Whether you're looking for work opportunities as a Writer in Residence for one of our community projects, volunteering or work experience, or a position facilitating one of our young writers' groups, fill out this form and put yourself on our radar.

We'd love to hear about your areas of interest. Once you've filled out the form, and submitted your CV and cover letter, we'll be in touch when opportunities become available.

We will be seeking facilitators for our young writers' groups on a yearly basis, according to the academic calendar, with applications for the 2023/24 academic year closing on 31st August 2023.

The Open Call will remain open throughout the year to applications for our work with adults. When work becomes available we think will be of relevance to you, we will be in touch to let you know and invite you to apply.

For more information on what we do, visit our website:

https://writingeastmidlands.co.uk/

Job Description: ‘Beyond the Spectrum’ Autistic Lead Writer 

Writing East Midlands, in partnership with Bradford 2025, is seeking an Autistic Lead Writer for BEYOND THE SPECTRUM, a creative writing project designed and led by Autistic writers for Autistic and Neurodivergent participants. It is a national project led by Writing East Midlands, delivered in the Bradford district as part of Bradford City of Culture 2025.

About Writing East Midlands & Bradford 2025

· Writing East Midlands is the writer development agency for its region, and supports, promotes and champions writing, and creates opportunities for writers at all stages of their writing careers.
To do this WEM:

· Finds and develops new talent

· Supports publishing in the region

· Encourages writing from all cultural backgrounds

· Expands the writer economy in the region, and beyond

· Develops partnerships and brokers new relationships

· Promotes the regions’ writers locally, nationally and internationally

WEM values openness, equal access to the means of creativity, freedom of expression and the removal of barriers to creative thought and writing. These values underpin WEM’s development work with writers, literature events, projects, and relationships with partners.

- WEM is a non-profit organization for writers. Work is funded by Arts Council England, and individual project funding from various sources.  

- WEM supports and encourage new, emerging and established writers from diverse communities.

- WEM offers a programme of courses, masterclasses and mentoring to help writers develop skills and careers. Wide-ranging participation activities spark new conversations, nurture new writing, and engage new audiences. 

- WEM cultivates and champions radical thinking. 

- WEM strives to inspire both writers and readers to take risks and find joy in writing and literature.

- WEM is committed to developing a vibrant, inclusive ecology of writers and writing.

Bradford City of Culture 2025 

Bradford 2025 is the fourth UK City of Culture with the largest geographically distributed programme for the biggest population. Our engagement programme explores themes rooted in the unique heritage and character of Bradford, but that speak to universal topics. We will develop programmes that reach all localities of the district

In 2025 Bradford City and District will celebrate, champion and expand culture here for all of us. Culture is what you do for fun: fashion, family, film and food. Our engagement programme will blow the lid off culture with opportunities for creating, making, shaping, performing, dabbling, and doing. Shouting about your passion project. Learning about someone else’s. It can look like showing-off your skills, your family, your place. It can look like learning something new, expanding your brain and your understanding of the world around you.

The creative engagement programme will reveal the magic of Bradford that is held in its people, its ambition, its uniqueness and above all its dazzling potential.

BACKGROUND - BEYOND THE SPECTRUM

Beyond The Spectrum invites Autistic and Neurodivergent people to connect with Autistic professional lead writers through a series of creative writing sessions and a love of words.

The project was devised by Writing East Midlands and began in 2020. Participants are of all ages and have evolved into a thriving community that writes together and supports each other.

Research shows that Beyond the Spectrum participants benefit from improved wellbeing, greater connections with like-minded people, and develop a better understanding of Autism by taking part. 

Autistic professional writers create inclusive spaces which encourage participants to explore and challenge myths, about creativity in autistic people and many participants have gone on to be published, work in the literature industries or to study writing.

Beyond The Spectrum delivers against many of the Government’s Autism strategy objectives, but above all, it can make a profound difference to the lives of those involved.

Two Beyond the Spectrum groups will be created as part of Bradford 2025, both for participants who live in the wider Bradford district. One will be aimed at Autistic adults and one will be for children and young people, aged 11-18. Beyond the Spectrum is aimed at positively supporting Autistic people by helping to improve their: 

• Sense of belonging to a community and self-confidence 

• ability to express themselves and feel heard

• ability to cope with distress and/or overwhelm

• understanding of autism and encouraging a positive view of their autistic identity

Our long-term ambition is to build a national network of writing groups, run by creative Autistic people in the next few years. 

