Winner:- Barbara Smith

ASSIPATTLE
There are many tales passed down through the generations of the selkies that swim in Scapa Flow.  These are the shy, gentle creatures who are seals by day and shed their skins to become men and women by night.   Over the years, Orkney story-tellers have gathered round their peat fires, while the shadows danced on low, smoke-blackened ceilings in the dim flickering light of oil lamps, recounting tales of fearsome storms, when the fury of the wind cracked ships on the rocks like eggshells and many brave sailors lost their lives.  There were said to be mysterious creatures of nature living in the hidden depths of the ocean, some of which sidled crabwise up the beach on moonlit nights to devour anyone foolish enough to be abroad.
The boy, Assipattle, was a dreamer and spent many hours watching the grey seals basking in the sun on the rocks littering the beach below his parent’s cottage at low tide.  As a child, he had listened to many legends recounted by his grandfather and although he found them fascinating, he knew they were far too outlandish to be true, and just nodded, while keeping his thoughts to himself when his grandfather told him that even though selkie nymphs were said to discard their skins and come ashore to live with men of the islands, they always returned to the sea. 

One bright morning Assipattle sat on the wall above the beach, his legs dangling above the seaweed-strewn sand, waiting for his father and brothers to come down to the boat for a day’s fishing.  The sun-dappled sea was still and calm, and the balls of orange and green plastic buoys marking the place where lobster pots lay on the seabed,  hardly moved on the surface.  A low grumble of sound caught his attention and he looked along the beach to where a huddle of black rocks were left partly exposed by the ebbing tide.   A group of seals lay basking in the early sun, their grey coats shining as they ‘talked’ to each other like women in a queue at the Co-op check-out.  He jumped down from the wall and walked towards them across the wet sand.  Always curious, they turned to face him as he approached, then one by one they slid from the rocks into the sea and soon disappeared.  All but one.  A young seal stayed on her rock, eyes warily following his progress. 
 Assipattle picked his way slowly across some slippery clumps of seaweed towards her rock, making sure that she could see him at each step of the way.  The ebb tide would shortly leave her high and dry.  He hummed softly as he neared her and could soon see why she hadn’t followed her kin into the sea. Her flippers were entangled in a strip of netting caught on a spur of the jutting rock.  The strong nylon net must have tightened with each effort she made to free herself.  She regarded him, resigned dark eyes pleading as she lay her muzzle on the rock.  They eyed each other for long moments until she lifted her head and huffed at him.  He called to her softly as he would to an upset child, and sang quietly, as his mother had sung to him when he was a child.
 “Having a bit of bother?”  he asked.
 She stared at him.
 “Want a hand?”
 She huffed.
 “Is that a yes or a no?”
 The seal rolled on her side as if to show him where the hurt was, and he saw where the net had cut into her, and that the rock was red with her blood.  He took a sheath knife from his pocket, his every move slow and purposeful.  Leaning towards her he pulled out the blade, and slid it under the net.  For a moment she pulled away from him, fear in her eyes.  The net snapped apart as the pressure of the blade cut into the mesh.
 “You’ll soon be free,” he said.
 As the grip on her body eased she tentatively moved her flippers, testing their new-found freedom but making no attempt to back away from her rescuer. 
He moved aside, but still she didn’t shift.   He waited patiently for her to ease herself from the rock and slither down to the sea.  Still she stayed.  The boy thought her struggle against the net as it bit into her, must have exhausted the seal.
 “Want a lift?” he asked, his voice low.
 Again she huffed.
 Gently he slid his hands beneath her body, lifting her until she rested on his strong chest.  He carried her the few steps down to the sea and when he was waist deep in the
cold water he lowered his burden.  At once she swam away into the deep waters of Scapa Flow.
 His mother, Leona, was puzzled when he returned to the croft to change his wet clothes, but asked no questions.  Her thoughts went back to a night sixteen years ago.
 When Assipattle was born, the midwife had shaken her head and said:
 “He’s a bonnie wee lad right enough, but he’s not…”   She never finished the sentence, but it hadn’t seemed to matter at the time, and he had grown into a strong and cheerful boy.  Though never quite as bright as his two elder brothers and a bit slow with reading, writing and arithmetic at the little village school, that didn’t seem to matter either, for he was kind and gentle and much loved by all the fishermen and crofters on the island.
 His quietly- spoken mother, spun wool from her own sheep and knitted soft woollen jumpers for Assipattle’s father, Jonnie,  and their three boys to wear under the thick oilskins worn when sailing out into the bay to pull up the lobster pots or heading out to deeper waters to fish.  One after the other, Jonnie taught his boys the best place to throw out the nets and to haul them in full of the gleaming silver bounty from the sea.

During the weeks following his rescue of the seal, Assipattle thought much about the
fables he’d heard of the selkies though he knew they were conjured from the minds of story-tellers and had no foundation in truth.  But still, a young man could dream… and he did.   He called his seal Grace, remembering the poise of her lithe young body as she had disappeared into the sea.  He remembered touching her smooth skin and the look she had given him from her coal black eyes before returning to her watery home.
 Often when he went out alone to haul in the lobster pots, he noticed one or other of the green and orange buoys danced on the surface as if being tugged from below, and one day when the sun’s reflection was like slivers of a broken mirror on the surface of the sea, he dived beneath the waves.  It was as he suspected, Grace, his seal friend, was tugging at the stout cord with the claws at the end of her flippers.  As soon as she saw him she swam away, though not so fast that he could not catch up with her.  For a while they played hide and seek in the sea like children, until Assipattle remembered what he was supposed to be doing and returned to the boat to pull in the lobster pots before heading home.  His meetings with Grace gradually became an almost daily event and the young fisherman soon found he could spend more and more time beneath the waves without having to come to the surface to fill his lungs with cold salty air.
  His mother saw that her youngest son had acquired a secret happiness and assumed he had met a lassie when drinking down at the Harbour Inn with his elder brothers, who were both soon to be married. 
 Then one bitterly cold evening, despite a threatening storm, Jonnie Trenabie and his sons headed their boat out into the phosphorescent waters of the fishing ground.  The catch was good and they were well satisfied, but when they turned the boat for home the storm broke.  The vessel was buffeted this way and that but she was a sturdy little craft and was soon safe in the lee of the harbour wall when a freak wave swept Assipattle  from the deck.
 A strong swimmer, he was not alarmed, knowing that he could soon strike out and reach the safety of the beach.  But beneath the commotion of the waves Grace was waiting for him.  She slipped a warm seal skin round his shoulders, and as the tail of the skin wrapped around his feet, they swam away together back out into deep water.

 
 “The lad seemed to be living in a world of his own before he disappeared,” his father remarked sadly to Leona one evening a few months later.
 Leona nodded but she did not reply.  In her heart she knew what the midwife had been going to say when she left the sentence unfinished:
 “He’s a bonnie wee lad right enough, but he’s not one of us.”
For Leona knew her own great-grandmother had been a selkie who had chosen to stay by the side of her beloved human rather than to return to the sea.

E  N  D

Choc Lit Short Story Competition
Closing date 31st January, 2012 Details below

Newcastle Centre for Literary Arts, Water Poetry Competition.
Closing  date: 13th January 2012. Details below

The Home-Start Bridgwater Short Story Prize 2012
Closing Date 1st February 2012 Details below

Kelpies Prize 2012 – New Scottish Writing for Children
Closing Date: 29th February 2012 Details below

Cardiff International Poetry Competition 2012
Closing Date Friday 2nd March 2012 Details below

2012 Bristol Short Story Prize
Closing Date March 31st 2012 Details below

MERIDIAN WRITING Spring Short Story
Open 1st January, 2012 – 31st March, 2012 Details below

The Sportswriter Competition 2012
Closing Date 1st July 2012 Details below

Writing Competitions 2012
Closing dates are February 26th, May 31st, August 31st,November 30th and December 3rd 2012 Details below

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As a commitment to our members this page is available to Writing Groups who are members of NAWG and are running an open creative writing competition, so that they might advertise their competition to others, free of charge.

Other groups or associations who are not members will be charged a fee for the privilege. Starting on the 1st January 2011, the fee for a one off submisson will be £8.00. Should you require further submissions thoughout the year, the fee of £20.00 will cover all advertisements for 12 months following payment.

All payments should be made by cheque, payable to NAWG and sent to Webmaster, 65 Riverside Mead, Peterborough, PE2 8JN.

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FULL LISTINGS

Sponsored and supported by The Berforts Group,

The First NAWG Open Short Story Competition
Closing Date: October 31st 2011

Full list of Shortlisted entrants and  Prizewinners

First Prize: £250
Title:- Assipattle,
Barbara Smith, Thames Valley Writers Circle – Tilehurst near Reading.
Second Prize: £100
Title:- Pleasure Zone,
Helen Kampfner. Spain.
Third Prize: £50
Title:- Losing Benjy,
Simon Vandervelde, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Highly commended
Title: – Shadow Tree,
Silvia Sbaraini, Canterbury.
Title: - A Wind Like a Bugle,
Janet Killeen, Forest Hill, London.
Title: - Last of the Sand Dragons,
Dan Purdue, Bewdley, Worcestershire.
Title: - The Clown,
Zinaca Nobis, Forest Hill, London.

Shortlisted
Title: -Potato Waffles and Syrupy Socks,
Simon Whaley, Church Stretton.
Title: - Beer in Brown Bottles and Cigarettes,
Douglas Bruton, West Linton. Scotland.
Title: - Ripples,
Anne Powell, Hull.
Title: - Out of the Mouths of Babes,
Nicola Clemmit, Whitby, North Yorkshire.

Judging to short list by Linda Lewis – the successful short story writer and Writers Forum columnist. Finalists judged by the NAWG committee.

Linda Lewis’ judging notes

When the National Association of Writers Groups talked about the possibility of running a short story competition to raise some much needed funds, I was very keen to get on board. I’d run my own competitions for the past two years and really enjoyed the process. I don’t think I will ever tire of reading other people’s short stories.

