National Centre for Writing newsletter

With details of an East of England fiction writer competition and more:

Plus - the Christmas Open House View in browser November 2018 What's On Blog & News Support for writers About Apply for a free manuscript assessment Entries for the Free Reads scheme close this month Each year, we team up with Arts Council England and The Literary Consultancy to offer 10 applicants a free opportunity to have their work assessed and reported back on by a professional. The Free Reads scheme is designed for writers living in the East of England who are finding that financial barriers are stunting their progress. Application deadline: midnight on Thursday 15 November Christmas Open House - come and meet us! Saturday 1 December, 11am - 4pm Our Christmas Open House is the perfect opportunity to explore the magnificent Dragon Hall, learn more about the National Centre for Writing and entertain the family for an afternoon. There will be storytelling for children, arts and crafts, seasonal light refreshments and heritage tours of the building. Coming up at the National Centre for Writing Life writing in a post-Brexit world:  workshop with Katy Massey Saturday 10 November, 1 - 4pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall Interested in memoir and life writing? Do you have a story to tell about how your life in the UK has changed since the Brexit referendum? Through short exercises, reading and discussion you’ll learn how to share and craft your experience of social change. Jacob Polley: Lamanby Saturday 10 November, 6 - 7pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall Inspired by Jacob Polley’s TS Eliot award-winning collection Jackself, and with the poet himself reading his work live, the performance takes the audience on a multi-media journey through the extraordinary story of an imagined childhood house. A performance resonating with voices, film, monsters and music. Dragon Hall Salon Thursday 13 November, doors 6.30pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall Open to anyone who makes, reads and works with words, the Dragon Hall Salon is an opportunity to grab a drink from the bar, meet people, cook up plans and compare notes, to talk books, and to hear what’s happening in Norwich. Taking part in NaNoWriMo? We want to hear how you’re doing! UEA Live: Patrick Langley Thursday 15 November, doors 6.30pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall Showcasing the very best of UEA’s past, present and future literary talent. Patrick Langley writes about art for frieze, Art Agenda, and other publications. He is a contributing editor at The White Review. Arkady is his first novel. With special faculty guest reader Sophie Robinson. Guided tour of Dragon Hall Monday 19 November, 2pm, National Centre for Writing,  Dragon Hall Come and explore the historic Dragon Hall, now home to the National Centre for Writing, and take a guided tour of this fascinating building. Learn more about its architectural and social history from an experienced guide. Dragon Hall Debate: Are We Living In A New Age of Anxiety? Monday 26 November, doors 6.30pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall With an epidemic amongst young people in depression and anxiety, and policy-makers now looking at ways of addressing public wellbeing, we ask - are we living in a new age of anxiety? This event is fully booked. Click below to join the waiting list. Give a Norwich statue a female voice Talking Statues competition closes on Friday 30 November Did you know that less than 20% of UK statues are of women? To help address this imbalance, we're on the hunt for a talented writer to pen a female monologue and celebrate Norwich’s impressive lineage of radical women. The winner will join the likes of Sarah Perry, Megan Bradbury and Luke Wright as part of the Talking Statues Norwich trail, which tells the story of Norwich and its inhabitants through interactive statues across the city. Latest from the NCW podcast NaNoWriMo primer with Elizabeth Haynes Writing historical crime with Nicola Upson Translation in action with Gerbrand Bakker Join us for the East Anglian Book Awards  Celebrating the best in writing from the East of England Join us for a celebration of regional writing as we announce the winners of the East Anglian Book Awards 2018! We welcome authors Simon Scarrow, Rebecca Stott and Carl Gorham to talk about their experiences as authors in the region, and also to present the prizes to the winners of the 2018 East Anglian Book Awards. Friday 23 November, noon, Top of the Terrace, Norwich City Football Club You may also be interested in... Developing your Creative Practice: Round 3 now open Deadline: Wednesday 14 November A new Arts Council England development fund designed to support independent creative practitioners to ensure excellence is thriving in the arts and culture sector. Find out more >> Peepal Tree Press: Call for submissions Deadline: Thursday 15 November Peepal