Pen to Print

It’s August 2026 and the Write On! team are enjoying a short summer break. With this in mind, and as Founder Editor, I’m picking some of my favourite Showcases from the past few years. Though they are higgledy-piggledy in terms of season and themes, one thing connects them all: the fabulous quality of the writing and creativity! The third Showcase comes From February 2021. Edited by former Monday Moments Editor Holly King it features the 2026 Jhalak Poetry Prize winner Maggie Harris.

By Alice Charles While the entertainment landscape is changing rapidly, it’s still a good time to write and sell projects for the big screen – if you pitch it right. For example, American newcomer Travis Baun set up his holiday comedy The In-Clause up at Netflix after coming top of the Blacklist (the respected industry list of best unproduced screenplays) two years in a row. Genre films such as holiday movies are in big demand with companies such as Hallmark making more than 40 a year.

It’s August 2026 and the Write On! team are enjoying a short summer break. With this in mind, and as Founder Editor, I’m picking some of my favourite Showcases from the past few years. Though they are higgledy-piggledy in terms of season and themes, one thing connects them all: the fabulous quality of the writing and creativity! The second Showcase comes from October 2025 and is edited by poet and novelist Mary L Walsh. I hope you enjoy reading  it as much as I did.

Pen to Print is Barking & Dagenham’s Arts Council England (ACE), Library National Portfolio Organisation (NPO). Established by the library service the Pen to Print programme has been working in Barking & Dagenham since 2014 funded by Barking & Dagenham and Arts Council England. Becoming an ACE National Portfolio Organisation in 2018, we have just commenced our second period of NPO funding 2023 to 2026.

Write On! interviews poet Angelena Demaria Angelena says “I live in Walthamstow and belong to the Forest Poets stanza group. With Maggie Freeman, I run Station Poets stanza group. I’ve been shortlisted in our local poet’s competition, been published in magazines and anthologies, won the Indigo Dreams First Collection competition, and had work featured in the William Morris and Dulwich Picture galleries to complement exhibits.” WO: How would you describe your work to someone new to it?

It’s August 2026 and the Write On! team are enjoying a short summer break. With this in mind, and as Founder and Editor, I’m picking some of my favourite Showcases from the past few years. Though they are higgledy-piggledy in terms of season and themes, one thing connects them all: the fabulous quality of the writing and creativity. This first Showcase comes from June 2021 and is edited by our inaugural Showcase editor, Dan Cross.

March until December 2026 The Women’s Museum in Barking and Dagenham reopened its doors on Thursday 12 March, with the launch of Materiality Of Memory.

August 2026 Summer Reading Challenge: Read, Play And Create With Books By MILE When: 4 August, 10.30am-12.30pm and 3-5pm Where: Barking Learning Centre & Thames View Library Book Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/pen-to-print-4972836883 Decolonising Through Creative Writing – Session 2 of 4 with Preetha Chockalingam When: 6 August, 12.30-2.30pm Where: Online How Much: £1.99 Book Tickets:...

Edited By Molly Ovenden Welcome to the fifth and final week of July’s Showcase: Nostalgia! Over the course of this month, we’ve paged through nostalgia like a photo album holding generations of family and younger selves, telling stories and reminiscing. Sometimes facts of our pasts have been clear, while at other times our memories have gaps with significant details missing. Some days gone by might forever remain a mystery.

Write On! interviews author Jody Reign Jody says: “I’m an author and advocate dedicated to giving a voice to those who have been forced into silence. My writing focuses on the lived experiences of children and the social responsibility we share to protect the most vulnerable members of our community. Through my work, I aim to transform pain into a platform for healing and change.” WO: How would you describe your writing to someone new to it?