Early delegates included the booker prize nominee, Barbara Pym, one of whose novels, No Fond Return of Love, is inspired, in part, by Swanwick itself.
[7] Its role in the establishment of creative writing in the UK has meant that it has been a platform for eminent speakers, from Hammond Innes in 1952 to Sir Terry Pratchett.
The inclusive community is designed to enable the sharing of experiences, best practice and support for individual writers' creative writing.
Noted authors who have been members of the school over the years include Eleanor Burford, John Boland, Garry Hogg, Barbara Pym, Vivian Stuart, Paul Scott, Nina Bawden, Carla Lane and Margaret Drabble.
[5][8] In 2005, the School obtained a grant from Awards for All to launch the TopWrite project to support young writers and help close the gaps between the commercial, literary and academic writing worlds.