Yorkshire
Writers' Newsletter
Welcome to our latest
issue packed with new opportunities.
As we get closer to the
end of the year we hope it's been a good one for you, it's been a year of big
changes for us here but all good and we're heading into the New Year with even
more exciting plans to develop on your behalf.
Enjoy your holidays and
good luck with your writing in 2014 - Happy New Year to you all from Writing
Yorkshire!
We welcome your details of events, writing groups, courses, workshops, open
mics, in fact anything to do with creative writing. If you have anything that
you would like us to publicise then please send the details to us at this
address: info@writingyorkshire.org - we'll be happy to
pass the details on via the newsletter or our website. If you know of anyone
that you think may be interested in the newsletter then please do forward a
copy on to them.
NEWS
Northern Writers’ Awards
Northern Writers’ Awards are welcoming submissions - Deadline: Friday 17 January 2014
£40,000 of prizes and support available to talented writers in the north of England. The awards support writers of prose, poetry, creative non-fiction and children’s fiction.
For new writers, winning a Northern Writers’ Award helps to get them noticed by agents and publishers and lifts them onto the first rung of the ladder towards publication. For more established writers, awards can buy precious time to undertake a new project or to support work in progress that has not yet been commissioned. The support that winning writers receive includes cash awards alongside mentoring, editorial feedback and support and help with professional development within the writing industry.
For more information and to enter, go to www.northernwritersawards.com
And............
New Writing North announces Cuckoo Young Writers Awards
New Writing North is delighted to announce the Cuckoo Young Writers Awards. These two new awards are aimed at talented young writers who are under 18 and live in the north of England. They will run alongside New Writing North's prestigious Northern Writers' Awards.
Expanding on the ground-breaking work New Writing North does through the Cuckoo Young Writers programme, the Cuckoo Young Writers Award offers a prize worth £500 to a promising young writer (aged between 14-18) who is writing poetry, prose or creative non fiction and is based in the North East, North West or Yorkshire. The award will be judged by Observer journalist and novelist Elizabeth Day.
The Mathew Hale Award
The Matthew Hale Award is specifically aimed at those young people who show talent but who have little opportunity to pursue their interest in writing in any genre or form. Open to 12-18 year-olds, the award is worth £500 and consists of a bespoke package of support created by New Writing North. Nominations for recipients of this award are requested from parents, teachers or other adults who know a young person who shows great promise, but who lack the opportunities to pursue their talent. This award is funded by the family of Matthew Hale, a young person who loved reading and writing.
Please note that the deadline for both awards is Friday 17th January. To find out more go to www.northernwritersawards.com
Writing Yorkshire and Experience Barnsley present...
Open to All Creative Writing Sessions - Barnsley
A series of writing sessions which are Open to All - no experience required, no need to book, just turn up! Or, for more information, phone: 07903 241947
When: Saturday mornings, 11.00 am – 1.00 pm
Where: Experience Barnsley Museum & Discovery Centre, Town Hall, Church Street, Barnsley, S70 2TA
Workshop details:
25th Jan' 2014 | With writer Charlotte Ansell: Drawing inspiration from the main Exhibition: objects, photographs, histories and stories.
15th Feb' 2014 | With writer Ray Hearne: What’s in the archive and where can I find it?
22nd Mar' 2014 | With writer Charlotte Ansell: Women Against Pit Closures Exhibition: What will your story be?
Download the flyer here: www.facebook.com%2fphoto.php%3ffbid%3d10152038156879831%26set%3da.310611999830.147188.807249830%26type%3d1%26theater
www.writingyorkshire.org | www.experience-barnsley.com
Major New International Writing Competition Launch
Sampad South Asian arts, in partnership with British Council India, has announced the launch of a major new international writing competition called ‘Inspired By My Museum’.
‘Inspired By My Museum’ was officially launched at the Museums Association Conference and Exhibition 2013 in Liverpool and is calling for budding writers to record and share their personal reactions, connections or experiences inspired by a visit to a museum.
Entries can be in the form of a poem, short story or reportage and people can take their inspiration from the museum space, architecture, design, a specific object or objects within the museum, or even the museum/exhibition curator.