BEYOND THE SPECTRUM – LEAD WRITER ROLE

The Lead Writer will devise content and oversee delivery of the workshops, which will be held online, via Zoom. They will have access to resources produced by the project so far, such as workshop plans and prompts.

RESPONSIBILITIES 

The lead writer will:

• Host an initial taster workshop with a group of Autistic and Neurodivergent adults (this could be in      person, by arrangement). 
• Plan and facilitate 14 x 1 ½ hour Zoom workshops with a group of Autistic and Neurodivergent adults.
• Be responsive and sensitive to the group and individual members’ interests and needs, and be open in      their approach.
• Be instrumental in collecting evaluative data on the group’s experiences and track their own process      through the creative project. The lead writer will support a uniform evaluative framework which they will be      able to engage with and shape.
• Work with a shadow writer and project partners to deliver the workshops and collate qualitative and      quantitative data as required.
• Collate suitable work from the workshops into an output, celebrating the work created throughout the project      by participants. This will be linked to other activities taking place as part of Bradford 2025. 
• Lead and attend a sharing event in celebration of the project
• Take part in Beyond the Spectrum training and contribute to a framework of shared learning and inclusion.

The successful candidates will ideally be:

Autistic, with understanding of the intersection of autism and other neurodivergences. 

· A strong interest in, sensitivity to and experience of working with Autistic and Neurodivergent adults. 

· Proven literary ability and artistic quality as evidenced by a publication history, or history of performance and/or public outputs.

· Understanding of community arts programmes.

· The ability to talk about their work and experiences to groups of varying sizes and backgrounds.

· A flexible and welcoming workshop approach. With the ability to adapt their workshop style and approach to suit groups of varying literary experience and needs. 

· Experience of running accessible workshops for people with different needs. 

· Sensitivity to the special demands of working with neurodiversity and across generations and cultures.

· Must have a current, enhanced DBS registration. (Writing East Midlands can assist in obtaining this if needed). 

· Experience of editing and collating work for project outputs such as an anthology and/or a sharing event.

· Experience of and the willingness to lead the production of an output (e-book) of work produced.

· A sensitive, diplomatic, and approachable nature and a willingness to nurture creativity regardless of ability.

· Good internet access and computer skills. The applicant must be comfortable using Zoom to facilitate the workshops, email for communications with WEM and the participants, and a shared drive to store information (training can be provided if necessary).

Ideally, you will be based in the Bradford area, within easy travelling distance of Bradford. Whilst the sessions will take place online, we hope the Beyond the Spectrum programme will connect with other – in person – parts of the Bradford 2025 programme and wish to maximise this potential.

CONTRACT

This role is expected to begin in March 2025 and workshops will run fortnightly through to October 2025. Exact dates and times will be arranged with the successful Lead Writer, with a degree of flexibility, though we are seeking lead writers who are available one weekday evening per week.

FEE

£1,500 (15 x Zoom workshops at £100 per session. Sessions last 1 hour and 30 minutes) This fee is inclusive of all preparation work and materials, workshop leadership, follow-up work and evaluation. 

An additional £300 fee is available for training and attending any necessary meetings with the Beyond the Spectrum team, which will also take place online. 

Total fee available: £1800 (plus expenses)

There is an additional budget for a group output.

Payment will be made in two instalments unless otherwise agreed.

All fees are inclusive of VAT

Key Dates and how to apply

Deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 17th February 2025 

Interviews will take place on Zoom on either 27th, 28th or 29th February 2025

To Apply

Please include:

A current creative CV with two relevant referees.

A letter (max 2 pages) or video (max 4 minutes) detailing:

o why you are interested in the Beyond the Spectrum project, 

o your writing and workshop facilitation experience, 

o your understanding/ any experience of Autism and in working with neurodivergent adults

o your availability for workshop facilitation

Include a writing sample of up to 5 poems or 1500 words of prose and ensure that the above is all saved as one Word document or PDF. 

