Talawa's Writers' Group

Talawa's Writers' Group (TWG) was formed in 2005 to improve the career prospects of promising Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) writers, and the group has supported many talented writers including Bola Agbaje, Michael Bhim and Trish Cooke.

In recent years, TWG has expanded to support more established writers such as Roy Williams, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Michael Abbensetts, Malorie Blackman and Winsome Pinnock to push boundaries, review their skills, and expose them to alternative ways of writing and thinking.

Each year, the programme has provided the group with a series of workshops, seminars and practical sessions with experienced theatre professionals, and an opportunity to platform their work in Unzipped.

To date the programme has positively intervened in the careers of the participating writers by providing networking opportunities with the country's leading Literary Managers and public performances of their work. Participating writers have gone on to work with Theatre Royal Stratford East, Contact Theatre, Soho Theatre and the Royal Court amongst others. Malorie Blackman has been commissioned to produce a film script by the UK Film Council and the group continues to act as a resource for the BBC Writersroom, television companies and programme makers.

From 2012-2014, the TWG will become international through a cross-fertilization programme with the government of South Africa, the British Council, Theatre Writing Partnership and the University of Witwatersrand. Talawa will provide training to South African writers while seeking to install British writers there. In the UK, the company will focus on working more intensely with fewer writers to promote them in their careers.