Applications for the 2025/26 programme are now open!
Applications are open until 11am on Wednesday 26 February 2025.
The London Library Emerging Writers Programme, now entering its seventh year, is a unique opportunity which offers writers, in all genres and disciplines, one year’s free membership of The London Library and includes writing development masterclasses, networking opportunities, peer support, access to and guidance in using all the Library’s resources and publication in the cohort anthology. With its rich cultural heritage, extensive open access book collection, dedicated writing spaces and its diverse community of established writers, the benefits of Library membership are invaluable.
For over 180 years The London Library has played a central role in inspiring writers and researchers, helping them explore and develop their work. From Charles Dickens to Sarah Waters, Charles Darwin to Simon Schama, Virginia Woolf to Kazuo lshiguro, Bram Stoker to Jessie Burton, TS Eliot to Raymond Antrobus, writers have found it to be an unrivalled resource. Previous members of The London Library Emerging Writers Programme have gone on to find agents, publishers and have had work produced for stage, screen and radio. See below for more information on previous cohorts.
The London Library Emerging Writers Programme is open to anyone over 18 years of age who is committed to pursuing a career in writing and wants to develop their practice. Applicants should be working, or planning to work, on a specific project, with the aim of publication or production, and have a clear idea of how they might use the Library’s resources to achieve that aim. They should be willing to fully participate in all elements of the Programme and immerse themselves in the writing community it offers. There is no application fee and participation on the Programme is funded (please scroll down for more information).
The Programme runs from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026. Successful applicants will be invited to a Programme launch on 2 July 2025. Sessions take place on weekday evenings (from 6.30-9pm) usually on the third Tuesday or Wednesday of the month and alternate between peer support meetings and masterclasses or workshops, all of which are designed to work across all or most forms of writing. The Programme will take place, as much as possible, at the Library, however some sessions may take place online.
Applicants will be selected anonymously by a panel of judges including: poet Rishi Dastidar (Neptune’s Projects, Too Young, Too Loud, Too Different); children’s author, novelist, scriptwriter and songwriter Maz Evans (Who Let the Gods Out, Vi Spy); novelist and short story writer Irenosen Okojie (Nudibranch, Curandera); non-fiction author, photographer and broadcaster Johny Pitts (Afropean, Home is Not a Place); screenwriter and director Benjamin Ross (The Young Poisoner’s Handbook, Poppy Shakespeare); playwright and performer Chris Thorpe (The Shape of Pain, A Family Business) and C&W literary agents Emma Finn and Lucy Luck.
Please carefully read through the Application Guidelines below (including eligibility requirements) before you submit your application. Applications which do not follow the guidelines will not be considered. You can also find a comprehensive set of FAQs below. If you still have any questions regarding your application, please contact the Programme Team, on 0207 766 4765 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
And to hear from and meet former participants of the Programme, book your tickets for our Emerging Writers Programme Showcase on 13 February, featuring Katie Buckley, Timothy Fox, Alexis Keir, Temi Majekodunmi, Gita Raleigh and Lucy Steeds in conversation with Bidisha.
Applications close at 11am on Wednesday 26 February 2025.
We look forward to receiving your application and good luck!
(N.B. If you are unable to access the form, it may help to go through a different network [3G or 4G] or try switching off your web protect security setting.)
Programme Funding
Two bursary funds are available to support members of the cohort who may face financial, health, or any other barriers that would prevent them fully accessing the Programme. The Emerging Writers Programme Access Bursary helps support those participants most in need and the Virago Participation Bursary has been generously funded by Virago Press to support Black women and Black writers from under-represented genders.
The 2025/26 The London Library Emerging Writers Programme is only possible because of the generous support the Library has received from Bloomsbury Publishing, The Charlotte Aitken Trust, the Garrick Charitable Trust, John & Kiendl Gordon, Sir Max Hastings, Hawthornden Foundation, The International Friends of The London Library, Gretchen & James Johnson, Simon Lorne, Robert MacLeod, the Julio and Maria Marta Nuñez Memorial Fund, Deborah Goodrich Royce, Sarah & Hank Slack and other anonymous donors. If you are interested in supporting the Emerging Writers Programme please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or donate online.
VIEW THE 2023/24 COHORT and ANTHOLOGY
VIEW THE 2022/23 COHORT and ANTHOLOGY
VIEW THE 2021/22 COHORT and ANTHOLOGY
VIEW THE 2020/21 COHORT and ANTHOLOGY
VIEW THE 2019/20 COHORT and ANTHOLOGY
