Each year, our Escalator talent development programme provides a cohort of emerging writers from the East of England with bespoke mentoring, masterclasses, industry connections and showcase events.
So far, we have helped 130+ diverse writers hone their craft, get published, earn critical acclaim and more.
Today, we need your support to take new writers to the next level.
‘Escalator has transformed so many lives, including my own. We have many talented writers in our region, don’t let their voices go unheard’
Donate to Escalator
Every donation, big or small, will help discover new voices and new stories.
100% of your donation will support Escalator.
Why Escalator matters
So far, Escalator has supported 130+ emerging writers, taking their writing to the next level. Watch our new campaign video to discover why your support matters to them:
Free gift with donation
Receive a thank you screen print when you donate today, featuring quotes from Julian of Norwich, Sir Thomas Browne, Meir ben Elijah and Harriet Martineau.
- £5+ to receive a lucky dip A5 screen print.
- £20+ for all four prints.
- £25+ all four prints and ‘All Shall Be Well’ tote bag.
You can also purchase A5, A4 and A3 prints of your choice, tote bag and more in our shop. Printed by Well Nice, an independent screen printing studio in Norwich.
Free gifts posted upon announcement of the selected Escalator 2023/24 writers, late November 2023.
‘Escalator has been a force for change from the very start is something to cherish and be proud of, something that offers real hope for the future.’
– Nicola Upson, former Escalator writer
Nicola’s story
How your donation could take emerging writers to the next level:
- £25 pays for one writer to attend a professional development masterclass.
- £250 enables all the writers to attend a bespoke professional development masterclass.
- £500 creates a publishing showcase pack for the writers.
- £1,250 gives one writer bespoke mentoring for eight months.
- £2,500 supports the entirety one Escalator writer’s experience, tranforming their career.
Escalator Case Studies
Discover the transformative impact of Escalator for writers, in their own words.
Jon Ransom
‘Queer and working-class, I hear ‘no’ a lot. Escalator is all about saying ‘yes’, to diversity, inclusivity, to championing every kind of writer’.
Anni Domingo
‘As a Black writer from this region Escalator gives us a chance to deal with themes not usually seen and voices not usually heard’
Owen Nicholls
‘Escalator made the dream more tangible. With donations and funding, National Centre for Writing can find new voices that would have been lost’
Escalator does essential work to support writers both and creatively at a critical point in their writing lives. Investing in early-career writers means supporting talented and often unheard voices, helping create a flourishing literary culture, and filling our shelves with a rich diversity of books that reflect all parts of our lives and our society.
Contact us
If you wish to talk to a member of our team about supporting NCW, or learn more about the difference your support makes to writers, translators and our communities, we would love to hear from you.
Please contact Dan Scales, Development Manager, [email protected].
The National Centre for Writing strives for best practice in its fundraising and is registered with the Fundraising Regulator.
We are transparent with our donors and supporters, and strive to ensure that our fundraising is legal, open, honest, and respectful.