I offered to judge the competition to short list stage and was very pleased when the competition attracted almost two hundred and fifty entries. I read them in batches of ten at a time so that I remained fresh. The standard was so good, I had to be very strict with myself when it came to deciding which entries would be put to one side as possible short list contenders.

The high standard made reading the stories a real pleasure. I couldn’t help feeling sad each time a well written, well structured, generally good story didn’t make the short list because I had no way of letting the writer know how close they had come. If you entered but didn’t come anywhere, that DOES not mean your story wasn’t good, in fact I could imagine several stories that didn’t make the short list being published so don’t give up with your story – try it somewhere else. Judging is, by its very nature, highly subjective.  A story that didn’t appeal to me might stand out as brilliant to somebody else. It’s all a matter of taste. I’d been asked to aim for a short list of approximately ten to twelve stories. I ended up with eleven. Those were sent off to the NAWG committee for them to make the final decision.

I was happy with the choices they made as all eleven stories were of a high standard. If it had been up to me, a different story might have taken first prize, but that’s the way it should be. That’s why it’s often useful to have the final decision made by a group of people.

Now for some general comments. I found that some entries were more anecdotal than fiction. It’s hard to explain what I mean in only a few words, but I’ll try. As a rule, stories need some kind of shape or structure. More often than not, that entails linking the ending,  in some way at least, to the beginning.

When we’re telling a friend about something that actually happened, we can start anywhere we like but when writing a story, it’s often best to start and end in a similar place or at least with the same character. Also, it’s vital to bear in mind that simply because something actually happened doesn’t mean it will work as a piece of fiction. In life, things just happen and coincidences abound. In stories, events need to happen for a reason that the reader can follow.

Another problem that kept cropping up was a lack of focus. I like to know who the main character or characters are so that I know who I’m meant to empathise with or care about. Several stories began with one person, then changed to a different viewpoint, for no valid reason. This made them feel rather disjointed. Having a theme that runs through a story is another way to give the piece shape. Overall, the standard was high and you should feel proud, however well you did.

I’d like to end by thanking all the people who helped to publicise the competition, and everyone who entered. You helped to make the first NAWG Open Short Story competition a great success.

The winning entry may be read by clicking ASSIPATTLE

Copyright remains with the author.

Below is an extract from an email we received from Susan Siddeley, regarding her competition entries.
Thank you Susan for your input.

‘Thank you very much for the two story critiques (102 & 103, Bonfire and Foreign Affair), which I received just before Christmas. They are great and succinct confirmation of what I felt about the stories but didn’t manage to fix!

I live in Toronto but spend several months a year in Chile. I belong to writing groups in both places, but there’s nothing like an outside eye to spot a weakness. (In my case not showing where I am!) The competition was a great opportunity to get this and at a very reasonable price. (I think Santiago Writers is the only International group in NAWG.)  Hoping this challenge and critique opportunity continues. A Happy New Year to all involved.’

We would have been unable to get this competition even started without a generous donation from Daisy Watkins – thank you, Daisy.

About our Sponsor

The Berforts Group have been in business for over 40 years, and offer a book printing and self publishing service to Authors and Publishers.

We produce books in hard or soft back, and from 1 copy to 10,000 copies. Whether your book is black and white, full colour or a mix of the two we can produce them for you.

Berforts pride themselves on high quality, and with our ISO9001 we aim for excellence so that our clients get good value for their money without losing out on quality.

Call one of our experienced advisors, to get free impartial advice and a quotation for your book, we are here to help. We also offer factory tours for writers groups and authors so please do call to arrange an appointment. Tel: 01438-312777 Web: www.berforts.co.uk

New Entry:-

Let your imagination take flight!

Choc Lit Short Story Competition

We’re looking for short stories of up to 1,500 words in which the central theme is chocolate – eating it, drinking it, cooking with it, or anything else.

PRIZES
1st prize £200, publication on Choc Lit’s authors corner blog and a box of chocolates from Plush Chocolates.
A Runner Up will receive £50 and a box of chocolates from Plush Chocolates.

RULES
1. Your entry must be a maximum of 1,500 words.
2. All work must be your own and not previously published.
3. Entry fee is £3 per story.
4. All entries must be received by 31st January, 2012.

JUDGES
Your judges are Choc Lit authors Margaret James and Sue Moorcroft. Both are experienced creative writing tutors. Margaret also writes the monthly Fiction Focus for Writing Magazine and Sue is a fiction judge for short story competitions at Writers Forum.
HOW TO ENTER
1. Please post your stories to: Short Story Competition, Choc Lit Ltd, Penrose House, Crawley Drive, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 2AB. Please enclose a cheque for £3 per story – i.e. to enter 3 stories would cost £9. Cheques are payable to ‘Choc Lit Ltd.’

2. Or email info@choc-lit.co.uk with the subject header ‘Short Story Competition’ and pay your entry fee by Paypal at orders@choc-lit.co.uk.

Visit: www.choc-lit.co.uk for a free taste of all our novels,
or simply scan the barcode with your smartphone QR reader.

Visit: www.choc-lit.co.uk for a free taste of all our novels,
or simply scan the barcode with your smartphone QR reader.

Where heroes are like chocolate – irresistible!

The Writers Bureau Poetry Competition 2011 is now closed!
Closing date 31st December 2011

This year we have decided to hold two separate competitions rather than a joint short story and poetry competition. Winners of the Short Story Competition will be announced 30th September 2011.
You can submit your poems from 5th July 2011. Deadline 31st December 2011.
Winners will be announced 28th February 2012.
1st Prize £500
2nd Prize £300
3rd Prize £200
4th Prize £100

Full details: www.wbcompetition.com

The winning short story and poem will be published in Freelance Market News and on the Internet.

Newcastle Centre for Literary Arts, Water Poetry Competition.
Closing  date: 13th January 2012.

In association with the Newcastle University Societal Challenge programme on sustainability and Northumbrian Water.

Main Category (£5 entry fee for up to three poems):
1st Prize: £500
2nd Prize: £200
3rd Prize: £100

North East Young Adult Category (free entry for up to three poems):
1st Prize: £250
Five runners up will each receive £50

Judges: John Burnside and W N Herbert.

Deadline: 13th January 2012.

We want you to think about water in all its aspects and submit poems to us

which use it as a theme. For further details or if you’re looking for some

inspiration then visit our website to download our free prompts sheet:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ncla/projects/competitions/poetrycomp/

The Home-Start Bridgwater Short Story Prize 2012
Closing Date 1st February 2012

Prizes
First £500
Second £200
Third £100

Entry Fee £7 (100% going to the Charity’s work

Closing Date 1st February 2012

Judge
We are hugely grateful to Patricia Ferguson for agreeing to adjudicate the Bridgwater Home-Start 2012 Prize. Patricia is a prize-winning novelist whose books and short stories have achieved recognition with the Betty Trask Prize; the Somerset-Maugham Award; and (twice) nomination for the Orange Prize. She was recently one of the judges for the Bristol Short Story Competition.

Patricia will undertake the judging from a shortlist of ten stories selected by a team of experienced readers. A Trustee of the Charity will oversee the preliminary assessment of entries and the secure filing and recording of authors’ details.

The winners will be announced in a ceremony at Bridgwater Arts Centre on Saturday 24th March 2012. Shortlisted authors will be notified in advance. Results and (with permission from the authors) the prizewinning stories will be published on the website.

Competition Rules
1. Stories, on any theme, must be not more than 2200 words in length. Each should be written in English, be the original unpublished work of the author and not have won a prize in any previous competition. Copyright remains with the author.

2. Stories will be judged anonymously. Story pages must carry the title as listed on the entry form and not indicate the identity of the author. Please complete the form in full, whether entering by post or online.

3. Work should be typed in not less than size 12 font, and double-spaced.

4. Authors may enter any number of stories.

5. Entries must be received on or before Wednesday 1st February 2012.

6. The Judge’s decision is final. The Trustees will not enter into any correspondence.

7. It is a condition of acceptance that entrants have read and understood the competition rules

Postal Entries
Entries should be typed on A4 white paper and be accompanied by a completed entry form and a cheque or UK postal order for the entry fee of £7 per story (plus any extra donation to the Charity. Such gifts would be much appreciated).

Online Entries
Entering the competition online is simple.

Please visit www.homestart-bridgwater.org.uk and follow the links for ‘Short Story Prize 2012′.

Your payment can be securely made by PayPal.

Donations
Thanks to the generosity of sponsors and of all the volunteers who will be running this competition (including Patricia Ferguson, who has waived any payment for her professional services), the whole of your entry fee will be devoted to the Charity’s work for families in Bridgwater and the surrounding rural communities. As a writer entering the competition, you might like to consider topping up the entry charge with a further donation to Home- Start’s funds. A look at our website www. homestart-bridgwater.org.uk can help you decide whether this is a worthwhile cause and a well-run scheme.

Home-Start Bridgwater Area
H-SBA is a registered charity helping local families with pre-school children at a time when they are facing some particular difficulty. The unique Home-Start approach is to match a trained and vetted volunteer (always an experienced parent) with each family to give practical guidance and emotional sup- port so that they may gain the confidence to cope for themselves.

Those who know the Bridgwater district are aware that the demand here for such support is immense. Families are constantly being referred to Home-Start by NHS Health Visi- tors, Social Care and other Agencies. With only two salaried workers, both part- time, this Charity is notably cost-effective. Your entry fee and any voluntary gift you add will not be wasted.

Learn more from our website www.homestart-bridgwater.org.uk

Home-Start Bridgwater Area, Victoria Community Centre, Victoria Park Drive, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 7AS
Registered Charity No 1137538

Kelpies Prize 2012 – New Scottish Writing for Children
Closing Date: 29th February 2012

How to enter the Kelpies Prize 2012

Have you got a brilliant story, set wholly, or mainly, in Scotland, and suitable for both boys and girls aged 8—12 years old?

The deadline for submissions is 29 February 2012*.

Entries must be original, previously unpublished prose of between 40,000 and 70,000 words long. Authors do not need to live in Scotland to qualify.

