We connect people, places and groups with the production and consumption of literature. We champion the power of poetry, story, writing and reading, working to safeguard and develop their role in our lives. We provide information, news and resources via our website and on social media.

We provide opportunities for writers who are resident in the South West of England to develop their craft and sustain a living as writers. One important way we do this is through inviting writers to become members of our Writers Community, both connecting writers to the resources we offer and to each other. We showcase the wealth of literary excellence which thrives in our region today, alongside its rich literary heritage.

We develop community initiatives to engage everyone with the social benefits and pleasures of creative writing and reading. We work closely with libraries and a wide range of other partners across the UK.

We cover a very large region, much of which is far removed from metropolitan cultural opportunities and has notoriously poor transport links. It reaches from Gloucestershire down to Land’s End and across to Hampshire. Urban areas in Torbay, Plymouth, Bristol and Somerset fall within the top 25% of the most deprived economic areas in England, and rural areas face the challenges of high unemployment and the fastest growing older population in the country.

Our vision is to support a confident, connected and sustainable literature sector in the South West. We do this through research, strategic intelligence, new projects and partnerships, events, training and mentoring, fundraising, evaluation and advocacy.

We aim to develop excellent writers, readers and audiences across our demographic and geography, with a view to enriching lives, improving social cohesion and enhancing health and wellbeing.