📚 It's #IndieBookshopWeek this week, and 20 years since the campaign launched, celebrating everything about great independent booksellers. Time to head to your nearest indie bookshop and find your summer reads... 🌞

After an extremely competitive application process, we’re incredibly excited to present our Word Space cohort for 2026-27! They are: Janey Ashton, Tom Bass, Rosina Buck, Sam Francis, Gavin James, Marija Ratković, Adeola Sheehy and Adrian Wakeling.

The Page of Plymouth project reaches its finale on Sunday 12th April, 3.45 – 5pm at the Barbican Theatre in Plymouth. It’s the culmination of workshops, talks and events celebrating and exploring this lost play, all made possible by the support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Our final partner feature is @dialectwriters.bsky.social - a collective offering learning and publication opportunities to aspiring, emerging and experienced writers in rural and edgeland places.

We’re pleased to announce a major new project for 2026, Words Alive in Libraries, a fourth partnership with the wonderful @swrls.bsky.social (the South Western Regional Library Service), building on the success of our previous writer tours of libraries around the south west.

After years of building, creating and collaborating, Plymouth is ready for its moment. There’s £10million in funding and a year-long celebration of arts and culture on offer - and the adventure starts here. Get involved at plymouthculture.co.uk/city-of-culture @plymcultureuk.bsky.social

We’re proud to support Plymouth’s bid to become UK City of Culture 2029. #geddonplymouth2029

We are sad to learn of the passing of Joanna Trollope on 11th December, at the age of 82. She has been a valued patron of Literature Works since 2016, and we were honoured to be amongst the select charities close to her heart that she worked with. 📸 Photograph by Barker Evans

Whilst Literature Works' #WordSpace talent development programme is open for submissions (until the end of January), we're highlighting each of our fantastic partners. This week it's ArtfulScribe - a not-for-profit writer development agency based in Southampton.

Libraries matter and Devon County Council is consulting on proposed changes to library services across Devon. Find out more about what's proposed and have your say by completing the consultation here : devonlibraries.commonplace.is

Kicking off our posts about each of the partner organisations for our online talent programme #WordSpace in 2026-27, this week we're highlighting Artswords.

SOUND: Plymouth Poetry Festival takes place between 10th – 19th April 2026 and is seeking a poet-in-residence to work with families from underrepresented Plymouth communities across three days during the festival. Download the brief to find out more: literatureworks.org.uk/plymouth-poe...

🎶 Fresh from his brilliant Quay Words residency and a sold-out song cycle event at @exetercustomhouse.bsky.social, Chris Hoban will be running an Introduction to Songwriting workshop on Wednesday 26th November. Limited places, find out more and book yours soon: quaywords.org.uk/events/intro...

Michael Malay joins us for a #QuayWords event this Wednesday evening at @ExeterCustomHouse.bsky.social, discussing his award winning nature memoir Late Light - we can't wait. Get your ticket for just £6 (£4 concessions) and join us: quaywords.org.uk/events/micha...

This November and December, our project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, ‘Page of Plymouth', offers some unique, free, hands-on workshops, delving into the archives at @theboxplymouth.bsky.social for a glimpse of 16th Century life.

Late Light is a multi award-winning nature memoir, a love letter to the English countryside and some of the creatures which populate it, set against the backdrop of the author Michael Malay’s own journey of discovery as a new arrival to the UK.

Next Monday, the Page of Plymouth online talks in partnership with The Rose Playhouse continue: INTRODUCING PHILIP HENSLOWE’S ROSE - with PROFESSOR GRACE IOPPOLO 📅 Monday 27th October 2025 🕡 6.30pm 💻 online 🎫 £5 /£8 Book via The Rose: www.roseplayhouse.org.uk/whats-on

This Saturday saw the prizegiving event for our Generation Flash Fiction competition at @exetercustomhouse.bsky.social. Thanks to all the winning and highly commended young writers for reading their work with such confidence, and to everyone who attended for supporting them – it was a great turnout.

Discover more about the craft of self-editing for fiction with our friends at @thelitconsultancy.bsky.social & expert tutor, Jon Barton. Bring your manuscript & come away with your own action plan.

Next month, Quay Words teams up with Artemis Storytelling at @exetercustomhouse.bsky.social, with exciting workshops for young people on 29th September. These will be led by the fantastic storytellers @katycawkwell.bsky.social @lisaschneidau.bsky.social and @sara-hurley@bskysocial.

Join the Literature Works team - we're now recruiting for a new Programme Officer. If you'd like to help us deliver exciting literature activity across the South West, find out more here: literatureworks.org.uk/we-are-hirin... 📅 Apply by 25th August.

Don't forget, the public vote for the next Plymouth Laureate of Words is now open and you have until midday on 28th August to make your choice. Learn more, watch videos form each candidate and cast your vote: bit.ly/plowvote25

We're looking for a freelance Project Manager to coordinate the major new Page of Plymouth project from September 2025 through to May 2026. 📅 Deadline: 17th August 2025. 🔗 Recruitment pack: literatureworks.org.uk/freelance-op... #NationalLottery #HeritageFund #PageofPlymouth #artsjobs

Today, Literature Works announces a £65,817 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to celebrate and explore Page of Plymouth, a lost play by global icon of English literature, Ben Jonson, that was performed at the Rose Playhouse, London in 1599.

✅ The public vote for the next Plymouth Laureate of Words is now open. To learn about the shortlisted candidates, watch their video entries and cast your vote, go to bit.ly/plowvote25. Remember to vote by midday on 28th August.

Thank you William Telford at Plymouth Herald for covering the #PlymouthYoungCityLaureate callout, which runs until this Sunday 20th July. So this week's your last chance to apply and to spread the word - we want to hear 14-19 year old budding writers in Plymouth.

Don't forget, @susannacrossman.bsky.social joins us at #QuayWords / @exetercustomhouse.bsky.social this Saturday for an event marking the paperback release of her acclaimed memoir Home Is Where We Start.

📢 Just two weeks left to apply. We'd like to hear from talented young writers in Exeter who want to be the very first EXETER YOUNG CITY LAUREATE. 🔗 bit.ly/EYCL25

📢 Great news: we've extended the callout for the next Plymouth Young City Laureate. You have an extra 3 weeks to get your application in - apply by midnight on Sunday 20th July. Spread the word, details and application form here: bit.ly/nextPYCL @plymcultureuk.bsky.social

One week until @philipmarsden.bsky.social appears at #QuayWords for a not-to-be-missed illustrated talk on his latest book, Under a Metal Sky: A Journey through Minerals, Greed and Wonder.