Penny Authors – How Far We Have Come
From One Anthology to a Community of Writers
As we prepare for the release of Volume 12 of the Penny Authors Anthology, The Book of Lived, it feels like the right time to stop for a moment and look back.
How far have we come?
When Penny Authors began, the ambition was simple: to provide an opportunity for people to have their writing read, recognised and published.
What we could not have known at the beginning was just how far that small idea would travel.
Today, Penny Authors has become much more than an anthology.
It has become a community.
It has become a platform.
And, for some, it has become the beginning of a much bigger journey.
The Journey Since 2021
Since 2021, Penny Authors has continued to develop and experiment with different ways of bringing writers and their work to a wider audience.
Alongside the annual anthologies, we have produced a number of special publications and projects, including our five-year celebration publication, as well as:
He Poetry
She Poetry
Cornish Poetry
BAME Poetry
Each publication brought something different to the Penny Authors journey.
Each reflected a different group, experience or perspective.
Together, they demonstrate the breadth of writing and lived experience that Penny Authors has sought to encourage.
We Have Reached Further Than We Expected
What began as a project rooted in the UK has gradually developed an international reach.
Penny Authors has attracted writers from across the United Kingdom and has reached as far as the United States and India.
That in itself is something worth acknowledging.
A project that began with the simple intention of giving writers an opportunity has travelled across geographical and cultural boundaries.
But perhaps more importantly, it has created connections between people who may otherwise never have encountered one another.
A Community Has Been Established
Penny Authors is no longer simply a collection of names appearing in the pages of an anthology.
A group has developed around it.
People have returned from one anthology to another.
Writers have encouraged writers.
People have shared their experiences, their struggles, their achievements and their aspirations.
Some joined Penny Authors simply wanting to see their poem in print.
Others discovered that the experience gave them the confidence to take the next step.
And that next step has been significant for some.
Beyond Penny Authors
One of the most rewarding aspects of the journey has been seeing Penny Authors participants move beyond the anthology and begin publishing their own books.
Among those who have gone on to develop their own publishing journeys are:
Ruth Lewarne, R.E.S. Burman, Stuart Cooper, Mary Downing, Robert Spencer, Tyrone M. Warren, Rashma Mehta, Liam Newton, Joanna Edwards, Libby Pentreath, Chris York, Rob Kersley, Adrian Frost (USA), Mustak Ahmed Mustafa, Bhupendra M. Gandhi, Mathew Saunders-Whiting, Leema and Marion.
Some of these writers are sadly no longer with us.
Their contribution to the Penny Authors journey nevertheless remains part of its history.
For those continuing their writing journeys, the progression has been particularly encouraging.
Tyrone M. Warren has excelled in his development as a writer and performer.
Suzette has received recognition for her work.
These are precisely the kinds of developments that make the journey worthwhile.
The intention was never simply to put someone's poem into an anthology and leave them there.
The hope was always that the experience might become a stepping stone.
For some, it has.
Taking Writing Beyond the Page
Penny Authors has also continued to look for ways to take writing beyond the printed page.
Since 2021, we have established a Penny Authors YouTube channel and have explored opportunities for writers to be heard through other forms of media, including radio airtime.
We have produced newsletters and bookmarks and continued to develop ideas for taking Penny Authors into public performance.
The written word does not have to remain confined to the page.
A poem can be read.
It can be performed.
It can be heard.
It can be discussed.
It can reach someone who may never have picked up an anthology.
That is another part of the direction in which Penny Authors is developing.
Supporting Different Sections of the Community
From the beginning, Penny Authors has tried to support people from different sections of the community.
The various anthologies and special publications have allowed us to explore different experiences and communities rather than restricting the project to one particular type of writer.
This remains important.
Writing belongs to everybody.
It does not matter whether someone has been writing for decades or has only recently discovered the courage to put their thoughts onto paper.
It does not matter whether someone considers themselves a poet, a writer, a performer or simply someone who has something they need to say.
There should be a place for them.
That has always been one of the principles behind Penny Authors.
Volume 12 – The Book of Lived
And now we have arrived at Volume 12.
The Book of Lived is another chapter in that continuing journey.
Twelve volumes represent much more than twelve books.
They represent years of submissions, appraisals, editing, typesetting, production, administration, communication and, above all, people.
People who trusted Penny Authors with their words.
People who shared experiences that may have been difficult to express elsewhere.
People who simply wanted to see their work in print.
And people who have subsequently gone much further than they originally imagined.
We Have Come a Long Way
Looking back, it is easy to focus on the books.
But the real achievement is not the number of books produced.
It is what has happened because those books were produced.
A writer who gained confidence.
A writer who found an audience.
A writer who discovered performance.
A writer who received recognition.
A writer who went on to publish their own book.
A writer who returned again and again.
A writer who found a community.
That is the real measure of progress.
And We Are Not Finished
Penny Authors is still developing.
The project continues to evolve, adapt and find new ways of supporting writers.
We have newsletters, promotional materials, bookmarks, digital platforms, radio opportunities and plans for further public performance.
The possibilities available to writers today are very different from those available when Penny Authors first began.
We have to move with those changes.
But the central principle remains.
To nurture writing.
To encourage writers.
To provide opportunity.
To support people in finding their voice.
From a small philanthropic publishing project to a community reaching across the UK, the USA and India, Penny Authors has travelled further than we could have anticipated.
And as Volume 12 – The Book of Lived prepares to make its appearance, we can look back with some satisfaction.
We have come a long way.
But this is not the end of the journey.
It is simply another chapter.