The winner will receive a £2,000 cash prize and have their manuscript published in the Kelpies range.

For full terms and conditions go to www.florisbooks.co.uk/kelpiesprize

*The Kelpies Prize is open annually, so don’t worry if you can’t submit this time, there is always 2013

Cardiff International Poetry Competition 2012
Closing Date Friday 2nd March 2012

Is your Poetry worth £5,000?

The Cardiff International Poetry Competition offers one of the largest monetary prizes for a poetry competition of its kind. First prize is £5000. Additional prizes are £500 for second place, £250 for third and five runners-up receive £50 each. All entries to the competition will be judged anonymously, so this is a great opportunity to have your poetry judged on its own merits.

Poems must be no longer than 50 lines long, unpublished, in English and not a translation of another author’s work. The competition is administered by Literature Wales with the financial support of Cardiff Council.

To download an entry form visit: www.literaturewales.org/cipc/

Judges: Sinéad Morrissey, Patrick McGuinness and Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch (filter judge)
Entry fee: £6.00 per poem
Closing date: Friday 2 March 2012
Address: Cardiff International Poetry Competition 2012, P.O. Box 438, Cardiff,
CF10 5YA, Wales, UK
Email: post@literaturewales.org
Tel: +44 29 2047 2266

Literature Wales is the national company for the development of literature in Wales. Literature Wales includes The Welsh Academy – the national Society of Writers in Wales, and Tŷ Newydd Writers’ Centre.

2012 Bristol Short Story Prize
Closing Date March 31st 2012

2012 Bristol Short Story Prize is open to all writers, UK and non-UK based, over 16 years of age.
Stories can be on any theme or subject and
entry can be made online via the website or by
post. Entries must be previously unpublished
with a maximum length of 3,000 words (There is no minimum.
The entry fee is £7 per story.

Prizes:
1st £1000 plus £150 Waterstone’s gift card
2nd £700 plus £100 Waterstone’s gift card
3rd £400 plus £100 Waterstone’s gift card

17 further prizes of £100 will be presented to the writers whose stories appear on the shortlist. All 20 shortlisted writers will have their stories published in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 5. The winning story will, also, be published in Bristol Review of Books and Venue magazine.

The 20 shortlisted writers will be invited to an awards ceremony in Bristol in July 2012 when the winners will be announced and the anthology launched.
The awards ceremony will be the final event of our 2nd ShortStoryVille festival.

Judging panel : Ali Reynolds (literary consultant, former Random House editor)
Bidisha (writer, broadcaster, critic) Anna Britten (writer, journalist at Venue Magazine)
Chris Wakling (novelist, Creative Writing tutor)

Full details at www.bristolprize.co.uk

MERIDIAN WRITING Spring Short Story
Open 1^st January, 2012 – 31^st March, 2012

Original unpublished stories welcomed up to 3,000 words (with no lower limit) in any genre / theme. Open to new and published authors.

Prizes are £100, £50 and £25 for first, second and third placed stories respectively, plus firstwriter.com vouchers. There is an entry fee of £5 per story. A critique service is also available for competition entries for an additional £3 (non-competition critique service is also available – see website for options available)

Note# – Please include: ‘NAWG Spring’ on your postal or online entry form.

Full submission details may be found on our website: www.meridian-writing.co.uk

The Sportswriter Competition 2012
Closing Date 1st July 2012

The Sportswriter Competition 2012 is the first of what we hope to be an annual writing competition that seeks to identify new sportswriting talent. Entries may be fiction or non-fiction, prose or poetry.

Prizes:
First place: £250
Second place: £75
Third place: £25
(paid in British Pounds Sterling by bank transfer, cheque or through PayPal)

The entry fee is £3.00, of which £1.00 will be donated to our chosen charity, Cyclists Fighting Cancer (http://cyclistsfc.org.uk/). The deadline for entries is midnight on the 1st July 2012, the day of the Euro 2012 Final.

The Sportswriter Competition 2012 is open to anyone aged 18 years or older.
Entries may be submitted directly through the form on the website, http://www.sportswriter.org.uk/writing-competition, or by email, info@sportswriter.org.uk.

Entries may be up to 2000 words (or 40 lines for poems) and should relate to sport in some way. Winning entrants will receive the cash prizes and their work will be published on the website, www.sportswriter.org.uk.

posted by
Davy Hackett
SportsWriter.org.uk

Writing Competitions 2012
Closing dates are February 26th, May 31st, August 31st,November 30th and December 3rd 2012

£100 prize fund per competition.
Open to anyone in the world of any age.
Full details, terms and conditions from: www.emeraldwritingworkshops.co.uk

3rd year of Flash Fiction Competitions with £600 of prize money.

• Download a copy of October 2011 LINK
• Download a copy of August 2011 LINK
• Download a copy of June 2011 LINK
• Download a copy of April 2011 LINK
• Download a copy of December 2010 LINK
• Download a copy of October 2010 LINK
• Download a copy of August 2010 LINK
• Download a copy of June 2010 LINK (697KB)
• Download a copy of April 2010 LINK (1,170KB)
• Download a copy of February 2010 LINK (326KB)

I want to draw your attention to this important petition that I recently signed: “No short story cuts on Radio 4″
 http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/noshortstorycuts/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=system&utm_campaign=Send%2Bto%2BFriend

 I really think this is an important cause, and I’d like to encourage you
 to add your signature, too. It’s free and takes just a few seconds of your time.

 Thanks!

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As a commitment to our members this page is available, free of charge, to Writing Groups who are members of NAWG, their members and NAWG Associates, who have news of creative writing courses/workshops, or wish to post information that they feel might be of interest to others.

Other groups, individuals or associations who are not members will be charged a fee for the privilege.

Starting on the 1st January 2011, the fee for a one off submisson will be £8.00. Should you require further submissions thoughout the year, a fee of £20.00 will cover all advertisements for 12 months following payment.

All payments should be made by cheque, payable to NAWG and sent to Webmaster, 65 Riverside Mead, Peterborough, PE2 8JN.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

New entry –

WRITING TO BE HEARD

Have you ever wanted to hear your words broadcast across the airwaves? To celebrate this year’s National Short Story Week (12th – 18th November), the organisers are developing a “Short Story Network” of local, community and hospital radio stations which will broadcast short stories by local writers throughout week. National Short Story Week (NSSW) has teamed up with NAWG to get members involved in this great opportunity.
 
The aim of the project is to have members submit short stories to their local station, with the best being chosen to be read out by actors and broadcast in their area. It’s a chance to have your words enjoyed by thousands of listeners and, who knows, make you a celebrity in your area or at the very least increase your profile as a writer.
NSSW are currently talking to radio stations around the country to sign them up to the project. Further news about which stations are taking part in the network, and on how to submit your work, will be posted on the NAWG and National Short Story Week websites (www.nawg.co.uk/ and www.nationalshortstoryweek.org.uk) in the coming months, and in the next issue of LINK.

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‘My piece was rejected. I should give up writing, yes?’ NO!
As a creative writing tutor, workshop facilitator and regular speaker at writers circles, Simon Whaley frequently comes across this statement from prospective writers. But drawing upon his own writing experience of over twenty years, the last seven as a full-time freelance writer, Simon knows how rejection can be misinterpreted.
 
Writers will always be rejected, both beginners and professionals, so it is imperative that writers understand what rejection really means and equip themselves with the necessary skills to cope with this emotion and identify any opportunities that may arise. When one of his book proposals was rejected by a publisher, the rejection actually led to two book commissions from the same publisher!
Having a positive frame of mind is key to remaining a productive writer. The more positive a writer is, the more productive they are, and the more productive they are, the more opportunity for writing success there is.
 
At his positively productive workshops, he asks: ‘What is a productive writer?’ to which his attendees shout back, ‘A POSITIVE WRITER!’
 
The Positively Productive Writer
ISBN: 9781846948510
Price: £11.99

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“A brand new writing school and retreat opens this spring in the Loire Valley and is offering a special discount to Writer’s Group members.
 
Just quote NAWGcc12 when you contact Ian or Natalie Moore on info@leschampscreatifs.com and check out their exciting courses on leschampscreatifs.com” 

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NAWG Member Keith Large, a member of  the affiliated writing group, Turning the Page, introduces his film, Summer Ice.

Watch this trailer:-http://www.youtube.com/user/gazdakin1

For more details contact Keith:-Keith Large <keith.large2@btinternet.com>

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I am writing in the hope that some of your authors
may like to contribute to a
Fundraising Book for Alzheimer’s Research UK,
Angie Cox rupertandangie@btinternet.com

My Mother-in-law, Nina Cox, has Alzheimer’s and as a family we have watched the devastating effects of this terrible disease on her life. 

I am putting together a “Memory” book and am asking authors, public figures and the general public to contribute one “memory” from their life that they would like to record and are happy to share with others.  The idea is to put together a diverse collection of stories with a wide-ranging appeal. With the backing of a few “high profile” names I am hoping to create a must have quality book that people genuinely want to buy.  I hope it will appeal, in particular, to your unpublished writers as it could showcase their talents to a wide audience. 

We have the full backing of Alzheimer’s Research UK.  According to their information dementia affects 820,000 people in the UK and 25 million of the UK population have a close friend or family member with dementia.  I hope that this book will highlight the tragedy of losing one’s memory and to raise some money for their good work in stemming the affects of this terrible disease on the individual, their family and society in general.  We also have the support of our local newspaper, the Western Gazette, who intend to follow our progress through to publication.

I am looking for a memory of approximately 500 words. The “memory” could be from a personal or professional life, be serious or more light-hearted – just something the writer does not want forgotten. 

I look forward to hearing from you in the hope that you can support me in raising funds for this worthwhile cause. Please be assured that 100% of all profits from this project will go to Alzheimer’s Research UK.

For more details:- Angie Cox <rupertandangie@btinternet.com>
Email your copy now for the Fundraising Book.
 

