Community anthologies

Community voices. Real stories. Bedfordshire on the page.

The BedfordSHARE Anthologies are a growing collection of community-rooted books celebrating the voices, memories and creativity of Bedfordshire. Alongside Naz Knight’s authored work and the wider Bedfordshire Voices / BedfordSHARE programme, they create a publishing home for poems, stories and reflections shaped by place, memory, survival and belonging.

Explore the anthologies National Year of Reading BedfordSHARE / Bedfordshire Together

A shared literary space

These anthologies bring together local voices, lived experience and creative expression in books rooted in Bedfordshire. They are part of a wider commitment to reading, writing and publishing as shared cultural life.

Reading, writing and belonging

Connected to the National Year of Reading “Go All In” – Bedfordshire and BedfordSHARE, this work opens up space for stories that reflect the people, communities and languages that shape the county.

Publishing community voices

From poetry and personal testimony to cultural memory and young people’s writing, the anthologies invite more voices into print and create lasting records of Bedfordshire life.

Current anthology strands

Three anthology strands are currently open within the wider BedfordSHARE publishing programme.

Women’s anthology

Butterflies in Shades of Grey

A women’s anthology making space for survival, tenderness, healing, spirituality, love, labour, joy and everyday truth. It welcomes writing shaped by lived experience, reflection and emotional honesty.

Focus Women’s voices, healing, truth-telling and reflection.

Audience Women and contributors connected to the wider Words Chose Me and NINE RED community publishing space.

Find out more

National Year of Reading BedfordSHARE Download brief

Cultural anthology

The Other 33: Cultural Voices

A cultural anthology celebrating cultures, crossings, languages, lineages and multi-identity experience in Bedfordshire and beyond. It welcomes work that speaks to heritage, place, migration, belonging and the richness of community life.

Focus Culture, heritage, language, belonging and multi-identity experience.

Audience Contributors whose work reflects Bedfordshire’s diverse cultural and community life.

Find out more

National Year of Reading BedfordSHARE Download brief

Young voices anthology

Bedfordshire Young Voices

A young voices anthology capturing how it feels to grow up here and now — honest, surprising and vivid. It invites young writers to share contemporary experience in language that feels true, fresh and alive.

Focus Young people’s voices, contemporary experience and authentic language.

Audience Young writers connected to schools, youth groups and Bedfordshire Voices activity.

Find out more

National Year of Reading BedfordSHARE Download brief

Submission and publication timeline

Planning is currently underway.
Delivery begins in September 2026.
Submission deadline: 30 November 2026.
First anthology publications: Spring 2027.
Second anthology series: Spring 2028.

Explore more

Read more about the wider publishing journey on Our Books, visit the National Year of Reading – “Go All In” – Bedfordshire page, and explore Bedfordshire Together / BedfordSHARE.

About BedfordSHARE

BedfordSHARE is Bedfordshire’s Poetry Together campaign, rooted in local creativity, shared reading and collective expression. As part of the wider Poetry Together movement, it brings people together through poetry, conversation, collaboration and community voice.