Further to the overwhelming response to the launch of the competition, the age limit has been extended so that any writer from anywhere in the world from the age of 16 upwards can take part.
The last date for entries to Inspired By My Museum is Monday 10 February 2014. The winning entries will be published in a special commemorative book next year.
More information and entry forms here: www.britishcouncil.in/inspired-my-museum
Yorkshire Literary Festivals & Book Fair Trail
If you've ever fancied setting out on a trail from coast to coast or perhaps even more ambitious, John O'Groats to Lands End, then been put off because, well, it's a long way to go, or it's winter and cold, or the shoe leather is just getting thin, then here's a fun alternative which is much closer to home - The Yorkshire Literary Festival & Book Fair Trail! The trail which criss crosses the county of Yorkshire and includes tiny "dash to catch them" festivals through to the major festival feasts lasting a month or more.
One of the major advantages of the trail is that it's totally flexible and can be shaped to fit in with your diary, pocket, or appetite for literature get togethers, and there's always an event to start off from no matter what month it is. To get you started, have a look here: http://theleedsbigbookend.wordpress.com/yorkshire-literary-festivals/ It's the most comprehensive list of Literary Festivals and Book Fairs taking place in Yorkshire over the year, fifty two festival and book fairs happening in Yorkshire, there's no need to step over the border, it's all happening here on our doorstep! All that you have to do next is open your new 2014 diary at page one and take the first step by deciding which one you fancy, after that it's very easy - one every month? Two? It's up to you but there'll always be something happening and if you're not there, well, treats will be missed and you will be too.
Oh, and when you've finished looking through the list why not look here: www.bigbookend.co.uk/ the official LEEDS BIG BOOKEND website - "A Rock Festival For Words In Leeds" - so much happening in Leeds over one weekend. You've just missed the 2013 event but, if you keep your eye on the Festival and Book Fair list you'll be well prepared for the next one.
Before Now Project - Sheffield
Funding from Children in Need is enabling Art in the Park to launch a new project in the Lowedges, Batemoor and Jordanthorpe areas of Sheffield, working with local children, 16-18yr old volunteers and older people they want to share experiences of the area in the past, through a wide range of creative activities. The workshops will use visual arts, poetry, film and photography to encourage children and young people to explore their sense of identity, space and place via day-to-day routines, local stories, heroes and modern folklore; comparing this with the last century, when the housing in the area was built. The project will end in a local, site-specific celebration where one of the housing areas will be transformed through installation of the art works, sounds and films created during the project, giving a sense of stepping back into the past.
Art in the Park are looking for schools, youth groups and local older people to take part in this free project, working with professional artists to create a really exciting outcome for the area.
Contact cassie@artinthepark.org.uk or call 0114 268 6813 if you’re interested or would like more information
Web: www.artinthepark.org.uk
Funding from Children in Need is enabling Art in the Park to launch a new project in the Lowedges, Batemoor and Jordanthorpe areas of Sheffield, working with local children, 16-18yr old volunteers and older people they want to share experiences of the area in the past, through a wide range of creative activities. The workshops will use visual arts, poetry, film and photography to encourage children and young people to explore their sense of identity, space and place via day-to-day routines, local stories, heroes and modern folklore; comparing this with the last century, when the housing in the area was built. The project will end in a local, site-specific celebration where one of the housing areas will be transformed through installation of the art works, sounds and films created during the project, giving a sense of stepping back into the past.
Art in the Park are looking for schools, youth groups and local older people to take part in this free project, working with professional artists to create a really exciting outcome for the area.
Contact cassie@artinthepark.org.uk or call 0114 268 6813 if you’re interested or would like more information
Web: www.artinthepark.org.uk
WRITING GROUP UPDATES
South Yorkshire - Young
Writers - New members welcome for for 2014
Aged 14 to 19? Want to write creatively outside of school or college?
Our Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley Young Writers Groups are now recruiting for new members.
You don’t have to think you’re a great writer to join, you just need an interest in writing and a willingness try something new!