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Don’t let poor spelling and grammar distract your reader – have your writing professionally proofread by purely proofreading and give it the best chance of getting noticed for all the right reasons!
www.purely-proofreading.co.uk
purelyproofreading@gmail.com

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Mslexia Writer’s Diary 2012

This year, the Mslexia Writer’s Diary has been chosen of one of 2012′s top ten diaries by the Independent. As well as the usual week-to-view diary pages, the diary includes ideas and exercises specially devised to help writers gain a fresh perspective on their work, plus reading recommendations from top authors, a need-to-know directory of writers’ resources and plenty of room for notes.

This year the diary has a theme of ‘getting away’ and has been produced in collaboration with Anam Cara, The Arvon Foundation, Circle of Misse, New Writing North, Tŷ Newydd and Writing West Midlands.

The sturdy user-friendly format has a rigid plastic outer cover, wiro binding, ribbon bookmark and stout elastic to keep extra papers secure – and measures 14 x 18 x 1.5 cm. It’s the essential toolkit for the creative woman on the move. Visit www.mslexia.co.uk/diary for more information.

Diary Contents:
■ weekly inspiration and reading recommendations from top authors
■ need-to-know directory of writers’ resources
■ key dates in the literary year
■ lots of blank pages for your own notes
■ table for recording submissions
■ section for logging books lent and borrowed
■ week-to-view diary pages
■ A-Z telephone and email contacts
■ editing symbols and manuscript layout guide

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Holmfirth Writers Group
Open Poetry Days

Holmfirth Writers Group hold an Open Poetry Day on the first Saturday of the month. We meet in room HWG 07, The Harold Wilson Building, Huddersfield University (this room is just off the main entrance to the university) at 9.15am.
The session begins with a short workshop on a particular poet or school of poetry. Recent workshops have looked at Early English poetry, Caedmon’s Hymn and The Dream Of The Rood; The Metaphysical Poets, Donne and Marvell; the poet and artist William Blake.

On December 3rd we will have a workshop by Chris Preddle on the Greek poet Sappho in which he will read from his own translations. In the new year we will look at some Roman poets with the classicists Ken Walker and Tim Taylor then, in a later workshop, at the book ‘Lyrical Ballads’ by Wordsworth and Coleridge.
The rest of the morning is taken up by writing verse and after lunch we review poems brought in by participants who each bring along ten copies. The session finishes around 3pm. The cost is £15 and £12 concessions and we have free parking.
This is a friendly and exciting day in the company of good local writers. Please email Chris Huck, chris.huck@ymail.com or ring me at 07968095164 for further information. All are welcome.

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The Greenacre Writers Anthology

The Greenacre Writers Anthology comprises the winning stories in our first short story competition and a selection of work from members of  The Greenacre Writers.
 
We were delighted with the variety of stories entered into our competition – from fantasy and thrillers to domestic adventures and emotional journeys – narrated with an extraordinary range of voices. Each of these illustrated the writers’ insights into different worlds. We are particularly keen in encouraging new talent to be acknowledged and we know that sending work to be read and judged takes courage. The first publication of work is important and this anthology is the first step for some writers. We must remember that all great writers were once unpublished.
 
The Greenacre Writers, based in Finchley, encourages new writting and strives to help members develop their creative skills. We are novelists, auto-biographers and short story writers, and here we offer a small selection of our short stories.
 
Greenacre Writers Anthology, Volume 1 £7.99 plus P+P send cheque/postal order for £9.00 to Greenacre Writers, 25 Chislehurst Avenue, London N12 0HU

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NAWG WRITING RETREAT

Wentworth Castle, South Yorkshire
NAWG, in partnership with Holmfirth Writers Group, have just returned from a weekend of writing and socializing. It was a great success and we are planning to arrange another one in the spring.

The venue has a website, www.wentworthcastle.org, which is worth visiting to see where the retreat was held.  it was in the Northern College which is attached to Wentworth Castle House.
The full board delegate price for the weekend is….£90 + £28 for Friday evening.

If you would like details of future events please contact chris.huck@ymail.com or:
The Old Vicarage, Scammonden, Huddersfield, HD3 3FT.

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Could you help with a Channel 4 TV series?
Are you changing your life for love?
Are you leaving your home, family, or friends to be with your partner?

The BAFTA award-winning team at The Garden Productions is making a new documentary series for Channel 4 about love and relationships.

We are looking to talk to people who are about to make a big change in their lives.  Perhaps you are moving to an entirely new city to be with your partner?  Maybe you’re changing your lifestyle or giving up something important?

Whatever your story we would like to hear from you.

Please email anna.dangoor@thegardenproductions.tv or call Anna on 020 7645 3324  to find out more.

Calling does not oblige you to take part in the series. 

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Verulam Writers’ Circle is hosting its sixth annual ‘Get Writing’ one day conference
on the 11th February, 2012. 
We’ve once again linked up with the University of Hertfordshire and are based at their prestigious de Havilland Campus on the outskirts of St Albans,
giving us enough room for 200 delegates.
We’ve got top authors, agents, publishers, and editors.
And there are some fabulous workshops and networking opportunities.
The whole day costs just £55 (which includes lunch)
Sessions are available to pitch your writing to editors and agents.
And you can book one on one face time to discuss previously submitted pages.
 
It’s our biggest and best conference yet.
The programme can be found here http://www.vwc.org.uk/comps/gw12provisionalprogramme.pdf 
  

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WRITE BY THE SEA

Iron Press and Northumbria School of English present a new venue for residential Creative Writing Weekends in Whitley Bay on the North East Coast of England. Join us and be inspired by the sea and landscape. Experienced tutors, own room, all meals provided and plenty of space to write.

The first Write by the Sea residential writing weekend takes place from:

6pm Friday evening, September 30th to 2pm Sunday afternoon, 2nd October 2011.

The title of this workshop is Fiction Foundations and it is aimed at those just starting out on the fiction-writing highway. Participants will be invited to send, in advance, up to 3000 words and a brief synopsis of a piece of fiction, which will be read by the tutors. They will give one-to-one feedback on the work during the weekend.

The tutors running this first course are two well-published, experienced writers: Carol Clewlow and Kitty Fitzgerald and on Saturday evening, after dinner, the founder and editor of IRON Press, Peter Mortimer will talk to the participants and answer questions about the publishing industry and independent presses in particular. Christine Goodwin, owner and principal of Northumbria School of English, which is located on the seafront in Whitley Bay, will host the writing weekends, The following writers have been booked for future weekends:

Oct 28th -30th: Wendy Robertson & Avril Joy on Writing a Novel Nov 25th -27th: Michael Chaplin & Karen Laws, Scriptwriting David Almond, (Fiction) & Pete Scott, (Song Writing) are in line for 2012 and we are in discussion with others.

For more information or to book a place please contact Write by the Sea.

Cost: £275 including full-board accommodation.

You can download a brochure:-  

WritebytheSea brochure

For further information please contact: E:writebythesea@btconnect.com

T: Peter Mortimer – IRON Press 0191 253 1901

T: Christine Goodwin – Northumbria School of English 0191 252 5265

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London Writers’ Cafe meets twice a month to give creative writers the opportunity to share their work and get supportive and constructive feedback from other writers. Despite our popularity, our meetings are informal, friendly and social events and with good contacts to the publishing industry (please see our sponsor list) we host an array of workshops, author talks and special events for writers too. LWC is free to join and is inclusive of all writers; from novelists, playwrights, poets, essayists and short story writers. So if you are looking for a lively community, feedback group or just an excuse to socialise with other writers please take a look at our website:  http://www.meetup.com/londonwriterscafe or email us or like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/londonwriterscafe

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Latest News:- The new term at the Poetry School is now booking.

Courses, workshops, classes, tutorials for all levels of poet, beginners to advanced, all round the country and online. Taught by poets, taught to poets. More details at www.poetryschool.com

 Discover the pleasures of poetry with the T S Eliot Prize reading groups

Poetry was recently described by the Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy as ‘a necessary and nourishing part of our lives’. The Poetry Book Society wholeheartedly agrees and we’d like to offer you the chance to engage with the best in contemporary poetry through the T S Eliot Prize reading groups. The scheme is based on the shortlist for the 2011 T S Eliot Prize for Poetry. We hope to encourage fiction reading groups to try poetry, using the work of the poets shortlisted for the Prize.

The judges, Chair Gillian Clarke, Stephen Knight and Dennis O’Driscoll, will meet in mid October to decide on the ten-book shortlist, which will be announced on Thursday 20 October. From that day, reading groups will be able to download a biography and photo of each poet and three poems from their book, together with reading group notes on the poems, from www.poetrybooks.co.uk/projects/13. The PBS website will offer readers the opportunity to vote for their favourite poet online, the result of which will be announced at the award ceremony.

Generous reading group discounts will also be available. Readers can also sign up for a weekly email which will cover the ten poets in turn and keep them up-to-date with news on the Prize.

There will also be a prize draw for tickets for the celebratory T S Eliot Prize Readings in the Royal Festival Hall on London’s Southbank on Sunday 15 January 2012. The 2010 Readings were a great success, attracting one of the biggest audiences for a single poetry event of recent times.

The PBS is keen to encourage fiction groups to give poetry a go, so, to help you on your way, the poems will be available to download from the site so that you can incorporate them into your reading plans. You can also order books from the PBS if you wish to explore any of the poets in more depth. In addition, we’ll be providing helpful advice on how to set up and run a poetry reading group.

The winner of the 2011 T S Eliot Prize will be announced at the award ceremony on Monday 16 January 2012, when Mrs Valerie Eliot will present the winner with a cheque for £15,000.  The shortlisted poets will each receive £1,000.

The four Poetry Book Society Choices from 2011 are automatically shortlisted for the Prize. This means we already know that Night  by David Harsent (Faber), November by Sean O’Brien (Picador), Profit and Loss by Leontia Flynn (Jonathan Cape) and Armour  by John Kinsella (Picador) will be on the shortlist.

