Workshops, courses, opportunities and more:

Apply for a Desmond Elliott Prize Residency in 2023

Six-week memoir writing course with Sarah Bower

Starts Wednesday 11 January for six weeks, 10am-12.30pm, online, £20 (bursaries available)

Are you age 70+ and would like to develop the skills to tell your life story?

‘A Life Written’ is a course of six weekly creative life writing workshops in which participants are guided through decisions, spark points and themes to help consider their own lives, acknowledge their own interesting experiences, and discover what it is they would like to tell others.

We are offering a limited number of free, bursary spaces for those who are in receipt of pension credits or who use Age UK services. To access bursaries please email our team at info@nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk with ‘Bursary: A Life Written’ in the subject line or call 01603 877177.

There is a maximum of 12 spaces available on the course. Booking secures your place on all seven sessions.

Buy an inspirational screen print for a loved one this Christmas

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift? Need a shot of colour to brighten up your walls? Purchase a high-quality print (each one hand-made by Well Nice Prints, an independent printmaking studio in the city) featuring inspirational quotes from literary figures of Norwich, including Sir Thomas Browne, Julian of Norwich, and more!

All proceeds will go towards our Escalator Talent Development Programme, supporting local underrepresented writers at the beginning of their career.

A5 prints are £7.50 each (free p&p in the UK). A4 prints are £11.

Buy here →

WORKSHOPS AND COURSES

Start writing in 2023 with a tutored online creative writing course

From Mon 23 January, 12 or 18 weeks, online, £475-950

Develop a writing routine and gain regular feedback on your work from an experienced tutor with an online creative writing course. Our courses can be accessed from anywhere in the world, at any time. They include exercises, interactive Zoom sessions, hand-picked resources and regular tutor feedback, and you’ll share the experience with a small group of fellow students. Browse our courses →

Experimenting in Poetry with Cat Woodward

Starts Fri 24 February, six weeks, online, £155-175

Take your poetry in exciting and unique directions with prize-winning poet Cat Woodward. Try out new techniques, learn to questions conventions, and build your confidence in reading and responding to contemporary poetry as inspiration for your own work. Sign up for Cat's course →

Writing true crime with Sonia Faleiro

Starts Mon 27 February, eight weeks, online, £200-220

Learn how to research, develop and write your true crime story with Sonia Faleiro, critically acclaimed author of The Good Girls. Over eight weeks you will hone your writing skills, discuss ethical approaches to your subjects, and explore the different opportunities available to writers of the genre. Sign up for Sonia's course →

Experimenting with fiction with Jarred McGinnis

Starts Tue 7 March, eight weeks, online, £180-200

Jumpstart your creativity and question the conventional ‘rules’ of writing in this friendly online course led by novelist Jarred McGinnis. Looking at playful use of language, inspiration from other artforms and digital possibilities, this course will give you the courage and confidence to embrace experimentation. Sign up for Jarred's course →

WRITER AND TRANSLATOR OPPORTUNITIES

Apply for a Desmond Elliott Prize Residency 2023

We are offering three fully funded writing residencies for debut novelists at the Dragon Hall Cottage, Norwich UNESCO City of Literature in August 2023.

This exciting opportunity is part of Season of Debuts, a programme which champions the work of first-time novelists from the UK. It is a legacy of the Desmond Elliott Prize.

To be eligible to apply you must:

Be a permanent resident of the UK or Ireland
Have published a debut fiction novel in the UK or Ireland between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023
This work must be a full-length, literary fiction novel written for adults

Deadline to apply: Tue 31 January 2023.

Apply now→

Apply for a Ljubljana City of Literature Residency 2023

Ljubljana City of Literature are offering two one-month residencies for writers at the Švicarija/Swisshouse Creative Centre, which is part of the International Centre of Graphic Arts — one in June 2023, and one in October/November 2023.

Deadline to apply: Sat 7 January 2023.

Apply now →

NORWICH UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE

Meet the six writers selected for Escalator 2022-23

Each year, NCW seeks ambitious, challenging, unconventional and affecting new voices in fiction writing from the East of England for our Escalator Talent Development Programme.

Congratulations to Miriam Balanescu, Siobhan Costello, Sibi Datta, George Harrison, Richard Queensborough and Debbie Vince, who have been selected as this year's cohort. They will each receive eight months of mentoring, training, guidance and networking. Find out more about the writers →

Meet our translator in residence, Arthur Reiji Morris

We are delighted to introduce our current Dragon Hall Cottage resident, Arthur Reiji Morris.

Arthur is a translator of Japanese literature, manga, and video games. Born in London, he graduated from the University of Leeds in 2015, before moving to Tokyo. He then returned to the UK in 2019 and is now based in London. He is the translator of Li Kotomi’s Solo Dance. This is a Visible Communities residency.

We are very excited to get to know Arthur, and look forward to reading the work he produces during his stay!

Read more about our residencies here →

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Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Translation Prize

Deadline: Fri 31 March 2023

Applications are opening for the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Translation Prize on 1 January 2023! This is a dedicated prize for translation into English from Japanese. The winners will be awarded £3,000, with the runner-up receiving £1,000. Find out more →

The Ginkgo Prize for ecopoetry

Deadline: Sat 25 March 2023

Applications are open for the The Ginkgo Prize, celebrating poems that cover aspects of landscape, relating to any place in the UK. The winner will be awarded £5,000, and will be named the ‘Best Poem of UK Landscape’. Find out more →

Donate to the National Centre for Writing

As a UK registered charity, we rely on the generosity of our supporters to make our work possible. Please consider making a donation today to ensure that the writers of tomorrow get the support they need to thrive and tell their story, whatever their background. Support us today →