Our groups provide opportunities to:
• Write, share and talk with other young writers [refreshments provided]
• Explore a range of creative writing including: stories, poems, scripts, spoken word, lyrics, blogging and journalism
• Meet fortnightly during term time in a central meeting place [usually 5pm to 7pm on Mon, Wed and Thurs evenings [depending on the group]
• Access further writing opportunities such as: meeting professional writers, attending writing events and Open Mics, and information on competitions and publishing
To look into joining a groups, contact us via: vicky@writingyorkshire.org (Sheffield & Rotherham) sueshaw@btinternet.com (Barnsley & Doncaster)
Access and forward our flyer here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151822830109831&l=fb8db5fad8
You can find out about opportunities for young writers in the Yorkshire region at: www.facebook.com/groups/southyorkshireyoungwriters
West Yorkshire - Young Writers
Ilkley Lit Fest Young Writers Group
Do you enjoy writing poems, stories, songs – anything? Are you even secretly writing a novel? Would you like to be able to meet other teenagers who enjoy writing or take part in special workshops with writers away from school? If so we’d like to hear from you.
Ilkley Literature Festival runs the weekly group for young writers aged 13 to 17, on Mondays during term-time. The group is based in Ilkley and any young writers from the Bradford, Skipton, Ilkley, Wharfe Valley and Leeds areas are welcome to come along.
The sessions run from 6.30pm to 8pm and cost £1 per session. You’ll be expected to come to all sessions in a term (unless of course you are ill or on a school visit) and there will be a mixture of short story writing, script writing, writing poetry and learning how to read your work effectively.
Ilkley Young Writers is run by Ilkley Literature Festival and led by Michelle Scalley Clarke, author, playwright, performer, creative writing and performance facilitator and Becky Cherriman writer, performer and creative writing facilitator.
More info - info@ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk
Aged 14 to 19? Want to write creatively outside of school or college?
Our Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley Young Writers Groups are now recruiting for new members.
You don’t have to think you’re a great writer to join, you just need an interest in writing and a willingness try something new!
Our groups provide opportunities to:
• Write, share and talk with other young writers [refreshments provided]
• Explore a range of creative writing including: stories, poems, scripts, spoken word, lyrics, blogging and journalism
• Meet fortnightly during term time in a central meeting place [usually 5pm to 7pm on Mon, Wed and Thurs evenings [depending on the group]
• Access further writing opportunities such as: meeting professional writers, attending writing events and Open Mics, and information on competitions and publishing
To look into joining a groups, contact us via: vicky@writingyorkshire.org (Sheffield & Rotherham) sueshaw@btinternet.com (Barnsley & Doncaster)
Access and forward our flyer here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151822830109831&l=fb8db5fad8
You can find out about opportunities for young writers in the Yorkshire region at: www.facebook.com/groups/southyorkshireyoungwriters
West Yorkshire - Young Writers
Ilkley Lit Fest Young Writers Group
Do you enjoy writing poems, stories, songs – anything? Are you even secretly writing a novel? Would you like to be able to meet other teenagers who enjoy writing or take part in special workshops with writers away from school? If so we’d like to hear from you.
Ilkley Literature Festival runs the weekly group for young writers aged 13 to 17, on Mondays during term-time. The group is based in Ilkley and any young writers from the Bradford, Skipton, Ilkley, Wharfe Valley and Leeds areas are welcome to come along.
The sessions run from 6.30pm to 8pm and cost £1 per session. You’ll be expected to come to all sessions in a term (unless of course you are ill or on a school visit) and there will be a mixture of short story writing, script writing, writing poetry and learning how to read your work effectively.
Ilkley Young Writers is run by Ilkley Literature Festival and led by Michelle Scalley Clarke, author, playwright, performer, creative writing and performance facilitator and Becky Cherriman writer, performer and creative writing facilitator.
More info - info@ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk
EVENTS, WORKSHOPS & COURSES
Bornin84
What: - Born in ‘84 is to be a celebration of the legacy of the of the 1984/5 UK miners’ strike. On March 8, 2014 it will be 30 years since the strike began.
In Chesterfield, Derbyshire, we’re bringing together music, film, drama, poetry and photography to highlight the strike and its impact on generations past and present.
For many in our coalmining communities, after the two world wars, this dispute was the single most significant event of the last century. In just 12 months, lives were lost, blighted for ever, liberated and begun.
