Taking place every Autumn, the Birmingham Literature Festival is a leading festival in the Midlands, showcasing the very best writers, speakers, thinkers, activists and artists from the UK and across the world. We programme and commission a wide range of innovative literature and literature-inspired work, creating unique opportunities for audiences to experience high quality events via our annual festival programmes and associated projects.

This upcoming event is designed to inspire, inform, and connect young writers who are exploring careers in the writerly world. Hosted by Birmingham City University in collaboration with Writing West Midlands, the day will feature expert talks, 1-2-1 sessions, and hands-on workshops, all from industry professionals. The event aims to give participants the tools and confidence to take their next steps as writers in what can often be a very overwhelming professional world. 

As part of a poetry residency in Knowle, Solihull, Emily is collecting local stories and reflections on the theme of freedom, inspiring poems created with and for the community. Part of a UK-wide Arts Council England project marking VE Day’s 80th anniversary, the residency includes workshops, events, and pop-up poetry in local venues with community groups.

Emily is an artist facilitator for this ACE-funded creative action research project focusing on young dancers’ relationship with body image. Using poetry as a tool, she will be supporting participants to express and reflect on their experiences, contributing to a collaborative effort to foster a healthier, more inclusive dance environment and bodily relationship. This is a project of Hungry 2 Move.

Working part-time at Writing West Midlands, the regional writers development agency, Emily is Programme Manager for Children and Young People. She programs and produces the Annual Careers in Writing Day conference, coordinates two online and one printed youth  publication annually, and oversees 240 creative writing workshops for young people across the wider West Midlands each year.

Emily works as a part-time freelance Coordinator for the official Midlands light festival consortium, supporting the Strategic Lead and assisting with consortium planning. Her role supports collaboration among Midlands festivals and cultural organisations to strengthen the regional creative ecology. The consortium is lucky to have representation from not-for-profit light-art festivals from across the entire region.

A celebration of the Mayor of Solihull's year in office and the grand reopening of The Core Theatre - bringing together an eclectic mix of entertainment in aid of the Mayoral Charities. Emily was invited to bring her typewriter to mesmerise VIP guests at the event with pop-up poetry on demand.

As Project Manager, Emily led the delivery of this large, ACE-funded, cross-disciplinary collaboration following its initial R&D phase. Coordinating authors, illustrators, musicians, and producers, she oversaw production of the printed book and Storytelling EP, culminating in a vibrant public launch that showcased creativity across multiple art forms.

Emily delivered a series of poetry workshops at SEN schools across Solihull and Birmingham, encouraging students to explore abstract poetry in new ways. She supported their creative expression and later edited their work to produce a printed Zine, showcasing the young people’s voices and creativity.

Emily was commissioned to write and perform original poetry as part of Small is Beautiful, a Culture Solihull event showcasing micro-commissions from local artists. Across two nights of live performance, she shared her work alongside creatives from diverse art forms, contributing to a celebration of Solihull’s vibrant and growing arts scene. Her poetry was on display in the Core Theatre Gallery, alongside other creatives work.