Fawn Press development programme 2024

We are delighted to announce that Fawn Press has been successful in receiving Arts Council Lottery funding to enable us to launch the first Fawn Press Development Programme.

The development programme will offer 5 weeks of poetry editing sessions and development programming lead by founder Scarlett Ward which aim to hone writing skills and encourage a better understanding of the publishing process. There will be an open submissions window 20th May to 17th June, aimed at self-identifying women, trans individuals, gender fluid and non-binary poets. Anyone who feels they have been marginalised due to their gender is welcome here.

The project is supported by partners such as Writing West Midlands, The Rebecca Swift Foundation, The Women Poet’s Prize, Birmingham-based press The Emma Press, and Social Change Studio sensitivity consultants.

“The world of publishing has historically marginalised and overlooked writers that deviate from a certain demographic, and I am so glad that The Arts Council are supporting Fawn Press’ project to help emerging writers develop and build on their editorial skills.” -Scarlett Ward, Fawn Press Founder and Director

The submissions selection team will be lead by founder Scarlett Ward along with poets Lexia Tomlinson and Salomée Lou. Fawn Press will also open a paid internship role to recruit a young person looking to learn about the publishing and submissions reading process. Details of this will be announced towards the end of May.

“Fawn Press will be purposefully publishing only pamphlets. The pamphlet is a beautiful art form, and a vital step in developing a poet’s practice. I hope that in championing it, Fawn Press can help empower writers to explore and trust in it as a poignant and powerful vehicle towards their development.” -Scarlett Ward

5 selected poets will receive

-5 weeks of online development and editing workshops, which will take place digitally on evenings and weekends to accommodate poets’ schedules.

-Publication of a pamphlet under Fawn Press in 2024.

-Promotion, blog book tour and book launch event (with online launch also.)

-Pastoral and wellbeing support from our partners at Navigating The Wilderness. Processing emotions through poetry can be both cathartic and triggering, and Fawn Press wants to have a support system in place should it be required in the publishing process.

15 Runners up will be selected to publish a poem in a special issue of The Thicket magazine and will receive payment of £20 per poem published.