for the Period Ended 30 June 2024
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Community Interest Report |
Directors' report period ended
The directors present their report with the financial statements of the company for the period ended 30 June 2024
Principal activities of the company
Additional information
Governance: the board of Untold Narratives CIC comprises three directors, Sarah Gardner, William Hicks and Lucy Hannah. During the year, it met 11 times to review activities and finances, ensure compliance and plan for the future. The CIC is recruiting a new Chair. Outgoing Chair, Sarah Gardner, will remain on the board to ensure a smooth transition.
Directors
The directors shown below have held office during the whole of the period from
1 July 2023
to
30 June 2024
The above report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions in part 15 of the Companies Act 2006
This report was approved by the board of directors on
And signed on behalf of the board by:
Name:
Status: Director
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This report was approved by the board of directors on
and signed on behalf of the board by:
Name:
Status: Director
The notes form part of these financial statements
for the Period Ended 30 June 2024
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The principal activities of the company are to benefit the community through, in particular: - offering training and skills for creative writers marginalised by community or conflict, particularly where there is little or no opportunity to develop their storytelling craft; - connecting those writers to each other to share ideas, stories and learning; - building the capacity of local translators and editors in the areas where the company is working and contributing to the growth of a local publishing industry; and - publishing and/ or brokering publication of the strongest stories from the community, locally, and internationally in translation. REVIEW OF THE COMPANY’S ACTIVITIES Over the period July 2023 to June 2024, Untold continued to establish and grow the Paranda Network, a virtual network that delivers a literary editorial process for Afghan women writers in country and those in the diaspora. The project uses a similar editorial model (with appropriate contextual adaptations) as our previous Write Afganistan and Write Assamese projects. The three key aims of Untold are as follows: - Craft development - supporting and developing the storytelling skills of creative writers (fiction and non-fiction) - Connecting writers - connecting these writers to one another, and to international editors and/or translators. - Reaching new audiences – working with local partners to share these stories with readers in local languages - when the security situation allows - and reaching new global audiences by sharing these stories in translation, on a range of international platforms. Untold’s other principal activity during this period was a collective diary project – My Dear Kabul. In August 2022, when US forces withdrew and the Taliban took over, Untold’s writers stayed connected via WhatsApp messages. They established a vital space to keep their creativity alive, support each other and bear witness to the political turmoil unfolding around them. Untold collected and collated these messages over the subsequent 12 months and in March 2023 UK publisher, Coronet, commissioned Untold to turn these messages into a book to be published in August 2024 - My Dear Kabul is a collective diary of a year living under the Taliban. Craft development Paranda network Between July 2023 and January 2024, Untold continued to deliver its editorial development process with 22 Afghan women writers in group 1 of the Paranda Network. In January, 16 writers were added to the network - group 2. Throughout this year craft development work has been delivered each week to writers in both groups. Writers work in their original languages - Dari and Pashto - re-working their stories in collaboration with Untold’s editors and literary translators to hone their fiction and life writing for potential publication in translation, in respected global literary journals. In the second half of this financial year, Untold facilitated and delivered a total of 60 editorial sessions for groups 1 and 2 and convened five editor’s meetings to share their experiences with Untold and each other. One writer from group 2 was also virtually introduced to Untold’s lead translator and is working directly on poetry for publication. To enhance the editorial process, two new literary editors were appointed who work in the writers’ local languages to help make Untold’s editorial model more time efficient. This enables a move towards a model where Afghan editors work directly with Afghan writers in their own languages, eventually operating without an interpreter at the early stages of these writer’s development. In November three new translators (Dari and Pashto into English) were onboarded and a mentorship programme for our newest Dari – English translators was designed with a mentor translator to enhance their literary translation skills. She delivered four one-to-one sessions. Three more Afghan literary translators have been identified to join the Paranda network to raise the quality of the translations. An essential component of the Paranda network is regular communication between the Untold team, its translators and 38 Paranda writers both individually and in groups to establish trust across the network. When the 16 new writers joined the network in February, a baseline survey to identify their creative needs and challenges was conducted. In June, writers completed a follow up survey to assess progress. Responses were overwhelmingly positive. One writer reported, “being part of the Paranda network has been an invaluable experience for me. The support and expertise I have experienced have significantly contributed to my learning and growth as a writer.” My Dear Kabul - Diary Project Between June 2023 and February 2024, four Untold editors worked with literary translators to turn 21 writers’ WhatsApp messages into English (200,000+ words), commission new pieces to incorporate into the manuscript and worked with the writers to shape the raw material into a book for publication. These writers, aged between 22-65, gained an understanding of how a book of non-fiction is drafted, re-drafted, compiled, edited and published in the international market place. The project has enabled them to gain the skills and confidence to further develop their careers in the wider literary world. It also strengthened the literary translation skills of two Afghan women literary translators who worked closely with the editors and experienced the production process from start to finish. Connecting writers Paranda network Open Call Following consultation with Untold’s security consultant, in January 2024, a more targeted open call than planned was issued to expand the Paranda Network. 