Industry Insider – A collective noun for writers

Writing is often characterised as a solitary act but take a look at the acknowledgements page of any book and it’s clear that it takes a village.

This panel discussion brings together writers and book workers involved in a range of collective endeavours, from building writing communities, to organising as workers to improve labour conditions, to the inspiring possibilities of collaborative writing projects.

This event is in conjunction with the Society of Authors in Scotland (SoAiS)

#SoAatHome Industry Insider events – free for all + donation

Our #SoAatHome industry insider events are free for all but with a donation option when registering for the event.

All donations made go towards the Society of Authors’ Access Fund. The fund is to help provide authors support for travel, subsistence, childcare or access needs for events, residencies, and retreats. If you would like to make a donation with your booking, please do so when registering for the event below.

Programme

• Welcome, introductions and housekeeping from Tom Jeffreys (3 mins)
• Panel discussion chaired by Tom Jeffreys with Mai-Anh Vu Peterson, Noreen Masud and Mohamed Tonsy (60 mins)
• Comfort break (20 mins)
• Q&A with audience (20 mins)
• Summary and closing comments (2 mins)
• This event will be moderated by Lilly Brend-Fish – Events & Engagement Manager, SoA

The Line-up

Tom Jeffreys

Tom Jeffreys is a writer who lives in Edinburgh. His work is mostly creative non-fiction in response to art and place, and he regularly collaborates with artists and cultural organisations.

Tom’s books include: Walking: Documents of Contemporary Art (Whitechapel Gallery and The MIT Press, 2024); To an island in a loch on an island in a loch, with Kirsty Badenoch (Mouldy Books, 2023); The White Birch: A Russian Reflection (Little, Brown, 2021); and Signal Failure: HS2 on Foot (Influx Press, 2017).

Tom’s writing has also appeared in publications such as Art Monthly, ArtReview, Country Walking, Cricinfo, e-flux, Frieze, The Guardian, The Independent, Monocle, New Scientist and The World of Interiors. He is represented by Zoe Ross at United Agents. 

Instagram: @tom__jeffreys | Website: https://www.tom-jeffreys.co.uk

Mai-Anh Vu Peterson

Mai-Anh is an Edinburgh-based writer, facilitator and community organiser, whose work engages with storytelling at the intersection of identity, migration, grief and community. She has been active in community-building and organising spaces for several years, with a focus on East and Southeast Asian communities in the UK. Her upcoming book, examines how organisers can move past identity politics and anti-racism work that operates in isolation among different communities, towards sustainable action and solidarity.

Website: https://maianhvupeterson.ghost.io/

Noreen Masud

Noreen Masud is an Associate Professor in Creative and Critical Writing at the University of Bristol, and an AHRC/BBC New Generation Thinker 2020. Her memoir-travelogue A Flat Place (2023) was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, the Books Are My Bag Award, the RSL Ondaatje Prize, and the Jhalak Prize. 

Website: https://www.noreenmasud.com/

Mohamed Tonsy

Mohamed Tonsy is an Egyptian writer and ceramicist. Their writing has appeared in Mizna, Epoch Press, won a Quarterly John Byrne Award and was Shortlisted for MFest’s 2021 Short Story Competition. In 2023, Tonsy was the Jameel Ceramics Fellow at the V&A in London. Tonsy’s debut novel, You Must Believe in Spring was published in 2022 by Hajar Press. 

What will this session cover?

• The joys of writing collaboratively
• The role of trade unions such as the SoA in mobilising workers
• Organising as communities and collectives

Who is this session for?

The session is for any writers, illustrators and translators who are interested in discussing ways of writing and working together – across creative collaborations, community organising and trade unions such as the SoA.

About Society of Authors in Scotland (SoAiS)

Members with a Scottish postcode are added to the group when they join the SoA. If you have not been added but would like to join this group, please contact us.

We offer a varied calendar of activities organised by a committee of volunteers and staff coordinator Elsa Robert. Group activities are reported in the SoA’s quarterly magazine, The Author.

Send us your questions

If you would like to send questions in advance, email ERobert@societyofauthors.org with ‘A collective noun for writers’ in the subject header. We will prioritise questions sent in advance and answer as many as we can from the audience on the day.

SoA Fundraising Bookshop

Browse our virtual Bookshop.org store featuring books by authors and speakers taking part in our events programme. When you make a purchase using our affiliate links, a percentage will go to the Society of Authors’ Access Fund, giving authors support for travel, subsistence, childcare or access needs for events, residencies, and retreats.

Need to know

Accessibility

• Attendees will have the option to turn on the live transcript, to watch with subtitles
• If you require BSL interpretation for this event, please email events@societyofauthors.org

Before the event

• Once registered, you will be sent a confirmation email with the Zoom link
• If the confirmation email doesn’t arrive in your inbox, please check your junk/spam email folder
• Please add events@societyofauthors.org to your Safe Senders list so you receive our confirmation and reminder emails

During the event

• This online event will take place on Zoom Webinar; you will not be visible on screen but will be able to ask questions via the Q&A function or interact via the chat box
• This event will be recorded but you won’t be on screen
• Attendees have the option to turn on the live transcript
• This event is 90 minutes

After the event

• Hashtags for this event: #SoAatHome 
• You’ll be able to catch the recording on our Vimeo channel

Booking

Please either use the form titled ‘Register – no donation’ or the option of the different ticket options with a donation amount depending on how much you would like to donate towards the Society of Authors Access Fund.