The T S Eliot Prize was inaugurated in 1993 to celebrate the Poetry Book Society’s 40th birthday, and to honour its founding poet. Now in its nineteenth year, the T S Eliot Prize is the ‘world’s top poetry award’ (Louise Jury, The Irish Independent). The Prize is awarded annually to the writer of the best new poetry collection published in the UK or Ireland. It is unique as it is always judged by a panel of established poets and it has been described by Sir Andrew Motion as ‘the Prize most poets want to win’. Last year’s winner was Derek Walcott, for his collection White Egrets (Faber).

Founded by T S Eliot and friends in 1953, the Poetry Book Society is a unique poetry organisation which provides its members with its Poet Selectors’ choice of the best new poetry books. The PBS has two websites; an online bookshop (www.poetrybookshoponline.com) offering 90,000 poetry books and CDs, including the Poetry Archive recordings, together with a wide range of poetry news, articles, reviews, information and events listings, and the PBS website, www.poetrybooks.co.uk, which has a special members’ section and houses the PBS’s projects, including the T S Eliot Prize and its Shadowing and reading group schemes.                                                                                                

For further information please go to www.poetrybooks.co.uk/projects
or contact: Hilary Davidson or Chris Holifield at the Poetry Book Society
tel 020 7831 7468 emails hilary@poetrybooks.co.uk and chris@poetrybooks.co.uk

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The Kati Nicholl Editorial Agency

http://www.knicholl.co.uk/

Specialists in: Appraisal. Abridging. Editing. Proofreading. Scanning

Our prize-winning team – a BAFTA nomination for The Magician of Samarkand, starring Sir Ben Kingsley and 41 major audiobook abridging awards – know what makes a book work and how to present it.

Over 30 years of editing, buying, abridging and reviewing for major publishers and agents, national magazines and newspapers

Whether you are a brand-new writer wanting constructive criticism or editorial help, or an established author whose publisher is demanding more finish, we offer a full and wide-ranging service, either electronically or physically, with guaranteed delivery dates.

Contact us via our website or by phone:
020 8361 6241

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Writers’ Services News – January 2011
News of our year-long programme of workshops for 2011 at the Writers’ Centre Norwich Office, 14 Princes Street, Norwich, NR3 1AE

Hold On To Your Hats: day course with Trezza Azzopardi and more… Prose Fiction Workshops Get your prose fiction up to scratch. Whether you’re after a challenging masterclass with Rachel Hore, a character building short course with Stephen Foster or simply a day course with MBE awardee, Bernardine Evaristo, then read on we say!

BOOKING: Call: 01603 877177 or email: info@writerscentrenorwich.org.uk If you need any other information on the workshops, click on the title link…

Get Your Poetry Fighting Fit
Poetry Workshops New Year equals new health regimes, and this applies to poetry too! From writing great poetry with the likes of Esther Morgan and David Harsent to exploring poetry environments with David Morley, your poetry will never have felt better.

BOOKING: Call: 01603 877177 or email: info@writerscentrenorwich.org.uk If you need any other information on the workshops, click on the title link…

Want To Branch Out?
Specialist Workshops We love to provide variation when programming workshops. So how about taking on some of these challenging forms of writing:

BOOKING: Call: 01603 877177 or email: info@writerscentrenorwich.org.uk If you need any other information on the workshops, click on the title link…

Get Your Work Out There
Professional Development Workshops Our two professional development workshops with Richard Skinner and Juliet Pickering are already fully booked. Don’t miss out on the new addition: Feedback & One to One with Literary Agent Rachel Calder.

BOOKING ALL WORKSHOPS:

Call: 01603 877177 or email: info@writerscentrenorwich.org.uk If you need any other information on the workshops, click on the title link…

++Don’t forget that you can post your literature events on our website (click ‘Post event’ tab) and we’ll do our best to flag them up for you…++

Contact

Writers’ Centre Norwich 14 Princes Street Norwich NR3 1AE Tel: 01603 877177 Fax: 01603 625452 www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk

General email enquiries: info@writerscentrenorwich.org.uk

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Writers’ Centre Norwich has a number of inspirational literary events programmed for the summer.

With upcoming readings from acclaimed poets Wendy Cope, Simon Armitage and Glyn Maxwell there’s a lot to look forward to. We’ve also organised events to complement our Summer Reads – a selection of great new poetry and fiction – including a reading and Q&A with Evie Wyld and others.

For further information and events, visit www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk | Call 01603 877177 | email: info@writerscentrenorwich.org.uk

Wednesday 20th July. Robin Bayley Reading and Q&A. 2pm Dereham Library – free. 6.30 pm. Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library, £2.

Summer Reads author Robin Bayley will read from and answer questions about his travel-writing-come-family-history journey to Mexico, and the amazing discovery he made there. 
For further information and events, visit www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk | Call 01603 877177 | email: info@writerscentrenorwich.org.uk

Saturday 23rd July.
A Sense of Place Prose Masterclass with Geoff Dyer.
About the workshop: Geoff will provide you with key methods to convey a sense of place in your writing giving you the skills you need to transform your backdrop or setting into something that is an intrinsic part of the action – a character in its own right, even.
Workshops with Geoff Dyer are few and far between, so don’t miss out and book your place today.

“…Dyer has spent the past 20-odd years devising a way of writing that appears to float calmly along the surface of things but is actually very busy paddling underneath.”
Andrew Motion, The Guardian.

For further information and bookings: http://tinyurl.com/3mgstnt
|Call 01603 877177| email: info@writerscentrenorwich.org.uk

Summer Reads Book Clubs

A Writers’ Centre Norwich Event. Find out more on www.summerreads.org.uk. | Call 01603 877177 | email: info@writerscentrenorwich.org.uk

Join in the discussion at our Summer Reads Book Club, running once a fortnight from June-August offering lively, informal chat about six great books. You’ll get to meet fellow readers and will have the chance to share your thoughts with others. This week we are discussing The Good Angel of Death by Andrey Kurkov.

A Writers’ Centre Norwich Event. Find out more on www.summerreads.org.uk. | Call 01603 877177 | email: info@writerscentrenorwich.org.uk

New Writers’ Services Workshops for 2011

Writers’ Centre Norwich has a lot to offer writers looking to develop their skills. Seminars and courses include fiction and poetry masterclasses with experienced tutors, as well as professional development seminars and one to one sessions with agents.

For more information, and to stay up to date with future workshops, visit our website www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk where you can also sign up for e-news.Saturday 16th July: An Inside Look at Publishing with Juliet Pickering. £50/£40 Conc. 10am-5pm, Writers’ Centre Norwich. Would you like to know how the publishing industry is changing and how you should present yourself to an agent? If so, discover where you might fit in and get detailed one to one feedback on your own work. This workshop will take place in the workshop room situated on the ground floor of the Writers’ Centre Norwich office, on 14 Princes Street. For bookings and more information please visit www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk | Call 01603 877177 | email: info@writerscentrenorwich.org.uk

Saturday 26th November: Agent Seminar & One to One with Isobel Dixon. 10am-12pm seminar and a 20 minute one to one in the afternoon. Isobel Dixon joined Blake Friedmann in 1995 and represents writers from around the world. Here’s your opportunity to learn how to secure an agent, discuss your experiences and get a professional read. This workshop will take place in the workshop room situated on the ground floor of the Writers’ Centre Norwich office, on 14 Princes Street.

For bookings and more information please visit www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk | Call 01603 877177 | email: info@writerscentrenorwich.org.uk

Edward Cottrell
Creative Media Officer
Writers’ Centre Norwich│14 Princes Street│Norwich│NR3 1AE
Tel: +44 (0)1603 877177│

Edward.cottrell@writerscentrenorwich.org.uk

writerscentrenorwich.org.uk

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Nottingham Writers’ Club Programme for 2011

1st June

Carole Coates, Poet who will talk about her life and work.

6th July

Jeremy Duffield, A workshop on ‘The Short Story’

7th September

Alex Davis, Writer and publisher on ‘Inside Publishing’

5th October

Carl Fellstrom, Journalist giving a talk – ‘Truth is Stranger than Fiction.

Meetings are held at The Nottingham Mechanics, 3 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham, NG1 4EZ, from 7 to 9 pm. Visitor’s fee is £1.50.

If you’d like more details about the NWC, please visit our website www.nottinghamwritersclub.org.uk

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I am a PhD research student (aged 76!) in Creative Writing at Loughborough University and need to contact as many writers as possible to help with my research. Rather than explain in detail here, I shall give you my web site address where everything will be made clear: www.writersofloveafter65.com

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NAWG website enquiry: internship
Message from: “mitra harding” mitraharding@hotmail.com

This is something that might be of interest to some of our groups: -
I have MA in comparative literature, I am multilingual and would like to do some voluntary work with a writer’s group. Thank you.

If you would like to contact Mitra, please feel free to do so.

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The School Creative Centre

Press Release 17.03.2011

BAFTA Winner launches new writers’ hub

A new writers’ hub is set to launch later this month, offering writers in Kent and East Sussex an opportunity to network, share ideas and explore development opportunities. Co-ordinated by BAFTA-winning writer Roy Apps, the Rye Hub of New Writing South, a creative writing organisation, will provide emerging and professional writers from all media with a focal point from which to organise networking and creative opportunities and discuss project ideas.

Following the successful launch of a similar initiative in Portsmouth, the Rye Hub will be launched at The School Creative Centre in Rye on Tuesday 29 March and will feature guest speaker Carole Hayman, a writer, producer and film-maker whose most recent novel, political satire Hard Choices, was shortlisted for the Silver Booker Prize.

The Rye Hub will go on to meet for lunch on the last Tuesday of each month. Each session will feature a guest speaker plus plenty of discussion on a range of issues affecting creative writers and their industry. Forthcoming topics include e-publishing, copyright and writing for soundscape.

Co-ordinator Roy Apps is the author of 58 children’s books, and has written dozens of TV scripts. He is one of only four writers to have received a personal BAFTA Children’s Film & Television Writers’ Award.

Inaugural guest speaker Carole Hayman was born in Kent, which features in her trilogy of novels, The Warfleet Chronicles. Carole’s work has featured on radio and television, for which she co-wrote the BBC Radio 4 and ITV series Ladies of Letters.

