Sponsored Places
At Silk Road Slippers, we are committed to supporting emerging writers, especially those who would not normally have the chance to attend our Writing Masterclasses in Marrakech. We are proud to offer sponsored and reduced price places in partnership with charity, community and cultural organizations.
Every year, we offer one fully funded sponsored place at one of our Masterclasses, including tuition, accommodation and travel expenses. These writers are selected by Silk Road Slippers in cooperation with our partners. Candidates must be nominated by our chosen charity, community or cultural organisation.
Our sponsored writers
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Lubna Masarwa
Lubna Masarwa is a Palestinian journalist, feminist, activist, and Sufi and meditation/dharma teacher. Based in Jerusalem, she is bureau chief of Middle East Eye in Palestine and Israel and is writing a memoir.
Lubna joined us for the Writing Masterclass with Alan Hollinghurst in 2025.
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Renes Lophanor
Renes Lophanor is a multilingual author and educator. He is fluent in Haitian Creole, French, English, and Spanish, with knowledge of German and Slovak. Renes teaches at the secondary level and writes across both fiction and non-fiction genres.
Renes joined us for the Writing Masterclass with Max Porter in 2026.
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Zahra Joya
Zahra Joya is a journalist from Afghanistan, now exiled in London. She is the founder of Rukhshana Media, one of Afghanistan's first news agencies dedicated to women's stories, and is the author of The Vanishing Girl of Kabul. She was named as TIME Woman of the Year in 2022.
Zahra will join us for the Writing Masterclass with Blake Morrison in 2027.
Reduced price places
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If you would like to sponsor a place at a Silk Road Slippers Writing Masterclass, please get in touch.
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It is currently not possible to apply for a sponsored or reduced price place. We can only consider candidates who have been nominated by our organizational partners. However, we occasionally have sales on limited numbers of places. To be kept updated on our latest offers, please subscribe to our newsletter. Scroll down to the bottom of this page to sign up.
Where possible, we also select writers to join us on reduced price places. This year, we’ve worked with the London Library to bring two of their Emerging Writers to Morocco. Find out more about the London Library Emerging Writers Programme.