The Gibraltar National Book Council (GNBC), which was created by the Ministry for Culture earlier this month, is already working on numerous initiatives and projects to promote Gibraltarian literature and create opportunities for local authors. 

A statement from the Government follows below:

Following its first working meeting on Tuesday, where the Council’s logo was adopted, a number of initiatives have been announced. 

The GNBCis working on creating an author directory and calls out to Gibraltarian writers to submit a short biography no longer than 200 words highlighting their work and linking to their websites, if any, and a photograph. This will be checked and amended where necessary to standardise all entries. This information will also form part of the new GNBC website which will be launched later this year. 

The Council is also organising a networking event for authors where they will be able to exchange ideas and provide feedback, whilst enjoying readings of some selected works. 

Plans for writing workshops to be delivered by Book Council members are also in the pipeline, with the focus on writing from a Gibraltar perspective, to encourage and foster our cultural identity and heritage when it comes to writing. 

Other plans that will be developed in coming weeks include promoting research into Gibraltarian language and a publication of a collection of Novellas by local authors.