The first Rye Hub session is free, and will be held on Tuesday 29 March from 12noon to 2pm. Subsequent Hub meetings will be free to New Writing South members, and £5.00 to visitors.

For more details, please contact Roy Apps on ryehub@newwritingsouth.com or visit www.theschoolcreativecentre.co.uk

Notes to editors: The School Creative Centre is a creative and cultural hub and studio facility for professional artists and makers of outdoor work, offering a varied performance and live music programme and dynamic visual and performing arts workshops for children, young people and adults in Kent and East Sussex.

www.theschoolcreativecentre.co.uk

New Writing South works with all kinds of creative writers and new writing in the south east region: authors, playwrights, poets, screen writers, radio writers, journalists and more. They offer writers’ development, encouragement, resources and opportunities to make new contacts. They also programme numerous events that aim to enhance skills, stretch creativity and broker partnerships with those who produce and publish work. Membership is open to everyone involved in creative writing in the south.

http://www.newwritingsouth.com/development/ryehub.php

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How to win a short story competition

 Mslexia’s Women’s Short Story Competition 2011 is open for entries, with a first prize of £2,000.(see Open Competition page)

To help you craft a winning story, here’s some guidance from previous judges.

1. Choose intriguing subject matter.
   One of the easiest way to make your story unique is to set it somewhere exotic, or write about a topic (ornithology, millinery, billiards) that has its own wonderful language.
   ‘I longed to read about something extraordinary’, Tracy Chevalier.
   ‘Consider writing about science, history, philosophy, politics, travel… Subject matter that will set your story apart’, Sara Maitland.
2. Make something happen.
   A short story should chronicle a transformation or change; so steer clear of static scenarios and internal monologues. And make the change concrete if possible.
   ‘I like a story with movement rather than a snapshot in time’, Val McDermid.
   ‘I prefer a tale driven by events, by conflict between characters’, Kate Mosse.
3. Don’t use an extract from your novel.
   Novel extracts make unsatisfying short stories. The pace of a novel is different, because the characters are on a longer journey. The novel walks, where the story needs to run.
   ‘A short story must go somewhere, and actually arrive in the span of its short life’, Maggie Gee.
   ‘Some stories ruled themselves out by dint of their sheer formlessless’, Helen Simpson.
4. Purge those clichés.
   Raise your description to another level by spending some quality time with every adjective and adverb. Could you find better ones? Could you leave any out? Could you replace that simile with a metaphor?
   ‘I think metaphor is far stronger than simile’, Stella Duffy.
   ‘I prefer writing that is brilliant but flawed to something less ambitious that’s almost perfect’, Patience Agbabi.
5. Focus on an unusual character.
   If you decide to write about something you have experienced, try transposing it into the life of someone wilder, uglier, madder, badder than you are – and see what happens.
   ‘You don’t need to have great thoughts, just great characters’, Deborah Moggach.
   ‘Step away from yourself and look out into the world. You’re not as interesting as you think!’, Tracy Chevalier.
6. Write in first person.
   A surefire way to hook a reader and get them involved is to slip inside your main character’s skin and look at the world through their eyes.
   ‘It’s no coincidence that the top prizewinning stories were all written in the first person’. Jill Dawson.
   ‘Try rewriting your story in first person; it will come alive’. Deborah Moggach.

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‘Turning your Knowledge into Income’
by Chris Day Filament Publishing – £10

 Chris Day is a prolific and successful writer, author, business journalist and publisher whose passion revolves around the effective use of words. His latest offering, Turning your Knowledge into Income, is an infinitely useful and highly inspiring 188-page soft-back book. This cleverly constructed compendium could well provide just the push you need to develop and take control of a lucrative new income source – or even an ingeniously ‘recycled’ or parallel career.

This is achievable, says Chris, simply by converting your Knowledge into a far-reaching scenario that can add value to others’ lives. The format of the book itself succinctly and effectively epitomises exactly what Chris is advising his readers to do themselves. He has neatly pulled on his huge accumulated wealth of Knowledge to create a powerful, all-embracing ‘layman’s’ guide, all presented in a single volume.

Aimed primarily at aspiring writers but also entirely relevant to anyone finding themselves at an unexpected crossroads in their career or life journey, Chris’s book contains a vast amount of invaluable information and packages it into easily accessible, bite-sized chunks, which together create a highly achievable route to personal and financial success.

From cover to cover, Chris himself looms large as a personable, inspiring, expert, and successful entrepreneur, providing entirely relevant, positive, and realistic advice and guidance on a subject that arises from his lifelong passion for words and their manifold uses.

Throughout his own career he has used them to great effect, working on stage and behind the scenes in theatre, acting on film and on television, as a voiceover artist on radio… setting up a number of successful businesses… as a trainer and public speaker – and now enjoying a varied and fulfilling life as a multi-media publisher.

Throughout the book and in his inimitable style, Chris also calls upon a raft of highly respected, high achieving friends and colleagues, all of whom are proven experts in their particular fields. From them he has managed to extract invaluable contributions and reference guides to a host of crucial subjects from Goal Mapping (Brian Mayne), and Mind Mapping (Phil Chambers) to Working successfully from Home (Rachael Ross), Social Networking (David White) and Entrepreneurial, Marketing and Business Consulting (Jonathan Jay) – as well as including items from a number of published authors (David Barber, Colin Bennett, Ron G Holland and John Rushton) and a professional photographer (Frazer Ashford).

Turning your Knowledge into Income is divided into three parts, with Part One entitled ‘Know What You Know’, Part Two ‘Grow What You Know’ and Part Three, ‘Share What You Know’.

Each section is bursting with words of experience from Chris and his contributors, and designed to help you identify the assets you already possess – which, if properly packaged, others will willingly pay for – and through which you can take the necessary steps to create a thriving business.

“Most people spend a lifetime making regular deposits into their personal Bank of Knowledge and build up considerable assets” says Chris. “Very often they completely overlook what could be the most valuable things they own – their Knowledge, experience and the many insights they have gained over the years. By ignoring them, they are, in effect, letting the account at their Bank of Knowledge lie dormant!

My inspiration for this book is to bring all those assets together to create an up-to-the-moment ‘current account’ – designed to invigorate and enthuse my readers into transforming all that Knowledge into a very welcome income source, which could transform their lives forever!”

About the Author

Chris Day is an author and business journalist, whose current editorial assignments include a monthly column in Making Money Magazine. Along with co-author Phil Chambers, he compiled and wrote the first Yearbook and the Arbiters Handbook for the Mind Sport of Competitive Memory and is also the General Secretary for the World Memory Sports Council, organisers of the World Memory Championships.

In 2000 he founded Filament Publishing Ltd to help aspiring authors to find an easier route to market their words, and to take advantage of the new opportunities that the digital age and social media have now made possible to repurpose words in a variety of ever-expanding new formats.

Available for Interview

Chris is also available to provide or contribute to any press or broadcast features you may be considering, on the subjects of finding new or additional career paths, or setting up in business for yourself. He would also be prepared to put together a regular slot in your publication or for your website, or provide expert advice on any associated matter.

For more information about Chris visit www.AskChrisDay.com

“Turning your Knowledge into Income” by Chris Day Published by Filament Publishing and distributed by Gardner’s. ISBN 978-1-905493-40-1 (RRP £10) is available from major bookshops throughout the UK and online retailers such as Amazon– or you can order direct at:-www.filamentpublishing.com

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Nawg member Pat Newcombe has recently self-published her second book with Lulu.
If you enjoy a thriller/horror story this is the one to read.

The Witcheye Gene

KENDAL MACINTYRE has fought long and hard to overcome the emotional scars of an unhappy childhood to create the successful boutique business she now has. Having lost her husband to cancer she is driven by one thing only – to see her daughter APRIL have all the advantages in life that she herself was denied. So when someone appears to be snooping, she is terrified that her shameful secret will wreck April’s chances in life and she stubbornly refuses to acknowledge the hereditary trait of ‘special’ sight. But when an evil killer threatens the very existence of her family, she knows she must face her demons if she is to save the one thing she cares about.

At present the book is only available from Lulu – but it will soon be available from Amazon as well.

The link to Lulu is: -

http://www.lulu.com/browse/search.php?fListingClass=0&fSearch=The+Witcheye+Gene

The Isbn is: -
978-1-4466-7540-3

The full title is: -
“The Witcheye Gene” by P J Newcombe and is priced at £7.41

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Call Out for Flash Fictions from NW writers

Flax will be accepting submissions of flash fictions in December/January for its forthcoming anthology, Flax026
All details and submission guidelines are here: http://www.litfest.org/submissions/ If you have any questions, contact Sarah Hymas You can read previous Flax anthologies on the Litfest website

Posted by: Sarah Hymas
Publishing Development Manager
Flax, Litfest Tel: +44 (0)1524 621 66
Web: www.litfest.org Post: Litfest, The Storey, Meeting House Lane, Lancaster LA1 1TH

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100 Words
An on-line project calling for submissions

I’m a visual artist living in Ireland and I am writing to invite you and your members to take part in an on-line project I recently started called 100 WORDS.
It examines and celebrates loss, love, life and the passing of time and asks people to describe the life they have experienced using 100 words or less.
I came across you on-line and after reading about your organisation and work wondered if you would like to take part.

You can see the project so far at www.lifein100wordsorless.wordpress.com or on facebook 100 words. So far I’ve received submissions from the USA, Canada, Finland, Italy and the UK. I’m hoping that there will be a publication and short film to accompany the project but this will be determined by the amount and type of submissions received.

Posted by Rowena Keaveny paintpolitik@live.ie

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Message from a book-seller at the NAWG Festival, Durham From Jennifer Margrave, margravejen@gmail.com. a couple of people put their names down and one person paid me direct for one of my books, details have been mislaid. If you paid and haven’t received the book, please email me.

