Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund

It is a huge thrill to share the news that I have been appointed a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund, and from September for two days a week I’ll be based at Royal Holloway University of London.

**https://www.instagram.com/royalliteraryfund/**

The RLF just announced this year’s fellows…

Around 40 Fellowships are awarded every year, and the 2024-25 cohort were invited to St Bride’s Institute off Fleet Street in central London recently for the New Fellows’ induction day. I didn’t quite get to meet everybody, but it was an inspiring day, and an unusual privilege to meet so many interesting writers in one place and on a level playing field, all of us starting out in this new role and new adventure.

Founded in 1790, the Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a UK charity that annually delivers over £5 million in grants, education, and outreach programmes. Since 1999, the RLF’s Fellowship scheme for writers in Higher Education has created earning opportunities for over 750 professional writers at over 100 universities and institutions, where Fellows have a brief to offer free and confidential writing advice to anybody that wants it.

Find out more about the Royal Literary Fund’s Fellowship programme, including recruitment and eligibility information, here…

I took this kaleidoscopic photo of Royal Holloway’s Grade 1-listed Founders’ Building on a bright clear day back in the spring, when I went to meet my new hosts. Opened in 1886, and designed by architect William Henry Crossland (1835-1908) – a pupil of Sir George Gilbert-Scott – it’s easy to see why Pevsner’s Surrey calls it the ‘most ebullient Victorian building in the Home Counties’!