Join 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction chair of judges and writer Kit de Waal and 2025 Discoveries judge and novelist Dreda Say Mitchell for this online event exploring the challenges and opportunities faced by working-class writers. Chaired by Elaine Canning, Director of Swansea University’s Cultural Institute and the Dylan Thomas Prize, they will discuss the specific barriers that working-class writers face, and what can be done to break these down.

Along with addressing some of the practical challenges of a writing career and exploring ways of securing financial and creative support, the panel will also advise on how they’ve used their backgrounds to shape their voice and create stories and characters that resonate with the lives of readers, and there’ll be an opportunity for you to pose questions.

We’d love you to send in your questions in advance of the event. Please email info@womensprize.com with the subject line: QUESTION – WORKING-CLASS WRITERS.

Tickets are available for free, but if you can afford to pay for the event, please consider doing so and adding a donation to pay-it-forward.

You will be sent a link to your ticket email address the week the event takes place. The event will be recorded and available to watch on catch-up for one month after the live event. You will be emailed on Thursday 28th November with further details on how to watch.