Once upon a time … we believed that words had great powers. Written or spoken, blessings and curses could heal and harm; spells could transform us. As a society, we’ve lost our belief in magic. But words still have the power to change our lives.

March 5th was World Book Day – and all round the world, people celebrated books and their ability to entertain, comfort, inform and transport us. In these distant times, stories and books are a real connection to other people’s lives: through books, we can walk in their shoes.  And they can walk in ours. Books can be a powerful tool for social and personal change.

And March 8th is International Women’s Day.  Born in the labour movement, and based in a commitment to equality and justice, the day was first celebrated in 1911 – and all round the world, people still celebrate the achievements of women, and acknowledge the distance left to travel together towards full equality. Books – and the written word - have an important part to play in this. 

The Royal Literary Fund is a large national charity established in 1790 to help writers in financial trouble …. since the end of the twentieth century, we’ve expanded our role to include public education.  At the moment, over 400 professional writers work for the RLF to support people with their writing skills – in universities, community settings, and workplaces. Since 2018, we’ve worked closely with unions to set up writing projects in workplaces; under the pandemic, we’ve moved online.

I’ve been lucky enough to work with this union project from its outset. And I’ve witnessed how it can change lives. Born into a troubled family background in Burnley, living through mental health difficulties and other challenges, I’ve experienced first-hand how powerful it is to tell your own story. And through the pandemic, I’ve seen how coming together to write offers a powerful boost to mental wellbeing.

Our writing skills projects are built on the belief that writing effectively and confidently makes us more powerful. It gives us more choices; it makes us happier, wealthier and healthier - whether it’s voicing ourselves through emails, letters, reports etc; relaxing with a good book; or expressing ourselves and our own thoughts in stories and poetry. And writing and reading can bring us together; we speak with each other, we reach out to each other. We are not alone. 

Later today, people from round the UK will join me online for International Women’s Day.  We’ll writing the stories of those heroic women who did not make the history books but whose lives have shaped our own - from our grandmothers, partners, colleagues and neighbours; from Mrs. Midas to Mrs. Noah to ourselves and beyond.

And after today, we’ll continue to work with unions to offer workplace workshops at a national, regional and individual site level. Because language can harm and help and heal. Because books change lives, because words are magic. We hope to meet you soon.