National Association for Literature Development

Below are biographies for our current ambassadors. More ambassadors will be joining us in the coming months.

Sarah Butler is a writer, and director of UrbanWords, a literature consultancy which actively explores and develops literature projects that engage with regeneration and urban renewal. Sarah has worked in literature development since 2000. She is currently based in London.

Sarah Butler began her career as literature development officer in Leicester, a job which both cemented her passion for literature development and led her back to her own writing ambitions. She left Leicester to take the MA in creative writing at UEA in Norwich, and then moved to London. After 2 ½ years working in Tower Hamlets, managing literature projects focusing on young people and health care users, Sarah became self-employed and set up UrbanWords, a literature consultancy which actively explores and develops literature projects that engage with regeneration and urban renewal. Sarah continues to write novels and short fiction, and is currently writer-in-residence on the Central Line for Art on the Underground. www.urbanwords.org.uk ~ www.sarahbutler.org.uk

Melanie Abrahams is the Director of NALD. In a entrepreneurial capacity she is a literature and spoken word producer, and a part-time coach and mentor. She founded the literature company renaissance one which has organised UK and international touring for over sixty writers since 2000 and has been significant in fostering attention on and funding for literature and raising the profile of UK writers. Subjects she can advise on include: general areas in literature development, creative business, enterprise, entrepreneurialism, producing, curating, mentoring, coaching, making money out of your creativity.

Malcolm Burgess together with Heather Reyes runs Oxygen Books whose city-lit series offers some of the best-ever writing on favourite European and World cities. Malcolm Burgess is a journalist, writer and arts project manager who, until recently, was Essex’s literature manager and ran the Essex Book Festival and other literature projects. He is a past chair of NALD and is currently on the board of Writing East Midlands.

Heather Reyes is a novelist and arts project manager and, together, with Malcolm Burgess runs Oxygen Books whose city-lit series offers some of the best-ever writing on favourite European and World cities.