Staff
Writing West Midlands Staff
Jonathan Davidson - Chief Executive
Jonathan Davidson has worked for over twenty years in arts management and literature development, including working as a literature officer for local authorities and organising book festivals. He is joint-founder and Associate Director of the Birmingham Book Festival and Director of Midland Creative Projects Limited. He is also a writer. His radio plays are regularly broadcast on BBC Radios 3 and 4. His stage adaptation of Mary Webb’s novel, Precious Bane, toured with Interplay Theatre during 2009. His second collection of poetry will be published by Smith Doorstop in 2010. He is a Fellow of the RSA, a member of the National Association of Writers in Education, The Poetry Society and the National Association for Literature Development. He is Honorary Secretary and Chair of the Humfrey Coningsby Society. He lives in Coventry with his wife and two children.
Sara Beadle – Director, Birmingham Book Festival
Sara became Director of the Birmingham Book Festival in 2010. She was previously Festival Programmer for the Birmingham Book Festival and a Project Manager for Midland Creative Projects Limited. She has an MPhil in Playwriting from the University of Birmingham and is currently working on her first novel. She lives in South Derbyshire.
Joanne Penn – Administrative Assistant
Joanne has a degree in Textile Design from the Birmingham Institute of Arts and Design at Birmingham City University. She previously worked as a trainee marketing assistant at Wolverhampton Art Gallery. She lives in Rowley Regis.