We received some thrilling news this morning. Arts Council England has announced its latest three-year funding decisions, and Penned in the Margins has been selected to join its National Portfolio. We will receive a total of £135,000 over three years to support our ambitious, cutting-edge programmes of books, literary events and cross-artform productions.

Our model has always combined page and stage in new and exciting ways, with notable works including the ‘avant-garde cabaret’ Electronic Voice Phenomena and the groundbreaking poetry anthology Adventures in Form. This new support (starting 2015) will enable us to make more and better work, reach new and wider audiences, and build a more sustainable organisation for the future. It’s particularly timely news as we celebrate our ten-year anniversary this year. Penned in the Margins began in 2004 as a poetry reading series in a converted railway arch in south London, and has since developed into one of the country’s leading producers of innovative books and performance.

This year we announced our busiest programme yet, with projects including the anthology Mount London: Ascents in the Vertical City, a stage version of Claire Trevien’s award-longlisted book The Shipwrecked House, and a new solo show by Hannah Silva entitled Schlock!

We are looking forward to continuing our support for talented writers and artists, working with cultural partners, and making new work for audiences who are not afraid of taking risks.

Tom Chivers, Director