Writers' Centre Norwich newsletter

The latest Writers' Centre Norwich newsletter has been released, including details of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, Escalator Writing competition and Finance Manager vacancy:

February 2015

Welcome to the new Writers' Centre Norwich newsletter - bringing you the latest news, events and courses from England's first UNESCO City of Literature.     Booking open for Creative Writing Online Spring 2016     Booking is open for beginner and intermediate courses in fiction and poetry starting April 2016. Study Creative Writing with WCN and the University of East Anglia and benefit from UEA's international teaching expertise and reputation in the field. Online and 'in person' courses available: Poetry: The Essentials with Liz Berry (Online) Fiction: The Essentials with Anjali Joseph (Online) Fiction: The Essentials with Ian Nettleton (In person) Writing Fiction (Intermediate) with Sarah Bower (In person) Places are limited to ensure a tailored experience. Bookings are accepted on a first come first served basis. Deadline for application: Monday 21 March.    Share Tweet     Fierce Light, Norfolk & Norwich Festival Norwich Playhouse,   Fri 13 May, 7.30pm, £18     Booking now open - a world premiere event and major national co-commission which opens the City of Literature programme at Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2016. Perhaps no art form captured the complexity and terror of the First World War more acutely than poetry. As we approach 100 years since the Battle of the Somme, Fierce Light brings together outstanding international poets with filmmakers and visual artists to explore the war and its legacy in the 21st century. Join Simon Armitage, Daljit Nagra and Jo Shapcott for live readings of their poems alongside work by Yrsa Daley-Ward, Jackie Kay, Bill Manhire, Paul Muldoon, and excerpts from a series of specially commissioned short films. An exhibition of the poems, films and images will take place at Norwich University of the Arts' EAST Gallery from Tuesday 10 - Saturday 28 May. Fierce Light is co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW, Norfolk & Norwich Festival and Writers’ Centre Norwich.   Share Tweet     Deadline for Escalator 26 February     Applications for our talent development programme, Escalator, close at 5pm on Friday 26 February.  We're looking to support ten ambitious fiction writers in the East of England who show promise and think that a period of structured support would enable them to develop artistically. The selected applicants will be awarded a unique professional development package which includes one-to-one mentoring from an established writer, a series of workshops as part of a residential retreat, and a final showcase to agents and publishers. Click here to find out more info and apply.   Share Tweet     Writing for Children - One Day Masterclass Writers' Centre Norwich, Dragon Hall,  Sat 2 April, 10am-6pm, £40 / £30 conc     Do you love writing for children, but you're not sure about your next steps? Want to learn more about the challenge and excitement of YA writing? Join us for a day-long masterclass covering all aspects of writing for children. Former Bloomsbury children’s editor Helen Szirtes provides an editor’s perspective on the publishing landscape. Poet, writer and Penguin author Robert Paul Weston discusses writing children's poetry; author Alex Gordon Smith shares ideas on YA prose, and illustrator Nadine Kaadan looks at storytelling through illustration. Spaces limited to ensure a tailored experience - Book now.   Share Tweet

Discuss...   Why do you love your library? Catch up on our blog series, and share your love of libraries on Twitter @WritersCentre.   Watch...   From the WCN archive - prize-winning authors Emma Healey and Helen Macdonald in conversation with WCN Programme Director Jon Morley.  Read...   Former Escalator winner and poet Eileen Pun reflects on her writing residency in China and the interplay of poetry and martial arts.   Listen...   Internationally acclaimed Korean writer and our former Writer in Residence Han Kang discusses her new book, Human Acts, with Susie Orbach at the Free Word Centre.