58 submissions were received in Dari and Pashto, 55 of which were eligible. Untold’s team of Afghan and Iranian readers selected the 16 strongest writers - nine in Dari and seven in Pashto - 13 are in Afghanistan, two in the UK and one is in the USA. These writers formed group 2 of the Paranda network. Guest Speakers Throughout the year, established writers and industry professionals from different parts of the world facilitated live conversations and shared skills with Paranda writers. This year guest speakers included two literary agents, two literary editors and four award winning novelists. For each guest speaker session an average of 18 writers attended from Afghanistan and the diaspora. Paranda Newsletter To further enhance network development and connection between the writers, a Paranda newsletter was launched in February 2024 with opportunities for writers, network updates, reading recommendations from the writers and editors, and writing prompts. The newsletters are tailored to each of the two Paranda groups and shared bi-monthly in English, Dari and Pashto via SignalThis year we shared 11 newsletters with the network. Write Assamese Between July 2023 and June 2024, Write Assamese writers continued to be in contact with each other and their translators. Untold continues to explore further work in NE India with local partner, BEE Books in Kolkata. My Dear Kabul - Diary project The writers were involved in every stage of the book. The participation enabled them to stay connected to each other and the regular communication helped to alleviate social anxiety and isolation. The all-women project team benefitted from new skills through collaborating and sharing experiences with each other during the project's creative process and witnessed first-hand a production process end to end for the first time. This was a complex project that involved working in three languages, across seven time zones, with writers in twelve countries. These connections online and offline, helped to create a safe space where writers felt they could share thoughts and experiences as Kabul fell and the aftermath. Reaching new audiences Paranda network Untold continues to identify and secure new audiences for its Paranda network writers around the world through relationships with various publications. For example, Aasoo Magazine featured an interview with one writer and has agreed to publish new fiction from Paranda writers later in 2024. Service95 published an extract from My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird in February 2024 and will also publish extracts from My Dear Kabul. Nogaam will publish a ‘best of’ collection from Paranda writers, in Dari by end 2025. Between July 2023 and June 2024, two Paranda network writers were published in Words Without Borders, one in Critical Muslim, two in The Markaz Review, one in Pen Transmissions, another in Psyche, one in Brick Magazine, and four were published by Movable Type 1455. Publication of these 11 pieces was brokered by Untold and writers received paid commissions, with the exception of Moveable Type. The cumulative total of paid commissions (conversion rates vary) is around £3,140 this year. Weiter Schreiben partnership Three Paranda writers continued to work with Untold’s German partner, Weiter Schreiben, on a ‘letter exchange’ project. In March, three writers from group 1 were selected to be paired with three experienced German writers. Their letter exchanges will be published later in 2024 on the literature platform www.weiterschreiben.jetzt to continue amplifying the voices of authors from Afghanistan and those in exile. This is the fourth year of this letter exchange project partnership which reaches many thousands of German readers. Write Assamese During 2022 Untold delivered its Write Assamese project to create a space for quality writing from Assam to be produced and translated for international audiences - aspiring fiction writers are often marginalised due to circumstance, language, and lack of opportunities. This resulted in the anthology A Fistful of Moonlight (BEE Books, India, 2023). Untold brokered the publication of a UK edition by MacLehose Press in November 2023 reaching new audiences in the UK. A local edition in the original Assamese was published by BEE Books in May 2024 reaching local Assamese readers and distributed across the state. Two Assamese writers and translator will attend an Untold event in October 2024, hosted by KfW Stiftung to discuss the project’s process in front of an international audience on the eve of Frankfurt Book Fair. Untold Book launch for London audiences In the year Untold continued to reach new audiences through an early stage of its diary project, with the publication of Rising After the Fall (Scholastic, Oct 2023), a children’s book for 8–11 year old readers based on a collective diary generated by Untold’s women writers. A launch event was held at Stanford’s bookshop in London, November 2023, for 85 guests, funders, industry figures, with readings and book sales. At the same event A Fistful of Moonlight, Stories from Assam, also had its UK launch. The publication of the collective diary for adult readers - My Dear Kabul (Coronet, Aug 2024) will be another opportunity to reach new audiences in English through a series of live events, including: - The British Library will host the launch event (for 255 people) of My Dear Kabul in September 2024. King’s College, London will also host an event for 100 people to mark the publication in September 2024 and Wimbledon Book Fest plus other literary festivals will host Untold’s writers live and online, later in 2024. - During the year, Untold ensured that the original version of this collective diary in Pashto and Dari remained intact. It is now in conversation with archive collections who have shown interest in housing this original material for future generations and researchers, to reach an academic audience in three languages. In March 2024, Untold was invited to speak at the London Book Fair for an event in partnership with English PEN to discuss how publishers can support writers at risk. One Afghan writer spoke on a panel with a translator and publisher. London Book Fair cited 30,000 overall attendees across the three days. Challenges in the year Security: In 2024 the Taliban increased its surveillance on working women. Untold introduced new security measures for project participants and ensured they signed an updated safeguarding agreement. A female security expert joined the pool of advisors and Untold continues to place the safety of our participants as its highest priority. Capacity and funding: Untold’s capacity was bolstered by support from a new freelance team - a project manager for the Paranda network, an administrator, and social media support. The launch of a regular newsletter and dedicated comms effort is helping Untold grow its following. Additional funds were raised to turn the collective diary into a book for publication. Untold received repeat funding from existing supporters for the Paranda project and secured several new funders. Untold continues to work with UK registered charity, Prospero World, to accept private donations. Partnerships: this has been a successful year for consolidating and strengthening Untold’s existing project partnerships. Untold also established new project partnerships and continue to explore and develop new collaborations in the UK and in other parts of the world. Strategic planning: in June, Untold invited a group of advisors to contribute to a three year strategic plan 2025-2027. The outcomes highlighted the importance of continuing the Paranda network beyond 2025 and to secure funds for a new project. This year Untold was again chosen by students at the London Business School as a project that has clear potential for growth in the not-for-profit sector.
There has been ongoing consultations with, and feedback to, Untold's principal stakeholders, its funders, in particular KfW Stiftung, and its writers. Details are set out in the review of the activities of the Company.
No remuneration was received
No transfer of assets other than for full consideration
This report was approved by the board of directors on
13 March 2025
And signed on behalf of the board by:
Name: William Hicks
Status: Director