Faraway giving a step-up for autistic people looking to explore a career in journalism

Local peer-led non-profit, Faraway, are set to deliver a free 12-week workshop starting April 2025 that aims to support autistic people to get their ‘foot in the door’ in the ever-changing world of journalism.

Faraway, in partnership with Matthew's Hub, has been providing creative writing workshops for autistic people since its founding in 2019. Each one is created with accessibility at heart and are attended and enjoyed by writers of all literary ability.

This year, they are branching out into exploring journalism through the mediums of article writing, blogging, podcasting, vlogging, reviews and most other non-fiction media.

Each session is online and will focus on topics such as: structure, narrative, planning and research, self-promotion, writing to deadlines, staying motivated and more. The workshop facilitators Melissa Bowles and Callum Brazzo are autistic people with a background in professional writing.

Melissa Bowles has a Master’s Degree in English and Creative Writing and delivered two Creative Writing Groups that were well-regarded with members of Faraway. Callum Brazzo has a background as a stage and performance poet and has written articles for the Lincolnshire Free Press and created podcasts. You can see more of his work on www.autisticlincs.com.

The Online Journalism Workshop starts in the second week of April. Register now by emailing us on info@thefarawaycic.org  

For more information, visit Online Journalism Group

Laurie Kennedy, a founder of Faraway, says:

"The news is becoming more and more present in our daily lives and there have never been so many ways to share your thoughts, feelings and the hard facts with the wider world. I feel it is of the utmost importance that we, as a community, experience a great range of voices in our news.

"Autistic people make for highly creative writers, and many are extremely proficient at finding and examining data. However, with only ‘3 in 10 autistic people of working age in employment’, we may never hear these voices and thus not read their stories. With this workshop, I hope to enrich and embolden our autistic communities, upskill them and support them to explore a whole new platform."

Callum Brazzo, a facilitator for the Online Journalism Workshop, says:

"I am mega excited to be involved in this project empowering those with an interest in writing, blogging and other such related things to start their journey with us!

The importance of a project like this cannot be understated as, from my own experiences, having a healthy outlet to express yourself is soul food for my soul.

To clarify expectations for the workshops, we will have discussions around how to start writing, how to combat writer's block, WHAT to write about, HOW to write for different situations and so much more. It's going to be structured but has space for topic-based discussion and some writing exercises we can all try together!"

Melissa Bowles, a facilitator for the Online Journalism Workshop, says:

"I think being with other writers is so important, to be able to talk through your ideas, share your process and give each other advice and support as you develop your project.

"These workshops will help provide that space and hopefully inspire some amazing pieces by the end.

"I hope people can leave these workshops knowing themselves and their writing a little better, to have made friends with other writers and feel empowered to use their voice."

Steven Burton, previous attendee of the Creative Writing Workshop and Author of 31 books on Amazon, says:

“I felt welcomed, and I learned a lot. It really helped me to figure out new ways to expand my work.

"I was struggling a lot with the layout of each of my stories, and since then, I have been able to make my stories more focused. I would encourage anyone who wants to attend.

"It truly is a benefit to anyone even slightly interested in creating and sharing with like-minded people."

This project was made possible with funding from the Amazon Literary Partnership.