Friday 16 December 2022

Spark Young Writers Toolkit, Saturday 25 March 2023, Birmingham

For writers aged14-24:

Young Writers' Toolkit 2023

Are you 14 - 24? Do you love writing? Are you wondering how you can continue doing it after you’ve finished studying? Perhaps you're wondering whether you want to study English or Creative Writing. Or perhaps you’re considering a career as a feature writer, journalist, editor in a publishing house, or marketing copywriter.

We’re here to help!

Join us for the first in-person Young Writers’ Toolkit for those aged 14 - 24, and their parents and carers.

With plenty of opportunities to ask questions and meet other writers your age, the Young Writers’ Toolkit will help you find out:

· How to go from writing for fun, to writing and getting paid

· What happens on a creative writing university course

· How to find sources of inspiration and motivation when you get stuck

· Do you need to study Creative Writing at University to be a writer? (Clue: no!)

· What other jobs you could do which still use your writing skills and passion

· More about working in the publishing industry

One-to-ones are also available in the morning – these need to be booked separately and are available on a first come, first served basis. These one-to-one sessions are for you to discuss directly with Writing West Midlands staff anything you’d like to know about in more depth, tailored just for you. We can signpost you to relevant competitions or publications, or suggest sources of information for you to research to help you make decisions about your next steps.

Our speakers include:

· Novelist and Creative Writing Lecturer Charley Barnes

· Former Birmingham Young Poet Laureate and writer Nyanda Foday

· TV producer and scriptwriter David Chikwe

· YouTuber, book reviewer and former book publicist Leena Normington

· Former Birmingham Poet Laureate, performer and workshop leader Casey Bailey

The Young Writers’ Toolkit is essential for any young writers looking to go to University to study creative writing; who would like to forge a career as a writer; or who simply want to find out more about how that might be possible.