The strategy is built around four central priorities:

• To develop a city built on stories, where reading, writing and their lifelong benefits are nurtured for everyone, and a multitude of voices and perspectives are actively welcomed.
• To celebrate and raise the visibility of Norwich as a world-renowned centre of literary excellence, while driving an ambitious creative ecosystem where writers, readers, and creatives can thrive.
• For Norwich’s City of Literature status to be at the heart of local economic and social development and to galvanise partnerships, investment and placemaking agendas to support Norwich’s ambition to be the happiest, healthiest and most liveable city in the country.
• To build on Norwich’s international reputation as a literary powerhouse and, through the global Creative Cities Network, maximise the potential of the designation locally and on the world stage.

‘Writing the Future’ makes clear that success depends on collective action, with organisations and individuals working together to nurture a culture of reading and writing for pleasure.  New initiatives announced include:

• The creation of a network of City of Literature Champions across Norwich to build on successful community-based reading and writing projects.
• The launch of a Norwich UNESCO City of Literature Creative Writing in the Community PhD with the University of East Anglia (UEA).
• A campaign to animate the city’s events and public spaces through partnerships with Norfolk Libraries, Norwich Business Improvement District, VisitNorwich and others.
• Driving inward investment to support Norwich’s ambition to be a city where communities are both happy and healthy.

In welcoming the strategy, Alice Macdonald MP for Norwich North said:

‘Norwich is a thriving centre of creativity and innovation and being England’s first UNESCO City of Literature is at the heart of this. We know reading and writing are the bedrock of a child’s future life chances. This new strategy shows how reading for pleasure relates to the skills agenda and could promote inclusive economic growth in Norwich and Norfolk. The guiding principle is that culture, reading and writing are for everyone. I warmly welcome it, and I look forward to working with partners to help realise the full potential of Norwich as a proud member of the global UNESCO Creative Cities Network.’

James Bridge, Chief Executive and Secretary General of the UK National Commission for UNESCO said:

‘Norwich’s status as a UNESCO Creative City of Literature shows how it’s globally recognised for its outstanding contribution to writing. It is fitting in this 80th anniversary year of the founding of UNESCO in the UK that Norwich is launching its new strategy. The ‘Writing the Future’ plan is grounded in the community and helps connect the local to the global. It is an example of best practice within the international network of UNESCO sites.

‘Norwich’s dedication to literature and ‘doing things differently’ (not least via its UNESCO university chair at UEA in Adult Literacy & Learning for Social Transformation) is another example of why it’s a key member of the UNESCO family.’

Designated England’s first UNESCO City of Literature in 2012, Norwich is part of a global network of nearly 300 creative cities. Long celebrated for its pioneering writers, radical reformers and literary milestones, Norwich has a proud history of firsts: Julian of Norwich wrote the first book in English by a woman, the city was the first to sign the Public Libraries Act of 1850, and the University of East Anglia established the UK’s first MA in Creative Writing. Today, Norwich remains a city of writers, known for its independent spirit and everyday creativity.