All applicants who are selected for an interview will be sent the questions in advance. 

We particularly welcome applications from writers from diverse backgrounds which include but are not limited to: race, disability, gender identity, sexuality, and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. 

Please do let us know if you have any accessibility needs. If you have any further questions or would like more information, please contact: 

Rebecca Morris Buck

Beyond the Spectrum Project Manager info@beyondthespectrum.uk

Job Description: Beyond the Spectrum - Autistic Shadow Writer 

Writing East Midlands, in partnership with Bradford 2025, is seeking an Autistic Support (or Shadow) Writer for BEYOND THE SPECTRUM, a creative writing project designed and led by Autistic writers for Autistic and Neurodivergent participants. It is a national project led by Writing East Midlands, delivered in the Bradford district as part of Bradford City of Culture 2025.

About Writing East Midlands & Bradford 2025

·  Writing East Midlands is the writer development agency for its region, and supports, promotes and champions writing, and creates opportunities for writers at all stages of their writing careers.
To do this WEM:

· Finds and develops new talent

· Supports publishing in the region

· Encourages writing from all cultural backgrounds

· Expands the writer economy in the region, and beyond

· Develops partnerships and brokers new relationships

· Promotes the region’s writers locally, nationally and internationally

WEM values openness, equal access to the means of creativity, freedom of expression and the removal of barriers to creative thought and writing. These values underpin WEM’s development work with writers, literature events, projects, and relationships with partners.

· WEM is a non-profit organisation for writers. Work is funded by Arts Council England, and individual project funding from a range of sources. 

· WEM supports and encourage new, emerging and established writers from diverse communities.

· WEM offers a programme of courses, masterclasses and mentoring to help writers develop skills and careers. Wide-ranging participation activities spark new conversations, nurture new writing, and engage new audiences. 

· WEM cultivates and champions radical thinking. 

· WEM strives to inspire both writers and readers to take risks and find joy in writing and literature.

WEM is committed to developing a vibrant, inclusive ecology of writers and writing.

Bradford City of Culture 2025 

Bradford 2025 is the fourth UK City of Culture with the largest geographically distributed programme for the biggest population. Our engagement programme explores themes rooted in the unique heritage and character of Bradford, but that speak to universal topics. We will develop programmes that reach all localities of the district

In 2025 Bradford City and District will celebrate, champion and expand culture here for all of us. Culture is what you do for fun: fashion, family, film and food. Our engagement programme will blow the lid off culture with opportunities for creating, making, shaping, performing, dabbling, and doing. Shouting about your passion project. Learning about someone else’s. It can look like showing-off your skills, your family, your place. It can look like learning something new, expanding your brain and your understanding of the world around you.

The creative engagement programme will reveal the magic of Bradford that is held in its people, its ambition, its uniqueness and above all its dazzling potential.

BACKGROUND - BEYOND THE SPECTRUM

 Beyond The Spectrum invites Autistic and Neurodivergent people to connect with Autistic professional lead writers through a series of creative writing sessions and a love of words.

The project was devised by Writing East Midlands and began in 2020. Participants are of all ages and have evolved into a thriving community that writes together and supports each other.

Research shows that Beyond the Spectrum participants benefit from improved wellbeing, greater connections with like-minded people, and develop a better understanding of Autism by taking part. 

Autistic professional writers create inclusive spaces which encourage participants to explore, and challenge myths, about creativity in autistic people and many participants have gone on to be published, work in the literature industries or to study writing.

Beyond The Spectrum delivers against many of the Government’s Autism strategy objectives, but above all, it can make a profound difference to the lives of those involved.

Two Beyond the Spectrum groups will be created as part of Bradford 2025, both for participants who live in the wider Bradford district. One will be aimed at Autistic adults and one will be for children and young people, aged 11-18. Beyond the Spectrum is aimed at positively supporting Autistic people by helping to improve their: 

• Sense of belonging to a community and self-confidence 

• ability to express themselves and feel heard

• ability to cope with distress and/or overwhelm

• understanding of autism and encouraging a positive view of their autistic identity

Our long-term ambition is to build a national network of writing groups, run by creative Autistic people in the next few years. 

