Friday 1 March 2024

Spark Young Writers Highlight newsletter

With details of magazine submissions, competitions and opportunities:

Spark Young Writers Highlight

This week our Ross on Wye Juniors made scrap paper poems!

In a workshop led by lead writer Fiona Harding, the young people played around with words and text to make something that was their own. Take a look:

Designed as a course of 10 sessions, we meet every month on a Saturday for 2 hours of fun, friendly, and informal creative writing workshops.

In February, our groups covered a range of topics including poems and song lyrics, writing from the point of view of objects, Valentine's day themed stories and so much more.

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Spark Magazine: Submit Now

Submissions for the spring edition of the Spark magazine are still open. The deadline for receipt of writing is: 6pm, 25th March, 2024.

Magazine submission guidelines

· Submit up to 3 pieces (any form of creative writing) of no more than 500 words.

· Name of child. Full name preferred, but we will accept just a first name.

· Title for piece.

· No extracts – complete pieces only.

· You must either attend a Spark Young Writers group, or live or study in the West Midlands.

Issue 28 of Spark Young Writers Magazine will be published in April 2024. This issue of the magazine has no prescribed theme.

Not all pieces submitted will be accepted. However, all submissions are acknowledged with constructive criticism offered by our professional editor. We will make minor edits to spelling, punctuation and grammar, to improve readability where necessary.

Head over to the Spark Young Writers website for more information.

Find out more

Competitions and Opportunities

A brand new creative adventure - The Power Project is for teenagers in Stoke-on-Trent/North Staffs and starts this month!

This Spring we start gathering young people aged 13-17 who will work alongside a team of artists to create an epic new show, planned for 2025.

For more info and how to sign up our open workshops for 13-17yr olds, go to our website page here.

And if you are/have a teenager interested in writing, performance, tech or just discussing POWER get in touch info@restoke.org.uk

Applications are now open for Worcestershire’s Young Poet Laureate 2024!

As Young Poet Laureate you could…

· Have your work published

· Receive mentoring from professional poets

· Gain opportunities to perform and share your work

If this sounds like it could be you, book now for a free poetry writing workshop at The Hive and Droitwich Library.

More information can be found here

The New Art Gallery Walsall are proud to introduce The Joy Project.

The project aims to foster a sense of inclusivity and belonging at the Gallery for young people aged 16-24, who wish to explore the Gallery’s Collections in a joyful way, and come together to promote unity and positivity. The project will be led by the young people, for young people, and will offer a unique opportunity to work with a curator to develop a project at the Gallery.

The New Art Gallery Walsall will be hosting a series of informal chats throughout March where you can find out more. Click here for the dates and more information.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the BBC Young Writers’ Award, celebrating and nurturing the incredible talent of writers aged 14-18 years old. To apply, you have to write a short story of up to 1,000 words – no theme, no subject, just great storytelling.

Shortlisted writers’ stories are professionally recorded and made available on the BBC, with the shortlist invited to an award ceremony broadcast live on BBC radio, where the winner is announced. Submissions for the 2024 award are open until 9am (GMT) Monday 25th March 2024.To find out more, click here.