Essays

by Rob Self-Pierson

It excited me so much I marched along Tottenham Court Road breathing deeper than usual. The man with the Apple bag didn’t know why. ... read full article

It will come as no surprise to learn that there are plenty of 26 bloggers tapping away in cyberspace. But who are they exactly? Following a ... read full article

by Nick Asbury

An interesting experiment is taking place to measure the commercial power of the written word. read full article

When: 4-6 November 2009
Your tutors: Stuart Delves and John Simmons
Cost: A specially discounted fee for 26 members of ... read full article

by Sarah McCartney

Back in 2005, we ran a survey to find out a bit about who we are, how we started in the writing business and what we earned. Now we’ve ... read full article

by John Simmons

From the introduction to John's new book:

First find an idea
It’s easy to say. It’s the ... read full article

The Fib is a 6 line, 20 syllable poem based on the classical Fibonacci sequence. A little bit like a Haiku, it has a strict formal structure, ... read full article

by Philip Collins

It’s a 26 exclusive. Leading speech-writer Philip Collins – who delivered our inaugural annual lecture back in November – ... read full article

by Jim Davies

The trouble with email and other digital communications is that there are no facial expressions or sounds to emphasise meaning. Often it's hard ... read full article

by Mike Reed

Every writer should be on Twitter, the ‘microblogging’ service that lets users post little updates about what they're ... read full article

by Gary McKeone

It’s late in an April afternoon
as my memory walks beneath the arches of the Mezquita,
between the Juderías ... read full article

by Elise Valmorbida

by Guy Tomlison & Tim Arnold

by John Simmons

Laughter, tears, sheer joy: Leonard

He’s funny, uplifting and makes me feel that life is wonderful. Yes, I’m writing about Leonard ... read full article

by Mark McArthur-Christie

Imagine the scene...

Opens on a smart, glass-walled City lawyer's office.  Two people sit facing each other over a meeting ... read full article

by Robert Mighall
I’ve just published a book about Sunshine. ‘What about sunshine?’ you’ll probably say, if you’re like many I have ... read full article

by Jonathan Holt
The readings, literary walks and other events of Free the Word! brought world literature to London’s South Bank on the second weekend of April. ... read full article

by Chas Walton
Do you fancy yourself as the next Matt Groening or Nick Park? Even if your drawing's rubbish and your plasticine models look more like Wensleydale ... read full article

by Tom Lynham
Editor’s note: Every month, members are kind enough to send in their recommendations for events, films, books, ... read full article

by Mark McArthur-Christie
Marketing communications are the least of most companies’ problems. They hire agencies and pay their fees to research and write their sales ... read full article

That was the aim when 26 member Mike Reed took the helm of design blog Noisy Decent ... read full article

As 2007 draws to a close, 26 members name their most memorable piece of writing of the year. (That’s as in memorably good, or ... read full article

by John Simmons
When I was a student at university I tried whenever possible to insert a reference to Bob Dylan into my weekly essay.  Not much has changed ... read full article

Most of us are happy to show off our finest work at the earliest opportunity, but the nightmare jobs seldom get talked about. We thought ... read full article

“Once upon a time you dressed so fine, threw the bums a dime in your ... read full article

by John Simmons

He's a bigger employer than General Motors and can still teach you a lot, says John Simmons

read full article

by Andy Hobsbawm

Green Thing is a not-for-profit initiative that makes green behaviour easier and more enjoyable. By suggesting one thing a month and suggesting ... read full article

by Sarah McCartney
Our Wordsworth survey was completed by 63 members, which goes to show that it can't have been that hard. Thanks ... read full article

by Tim Coates
‘Common Ground’ is a book in which writers write about other writers they admire, the places with ... read full article

by Jamie Jauncey
I was asked recently to go and take a brief from a design consultancy for a corporate writing job. It’s not something I’ve done for ... read full article

by Elspeth Murray
This is bad enough
So please …

Don’t give me
gobbledegook.

Don’t give me
pages and dense ... read full article

by Jim Davies
When you’re writing for design, the first thing you need to get a handle on is the dynamic between client, design company and writer. ... read full article