Street Speaks is a micro-public art/literature project that commissions a small group of young, emerging writers (aged approx. 16–25) to create short original texts - poems, monologues, micro-stories - inspired by local places in Stroud. These works will be displayed via QR codes as part of a self-guided walking trail during the October half term 2025, offering an accessible and creative way for the public to engage with new writing and the town itself. This project is funded by Stroud Arts Festival.

Dialect is collaborating with GUST, an incubator for new projects in the arts and heritage and for social and strategic innovators in Gloucester. In August and September 2025 we are working together to find out what's available for readers and writers in Gloucester in order to identify new opportunities for development. If you are a writer or reader with a connection to Gloucester, we'd love to hear from you! See our page on the ‘courses and retreats’ tab to access our survey.

We're delighted to be working with four local writers on a new project, the Weight of Light. Charlotte Levene, E.M. Potts, Roma Robinson and Philip Rush will be bringing their wide ranging backgrounds to ways of working co-creatively to develop 'thrutopian' stories that imagine positive ways of adapting and moving through climate change to a liveable future. Our writers will share their work in 2026 using zines, podcasts and the written word. The Weight of Light is supported by Stroud District Council.

Writing Retreats for parents and caregivers with childcare included. Partnering with Sladebank Woods, Dialect provided focused writing time for adults and forest school workshops for children age 6+years with a shared fireside supper. Pay what you can spaces were made available to make the retreats more accessible to all.

Dialect has partnered with Stroud Book Festival since we started in 2020, providing workshops for budding writers, development opportunities for Laurie Lee Prize shortlistees and winners , as well as events such as last year’s Poetry Party. For 2025, we’re delighted to be hosting a live Dialect Dinner with Rob Cowen, author of The North Road. Booking is live via the Stroud Book Festival website.

DIRT is an ecopoetry project which commissions pairs of poets to collaborate on work inspired by climate science. Funded by the Laura Kinsella Foundation, Anglia Ruskin University and our very own Crowdfunder, DIRT models carbon positive publishing by using carbon-balanced methods and capturing more carbon than is used in distribution by sending seeds to be grown with each planted poem. Find our more via our Publishing page.

The Mill dates back pre-1735 and sits on the banks of the River Cernon in the Tarn Gorges - a UNESCO area of outstanding natural beauty in the region of Aveyron. We have been delighted to partner with owner Nathalie Edwards on a week-long retreat on ‘Writing as Ritual’ and continue to offer discounted access to the Mill’s offerings for Dialect members. During our retreat we reflected on the process of writing as a ritual and the holding of writing practice as a sacred space for play, deep listening, and transformation – of our work and ourselves. 

In 2022-2025 Dialect partnered with Literature Works’ annual talent development programme, Word Space, nurturing and connecting emerging writing talent from around the South West region.

Word Space is delivered online, combining mentoring, workshops, regular sessions with industry professionals and an online space to support each other as a group of writers.