Tuesday, 4 June 2024

Spark Young Writers newsletter

With details of the Spark Sessions, opportunities and more:

Spark Sessions

Bookings are now open for 2024-25 sessions. If your child is currently a Spark Young Writer, you should have received an update form email from us to save you completing a new registration form.

If not, please book and join in on the fun!

Book Your Place

Submit Now To Our Anthology

As a way to mark the incredible writing that has taken place this year at our Spark Young Writers sessions, we’d like to make an Anthology featuring the work from as many of our Sparks Writers as possible.

Unlike the magazine, each piece submitted will be accepted. Your writing will be edited by a professional editor and included in a book which you will be able to buy online as a paperback or ebook.

Submission rules:

· Maximum of 500 words per child.

· It can be more than one piece, but no more than two please.

· If you want to submit poetry, we can accept up to three pieces with a total of 70 lines.

Deadline for receipt of the writing: 9am, 22nd July 2024

Submit your work

Spark Magazine Is Now Out

In case you missed it, Issue 28 of Spark Young Writers Magazine is now out

You can also see pieces from the magazine by following our social media channels - Facebook, X or Instagram - where we share a new piece of writing every week. Follow us @TheSparkWriters.

The magazine features some of the best writing produced by children and young people aged 8 to 20 who live in the West Midlands region. To read Issue 28, click here. To access it as a pdf, click here.

Read the magazine

This Month at Spark Young Writers

Cannock Junior Group: Storytelling and Rhyme

This month, our Cannock group learned about storytelling, compound words and rhyme. In a session led by Alex Townley and Lisa Marie Shepard, the group also had a 'take what you need' wall to support each other, and all the children added kind messages.

Worcester: Poetry

Our Worcester group had a great time creating poetry chapbooks!

Take a look at our groups in action:

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.

Booking is now live for Spark Young Writers 2024-25.

Book your sessions

Opportunities For Young Writers

The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2024 is open for entries!

Who can enter? Anyone aged 11–17.

Deadline? Midnight BST 31 July 2024.

Entries must be written in English, but you can include phrases in your mother tongue or another language. If you would like to enter an entry in BSL or braille please contact fyp@poetrysociety.org.uk.

The award is FREE to enter.

For more information on how to apply, and the rules of entry, click here

The Stephen Spender Prize

Calling all budding poets! The Stephen Spender Prize for poetry in translation opens on 1 May until 31 July 2024. Translate ANY poem from ANY language into English, and win publication and cash prizes!

Free entry for all under 18s, with publication and cash prizes up for grabs!

Click here to find out more.