Two images edited together. First image is a black woman standing in a doorway. She is wearing an orange trousersuit, with hands in her pockets. She wears glasses, her hair is tied up and she is smiling widely. Second image is a white man wearing yellow/orange glasses. He has floppy brown hair and a brown beard. He is wearing a white tshirt and dark blue shirt. He is looking at the camera.

(L to R) Aimée Felone, Simon Richardson

Changing Faces

New co-chairs at Spread the Word

Arts Professional
2 min read

A literature development organisation based in the Borough of Lewisham, Spread the World, has announced two new co-chairs, AIMÉE FELONE and SIMON RICHARDSON.

They will replace poet RISHI DASTIDAR, who stepped down from the role in December.

Spread the Word is a charity aiming to develop the careers and creative talents of London’s underrepresented writers, by providing accessible programmes for writers and communities.

Felone is a Managing Director of Knights Of, a publishing company led by women of colour, focused on bringing underrepresented voices to commercial children’s publishing.

“Being born and raised and still a proud resident of the Borough of Lewisham, I’m eager to put the learnings, achievements and ambitions of the past 25 years of the organisation into seeing Lewisham being declared as the UK’s first borough of Literature,” Felone said.

Richardson is an arts journalist and radio producer. He works with the BBC on radio and podcasts and has commissioned work from queer authors to write for Radio 3 and 4.

“The national network of Arts Council England-funded Literature Development Agencies, of which Spread the Word is part, represents incredible value for money and nowhere is that work more urgent than in London where the inequality of the sector is most apparent,” he commented.