Young Ambassadors in Schools   Do you know a young person aged 14-18 who is interested in reading, writing and books? We’re searching for Young Ambassadors in Schools who would like to help us celebrate our UNESCO City of Literature status and build on our region’s rich literary heritage. The free WCN-UNESCO Young Ambassador scheme offers students free leadership training. Find out more. Deadline: Friday 12 Feb   Share Tweet     Mona Arshi at UEA Live Writers' Centre Norwich, Dragon Hall Thurs 18 Feb, 6.30pm, free entry, no booking required   We welcome 'Britain's most promising writer' (The Times) Mona Arshi to the next UEA Live, where she'll read from her debut collection, Small Hands. Mona will be joined by some of UEA's most promising writers from the Creative Writing MA. Enjoy the pop-up bar, browse books from The Book Hive, and meet fellow writing enthusiasts in the wonderful setting of Dragon Hall. Free entry - all welcome.   Share Tweet     Launch of Lost Evenings, Lost Lives with Lakshmi Holmstrom Writers' Centre Norwich, Dragon Hall Wed 17 Feb, 6pm, free entry, no booking required   Join us for the launch of Lost Evenings Lost Lives, a bilingual anthology of Tamil poetry edited and translated by Lakshmi Holmström and Sascha Ebeling. Our special guest Lakshmi Holmström will give readings - some in their original Tamil - which chart some of the main events that occurred during the course of nearly thirty years of war in Sri Lanka. Entry is free. To attend, please RSVP to info@writerscentrenorwich.org.uk.   Share Tweet     Free storytelling day for kids Writers' Centre Norwich, Dragon Hall Sat 2 April, 12.45pm, free entry, no booking required   Celebrate International Children's Book Day with a free storytelling event that's suitable for the whole family at WCN Dragon Hall. Children's writers Robert Paul Weston, Nadine Kaadan and Alexander Gordon Smith bring their stories to life, followed by the opportunity to ask them questions about what it's like to be a writer. Suitable for children 5+ years. Entry is free and there's no need to book. Find out more.   Share Tweet     Take a guided heritage tour of Dragon Hall   Dragon Hall, now home to Writers’ Centre Norwich contains over 1,000 years of stories from witches marks to butchers, slums, brothels and brawls. Join one of our Dragon Hall Heritage Trust Volunteers for a guided tour of one of the cities favourite buildings and get a sneak preview of our plans for a National Centre for Writing to open in 2018. The next tour takes place on Tues 16 February at 2pm. Tours last 1hr – 1hr 30. £2.50 payable on the door. Find out more.   Share Tweet     Final chance to RSVP for R.F.Langley   Last chance to RSVP for the free R.F.Langley event on 11 Feb at WCN, Dragon Hall. Featuring readings from award-winning writers Helen Macdonald and Julia Blackburn amongst others. Email info@writerscentrenorwich.org.uk to attend or click here to find out more.   Share Tweet     We're hiring! Finance Manager vacancy   WCN is searching for a Finance Manager to keep an eye on our purse strings! Interested? Click here for further details and an application form. Deadline: 9am Monday 15 Feb   Share Tweet     You may also be interested in...   UEA Spring Literature Festival This year’s UEA Spring Literary Festival presents eight exceptional writers, including Channel 4 Economics Editor Paul Mason, novelist Julie Myerson, UNESCO City of Literature Visiting Professor Tim Parks and legendary broadcaster, Melvyn Bragg. For full details visit their website. International Literary Translation and Creative Writing Summer School, 24 – 30 July 2016 Bringing together writers and translators for a week of hands-on literary translation practice, creative writing workshops, lectures and readings. Language specific workshops will be on offer with languages to be announced shortly.Further details to be announced shortly. The Clore Fellowship 2016/17 Are you an exceptional individual with the potential and desire to lead within culture? The Clore Fellowship brings together some of the most creative and dynamic cultural leaders in the UK and beyond for a life-changing adventure - it is an intense personal and professional learning experience unlike any other. Find out more - deadline 12 Feb. Royal Society of Literature Events in the Royal Society of Literature spring/summer programme include: Robert Harris discussing The Political Novel (23 February) and The T.S. Eliot Memorial Reading (18 April) with Simon Armitage, Mona Arshi and Zaffar Kunial. Click for full listings and to book. Writer in Residence Programme Prague UNESCO City of Literature is calling for applications for its residency programme in 2016. Three residencies are available for July-August, September-October and November-December. Applications close 29 Feb. Find out more.     Support us To make a donation in support of our work, or to find out how else to get involved, please visit our Support Us page.

Writers' Centre Norwich and the National Centre for Writing is a partnership between WCN and:         Copyright © 2016 Writers' Centre Norwich, All rights reserved. Registered charity number: 1110725 Our mailing address is: Writers' Centre Norwich Dragon Hall 115 - 123 King Street Norwich, Norfolk NR1 1QE United Kingdom