Careers event demonstrates range of jobs in literature

This year's event was co-chaired by literary curator Debo Amon, and final-year English undergraduate at King's, Anushree Anand.

Panellists included Shona Abhyankar (Publicity Director at Penguin Random House), Lily Blacksell (poet and Literary Event Producer at the Southbank Centre), and Eleanor Greene (TV producer). They shared their insights into working across the industry, offering expert advice for attendees.

Events like this one, conducted by renowned collectives and featuring prominent and unique industry leaders, are incredibly valuable because rarely would we be able to hear people discuss their profession and passion in a different context. Gaining knowledge on the diverse perspectives of industry professionals, especially in literature, can be hard to find, so these events bridge the gap between the insights of professionals and the people who hope to join them someday.

Anushree Anand, student

The panel were keen to stress on the audience the need to find an 'original voice' in their work and to enter writing competitions, especially for aspiring writers looking to stand out to publishers and agents.

Although they touched on the problems with unpaid labour in the industry, the panellists also spoke of their experiences taking up unexpected opportunities alongside their early paid jobs. Eleanor's first job in TV was as a runner, but she also read scripts and wrote reports on them for her boss, which bridged the gap into script development and demonstrated her passion for storytelling. Debo reflected that trying out a range of jobs also helps to clarify the professions you don't want to pursue.

It's brilliant to see King's Department of English collaborating with the Royal Society of Literature on this event each year. Many of the industries our students aim to work in can feel very opaque, and there's no better way to learn than from experts on the 'inside'. As the industry works towards change in response to the imperatives of transparency and inclusivity, these events track transformation and equip our students to mobilise the skills that a degree in literature develops.

Dr Ella Parry-Davies, Lecturer in Theatre, Performance and Critical Theory

Students were encouraged to develop skills in giving discerning feedback in a sensitive way, balancing creativity with good organisational skills, being persistent without being pushy, and acting professional.

One attendee asked for an example of a good icebreaker when meeting industry professionals. The panel advised to do some homework on who's in the room and read recent publications to share opinions on. However, they also emphasised that a key part of networking is believing you deserve to be in the room and being unafraid to approach someone and say, "I don't know anyone here - tell me about yourself!"

My biggest takeaway from the event, as student co-chair, is how important it is to keep furthering yourself and recontextualising your skills and experience to apply them in unexpected ways. Making skills transferrable, and pushing events, collaborations, and collectives forward are all important steps to take in building your portfolio and career. I find insight like this hard to come by, and am glad that I was able to attend and benefit from the event.

Anushree Anand, student