Writers’ group 26 have partnered with Bloomsbury Festival 2019 to create a project that puts writing at the heart of the community.

Here we have an area with an extraordinary past, present and future. A small part of London that has contributed amazing achievements for the world. Over the years Bloomsbury has been associated with people who have made small steps that became giant leaps in many different fields of activity and knowledge: science, literature, art, technology, social causes, exploration, and much more.

26 writers from 26, named after the number of letters in the alphabet, were paired with Bloomsbury people who have made such leaps. They’re wonderful stories told in just 260 words plus a haiku.

You can read those stories here… We think you’ll be intrigued, enlightened and inspired. Click on the images below to read the full stories. 

Tom Sharp writes about William Morris
Tom Sharp writes about William Morris
John Simmons writes about Noor Inayat Khan
John Simmons writes about Noor Inayat Khan
Jill Hopper writes about Dr Ziri Younsi
Jill Hopper writes about Dr Ziri Younsi
Beverley Moore writes about Vivien Conacher
Beverley Moore writes about Vivien Conacher
Rob Briggs writes about TS Eliot
Rob Briggs writes about TS Eliot
Lisa Andrews - Redemption roasters
Lisa Andrews - Redemption roasters
Chris Miller writes about JM Barrie
Chris Miller writes about JM Barrie
Lucy Maddox writes about Sir John Barbirolli
Lucy Maddox writes about Sir John Barbirolli
Charlotte MacKenzie writes about Ash Kotak
Charlotte MacKenzie writes about Ash Kotak
Ezri Carlebach writes about Aliza Ayaz
Ezri Carlebach writes about Aliza Ayaz
Francesca Baker writes about Arthur Potts Dawson
Francesca Baker writes about Arthur Potts Dawson
Peter Noone writes about Alexei Sayle
Peter Noone writes about Alexei Sayle
Neil Baker writes about pupils from Christopher Hatton School
Neil Baker writes about pupils from Christopher Hatton School
Anna Dewis writes about Matthew Flinders
Anna Dewis writes about Matthew Flinders
Emily Cracknell writes about Elizabeth Jesser Reid
Emily Cracknell writes about Elizabeth Jesser Reid
Bex Felton writes about Irving Finkel
Bex Felton writes about Irving Finkel
Margaret Webster writes about Jeremy Bentham
Margaret Webster writes about Jeremy Bentham
Samuel Crosby writes about Lydia Lopokova
Samuel Crosby writes about Lydia Lopokova
Lindsey Russell writes about Mary Ward
Lindsey Russell writes about Mary Ward
Rob Andrews writes about Meenakshi Bhat
Rob Andrews writes about Meenakshi Bhat
Poppy Collier writes about Dame Millicent Garret Fawcett
Poppy Collier writes about Dame Millicent Garret Fawcett
Sue Evans writes about Paul Nash
Sue Evans writes about Paul Nash
Faye Sharpe writes about Thomas Coram
Faye Sharpe writes about Thomas Coram
Ed Prichard writes about James Burton
Ed Prichard writes about James Burton
Jenni Newcombe writes about Karl Friston
Jenni Newcombe writes about Karl Friston
Andy Hayes writes about Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Andy Hayes writes about Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

 

Full list of 26 stories/writers:

Past
JM Barrie – Chris Miller
TS Eliot – Rob Briggs
James Burton – Ed Prichard
Elizabeth Jesser Reid – Emily Cracknell
Mary Ward – Lindsey Russell
Noor Inayat Khan – John Simmons
Sir John Barbirolli – Lucy Maddox
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor – Andy Hayes
William Morris – Tom Sharp
Millicent Fawcett – Poppy Collier
Thomas Coram – Faye Sharpe
Paul Nash – Sue Evans
Lydia Lopokova – Sam Crosby
Capt Matthew Flinders – Anna Dewis
Jeremy Bentham – Margaret Webster

Present
Ziri Younsi – Jill Hopper
Redemption Roasters – Lisa Andrews
Alexei Sayle – Peter Noone
Vivien Conacher – Beverley Moore
Ash Kotak – Charlotte MacKenzie
Meenakshi Bhat – Rob Andrews
Irving Finkel – Bex Felton
Arthur Potts Dawson – Francesca Baker
Karl Friston – Jenni Newcombe

Future
Children of Christopher Hatton School – Neil Baker
Aliza Ayaz – Ezri Carlebach