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

  • Lubna Marsawa

    Lubna Marsawa 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.

  • 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 will join us for the Writing Masterclass with Samantha Harvey in 2026.

Reduced price places

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.

  • If you would like to sponsor a place at a Silk Road Slippers Writing Masterclass, please get in touch.

    Email: shopsilkroadslippers@gmail.com

  • 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. (Sign up form below)