Open Book runs accessible shared reading and creative writing sessions across Scotland for a diverse range of community and public participants, and we’re looking to start some new groups.
We’re looking for three new Lead Readers to pilot new Open Book groups based in Scotland with populations or in geographical locations we don’t currently serve. Each of the pilot groups will run for five sessions between September 2025 – February 2026. Where they are, and who they’re for…well, that’s up to you.
Open Book is looking to offer new communities the chance to enjoy the relaxed, inclusive space of a creative writing session. 'Communities’ could mean your local area, or it could mean people with a shared identity, experience or interest. We want you to be connected to the community who will attend your group, and to have a good understanding of how shared reading and creative writing could work for them.
In Open Book creative writing sessions, guided by the Lead Reader, the group will read short poems/stories together and use them as a springboard to create new pieces of their own (writing individually and sometimes as a group).
As an organisation, Open Book is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. Specifically, we are looking for proposals to work with a population or in a location that we don’t currently support, and will give priority to groups which focus on under-served communities.
As part of your application, we’re asking you to link up with a host organisation – the place where you’ll hold your sessions or a partner organisation that supports the community you’d like to work with. This could be a library, a community centre, a theatre, a charity, a bookshop…you’ll know what support your community needs, and where your community will feel most confident.
We’re also open to one or two of these groups operating via Zoom, if that’s the right fit.
We’re looking for Creative Writing Lead Readers with an equivalent level of publication experience as Scottish Book Trust Live Literature database authors. The fee for running each of the five pilot sessions is £220. We will also support training costs at a rate of £30 per hour for up to 2 hours, provide a budget for supplies required to run sessions, and will support Lead Readers with a choice of reading materials for use in sessions. You’ll receive training in running sessions to the Open Book model, and will have access to administrative support from the team.
The deadline is Friday 02 May 2025 at 12:00.
#J-18808-Ljbffr