Following the huge success of the 2017 Michael Langan LGBTQ+ Free Reads, TLC is delighted to announce the writers selected for this year’s free manuscript assessments. Running for its second year, the LGBTQ+ Free Reads scheme is part of TLC’s Quality Writing for All Campaign which advocates for better representation and accessibility in the worlds of literature and publishing. TLC book editor Michael Langan has worked as an editor, writer, and teacher for over twenty years. Michael is a passionate and active campaigner for LGBTQ+ rights, and has donated two free 15,000 word extract assessments to aspiring LBGTQ novelists, alongside three offered thanks to TLC’s Arts Council England Free Read bursary provision. You can read more about why we are doing this here, and find out about the Free Reads scheme here. If you are interested in making a similar donation or supporting the scheme, please email TLC Director Aki Schilz on with the subject header ‘TLC Quality Writing for All’. Our congratulations to these talented writers.
Clancy Flynn
Clancy Flynn is a cross-disciplinary writer and creative working in London. A New York native, they studied at Trinity College Dublin before coming to the UK. They are a member of Spread the Word’s Futures in the Making writing workshop and have had several plays staged in fringe festivals. Their work primarily explores liminal identities and the role of memory in creating personal narratives.
“I applied for the Free Reads scheme to get feedback on my novel as I prepare to submit the manuscript to agents for the first time. Because my prose writing practice has been largely solitary, I’m excited to get a professional perspective on the opening. It’s an added privilege to have my manuscript edited by Michael Langan as part of the LGBT+ Free Reads scheme.”
Eamon Somers
Eamon Somers was born and grew up in Dublin. He moved to London in 1986,
where he continues to work in the charity-housing sector. Eamon is a graduate of the Certificate in Creative Writing at Birckbeck College London. His stories have been short-listed in The Irish Post annual prize, The London Writing Competition, and Slough Literary Festival. His story Spring in the Country won the Carmarthen Short Story Competition sponsored by BBC Wales. An extract from his unpublished novel Dolly Considine’s Hotel is included in Automatic Pilot magazine.
“There is a place in mainstream publishing for coming-out stories and for romantic boy-meets-boy type fiction. But beyond that it seems to be only specialist publishers and one or two crowd-funded publishers who will invest in more exciting post coming-out stories. Which is why I am so pleased to be selected for TLC’s manuscript assessment for LGBTQ+ writers with Michael Langan”
Jamie Stewart
Jamie is a writer living and working in Manchester. He recently completed an MA in Creative Writing at Manchester Writing School. His short fiction has been published online and in print by FOCI, Humanity Hallows, Kensington Gore, and more recently, Black Market Re-View. He has finished his first novel, Longings and is currently working on his second project, Clavicle.
“I’m always looking for new ways to share my work and the Michael Langan Free Read scheme seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so. Schemes like this are so important to LGBT+ writers and readers alike.”
Jocelyn Watson
Jocelyn is a 62-year-old mixed heritage writer who found her first writing home at The Asian Women’s Writers Collective. Inspired by Doris Lessing’s quote ‘Whatever you’re meant to do, do it now,’ in 2011 Jocelyn left her job as a human rights lawyer to pursue her writing career. Jocelyn has written a number of short stories, and was awarded an Arts Council of England grant to write her novel Things Happen. 
“I want to give voice to diverse, marginalised communities that I have been part of, like older BAME lesbians. I want our lives, experiences, dreams, encounters, and our visions to be creatively reflected and made visible. I want to engage people through literary fiction to better understand the world we live in. I am very grateful for Michael Langan’s assistance and know I will learn a lot. This is an invaluable opportunity.”
Bryony White
Bryony is a writer from Dorset, based in London. She is currently completing a PhD in the English Department at King’s College London. Her research explores performance and the law. She has written non-fiction and reviews for the Times Literary Supplement, Frieze, LA Review of Books, Hazlitt and ArtMonthly. Her first short story will be featured in the next 3 of Cups Press anthology, On Bodies. She is currently working on her first novel.
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