How to make your writing more inclusive

It’s no secret that the creative industries need to become better at inviting and welcoming diversity of all types, and we’ve long been aware that 26 does too. The events of this year have pushed improving the diversity of our community right to the top of our agenda.

One of the strands of our work is exploring how we, as writers, can be more inclusive when practising our craft. So we’re planning a series of events to develop our collective awareness, with the aim of better equipping 26 members and potentially sharing what we learn with the wider business writing community.

Our first event – on 14 October – is a panel discussion on how to make your writing more inclusive. I have been invited to moderate, while Margaret Oscar, Rishi Dastidar and Becca Magnus will explore the topic guided by questions submitted beforehand by participants, with time for questions on the night. We certainly don’t have all the answers, but we are looking for them – and this will be a safe and mutually supportive space for us all to explore this complex and vital issue.

Please join us, and share your questions and/or thoughts on the topic beforehand.

When: Wednesday 14 October from 6.30-7.30 (with social time from 6.15 and afterwards)

Where: Zoom

How to register: email Heather at heather (dot) atchison (at) gmail (dot) com with your questions/thoughts on the challenges of writing in a truly inclusive way

Thanks, and hope to see you on 14 October.

Martin Clarkson

Chair of 26

About our panelists

Rishi Dastidar

Rishi is a long-standing 26er, and is head of brand language at strategic brand consultancy Brandpie. He’s served as a judge for the D&AD and Brand Impact Awards, among others. His poetry has been published by the Financial Times, Tate Modern and the Southbank Centre, and his second poetry collection Saffron Jack was published this year. He also serves as chair of writer development charity Spread the Word, which works to bring voices from under-represented communities into writing and publishing.

Becca Magnus

Becca is a 26 board member and an award-winning freelance brand writer working with design agencies including Ragged Edge and B&B Studio. This year, she served as a judge for the Graphic Design and Writing for Design categories at the D&AD Awards. She also happens to have a kidney transplant.

Margaret Oscar

Margaret is a seasoned brand language consultant that enjoys using the power of words to help organisations to connect with their people, create a better employee experience and therefore improve business performance. A firm believer in the way technology is transforming how we hold conversations and exchange ideas, she will forever be an advocate for communications that are still ‘human’ regardless of the platform. Her 20-year career spans journalism, internal communications and brand strategy for some of the most well-known organisations and brands today.

And our host Martin Clarkson

Martin is Chairman of 26. He is also Chairman of The Storytellers … a consultancy that helps companies worldwide focus on change, using the power and influence of Storytelling.

More recently he became co-partner in a strategic consultancy ‘create balance’, who help organisations, particularly in the culture sector, find their balance … increasingly relevant in these unprecedented times.