BEYOND THE SPECTRUM – SHADOW WRITER 

The Shadow Writer will support the Lead Writer to deliver the workshops, which will be held online, via Zoom.

RESPONSIBILITIES 

The shadow writer’s role will involve:

· Working with a lead writer to support workshop content and delivery.

· Providing support for participants.

· Managing the technical elements of the online workshops via Zoom, including the chat function and Padlet contributions.

· Supporting evaluation methods as required

· Supporting lead writers with collating participants’ work for an anthology.

· Attend a sharing event in celebration of the project

· Attend Beyond the Spectrum training and contribute to a framework of shared learning and inclusion

Person Specification

· Personable, enthusiastic, reliable, patient.

· A writer who is looking for experience and a professional development opportunity

· Interested in working with Autistic individuals

Ideally, you will be based in the Bradford area, within easy travelling distance of Bradford. Whilst the sessions will take place online, we hope the Beyond the Spectrum programme will connect with other – in person – parts of the Bradford 2025 programme and wish to maximise this potential.

Requirements 

· To be available at session times/dates agreed.

· To be available to commit to the role for the duration of the project.

· To attend induction/training

· To possess or undertake a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check if required.

CONTRACT

This role is expected to begin in March 2025 and end in October 2025. 

Sessions can be flexible, though we are seeking writers who are available to deliver weekly sessions on a weekday evening. 

FEE

£750 (15 x Zoom workshops at £50 per session. Sessions last 1 hour and 30 minutes) 

An additional £150 fee is available for training and attending any necessary meetings with the Beyond the Spectrum team, which will also take place online. 

Total fee available: £900 (plus expenses)

There is an additional budget for a group output.

Payment will be made in two instalments unless otherwise agreed.

All fees are inclusive of VAT 

Key Dates and how to apply

Deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 17th February 2025

Interviews will take place on Zoom on either 26th, 27th or 28th February 2025

To Apply

Please include:

A current creative CV with two relevant referees.

A letter (max 2 pages) or video (mx 4 minutes) detailing:

· why you are interested in the Beyond the Spectrum project, 

· any writing and workshop facilitation experience 

· your availability for workshop (days of preference)

All applicants who are selected for an interview will be sent the questions in advance. 

We particularly welcome applications from writers from diverse backgrounds which include but are not limited to: race, disability, gender identity, sexuality, and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. 

Please do let us know if you have any accessibility needs. If you have any further questions or would like more information, please contact: 

Rebecca Morris Buck

Beyond the Spectrum Project Manager info@beyondthespectrum.uk

Job Description: ‘Beyond the Spectrum’ Autistic Lead Writer: Children and Young People

Writing East Midlands, in partnership with Bradford 2025, is seeking an Autistic Lead Writer for BEYOND THE SPECTRUM, a creative writing project designed and led by Autistic writers for Autistic and Neurodivergent participants. It is a national project led by Writing East Midlands, delivered in the Bradford district as part of Bradford City of Culture 2025.

About Writing East Midlands & Bradford 2025

·   Writing East Midlands is the writer development agency for its region, and supports, promotes and champions writing, and creates opportunities for writers at all stages of their writing careers.
To do this WEM:

· Finds and develops new talent

· Supports publishing in the region

· Encourages writing from all cultural backgrounds

· Expands the writer economy in the region, and beyond

· Develops partnerships and brokers new relationships

· Promotes the regions’ writers locally, nationally and internationally

WEM value openness, equal access to the means of creativity, freedom of expression and the removal of barriers to creative thought and writing. These values underpin WEM’s development work with writers, literature events, projects, and relationships with partners.

· WEM is a non-profit organisations for writers. Work is funded by Arts Council England, and individual project funding from various sources.

· WEM supports and encourages new, emerging and established writers from diverse communities.

· WEM offers a programme of courses, masterclasses and mentoring to help writers develop skills and careers. Wide-ranging participation activities spark new conversations, nurture new writing, and engage new audiences. 

· WEM cultivates and champions radical thinking. 

· WEM strives to inspire both writers and readers to take risks and find joy in writing and literature.

WEM is committed to developing a vibrant, inclusive ecology of writers and writing.

