On our 200th birthday we are thrilled to launch RSL 200, a five-year celebration of the best in literature past, present and future. We’re delighted that the first day of these celebrations includes some big birthday announcements:

• 29 Fellows
  Raymond Antrobus, Chloe Aridjis, Damian Barr, Cressida Connolly, Susan Cooper, Jill Dawson, April De Angelis, Jane Draycott, Sasha Dugdale, Yvvette Edwards, Diana Evans, Peter Frankopan, Salena Godden, Colin Grant, Kirsty Gunn, Daniel Hahn, Kerry Hudson, Andrew McMillan, James Meek, Kate Mosse, Michael Palin, Sandeep Parmar, Winsome Pinnock, Max Porter, Sigrid Rausing, Roger Robinson, Katherine Rundell, Philippe Sands and Jack Thorne.
• 15 Honorary Fellows
  Melanie Abrahams, Linda Anderson, Mair Bosworth, Tony Brown, Kate Gavron, David Godwin, Lennie Goodings, Andrew Holgate, Shirley May, Ursula Owen, Marina Salandy-Brown, Sarah Sanders, Tom Sutcliffe, Boyd Tonkin, and Lola Young.
• 9 Vice-Presidents
  Simon Armitage, Mary Beard, Bernardine Evaristo, Jackie Kay, Blake Morrison, Grace Nichols, Elif Shafak, Kamila Shamsie and Colm Tóibín.
• 6 Companions of Literature
  Anita Desai, Kazuo Ishiguro Hilary Mantel, Edna O’Brien, Philip Pullman and Colin Thubron.
• 1 Benson Medallist and a new design for the Medal
  Boyd Tonkin.
• 2 new writers’ pens that Fellows can use to sign the RSL Roll Book
  Andrea Levy’s and Jean Rhys’ pens join Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, George Eliot and T. S. Eliot.

We also announce the next Chair of the RSL, Daljit Nagra, whose term will begin in January 2021, taking over from current Chair, Lisa Appignanesi.

We also launch two new progammes: RSL Open, championing the excellence or writers from communities that have been under-represented in UK literary culture and RSL International Writers, celebrating the power of literature to transcend borders

You can watch short films celebrating these announcements throughout the day on our social media channels.