A Masterclass with Literary Agent Emma Paterson

A Masterclass with Literary Agent Emma Paterson

Global Majority & Underrepresented Writers' Programme

Details to follow.

Speaker Details:

Emma Paterson is a Director of the literary agency Aitken Alexander Associates. She joined the agency in 2018 after five years at Rogers, Coleridge & White. She represents, among others, Bernardine Evaristo, winner of the 2019 Booker Prize; Emmy-nominated data journalist Mona Chalabi; journalist Ash Sarkar; poets Mary Jean Chan and Rachel Long; and the novelists Paul Mendez, Susanna Moore, Chris Power and Olivia Sudjic. She is a member of the Booker Prize Foundation Advisory Committee and an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. 

About The Global Majority and Underrepresented Writers' Programme:

The Global Majority and Underrepresented Writers' Programme (GMUWP) at the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing supports talented emerging writers whose voices remain underrepresented in literary culture.

Building on OCLW's longstanding role in supporting writers and researchers in the field of life-writing, the programme offers scholarships, mentoring, professional development and public events for writers from communities historically excluded from life-writing, publishing and academia. Through sustained creative and professional support, we help writers develop their work, establish themselves as authors and practitioners, and contribute to the future of life-writing globally.

The Global Majority and Underrepresented Writers' Programme relies on the support of our donors. Every donation helps talented writers access opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach. Your support enables us to provide the opportunities, professional support and leadership needed to sustain and grow the programme, while creating a lasting community in which writers can develop their work, build professional networks and contribute to the future of life-writing.

Donate and find out more about how you can support the programme here.

Further Details and Contacts:

This event is free and exclusively open to people who self-identify as members of the Global Majority and/or as belonging to minoritised groups, as defined below.

Eligibility:

Members of the Global Majority are defined as people who are Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, Indigenous to the Global South, and/or have been referred to as ‘ethnic minorities’.

Minoritised groups include Black, Asian, or other ethnic minority groups; LGBTQ+ people; people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds or who identify as working-class; care leavers and care-experienced individuals; people with disabilities, including neurodivergent people; and immigrants or refugees.

If you are able, please consider donating £5, £10, £20, or more to support OCLW’s free events, outreach activities, and programmes, helping us to keep life-writing open to all.

Donations can be made when booking your place or via our online donations portal. Every gift makes a difference. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

This is an online event. Registration is required. Registration closes at 14:30 on 24/11/2026.

The event will be recorded and made available on the OCLW website soon after. Registration is not required to access the recording.

Queries regarding this event should be addressed to OCLW Events Manager, Dr Eleri Anona Watson.