Talented artists and performers from across the UK are already pledging their support for this volunteer led venture. The event so far includes:-
• Internationally acclaimed Scottish folk singer/ songwriter Dick Gaughan
• Punk poet, musician and songwriter, Attila the Stockbroker
• BBC Radio 2 folk awards winner, Lucy Ward
Film screenings and Q&A sessions with:-
• Turner Prize winning Jeremy Deller, ‘The Battle for Orgreave’ and
• International award winning film maker Ken Loach ‘Which side are you on?’
• Local and regional musicians, performers and poets
• The Ireland Colliery Band
• Newly commissioned performances from young people born since the strike working with Junction Arts
• Display/ exhibitions of creative workshops run in the community based on the changing landscapes. There will also be workshops on the day
• Young song writers and poetry competition, cash prizes and the chance to perform at the evening concert.
• Exhibition featuring iconic strike images from acclaimed photographer Martin Jenkinson
• A strike ‘soup kitchen’ with mouth-watering meals from donated food
Where: The Winding Wheel, Chesterfield – March 8, 2014, 11am-10.30pm
More info: www.bornin84.co.uk
Starting to Write Poetry - WEA course starting in January - Sheffield
Details: The aim of this WEA (Workers Educational Association) course is to offer students the opportunity to develop their understanding of poetry as a craft and generally improve their reading and writing skills. The course is suitable for starters as well as those more experienced in the writing of poetry. It will introduce a wide range of creative techniques that will help students to initiate, revise, edit and perfom their work. The course is suitable for starters and re-starters in the writing of poetry.
When: Weekly course starts Thursday 16th January, 7.00 pm - 9.00 pm
Where: Highfield Library, London Road, Sheffield, S2 4NF
Cost: £65.00 for ten sessions (concessions available)
More info: Tel - 0114 2423609 (regional office) / email - yorkshumber@wea.org.uk
Writing a Novel - WEA Course starting in January - Sheffield
Explore and develop fiction writing skills in this supportive, practical course. We will incorporate techniques and exercises to get you started, consider how great writing works, and share our fiction as it develops through weekly workshops.
The course is suitable for new writers as well as those more experienced in fiction writing.
When: Weekley course starts Thursday 16 January 2014 from 7.00 - 9.00 pm for 11 sessions at Victoria Hall Methodist Church, Norfolk Street, Sheffield S1 2JB
More info: Enrol on line at www.wea.org.uk/ or telephone 0114 242 3609
'Igniting the Spark' - Creative Writing Course - Halifax
What: 'Igniting the spark': weekly creative writing workshops with Gaia Holmes. The workshops will discuss craft and technique and include lots of stimulating and inspiring writing exercises to generate poetry or prose.
Venue: Room D32, D Mill, Dean Clough, Halifax, HX3 5WA.
Cost: £5 (£3.50 consc)
When: Usually held on Tuesday evenings, weekly - Contact Gaia for more details:
More info: gaiaholmes@hotmail.co.uk
Working Words - Creative Writing Course - Leeds
What: Over six weeks we will explore The Tetley as a place of the past, of hidden histories waiting to be uncovered. We will respond to The Tetley as a place where imaginations are woven into its walls, furniture and artefacts, and as an exhibition space that raises questions about our present and our past. Using the exhibitions as a stimulus, we will incorporate the vocabulary of machines, of work and of visual art in a range of written forms from poetry to short stories and autobiographical prose.
Suitable for adult beginners and more experienced writers.
When: 23rd January 2014, 6:30pm - 8:30pm every week on Thursdays until Thu 27 February 2014
Venue: The Tetley, Hunslet Road, Leeds, LS10 1JQ
Cost: £60.00 for the six week course -
Advance booking required - details here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/working-words-6-week-creative-writing-workshop-with-writer-becky-cherriman-tickets-9475622843
Learning from Writing Within the Hospice Setting - Workshop - Scarborough
Through a number of facilitated exercises and discussion we will explore the nature of creative and expressive writing in Hospices. Sue will share her experiences of running poetry groups for patients, staff and volunteers within a number of Hospices. Using a reflective approach we will have the opportunity to explore how creative/expressive writing can enhance the provision of palliative care and the skills and knowledge needed to work effectively with a range of people. We will also discuss the type of support systems that can be accessed to enable writers to look after themselves when working in emotionally challenging environments. Open to writers and practitioners alike, no experience necessary just a willingness to be open to exploration and discovery.