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The Biography Club A new online biography writing club. Our biography club is a newly-launched venture for book lovers and budding writers. We specialise in biographies. The website features new book releases, news reports from the world of biographies, interviews, a chat-room, online seminars, advice pieces from authors, and more. Email:[info@thebiographyclub.com] for further information. Posted by Jennie Jones
The Biography Club
www.thebiographyclub.com

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Are you interested in a Poetry Group that meets in Nottinghamshire? On my AA map Blidworth is underneath the word ‘Sherwood’, as in Sherwood Forest. This group would love to see some of you at their meetings.

Bards at Blidworth meets every third Saturday of the month at Blidworth Library.
Telephone: 01623 794068:
email: – blidworth.library@nottscc.gov.uk We meet from 10.00am. – 12.00pm.

We are a small, friendly group of poets (and sometimes listeners!). At meetings we have readarounds so that round the circle we can hear each other read one of their poems and invite feedback if they want it. Those that would like feedback are advised to bring copies of the poem they would like feedback on.

On alternate meetings we have workshops with the aim of producing a poem or draft of a poem at the time followed by a readaround. We look to having the occasional visiting speakers.
We have so far run one national poetry competition and will do so again.
We are starting to collect poems for a publication ‘Bards at Blidworth and Beyond.’
Sent by Chris http://www.christinemichael.org 

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Suspense Magazine Suspence magazine is reaching out to all your members to offer them a very special offer. We are giving away 4 Free Electronic issues of our magazine, to increase readership and awareness, so readers and authors know they have an outlet to help feature their work. We are dedicated at helping authors with their work and bring the world of suspense/thriller together. All your members have to do is email me: – editor@suspensemagazine.com and they will have the magazine sent to them ASAP.

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The Really Big Dream Company,
based at Les Cerisiers, an 18th century farmhouse set in the beautiful hills of Southern Burgundy,

 ……offers the ideal location for people who wish to fuse their pursuit of a leisure interest with having a marvellous holiday. Whether attending one of our tutored events or hiring the house for your own group activity, you can be sure that the tranquillity, surroundings and atmosphere will blend to make this an amazing experience. Writing events currently on offer include Kick-start your writing with Jessica Duchen, Discover your voice through expressive writing with Tony Watts, Feel the Fear and Write it anyway with Sonia Duggan and, soon to be announced,

From Memoir to fiction with Miriam Halahmy. In addition to your chosen pass-time, why not take the opportunity to sample the excellent wines and culinary treats that the region has to offer, try your hand at archery at our on site range, wander the footpaths that meander through the surrounding hills and valleys. With horse riding, boating, golf and historic sites near by, there is truly something for everyone. Please visit www.thereallybigdreamcompany.com for more details

Other attractions? 10 metre flood-lit swimming pool ∞ archery ∞ walks in the beautiful Charollais hills ∞ bread-baking using the traditional wood-burning bread-oven ∞ visits to local historic towns and castles, master chocolatiers, honey and bread producers, and working farms.

For more details of to make a reservation please visit www.thereallybigdreamcompany.com

Les Cerisiers provides an idyllic location for creative pursuits, looking out across meadows of grazing cattle and the wooded slopes of Mont St Cyr. There is a real sense of space and tranquillity yet we are only a short distance from castles, vineyards and the historic town of Cluny. Take time to discover some of the many other joys of the locality: walking, wine tasting, site seeing or just relaxing in the gardens. Non writing partners are welcome.

For more details of to make a reservation please visit www.thereallybigdreamcompany.com

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Poetry over Coffee With Anita McNamee

www.anitamcnamee.com , is a site dedicated to all people who enjoy a creative kind of life. Anita McNamee began writing poetry as a teenager. Her poems have been published within several anthologies. In 2008 she produced her first collection of poetry entitled “Buffy & Beyond – the therapy years”.>

Her current book, “Honesty is the Best Policy” self-published in 2010 is now on sale – www.anitamcnamee.com

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Norfolk Poets and Writers

Wendy Webb

I would like to tell members, I am blogging at; http://www.norfolkpoets.blogspot.com  http://davidianmagi.blogspot.com http://tipschristmas.blogspot.com

The 2nd is for Poetry Forms New for Old (including my new poetry forms), the 3rd will always include seasonal material (all year). There is also a free ezine eTIPS directly from me at: tips4writers@yahoo.co.uk And readers/writers may be interested in a new website for free uploads (and free downloads) of books – I have included some of my work, and: 20 Tips to Keep Editors Happy Revisited (WW) 20 Tips to Keep Poets Happy Revisited (WW) 20 tips to Keep Inspiration Alive (edited WW, author: Margaret Munro Gibson, poet, RIP) http://www.obooko.com
Wendy Webb
Norfolk Poets and Writers

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How to Sell and Market Your Book
by Darin Jewell

ISBN: 9781907756399

Published 25th November 2010
Price: £9.99

Covers new media opportunities and targeted at both self-published and traditionally-published authors. All authors want to sell as many copies of their books as possible. They also want to raise their literary profile as high as possible. There are more new routes to publication and also for sales and marketing than ever before. But where does the author start in such a competitive market?

This book sets out clearly the promotional tools available and advises which paths are likely to sell the highest number of copies and which will help to establish the writer’s name as a published author. It takes careful planning and know-how, but there is nobody better to promote a book than its author. The opportunities are out there and this guide will provide the information required for an author to maximise their chance of success.

About the author:

Darin Jewell is the Managing Director of The Inspira Group Literary Agency. Previously, he was CEO of a Internet site based on biographies and lead marketing and PR consultant to the Chairman of a major international trading group. Born in the USA, Darin settled in the UK in the early 1990s. He has a Master’s Degree in Philosophy, and undertook his doctoral research at Queens’ College, Cambridge before teaching Philosophy and Religion as a Senior Fellow at the Centre for the Study of World Religions at Harvard University.

For all media enquiries please contact Lucy on 0207 448 5137
or email lucyboguslawski@legend-paperbooks.co.uk For all buying enquiries please contact Tom on 0207 448 5162
or email tomchalmers@legend-paperbooks.co.uk

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Thinking of coming to the Festival this year?
31st August, 1&2 September, 2012.

Booking will be open in February.

Due to popular demand we are extending our offer of an early booking discount for the 2012 Festival of Writing until January 31st 2012.
£10 paid now will give you £25 off the cost of a full weekend next September.
A cheque made payable to NAWG for £10 sent to our Booking Administrator, Anne Steward, 6 Spring Bank Croft, Holmfirth,
HD9 2LW

Further details:- pamfish@ntlworld.com or casualwriter@hotmail.com

The 2012 festival will be at Nottingham again. New details for this exciting event are being planned at the moment.

Julie Bokowiec, Simon Whaley, Alison Chisholm, Linda Lewis and Steve Bowkett will be leading a variety of professional Writing Workshops.

Full details will soon be available.
For NAWG members, festival brochures and booking forms should be with your February LINK.
On-line brochure will be available February 2012

 Come for the whole weekend or a single workshop.
£230 for Nawg members, £250 non-members, for 2 nights full-board and 4 teaching workshops.

Booking forms will also be available  in February.

As last year book early to avoid disappointment. £100 will secure your booking, plus the final £130/£150 before 1^st June 2012.

BOOKING WILL SOON BE OPEN – £100 secures your place.
After 1^st June 2011 payment must be made in full with the booking.
For more information email the Booking Administrator: casualwriter@hotmail.com
Or write to: 6 Spring Bank Croft, Holmfirth, HD9 2LW.

Ancaster Hall of Residence – University Park Campus
Nottingham University.

Away from all the hustle and bustle of modern life, University Park’s 330 acres of beautiful, landscaped parkland make it the perfect place to enjoy your festival weekend.  Ancaster Hall of Residence is situated only 2 miles from Nottingham City Centre, with free car parking close to the Hall for drivers.  (The nearest train station is Beeston, more details in Travel Directions.)

All bedrooms are single, en-suite and within easy access of the teaching rooms, dining hall, and all festival activities. Each room has a private shower, toilet, hand basin, and toiletries pack. There are coffee and tea supplies in all the rooms.

All meals are served in the dining room which includes a ‘Three Item Hot Breakfast’, ‘Classic Buffet Plus Lunch’, and a Barbeque.  Saturday’s Gala Dinner will be an ‘Enhanced Conference Dinner’. A bar will be open Friday and Saturday evenings. Guest may check in from 3.00pm on Friday 31st August, and rooms must be vacated by 10.00am on Sunday morning.  Luggage can be stored if required.

Latest News of the 2012 Festival of Writing,  31st August, 1st & 2nd September, 2012.

The Festival is returning to Nottingham University for another year as the committee feel that they can organise a better festival for you by capitalising on the many good points from this year including knowledge of the premises and the hospitality of the staff.

We came away in September from a memorable weekend, feeling that the core of friendship and happiness that developed was unbeatable, but The 2012 Festival is set to be the even better.

There will be more workshops and professional entertainment on the Friday evening.  Friday activities will begin at 4.30 with an optional, free to all delegates’ session and Sunday’s timetable will be extended with one-to-ones after lunch. These are just a few glimpses of the new programme.  All of the workshops will be in state-of-the-art classrooms, together in a brand new building, only finished at the end of 2011, just a stone’s throw from Ancaster Hall of Residence. Bedrooms will be mainly in the Ancaster Building, in the corridor leading from the main reception area.

We have booked for you: – Julie Bokowiec: – Simon Whaley: – Alison Chisholm: – Linda Lewis as your main bookable workshop tutors.

In addition Steve Bowkett will be giving an extra open to all, workshop on Friday afternoon and one-to-ones, Saturday and Sunday afteernoons.

Chris Day will be giving an open to all, extra workshop on Saturday afternoon on Publishing and Marketing  Books.

Click here for:-    Getting to Know Your Tutors

Brochures and booking forms will be coming to you with the February LINK, but in the meantime watch the NAWG website for all the festival news as it unfolds.

We have an exciting Grand Raffle.
There will be a Grand Raffle, with tickets on sale to all attending the
2011 Festival of Writing.

Tickets will be on sale throughout Friday and Saturday until the Draw  on Saturday afternoon.

New for 2011 – at our all new venue Nottingham University, a free and open to all delegates ‘Talk by Linda Lewis’.

