Lucy Macnab Email & Phone Number

Together with Monica Parle, I lead the Forward Arts Foundation, which promotes public knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of poetry in the UK and Ireland. We are a charity committed to widening poetry’s audience, honouring achievement and supporting talent: our programmes include National Poetry Day, the Forward Prizes for Poetry and the Forward Book of.

I have over 20 years experience in the writing, literature and performing arts sector. I have worked in education and community settings, and designed strategy at Arts Council England. I have founded and led a charity and know what it takes to sustain and grow a business. I bring a thoughtful creativity to my work, balanced with evidence and a human.

• Responsible for strategy and policy design, evaluation of programmes and management of key projects and stakeholders. I worked with a small head office team and national specialist staff across a large, complex.
• Introduced Human Centred Design approach to change how we develop policy
• Strategic review of cultural education programmes totalling £8.9m
• Development of new organisational strategy and its outcomes for children and young people
• Management of stakeholder consultation with children and young people, education and cultural sector, to deepen organisational understanding of their needs and wishes
• Leadership and development of national team, including online workshopping and cpd

London

• Co-founder and Director of this award-winning creative writing and literacy charity. I developed the organisation from a group of committed volunteers to a well-established, nationally recognised creative education.
• Set strategic direction. Developed and oversaw the charity’s business plan, making key strategic decisions and directing resources as needed.
• Initiated and oversaw strategy to tell the organisation’s story widely and effectively, including audience development, brand awareness and licensing.
• Financial accountability, ensuring a responsive budget, accurate reporting and a culture of financial responsibility throughout the organisation
• Innovated to find the best legacy for our programmes, to make them sustainable in order to reach more young people/have greatest impact
• Managed staff to design a programme that benefits teachers, parents and children and build partnerships with a range of organisations to do this. Set the artistic vision and approach to community engagement.

London

London, United Kingdom

• Designed, developed and produced a portfolio of learning and participation projects and strategies with a literature focus, collaborating with artists, site specific performance, producing digital participation.
• Worked closely with artists in residence Lemn Sissay, Saint Etienne, Simon Armitage to develop and produce their ideas.
• Produced projects with a range of size and scope, from small scale family learning in the Poetry Library, to an online interactive map of found poetry, to an outdoor production of the Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
• Managed significant project budgets, partnership agreements, risk assessments, wrote contracts and IP agreements with a wide range of project partners.
• Developed lasting legacies for projects to enrich the organisation and offer further opportunities for participants.
• Produced installations and performances in a range of spaces across the Southbank Centre site and in the local community.

Castleford, West Yorkshire

I set up and ran a Writer Development Programme at this inspirational community arts centre. I recruited a cohort of writers and provided a mix of opportunities (mentoring, commissioning, development of networks).

Leeds, United Kingdom

I ran for election and was one of eight Executive Officers responsible for setting strategic direction for this large students’ union, and delivering a programme of welfare and campaigns.