Bradford City of Culture 2025 

Bradford 2025 is the fourth UK City of Culture with the largest geographically distributed programme for the biggest population. Our engagement programme explores themes rooted in the unique heritage and character of Bradford, but that speak to universal topics. We will develop programmes that reach all localities of the district

In 2025 Bradford City and District will celebrate, champion and expand culture here for all of us. Culture is what you do for fun: fashion, family, film and food. Our engagement programme will blow the lid off culture with opportunities for creating, making, shaping, performing, dabbling, and doing. Shouting about your passion project. Learning about someone else’s. It can look like showing-off your skills, your family, your place. It can look like learning something new, expanding your brain and your understanding of the world around you.

The creative engagement programme will reveal the magic of Bradford that is held in its people, its ambition, its uniqueness and above all its dazzling potential.

BACKGROUND - BEYOND THE SPECTRUM

  Beyond The Spectrum invites Autistic and Neurodivergent people to connect with Autistic professional lead writers through a series of creative writing sessions and a love of words.

The project was devised by Writing East Midlands and began in 2020. Participants are of all ages and have evolved into a thriving community that writes together and supports each other.

Research shows that Beyond the Spectrum participants benefit from improved wellbeing, greater connections with like-minded people, and develop a better understanding of Autism by taking part. 

Autistic professional writers create inclusive spaces which encourage participants to explore, and challenge myths, about creativity in autistic people and many participants have gone on to be published, work in the literature industries or to study writing.

Beyond The Spectrum delivers against many of the Government’s Autism strategy objectives, but above all, it can make a profound difference to the lives of those involved.

Two Beyond the Spectrum groups will be created as part of Bradford 2025, both for participants who live in the wider Bradford district. One will be aimed at Autistic adults and one will be for children and young people, aged 11-18. Beyond the Spectrum is aimed at positively supporting Autistic people by helping to improve their: 

• Sense of belonging to a community and self-confidence 

• ability to express themselves and feel heard

• ability to cope with distress and/or overwhelm

• understanding of autism and encouraging a positive view of their autistic identity

Our long-term ambition is to build a national network of writing groups, run by creative Autistic people in the next few years. 

BEYOND THE SPECTRUM – LEAD WRITER: CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

The Lead Writer will devise content and oversee delivery of the workshops, which will be held online, via Zoom. They will have access to resources produced by the project so far, such as workshop plans and prompts.

RESPONSIBILITIES 

The lead writer will:

• Host an initial taster workshop with a group of Autistic and Neurodivergent children and young people (this could be in person, by arrangement). 
• Plan and facilitate 11 x 1 ½ hour Zoom workshops with a group of Autistic and Neurodivergent children and young people. 
• Be responsive and sensitive to the group and individual members’ interests and needs, and be open in their      approach.
• Be instrumental in collecting evaluative data on the group’s experiences and track their own process through the creative project. The lead writer will support a uniform evaluative framework which they will be able to      engage with and shape.
• Work with a shadow writer and project partners to deliver the workshops and collate qualitative and quantitative data as required.
• Collate suitable work from the workshops into an output, celebrating the work created throughout the project by participants. This will be linked to other activities taking place as part of Bradford 2025. 
• Lead and attend a sharing event in celebration of the project
• Take part in Beyond the Spectrum training and contribute to a framework of shared learning and inclusion.

The successful candidate will ideally be:

Autistic, with a good understanding of the intersection of autism and other neurodivergences. 

The successful candidate will ideally have:

· A strong interest in, sensitivity to and experience of working with Autistic and Neurodivergent children and young people. 

· Proven literary ability and artistic quality as evidenced by a publication history, or history of performance and/or public outputs.

· Understanding of community arts programmes.

· The ability to talk about their work and experiences to groups of varying sizes and backgrounds.

· A flexible and welcoming workshop approach. With the ability to adapt their workshop style and approach to suit groups of varying literary experience and needs. 

· Experience of running accessible workshops for young people with different needs. 

· Sensitivity to the special demands of working with neurodiversity and across generations and cultures.

· Must have a current, enhanced DBS registration. (Writing East Midlands can assist in obtaining this if needed). 

· Experience of editing and collating work for project outputs such as an anthology and/or a sharing event.

· A sensitive, diplomatic, and approachable nature and a willingness to nurture creativity regardless of ability.