Tree Press is launching an open call for intersectional work by women on the themes of race, gender, austerity, hope and resistance. Find out more >> Residency opportunity: Hordaland kunstsenter, Norway Deadline: Friday 30 November Artist-in-residence applications are invited from all kinds of arts professionals whose work significantly involves writing, typography, text and publishing. Find out more >> Support us As a UK registered charity, we rely on the generosity of our supporters to make our work possible. Please consider making a gift to ensure that the power of creative writing continues to influence and inspire generations to come. Donate now Have you attended an event or workshop with us in the last year? We are carrying out a survey to help us learn more about our audiences as a requirement of our Arts Council funding and would be very grateful for your feedback. Take the survey The National Centre for Writing is supported by: Copyright © 2018 National Centre for Writing, All rights reserved. Registered charity number: 1110725 Our mailing address is: National Centre for Writing Dragon Hall 115 - 123 King Street Norwich, Norfolk NR1 1QE United Kingdom Forward to a friend:

A multi-media journey with voices, film, monsters and music Saturday 10 November, 6pm National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall £8 / £7 conc    Jacob Polley - winner of the 2016 TS Eliot prize for poetry - is regarded as one of the leading talents of the new generation of British poets.    Inspired by his award-winning collection Jackself, and with the poet himself reading his work live, Lamanby takes the audience on a multi-media journey through an imagined childhood house which becomes the site of an alternative personal history. With remarkable music and soundscapes created by John Alder, the performance resonates with voices, film, monsters and music, telling a story charged with strangeness and poetry. 'Lamanby is poetry and performance at its best – a celebration of various art forms, and their power to evoke the memories and emotions which make us human.' – Amy Strong, Durham Book Festival Produced by New Writing North for Durham Book Festival and supported by Arts Council England. The National Centre for Writing is supported by: Copyright © 2018 National Centre for Writing, All rights reserved. Registered charity number: 1110725 Our mailing address is: National Centre for Writing Dragon Hall 115 - 123 King Street Norwich, Norfolk NR1 1QE United Kingdom Follow us:    Forward Share with a friend:

We're on the hunt for the next fiction bestseller October 2018 What's On Blog & News Support for writers About We're on the hunt for the next fiction bestseller Escalator Talent Development Scheme now open for applications The National Centre for Writing is on the hunt for ten exciting fiction writers (novel or short story) in the East of England to take part in the talent development scheme. The successful applicants will receive five sessions of one-to-one mentoring, a writers' retreat in Norwich UNESCO City of Literature, workshops and development sessions, and a showcase event in London. Application deadline: 5pm on Monday 29 October Experience J.M. Coetzee's Man Booker Prize-winning novel Life & Times of Michael K A live storytelling event with the Booker Prize Foundation Fresh from its premiere at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, this event brings Michael K to life through staged readings and film footage. An immersive new way of enjoying books by Story Machine Productions. Offer: £5 tickets for students and under 25s Thursday 18 October, 7pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall Free half-term workshops for young people Including scriptwriting, poetry and monologue writing Write Your Own World Suitable for 14-to-17-year-olds Monday 22 October, 1 – 4pm, National Centre for Writing,  Dragon Hall Smudge together prose, performance and sound to heighten your reality with theatre-maker Dominic Biddle. In this workshop, you’ll get to explore Dragon Hall and discover its hidden secrets with the help of a soundscape developed by Dom.  The Poetry Rebellion Suitable for 11-to-13-year-olds Tuesday 23 October, 10am – 12pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall Become a rebel poet with this lawless, hands-on workshop. You’ll get stuck into cut-up poetry, learn erasure techniques and word games to find out how you can use other people’s writing for your own, unruly needs! Making a Drama Suitable for 14-to-17-year-olds Tuesday 23 October, 1 – 4pm, National Centre for Writing,  Dragon Hall An introduction to scriptwriting with Donna Watmough-Triggs. Participants will have the opportunity to develop ideas into scripts for either film or theatre, develop character and dialogue, and consider the difference between the word on paper and the word in action. Talking Statues: Writing a Monologue Suitable for under 16s Wednesday 24 October, 2 – 