Applicants for The London Library Emerging Writers Programme are selected anonymously by a cross-form panel of judges. In 2026, they are:
Lamorna Ash is an author and journalist based in London. Her first book, Dark Salt Clear: Life in a Cornish Fishing Town was shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize in 2020 and won the Somerset Maugham prize in 2021. Her second book, Don't Forget We're Here Forever: A New Generation’s Search for Religion, came out with Bloomsbury in May 2025, and is a Telegraph and GQ Book of the Year.
Abi Daré is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Girl with the Louding Voice, which has been translated into multiple languages and is taught in schools worldwide. The novel won the Bath Novel Award and was shortlisted for several major literary prizes. Her second novel, And So I Roar, was the first-ever winner of the Climate Fiction Prize. Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, and now based in the UK, she was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters from Glasgow Caledonian University for her contributions to literature, education, and women’s empowerment. She is also the founder of the Louding Voice Foundation, which champions girls’ education in Nigeria. She was part of the inaugural cohort of The London Library Emerging Writers Programme 2019/2020.
Elise Dillsworth became a literary agent in 2012, setting up her own agency. She represents literary and general fiction and non-fiction, especially autobiography and memoir. Her authors – who include Anthony Joseph, Noo Saro-Wiwa and Courtney Pine – have won or been nominated for many awards, including the Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, Caine Prize, Edge Hill Prize, Forward Prize, International DUBLIN Literary Award, T S Eliot Prize and Women’s Prize for Fiction. She was previously a commissioning editor at Virago Press and co-founded the Diversity in Publishing Network in 2004, which received the New Venture Award from Women in Publishing in 2005. She was shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year at the 2025 British Book Awards.
Christopher William Hill is an award-winning playwright, radio dramatist and children’s author. His work has been performed throughout the UK and internationally and his play for children, Mister Holgado (Unicorn Theatre, 2013), was co-winner of Best Show for Children and Young People at the UK Theatre Awards and was nominated for a Writers’ Guild award. He has written extensively for BBC Radio 4, including comedy series, adaptations and single dramas. His radio play, Killing Maestros, won a BBC radio and music award and the inaugural Tinniswood award. He has written five novels for children, including his Tales from Schwartzgarten series. His books on scriptwriting are Playwriting: From Page to Stage (Hale Books, 2012), and Writing for Radio (Bloomsbury, 2015).
Sarah Howe is a poet and editor. Her first book, Loop of Jade (Chatto & Windus, 2015), won the TS Eliot Prize and The Sunday Times/PFD Young Writer of the Year Award. Born in Hong Kong to an English father and Chinese mother, she moved to England as a child. Her pamphlet, A Certain Chinese Encyclopedia (Tall-lighthouse, 2009), won an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors. She has performed her work at festivals internationally and on BBC Radio 3 and 4. She is the Poetry Editor at Chatto & Windus. Her most recent collection, Foretokens (Chatto & Windus 2025) is shortlisted for the 2025 TS Eliot Prize.
Sam Leifer is the director and co-writer of the ITV2 Roman sitcom Plebs for which he has won a British Comedy Award, an RTS Award and been nominated for two BAFTAs. Its feature length special Soldiers of Rome is currently airing on ITVX. Recently he has also directed episodes of the UK adaptation of Call My Agent (Amazon/AMC), the US version of Friday Night Dinner (CBS/Amazon) and has co-exec produced Extraordinary (Disney+). His previous writing and directing credits include How Not To Live Your Life (BBC 3), Moving Wallpaper (ITV), Gap Year (E4) and the BIFA nominated short The 10th Man. Sam is Head of Comedy at Rise Films.