· Good internet access and computer skills. The applicant must be comfortable using Zoom to facilitate the workshops, email for communications with WEM and the participants, and a shared drive to store information (training can be provided if necessary).

Ideally, you will be based in the Bradford area, within easy travelling distance of Bradford. Whilst the sessions will take place online, we hope the Beyond the Spectrum programme will connect with other – in person – parts of the Bradford 2025 programme and wish to maximise this potential.

CONTRACT

This role is expected to begin in March 2025 and weekly workshops will run through to October 2025. Exact dates and times will be arranged with the successful Lead Writer, with a degree of flexibility, though we are seeking lead writers who are available one weekday evening per week.

FEE

£1,200 (12 x Zoom workshops at £100 per session. Sessions last 1 hour and 30 minutes) This fee is inclusive of all preparation work and materials, workshop leadership, follow-up work and evaluation. 

An additional £300 fee is available for training and attending any necessary meetings with the Beyond the Spectrum team, which will also take place online. 

Total fee available: £1500 (plus expenses)

There is an additional budget for a group output.

Payment will be made in two instalments unless otherwise agreed.

All fees are inclusive of VAT

Key Dates and how to apply

Deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 17th February 2025

Interviews will take place on Zoom on 26th, 27th or 28th February 2025

To Apply

Please include:

A current creative CV with two relevant referees.

A letter (max 2 pages) or video (max 4 minutes) detailing:

o why you are interested in the Beyond the Spectrum project, 

o your writing and workshop facilitation experience, 

o your understanding/ any experience of Autism and in working with neurodivergent children or young people

o your availability for workshop facilitation

Include a writing sample of up to 5 poems or 1500 words of prose and ensure that the above is all saved as one Word document or PDF. 

All applicants who are selected for an interview will be sent the questions in advance. 

We particularly welcome applications from writers from diverse backgrounds which include but are not limited to: race, disability, gender identity, sexuality, and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. 

Please do let us know if you have any accessibility needs. If you have any further questions or would like more information, please contact: 

Rebecca Morris Buck

Beyond the Spectrum Project Manager info@beyondthespectrum.uk

Job Description: Beyond the Spectrum - Autistic Shadow Writer: Children And Young People

Writing East Midlands, in partnership with Bradford 2025, is seeking an Autistic Lead Writer for BEYOND THE SPECTRUM, a creative writing project designed and led by Autistic writers for Autistic and Neurodivergent participants. It is a national project led by Writing East Midlands, delivered in the Bradford district as part of Bradford City of Culture 2025.

About Writing East Midlands & Bradford 2025

·  Writing East Midlands is the writer development agency for its region, and supports, promotes and champions writing, and creates opportunities for writers at all stages of their writing careers.
To do this WEM:

· Finds and develops new talent

· Supports publishing in the region

· Encourages writing from all cultural backgrounds

· Expands the writer economy in the region, and beyond

· Develops partnerships and brokers new relationships

· Promotes the regions’ writers locally, nationally and internationally

WEM values openness, equal access to the means of creativity, freedom of expression and the removal of barriers to creative thought and writing. These values underpin WEM’s development work with writers, literature events, projects, and relationships with partners.

· WEM is a non-profit organisations for writers. Work is funded by Arts Council England, and individual project funding from various sources. 

· WEM supports and encourage new, emerging and established writers from diverse communities.

· WEM offers a programme of courses, masterclasses and mentoring to help writers develop skills and careers. Wide-ranging participation activities spark new conversations, nurture new writing, and engage new audiences. 

· WEM cultivates and champions radical thinking. 

· WEM strives to inspire both writers and readers to take risks and find joy in writing and literature.

WEM is committed to developing a vibrant, inclusive ecology of writers and writing.

Bradford City of Culture 2025 

Bradford 2025 is the fourth UK City of Culture with the largest geographically distributed programme for the biggest population. Our engagement programme explores themes rooted in the unique heritage and character of Bradford, but that speak to universal topics. We will develop programmes that reach all localities of the district

In 2025 Bradford City and District will celebrate, champion and expand culture here for all of us. Culture is what you do for fun: fashion, family, film and food. Our engagement programme will blow the lid off culture with opportunities for creating, making, shaping, performing, dabbling, and doing. Shouting about your passion project. Learning about someone else’s. It can look like showing-off your skills, your family, your place. It can look like learning something new, expanding your brain and your understanding of the world around you.

