OUR STAFF
Lesley Wood – Chief Executive
Lesley has worked in the arts for over 35 years in a variety of roles including sound engineer, theatre producer, artistic director and company CEO. She has worked with creative writers of all kinds – fiction writers, life writers, poets, song-writers and playwrights. She, herself, writes grant applications and too-long emails, and is in awe of the storytellers she meets every day at New Writing South.
Anna Jefferson – Artistic Director
Anna Jefferson is Artistic Director at New Writing South. She is also a fiction writer and playwright, having written for stage and screen since 2005 and is represented by Curtis Brown. She has published three novels, Winging It (2020) and Nailing It (2021), both published with Orion and The List for Living, published with Penguin Random House, Germany (2024.) She is currently writing her fourth novel. Anna was Relationship Manager, Theatre at Arts Council for nine years before joining New Writing South. She is founder and co-director of Broken Leg Theatre and has written and toured five plays nationally. She Co-directs Writing Around the Kids, delivering creative writing workshops with mothers of young children, in partnership with museums and cultural organisations. Anna lives in Brighton with her husband and two children.
Liam Offord – Literary Producer
Liam is a fiction writer and playwright. His stories and scripts have appeared in the University of East Anglia’s undergraduate and postgraduate anthologies, and his plays have toured around Norwich and the South Coast. He is passionate about feminist and anti-colonial stories, and reflects this in his writing and other work.
Steve Poulton – Finance Manager
Steve Poulton joined New Writing South in 2014 as Finance manager. He is also director of Purple Squirrel and has over 20 years experience helping Small and Medium sized Enterprises.