The Writers' Room

Aim

Making Words into Art – putting Art into Words. A space for artists to make and share new work with the written and spoken word.

We passionately believe that the written and spoken word (and publication as a medium) is an enfranchising form, a means to give voice to things. We have devised this project to bring in new voices to The Writer's Room and to join a wider art and literary ecosystem across London. 

The Writers’ Room was opened in March 2024 in a small space in an old Church property converted into artists’ studios, setup and programmed since by Simon Lewandowski and Lu Rose Cunningham. In March we moved to a much larger space - Britannia Mills in Islington. In establishing this project, our vision was that that The Writers’ Room be an “incubator” for artists using new ways of creating and distributing work. We seek to explore new and emerging technologies but also celebrate the power of more recognisable means of communication such as the printed book, the spoken word and social encounters, used in new ways and brokering new connections between different kinds of artists and their audiences.

Our vision was of bringing together writers and artists in other media into a shared space to make and share their individual and collective practices.

Selections have been made from open calls helped by an invited editorial team, with month-long residencies offered to practitioners who want to redefine the overlap of art and literature. These artists have an open brief to share their work in some form of “publication”at the end of the year. During their time with us, they also host  exhibitions, events, films, broadcasts or any form of innovative participation, research, collaboration and experiment - with our support. They can be realised on- or off-site as appropriate.

Since its opening the Writers' Room has enabled 43 artists’ residencies, 9 Exhibitions, 15 live events, 10 public screenings, and 12 participatory workshops plus the production of 5 publications including the “Journal of the Writers’ Room” – a 24-page publication in a tabloid newspaper format which documents the first 18 months of the project, with original image and text contributions from the artists who have taken part so par. This was printed in an edition of 600 and has brought our work to many more people – an audience of its own. One of our funding goals is to raise enough to print and distribute Volume 2 of the Journal by the end of the year!

In March 2026 we moved to a much larger (25M2) space nearby in Britannia Row N1. We built two studio spaces for more artists residencies, with roughly 800M2 of flexible performance, meeting or exhibition space.
This offers more opportunities for collaboration and the exchange of ideas between artists, visitors and other participants. Since April 2026 we have programmed a series of new residencies and events we call The Writers’ Room Summer School 2026, which ran till the end of September. Visitor and audience numbers have already risen for the new space; we recognise how central such things as educational workshops, readings and social gatherings are to allowing artists and visitors to share and enjoy the results as being not just a preparation for making work later but a way in which audiences can directly experience and enjoy new, hybrid forms of art. Now heading into autumn, we will be leaving our space in Islington at the end of October, to take a moment to design and publish the journal and make plans for 2027.

This crowdfunding application/call will help us with the following:
1. Print and distribution of the second “Journal of The Writers’ Room” Documenting the work of our resident artists (and co-edited by them)
2. Professional help overhauling our website so it will function as an archive and a platform and will link more smoothly with our social media to broadcast our work.
3. Purchase of a portable PA for readings and other materials and equipment for workshops and outreach.

All donors will be recognised as official "Friends of The Writers' Room”, getting notification of all our activities and free entry to public performances and workshops.

In the end, we will consider this project successful if we have brought new people and practices into our organisation with whom we can work in the future, especially where audiences and other participants are encountering this kind of work for the first time and that we have brought together artists who would otherwise not have been aware of each other’s shared interests and passions.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 14th December 2026 at 4:28pm