The creative engagement programme will reveal the magic of Bradford that is held in its people, its ambition, its uniqueness and above all its dazzling potential.

BACKGROUND - BEYOND THE SPECTRUM

 Beyond The Spectrum invites Autistic and Neurodivergent people to connect with Autistic professional lead writers through a series of creative writing sessions and a love of words.

The project was devised by Writing East Midlands and began in 2020. Participants are of all ages and have evolved into a thriving community that writes together and supports each other.

Research shows that Beyond the Spectrum participants benefit from improved wellbeing, greater connections with like-minded people, and develop a better understanding of Autism by taking part. 

Autistic professional writers create inclusive spaces which encourage participants to explore, and challenge myths, about creativity in autistic people and many participants have gone on to be published, work in the literature industries or to study writing.

Beyond The Spectrum delivers against many of the Government’s Autism strategy objectives, but above all, it can make a profound difference to the lives of those involved.

Two Beyond the Spectrum groups will be created as part of Bradford 2025, both for participants who live in the wider Bradford district. One will be aimed at Autistic adults and one will be for children and young people aged 11 -18.  Beyond the Spectrum is aimed at positively supporting Autistic people by helping to improve their: 

• Sense of belonging to a community and self-confidence 

• ability to express themselves and feel heard

• ability to cope with distress and/or overwhelm

• understanding of autism and encouraging a positive view of their autistic identity

Our long-term ambition is to build a national network of writing groups, run by creative Autistic people in the next few years. 

BEYOND THE SPECTRUM – SHADOW WRITER 

The Shadow Writer will support the Lead Writer to deliver the workshops, which will be held online, via Zoom.

RESPONSIBILITIES 

The shadow writer’s role will involve:

· Working with a lead writer to support workshop content and delivery.

· Providing support for participants.

· Managing the technical elements of the online workshops via Zoom, including the chat function and Padlet contributions.

· Supporting evaluation methods as required

· Supporting lead writers with collating participants’ work for an anthology.

· Attend a sharing event in celebration of the project

· Attend Beyond the Spectrum training and contribute to a framework of shared learning and inclusion

Person Specification

· Personable, enthusiastic, reliable, patient.

· A writer who is looking for experience and a professional development opportunity

· Interested in working with Autistic individuals

Ideally, you will be based in the Bradford area, within easy travelling distance of Bradford. Whilst the sessions will take place online, we hope the Beyond the Spectrum programme will connect with other – in person – parts of the Bradford 2025 programme and wish to maximise this potential.

Requirements 

· To be available at session times/dates agreed.

· To be available to commit to the role for the duration of the project.

· To attend induction/training

· To possess or undertake a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check if required.

CONTRACT

This role is expected to begin in March 2025 and end in October 2025. 

Sessions can be flexible, though we are seeking writers who are available to deliver weekly sessions on a weekday evening. 

FEE

£600 (12 x Zoom workshops at £50 per session. Sessions last 1 hour and 30 minutes) 

An additional £150 fee is available for training and attending any necessary meetings with the Beyond the Spectrum team, which will also take place online. 

Total fee available: £750 (plus expenses)

There is an additional budget for a group output.

Payment will be made in two instalments unless otherwise agreed.

All fees are inclusive of VAT 

Key Dates and how to apply

Deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 17th February 2025

Interviews will take place on Zoom on either 26th, 27th or 28th February 2025

To Apply

Please include:

A current creative CV with two relevant referees.

A letter (max 2 pages) or video (mx 4 minutes) detailing:

· why you are interested in the Beyond the Spectrum project, 

· any writing and workshop facilitation experience 

· your availability for workshop (days of preference)

All applicants who are selected for an interview will be sent the questions in advance. 

We particularly welcome applications from writers from diverse backgrounds which include but are not limited to: race, disability, gender identity, sexuality, and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. 

Please do let us know if you have any accessibility needs. If you have any further questions or would like more information, please contact: 

Rebecca Morris Buck

Beyond the Spectrum Project Manager info@beyondthespectrum.uk