We are delighted to announce the new RSL Fellows and Honorary Fellows for 2022, including our first cohort of Fellows elected through RSL Open, and the recipient of the 2022 Benson Medal. 

In the largest mass induction in the RSL’s history, nearly 100 Fellows and Honorary Fellows signed our historic Roll Book with a famous writer’s pen. This year was the first time writers could use Andrea Levy or Jean Rhys’s pens, introduced to our collection for our 200th birthday in 2020, or Arnold Wesker’s pen, new for this year.

2022 RSL Fellows
To be nominated as a Fellow, a writer must have published or produced two works of outstanding literary merit, and nominations must be made by two Fellows or Honorary Fellows.

Our 2022 inductees also include the first cohort of Fellows elected through RSL Open, our flagship programme celebrating the great diversity of outstanding writers and writing in Britain.

The following writers have been elected RSL Fellows for 2022: Sulaiman Addonia, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Michael Arditti, Claire Armitstead, Mona Arshi, Polly Atkin, Rachael Boast, Malika Booker, Susie Boyt, Melvin Burgess, Nick Cave, Kayo Chingonyi, Michaela Coel, Fred D’Aguiar, Carys Davies, Russell T Davies, Kit de Waal, Ferdinand Dennis, Kit Fan, Leontia Flynn, Bonnie Greer, Niall Griffiths, Xiaolu Guo, Joanne Harris, Meena Kandasamy, Bhanu Kapil, Hannah Khalil, Zaffar Kunial, Joanne Limburg, Hannah Lowe, Francesca Martinez, Karen McCarthy Woolf, Lisa McGee, Ian McMillan, Fiona Mozley, Raman Mundair, Musa Okwonga, Monique Roffey, Jacqueline Rose, Frances Ryan, Lemn Sissay, Cherry Smyth, Charlie Swinbourne and Joelle Taylor.

2022 Honorary Fellows
Honorary Fellows are those who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of literature as publishers, agents, librarians, booksellers or producers, or who have rendered special service to the Society.

Our 2022 Honorary Fellows are: Sandra A Agard, Adjoa Andoh, Suresh Ariaratnam, Nicola Beauman, Julie Blake, Steve Cook, Steve Dearden, Joy Francis, Helen Garnons-Williams, Jane Gregory, Christie Hickman, Nicolette Jones, Julian May, Deirdre Osborne, Polly Pattullo and Di Speirs.

2022 Benson Medal
We’d also like to congratulate Sandra Agard, recipient of the 2022 Benson Medal.

Founded in 1916 by A.C. Benson, scholar, author and RSL Fellow, the Medal honours a whole career rather than a single work and is often awarded those who are not writers, but who have done conspicuous service to literature.

Read more in the press release.