When: Saturday 1st February, 10.00am - 4.00pm
Where: At The Friends' Meeting House, Quaker Close, Scarborough, YO12 5QZ
Facilitated by Sue Spencer
Cost: Lapidus Members: £10. Cost to Non Members: £25 (£15 for low income).
Link to Lapidus: www.lapidus.org.uk/
More info: Cheques for the writing workshop should be made out to “Lapidus, Humber-Ouse-Tweed”. Please send in advance to: Jane Poulton, 22 Grove Road, Filey, North Yorkshire YO14 9LX. For more information please contact : Sue Spencer sa_spencer@tiscali.co.uk
To book a place contact Kate Evans :- 07748163838 / kateevans@tinyonline.co.uk
What: - Born in ‘84 is to be a celebration of the legacy of the of the 1984/5 UK miners’ strike. On March 8, 2014 it will be 30 years since the strike began.
In Chesterfield, Derbyshire, we’re bringing together music, film, drama, poetry and photography to highlight the strike and its impact on generations past and present.
For many in our coalmining communities, after the two world wars, this dispute was the single most significant event of the last century. In just 12 months, lives were lost, blighted for ever, liberated and begun.
Talented artists and performers from across the UK are already pledging their support for this volunteer led venture. The event so far includes:-
• Internationally acclaimed Scottish folk singer/ songwriter Dick Gaughan
• Punk poet, musician and songwriter, Attila the Stockbroker
• BBC Radio 2 folk awards winner, Lucy Ward
Film screenings and Q&A sessions with:-
• Turner Prize winning Jeremy Deller, ‘The Battle for Orgreave’ and
• International award winning film maker Ken Loach ‘Which side are you on?’
• Local and regional musicians, performers and poets
• The Ireland Colliery Band
• Newly commissioned performances from young people born since the strike working with Junction Arts
• Display/ exhibitions of creative workshops run in the community based on the changing landscapes. There will also be workshops on the day
• Young song writers and poetry competition, cash prizes and the chance to perform at the evening concert.
• Exhibition featuring iconic strike images from acclaimed photographer Martin Jenkinson
• A strike ‘soup kitchen’ with mouth-watering meals from donated food
Where: The Winding Wheel, Chesterfield – March 8, 2014, 11am-10.30pm
More info: www.bornin84.co.uk
Starting to Write Poetry - WEA course starting in January - Sheffield
Details: The aim of this WEA (Workers Educational Association) course is to offer students the opportunity to develop their understanding of poetry as a craft and generally improve their reading and writing skills. The course is suitable for starters as well as those more experienced in the writing of poetry. It will introduce a wide range of creative techniques that will help students to initiate, revise, edit and perfom their work. The course is suitable for starters and re-starters in the writing of poetry.
When: Weekly course starts Thursday 16th January, 7.00 pm - 9.00 pm
Where: Highfield Library, London Road, Sheffield, S2 4NF
Cost: £65.00 for ten sessions (concessions available)
More info: Tel - 0114 2423609 (regional office) / email - yorkshumber@wea.org.uk
Writing a Novel - WEA Course starting in January - Sheffield
Explore and develop fiction writing skills in this supportive, practical course. We will incorporate techniques and exercises to get you started, consider how great writing works, and share our fiction as it develops through weekly workshops.
The course is suitable for new writers as well as those more experienced in fiction writing.
When: Weekley course starts Thursday 16 January 2014 from 7.00 - 9.00 pm for 11 sessions at Victoria Hall Methodist Church, Norfolk Street, Sheffield S1 2JB
More info: Enrol on line at www.wea.org.uk/ or telephone 0114 242 3609
'Igniting the Spark' - Creative Writing Course - Halifax
What: 'Igniting the spark': weekly creative writing workshops with Gaia Holmes. The workshops will discuss craft and technique and include lots of stimulating and inspiring writing exercises to generate poetry or prose.