What do ‘TAKE -A- BREAK’ want?

Linda Lewis is a full time writer, making a living from selling short stories to a variety of magazines including My Weekly, Woman’s Weekly, and Yours.
She writes the Short Story Success column in Writers’ Forum where she passes on her tips and experience. She has been selling stories to Take-a-Break  and their sister magazine, Fiction Feast, for ten years. In this session she will be looking at the kind of stories they publish and how to increase your chances of making a sale to this profitable market.

There will be an opportunity to ask any questions and handouts will be available to anyone who leaves their email address.

If you have written a story for Take a Break, why not bring it with you to the Festival? Linda will be happy to give you some feedback. www.akacatherinehoward.weebly.com
http://akacatherinehoward.blogspot.com

WEB SITE – www.akacatherinehoward.weebly.com
NEW! Follow me on TWITTER, just search for Linda Lewis or 55linda55 

Further updates for the Nawg Festival of Writing

Bookings are now coming in steadily and I urge you to book your place soon to avoid disappointment. Advertisements are coming out in the July issue of two Writing magazines, but we want to make sure that the needs of you, our members are satisfied first.

One-to-Ones

We have organised with the tutors this year, a series of One-to-Ones, giving delegates the chance of detailed feedback of work in progress.  All the four tutors are happy to do this for £30 a session. (Open to delegates only)  They will take place during the 11.30 – 12.30 talk by Linda Lewis (se above) on Saturday morning (sorry that you might miss a little of this) and in the afternoon during the hour timetabled as ‘Writing Time’.

Book your spot with Anne Steward, either directly or with your booking. Contact for more details, casualwriter@hotmail.com or, telephone 01484-769930

Once you have booked your slot you will need to send, directly to the tutor a sample of your work.  You will then be given a 20 minute slot during one of the times given above for a One-to-One session with the tutor.

Requests for sending your manuscripts, asked for by the tutors:
James Nash: Work to him by last Monday in August before the festival. 5 x 40 line poems / one story /other prose up to 2000 words.

Tim Wilson: Maximum 5000 words, and submission 4 weeks before the festival.

Julie Bokowiec:  Play samples should be around ten pages – preferably opening scenes of a large play or complete ten page short scripts. One month before the Festival please.

Steve Bowkett: Maximum, a 2000 word piece. Send scripts at least a couple of weeks before the Festival. He is happy to look at children’s fiction including poetry for children, children’s / adult SF, fantasy, horror, educational ideas / proposals / series concepts, general fiction.

Remember – these sessions can only be booked by delegates attending the Festival of Writing in Nottingham.  If you haven’t booked yet see details on Festival Page. 

Another request to those who are going to the Festival

On Saturday evening, after all the excitement of the Gala Dinner, you can let your hair down and take part in our ‘After Dinner Sparkles’ your four minutes of fame! If you are coming to the Festival with other members of your writing group – why not prepare a short sketch for our entertainment? Or, if you are a solo artiste, get yourself prepared beforehand.  Names will be collected over the course of the festival for the event at approximately 9.30, on the Saturday evening, after the Gala Dinner.

Julie Amanda Bokowiec

                                                                             Julie is a playwright and theatre artist. Her current touring production THE LAST CUCKOO stars Olivier Award winning actor Paul Copley.  Her plays have been nominated and short-listed for a number of major awards including the Whitbread London Fringe Theatre Award for THE RED ROOM, the Soho Theatre’s Verity Bargate Award for PUNCH and BITE (TOBY-DOG-SAVAGE) also short listed for the Bruntwood Award, and the Alfred Bradley Award (BBC Radio).  Julie has written and directed original drama and music theatre works in association with Opera North and Trestle Theatre Company and has been commissioned by, among others, the Royal Theatre Bath, Bradford Theatres, Harrogate International Festival, the Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and a range of international festivals. As a performer Julie regularly tours internationally and is an established figure in the emerging field of digital interactive performance.  Julie teaches a highly popular playwriting course at the Lawrence Batley Theatre (now in its fifth year) is a regular guest lecturer at a number of Universities and has delivered a number of one-off workshops and short courses for a range of theatre companies including Library Theatre Manchester.  Julie is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Huddersfield.

 Linda Lewis

 Linda Lewis is a full time writer, making a living from selling short stories to a variety of magazines including My Weekly, Woman’s Weekly, and Yours. She writes the Short Story Success column in Writers’ Forum where she passes on her tips and experience. She has been selling stories to Take A Break  and their sister magazine, Fiction Feast, for ten years. In this session she will be looking at the kind of stories they publish and how to increase your chances of making a sale to this profitable market. There will be an opportunity to ask any questions and handouts will be available to anyone who leaves their email address. If you have written a story for Take a Break, why not bring it with you to the Festival? Linda will be happy to give you some feedback.

www.akacatherinehoward.weebly.com   
http://akacatherinehoward.blogspot.com
WEB SITE – www.akacatherinehoward.weebly.com
NEW!   Follow me on TWITTER, just search for Linda Lewis or 55linda55

Simon Whaley 

Simon Whaley is the bestselling author of 100 Ways For A Dog To Train Its Human, which has sold over 223,000 copies, as well as the author of nine other non-fiction books. His latest, The Positively Productive Writer, is published by Compass Books and offers writers practical steps on how to reject rejection and enjoy positive steps to publication.

Simon has written hundreds of magazine articles for publications as diverse as The Lady, Discover Britain, BBC Countryfile, Outdoor Photography, Dogs Monthly, Writing Magazine, Writers’ News, Amateur Photographer and Holiday Villas and Cottages. He is a regular contributor to The New Writer, and Country Walking.

Simon’s short stories have been published in the UK, Ireland and Australia, in Yours, Take a Break, Take a Break’s Fiction Feast, Ireland’s Own, The Weekly News and That’s Life Fast Fiction.

More information can be found about Simon on his website at www.simonwhaley.co.uk, or you can follow him on Twitter: @simonwhaley. 

Alison Chisholm  

Alison Chisholm has written nine collections of poetry, the distance learning poetry course of The Writers Bureau, and numerous textbooks on the craft of writing.  She is a Writing Magazine columnist and competition adjudicator, and gives talks, readings and workshops throughout the UK and overseas.

New for this year – extra Open Talks/Workshops and One-to-Ones 

Steve Bowkett

Steve Bowkett was born and brought up in the mining valleys of South Wales. He started writing for pleasure at the age of thirteen, shortly after moving to the Leicester area, where he still lives. 

Steve’s background is in education. He taught English for 18 years in Leicestershire High Schools, though is now a full-time writer, storyteller, educational consultant and also a qualified hypnotherapist.

In his time he has written fantasy and SF for teenagers, adult and teen horror, romance, mainstream fiction for pre-teens, fiction and non-fiction for younger readers and poetry for all ages. He has also published a number of educational books, principally in the fields of literacy, creativity, thinking skills and emotional resourcefulness. To date Steve has published over fifty titles plus numerous short stories and poems.   www.stevebowkett.co.uk 

New for 2012- Friday Evening Entertainment

We would like to introduce you to Mark Gwynne Jones
an hour to look forward to on Friday 31st August 2012.

Five times fringe-award winner, Mark Gwynne Jones is well known for mind altering poetry with an almost music-hall edge. He mixes humour and poignancy with great skill and through collaborations with film-makers and musicians he is pushing poetry in new and exciting directions. Mark’s work is contagious, gritty and sometimes startlingly sensitive. 

‘Inspired… one of the most accomplished performance poets in the land…drawing the audience into a world where things are not quite what they seem’
The Guardian 

‘Astonishing…you’ll love this show!’
The Daily Mail 

‘The brilliant Mark Gwynne Jones. Passionate…captivating and slightly mad, mind altering poetry’  Edinburgh Three Weeks 

‘Mark Gwynne Jones should be ruined with fame and money before he shows the rest of us up for the bunch of sissies we are. But if you don’t want the truth, don’t call a poet, at least not a real one.’ Martin Newell, The Independent 

‘I always stipulate that who ever is on with me hasn’t got to be any good – this one got past me – I don’t know how, but heads will roll.’
John Cooper Clarke 

Appearing solo and with Psychicbread (a show combining poetry and music) Mark has toured with Kate Rusby and performed alongside The Levellers, Alan Bates, Mark Radcliffe and John Peel favourites Half Man Half Biscuit. He has sold poetry to the CIA; written poetry with disenfranchised kids in some of the most deprived areas of Britain and held writing residencies at The Harley Gallery; The Cornerhouse Cinema, Manchester;  Sudbury Prison and with Service Children’s Education in the Netherlands, Germany and Cyprus. Mark regularly performs at Ronnie Scott’s, Soho and at music and literature festivals throughout the UK and abroad. In 2008 Loughborough University commissioned Mark to write a series of poems for a performance walk and following the event’s success, Gunpowder Parks commissioned him to write in and around four of London’s central parks exploring what is meant by ‘common ground’ in 21st century Britain. In 2011 Glassball Arts commissioned Mark to write and record a new collection of lyrical works inspired by places in and around the Peak District. Mark has won The National Trust Poetry Competition and the Buxton Festival Fringe. He has staged multi-media shows with artists in Glasgow, Copenhagen and Amsterdam and has appeared on a compilation CD alongside new work by Rick Wakeman, Gordon Giltrap and Roy Harper (The Sky Goes all the Way Home, Voiceprint Records). 

 With film-maker Andy Lawrence, Mark has produced a unique series of 6 film-poems. It’s Only Water was broadcast by ITV and The Message, a screenplay mixing poetry and drama, ran for seven nights on SKY television.

 BBC Radio 3’s Verity Sharp featured Mark’s album of poetry and music In the light of this (Route, 2007) and his debut collection the book/cd Psychicbread (Route, 2003) has played on radio stations from California to Sydney, Australia. Both publications are available from www.route-online.com  

For contact details, interviews, photographs and other press related matters, please contact Isabel Galan at Route on 01977 797695 or by email Isabel@route-online.com 

For free films, music downloads and more visit
http://www.route-online.com/authors/mark-gwynne-jones.html