Challenging bourgeois conventions: Publishing

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In 1976, The Federation of Worker Writers and Community Publishers (FWWCP) was formed to combat conventional publishing practices that excluded writers from disadvantaged backgrounds. A non-profit umbrella organisation for independent writing workshops and writers, the FWWCP operated under the belief that writing and publishing should be made accessible to everyone. 
     
     In 1987, The Working Press (WP), an off-shoot of the FWWCP, was organised by Stefan Szczelkin (an independent publisher in South London and a second-generation immigrant). The WP's area of publication is 'roughly that suggested by books by and about 'working-class artists', and it prioritises 'firstly as an agency to encourage working-class people, especially from marginalised groups, to realise their work in book format'. Even when it does not result in publication, this activity is beneficial because it validates working-class artists and fosters their self-confidence. 
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     Loans from the WP realised the publication of Howard Slater's previously mentioned research pamphlet 'British Working-Class Novelists 1930-1950.' The WP also funded the book Writing on the Line: 20th Century Working-Class Women Writers: an annotated list of working-class women writers by Sarah Richardson, including essays by Merlyn Cherry, Sammy Palfrey and Gail Chester, all of whom I previously mentioned in this blog.