s £10k Legacy Award. He was the inaugural Papatango Resident Playwright and winner of the £10k BBC Performing Arts Fellowship. Other award recognition includes being shortlisted for the Channel 4/Oran Mor Comedy Drama Award (2012), the Papatango New Writing Prize (2012), the Alfred Fagon Award (2011, 2012, 2015), the BBC’S Alfred Bradley Award (2011) and OffWestEnd’s Adopt a Playwright Award (2010 and 2009), The Old Vic 12 award (2016) Perfect Pitch £12k musical award (2016), IASH/Traverse Fellowship (2017,2018), Live Theatre/Northumbria University Writer in Residence (2018) and The Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship (2018). He also reached the final round of Soho Theatre’s Verity Bargate Award (2011) and won the BBC’s inaugural Scriptroom competition (2012).
As an academic, May worked for The University of Edinburgh as a teaching fellow in Theatre (2018-2019). He has been an Associate Lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University for 3 years and is also currently a Lecturer in Creative Writing and English at Northumbria University. In 2018 May was a contributing author to two theatre theory books, ‘How to be a Playwright',(Nick Hearn Books) and ‘Revolution: 50 Years of Making Political Theatre’ (Pluto Books Limited in partnership with Edge Hill University Press). May’s Undergrad degree was in law (LLB). He studied for his masters (MA) at Guildhall School of Musical and Drama in ‘Opera Making’, where he was also a Hedley Trust Scholar. He is currently the recipient of a full studentship from the University of York, where he is writing his PhD ‘Do black lives really matter?’, exploring the relationships between critical race theory, theatre, performance and production in Scotland through plays about black people in history.
Outside of academia, May has worked as a new writing tutor for over 10 years. Companies he has worked with include: The West Yorkshire Playhouse, The Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, Bolton Octagon, Hull Truck Theatre, Traverse Theatre, Tron Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, Royal Exchange Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Papatango Theatre Company, Leicester Curve, Smock Alley, Royal Opera House, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, Scottish Opera, The National Theatre of Scotland, The Old Vic Theatre and more…
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Submission and Job Opportunities
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Here are some projects that have reached out to SBWN. Here you'll find places to submit work, as well as various events, like webinars, workshops and mentorships. This is not an exhaustive list. Apologies for what we miss!
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Re·creation, an anthology of queer poetry, wants your submissions! All poets selected for publication will receive £100 and free mentoring, workshops, and roundtable feedback discussions with editors and other poets. Find out more here.
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Poetry Scotland wants your poems on any subject, in English, Scots or Gaelic. More details here.
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Magma Poetry is partnering with the Obsidian Foundation to invite Black writers to submit poems for Magma 82! The issue will be edited by Nick Makoha and Gboyega Odubanjo. More details here.
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Hachette Children's Group invites writers and illustrators of children's picture books to apply for their second virtual open day, held in October. Successful applicants will have the change to engage directly with a publishing team from Hachette Children’s Group and receive industry feedback on their work. Details here.
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The Harvill Secker-Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Award is looking for the best new crime fiction by writers of colour! The winner will have their book published by Harvill Secker and receive £5000 plus free entry to an Arvon creative writing course. More information here.
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Creative Carbon Scotland is seeking an Embedded Artist in any discipline (including writing) to explore the intersection of climate justice, culture and society. More here.
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Applications for RCW Literary Agency and Knights Of's free workshop for aspiring children's authors of colour are open. The workshop features expert advice from key industry figures at every stage of the publishing process, from submission to retailer. Learn more here.
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The Glasgow Film Festival's New Talent Mentorship Scheme is open for applications! Emerging screenwriters, directors and producers will have the chance to receive practical support and training over a six-month period. Details here.
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Un/Natural - a series of nature writing workshops for D/deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent participants - is open for applications. Workshops will run in September and October 2021, culminating in a paid show case on October 22nd. More here.
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When Mountains Meet - a music, story and visual art production investigating contemporary Scottish/Pakistani identity through food, textiles and geography - invites you to share your unsent letters relating to food experiences. Letters will be shared as part of their Zoom event on 2 Sept, with guests food writer Sumayya Usmani and Scottish Asian theatremaker Sanjay Lago. Read more here.
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For young fowk aged 11–18: Scrieve a Scots story, poem, play, sang or mak a short video inspired by the Scots phrase 'lang may yer lum reek'. The winner will be named Young Scots Writer o the Year 2021. Read on here.
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The Poetry School is offering 2 full scholarships for their 3-term academic courses - 1 for a writer of colour and 1 for a writer with a disability (including Specific Learning Differences, Neurodiversities, and/or mental health conditions). Details here.
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SBWN is collaborating with Floris Books to offer an exciting submission opportunity to children's writers! From now until the end of November, Floris Editorial Director Sally Polson is open to submissions directly from SBWN members - no agent required. Full details on our site.
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We here at SBWN are collaborating with HarperCollins to give fiction and nonfiction writers of colour an opportunity to have their work published! Together with Nancy Adimora, the Talent & Audience Development Manager at HarperCollins Publishers, we're looking for your submissions and pitches. Full details are here on our site.
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Love science fiction? Shoreline of Infinity are looking for book reviewers who have a good knowledge of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Reviewers get a copy of the book (if a printed book is reviewed), a copy of the Shoreline of Infinity issue that their review is published in, and 10% off at their online shop. Apply to be a reviewer here.
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We're also on Instagram! If you aren't already, do consider following us on our Instagram platform here where we share the latest about our events, showcase our amazing network members and keep you in the loop. :)
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