Venue: Room D32, D Mill, Dean Clough, Halifax, HX3 5WA.
Cost: £5 (£3.50 consc)
When: Usually held on Tuesday evenings, weekly - Contact Gaia for more details:
More info: gaiaholmes@hotmail.co.uk
Working Words - Creative Writing Course - Leeds
What: Over six weeks we will explore The Tetley as a place of the past, of hidden histories waiting to be uncovered. We will respond to The Tetley as a place where imaginations are woven into its walls, furniture and artefacts, and as an exhibition space that raises questions about our present and our past. Using the exhibitions as a stimulus, we will incorporate the vocabulary of machines, of work and of visual art in a range of written forms from poetry to short stories and autobiographical prose.
Suitable for adult beginners and more experienced writers.
When: 23rd January 2014, 6:30pm - 8:30pm every week on Thursdays until Thu 27 February 2014
Venue: The Tetley, Hunslet Road, Leeds, LS10 1JQ
Cost: £60.00 for the six week course -
Advance booking required - details here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/working-words-6-week-creative-writing-workshop-with-writer-becky-cherriman-tickets-9475622843
Learning from Writing Within the Hospice Setting - Workshop - Scarborough
Through a number of facilitated exercises and discussion we will explore the nature of creative and expressive writing in Hospices. Sue will share her experiences of running poetry groups for patients, staff and volunteers within a number of Hospices. Using a reflective approach we will have the opportunity to explore how creative/expressive writing can enhance the provision of palliative care and the skills and knowledge needed to work effectively with a range of people. We will also discuss the type of support systems that can be accessed to enable writers to look after themselves when working in emotionally challenging environments. Open to writers and practitioners alike, no experience necessary just a willingness to be open to exploration and discovery.
When: Saturday 1st February, 10.00am - 4.00pm
Where: At The Friends' Meeting House, Quaker Close, Scarborough, YO12 5QZ
Facilitated by Sue Spencer
Cost: Lapidus Members: £10. Cost to Non Members: £25 (£15 for low income).
Link to Lapidus: www.lapidus.org.uk/
More info: Cheques for the writing workshop should be made out to “Lapidus, Humber-Ouse-Tweed”. Please send in advance to: Jane Poulton, 22 Grove Road, Filey, North Yorkshire YO14 9LX. For more information please contact : Sue Spencer sa_spencer@tiscali.co.uk
To book a place contact Kate Evans :- 07748163838 / kateevans@tinyonline.co.uk
TOO GOOD TO BE FORGOTTEN
Inkposts – A Space for
Enjoying Writing
inkposts is a site dedicated to digestible pieces of writing ranging from poetry, fiction, reviews, music and discussions about the craft. We try to keep all of our pieces delectably short and entertaining.
You can find us at: http://inkposts.com/
we also accept submissions: http://inkposts.com/submissions/
Arts Derbyshire Newsletter
www.artsderbyshire.org.uk is a quick and easy way to find out about Derbyshire’s vibrant arts scene. You can subscribe to the What’s On and Artists’ newsletters; enter details of events and workshops in the events diary or register details about your group or events or other news. To sign up to the newsletter just send a request email: alison.betteridge@derbyshire.gov.uk
Support for would-be self published authors
Self publishing no longer necessarily means ''vanity' publishing and to help budding authors, the Writers & Artists Yearbook has launched a new section on its website aimed at helping writers become self published and achieving their literary dreams.
Aspiring authors can find all the information they need, there's a range of articles covering a wide range of topics:
More info: https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/self-publishing
Yak Tale – A site for authors to publish short stories
YakTale is an "open access" site on which authors will be able to publish their short stories . Readers are be able to access the stories for free.
Writers can submit work through the website: http://yaktale.com/#/ or by emailing: hello@yaktale.com
Writing Yorkshire Website Goes Live!
The new Writing Yorkshire website is now up and running so, if you'd like to find out more about the full range of new services that we'll be offering as Writing Yorkshire, including mentoring, writers advice sessions, and membership details then the best thing to do is to have a look at the site: www.writingyorkshire.org
If you need any further details on aspects of our work or how we can help you as a writer then just email us at: info@writingyorkshire.org or use the contact form on the site.
inkposts is a site dedicated to digestible pieces of writing ranging from poetry, fiction, reviews, music and discussions about the craft. We try to keep all of our pieces delectably short and entertaining.
