09:56, 28 May 2025
Words by Cheyanne Bryan, Editorial and Campaign Marketing Executive, London
Homelessness and poverty are not singular experiences, nor should they be told through a single lens.
Cardboard Citizens – a pioneering arts and social justice charity – is on a mission to rewrite the narrative with the announcement of their More Than One Story: The Anthology, a nationwide open call for monologues by writers with lived experience of homelessness or poverty.
Alongside this bold publishing initiative comes the launch of a brand new Artist Network, designed to empower and support creatives whose voices have historically been marginalised.
The statistics are sobering: over 16 million people in the UK live in poverty, and 1 in every 200 households faces homelessness. But beyond these numbers lie human stories filled with complex, urgent, and too often unheard experiences.
More Than One Story is more than just a creative project; it’s a national movement to challenge stigma, shift perception, and demand change.
Backed by publishing powerhouse Nick Hern Books and created in association with The Big Issue, the anthology will feature selected monologues from the open call alongside original pieces from some of the UK’s most celebrated voices.
These include Malorie Blackman (Noughts and Crosses), Chris Bush (Standing at the Sky’s Edge), Michelle De Swarte (Spent), Inua Ellams (The Half-God of Rainfall), Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini (Sleepova), and Joelle Taylor (The Night Alphabet).
This ambitious project follows the success of Cardboard Citizens’ award-winning More Than One Story short film series, which saw nine monologues brought to screen by writers with lived experience, including Charlie Josephine, Kayleigh Llewellyn, Chris Sonnex, and Roy Williams. The upcoming anthology will bring these monologues to the page, cementing their place in the literary landscape.
Chris Sonnex, Artistic Director and joint CEO of Cardboard Citizens says: “People with experience of homelessness, poverty and inequity are the ones who should be telling those stories.”
“This isn’t just a collection of films or a book of monologues, it’s a movement… because our culture is richer, more honest, and more powerful when it includes us all.”
Submissions for More Than One Story: The Anthology are open now until midnight on Monday 30 June 2025. Writers of all experience levels, whether emerging, established, or completely new to the craft – are encouraged to submit an original monologue of up to 1,000 words that speaks to the complexity and reality of their experiences.
Every submission will receive feedback, and all participants will be welcomed into the Cardboard Citizens Artist Network – a new platform for collaboration, development, and creative community.
The anthology is set to be published in November with a public event in London with details to be announced closer to the date..
But the real impact of More Than One Story will spread far beyond the page, reminding us that no single story defines a life - and that art, when placed in the right hands, can be a force for transformation.
For more information and to find out how to submit your monologue to the Cardboard Citizen’s website here.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Cardboard Citizens. This nonprofit has been making theatre with, for, and about people who have experienced homelessness and poverty for over 30 years. Find out more.
Oxfam. This charity is working to end poverty and inequality, providing humanitarian aid, development programs, and advocacy for fairer policies. Learn more here.
Shelter. This is a UK-based charity that aims to combat homelessness and campaign for affordable and sufficient housing for all people. Support them here.