4pm, The Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell YA novelist Alexander Gordon Smith will use Snap the Dragon, a resident of the Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell and one of ten statues featured in the Talking Statues Norwich trail, as a springboard for teaching young people how to write the perfect monologue. Coming up at the National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall Life writing in a post-Brexit world Workshop with Katy Massey Saturday 10 November, 1 - 4pm, National Centre for Writing Interested in memoir and life writing? Do you have a story to tell about how your life in the UK has changed since the Brexit referendum? Then this workshop is for you. Guided tour of Dragon Hall Monday 15 October, 2pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall Come and explore the historic Dragon Hall, now home to the National Centre for Writing, and take a full guided tour of this fascinating building. Learn more about the architectural and social history of this 15th century building from an experienced guide. Dragon Hall Salon Tuesday 16 October, 6.30pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall Join Norwich’s writing community for a free evening of conversation, ideas and support each month. Coinciding with the recent reveal of the Man Booker Prize shortlist, this month’s Salon is Man Booker-themed. Dragon Hall Debate: Should We Let Nature Take Its Course? Monday 22 October, doors 6.30pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall Park Barkham, author of Coastlines: The Story of our Shore, and Happisburgh coastal campaigner Malcolm Kerby join our panel to discuss and debate Norfolk’s vulnerable coasts and the people who call them home. UEA Live: Ayobami Adebayo Thursday 25 October, doors 6.30pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall A Black History Month celebration featuring Ayobami Adebayo, author of Stay with Me (shortlisted for the Baileys Prize for Women’s Fiction), and special faculty guest speaker Claire Hynes. Jacob Polley performs Lamanby at Dragon Hall Winner of the 2016 T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry Inspired by Jacob Polley’s T.S. Eliot award-winning collection Jackself, and with the poet himself reading his work live, this performance takes the audience on a multi-media journey through an imagined childhood house, which becomes the site of an alternative personal history. With remarkable music and soundscapes created by John Alder and film by Ian Fenton, Lamanby resonates with voices, film, monsters and music. Get your manuscript assessed for free  Low-income writers can apply for TLC:ACE Free Reads  Each year, we partner with The Literary Consultancy and Arts Council England to offer free, professional manuscript assessment to ten writers on a low income in the East of England. If you are an aspiring writer from the area and are finding that financial barriers are stunting your progress, submit to the TLC:ACE Free Reads scheme by midnight on Thursday 15 November. Give a statue a voice Creative Writing competition Enter the Talking Statues creative writing competition be in with the chance for your monologue to be professionally recorded and showcase as part of Talking Statues Norwich! Deadline: midnight on Friday 30 November Latest from the NCW podcast The Noirwich Lecture 2018: Val McDermid Bringing literature events to life Anthony Horowitz and The Word is Murder You may also be interested in... Wymondham Words 19 October - 2 November, Wymondham South Norfolk’s festival of literature, poetry, drama and conversation. Featuring Mark Cocker, Louis de Bernières, Rebecca Stott, Cathi Unsworth and many more. Find out more >> The Emma Press launches call for Gothic poems Deadline: Friday 9 November The Emma Press has launched a call for poems inspired by the Gothic. Successful poems will be published in an anthology to be edited by Nisha Bhakoo and Charlotte Geater. Find out more >> H.E.Bates Short Story Competition 2018 Deadline: Monday 3 December Writers across the country are invited to enter original stories up to 2,000 words in length to the H.E.Bates Short Story Competition. First prize £500. Find out more >> Support us As a UK registered charity, we rely on the generosity of our supporters to make our work possible. Please consider making a gift to ensure that the power of creative writing continues to influence and inspire generations to come. Donate now Have you attended an event or workshop with us in the last year? We are carrying out a survey to help us learn more about our audiences as a requirement of our Arts Council funding and would be very grateful for your feedback. Take the survey The National Centre for Writing is supported by: Copyright © 2018 National Centre for Writing, All rights reserved. Registered charity number: 1110725 Our mailing address is: National Centre for Writing Dragon Hall 115 - 123 King Street Norwich, Norfolk NR1 1QE United Kingdom  Forward Forward to a friend: