Breaking the Class Ceiling in UK Publishing: Online talk with Professor Katy Shaw

Join us for this talk on class in contemporary publishing with Professor Katy Shaw (Northumbria University)

A Centre for Book Cultures and Publishing  event

The under-representation of British working-class writers in UK publishing has been identified as a major social and economic challenge by major publishers and the British government. In 2018 Arts Council England funded the first ever writing development programme aimed at redressing the balance for working-class writers. This talk evaluates the impact of this unique initiative on both creatives and the creative industries in the UK, as well as on wider industry awareness of the presence and impact of the class ceiling in UK publishing. It assesses for the first time the impact of a targeted class-based writing development programme on creatives and the creative industries in the UK, as well as on professional awareness of the challenge posed by the class ceiling in the wider UK creative industries today, and proposes new initiatives and recommendations arising from the research through implications for writers, readers and the future sustainability of British publishing in a post-Brexit context.

Please join the conversation here through Microsoft Teams with video off and on mute. We will use the chat function for questions and debate.