You can find us at: http://inkposts.com/
we also accept submissions: http://inkposts.com/submissions/
Arts Derbyshire Newsletter
www.artsderbyshire.org.uk is a quick and easy way to find out about Derbyshire’s vibrant arts scene. You can subscribe to the What’s On and Artists’ newsletters; enter details of events and workshops in the events diary or register details about your group or events or other news. To sign up to the newsletter just send a request email: alison.betteridge@derbyshire.gov.uk
Support for would-be self published authors
Self publishing no longer necessarily means ''vanity' publishing and to help budding authors, the Writers & Artists Yearbook has launched a new section on its website aimed at helping writers become self published and achieving their literary dreams.
Aspiring authors can find all the information they need, there's a range of articles covering a wide range of topics:
More info: https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/self-publishing
Yak Tale – A site for authors to publish short stories
YakTale is an "open access" site on which authors will be able to publish their short stories . Readers are be able to access the stories for free.
Writers can submit work through the website: http://yaktale.com/#/ or by emailing: hello@yaktale.com
Writing Yorkshire Website Goes Live!
The new Writing Yorkshire website is now up and running so, if you'd like to find out more about the full range of new services that we'll be offering as Writing Yorkshire, including mentoring, writers advice sessions, and membership details then the best thing to do is to have a look at the site: www.writingyorkshire.org
If you need any further details on aspects of our work or how we can help you as a writer then just email us at: info@writingyorkshire.org or use the contact form on the site.
MAGAZINES
Pennine Platform Poetry - Leeds
Pennine Platform publishes new poetry and reviews twice a year. The magazine is independent, though currently supported by the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society. It is one of the longest surviving little magazines in the UK, having started in 1973.
further information...
Subscriptions are £8.50 for two issues including p&p within the UK, £10 within Europe and £12 for the rest of the world; payable only in Sterling to Pennine Platform. Subscription and submissions are accepted by snail-mail only, with hard-copy to accompany any disks sent.
This web-site provides a taster for the magazine, with three poems each from issues Nos. 53 and 54. Space is provided for readers to comment on and discuss each poem, since we learn from and refine our thinking in discussion with each other.
More info: www.pennineplatform.co.uk/
Cuckoo Quarterley - Online
Cuckoo Quarterly is an online literary magazine for and by young people and www.cuckooreview.com is an arts and culture magazine written by and for 15-23 year-olds. New Writing North has only recently expanded its remit to include the Yorkshire and the North West, and would be delighted to have more young people from the area submitting to Cuckoo.
For more information about New Writing North's work with young people, see www.newwritingnorth.com or follow @cuckoowriters
Bare Fiction Magazine
Bare Fiction Magazine will be independently published three times a year, with issues in March, July & November, plus the special first issue launched in December 2013.
We want our readers to discover genre-defying boldness from exciting writers in poetry, fiction and plays, literary review, interviews and commentary. To that end, we need prose, poetry and play texts that instantly grab our minds and take us on extraordinary literary journeys. If your work is competently written but doesn’t have the kind of depth that makes the readers work just that little bit harder, then it’s probably not for us. We want you to make peoples eyes open wider and their minds race with excitement as they feast on your words, if you think that your writing can do this the please visit the website for more details.
More info: www.barefictionmagazine.co.uk/submissions/
Pennine Platform Poetry - Leeds
Pennine Platform publishes new poetry and reviews twice a year. The magazine is independent, though currently supported by the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society. It is one of the longest surviving little magazines in the UK, having started in 1973.
further information...
Subscriptions are £8.50 for two issues including p&p within the UK, £10 within Europe and £12 for the rest of the world; payable only in Sterling to Pennine Platform. Subscription and submissions are accepted by snail-mail only, with hard-copy to accompany any disks sent.
This web-site provides a taster for the magazine, with three poems each from issues Nos. 53 and 54. Space is provided for readers to comment on and discuss each poem, since we learn from and refine our thinking in discussion with each other.
More info: www.pennineplatform.co.uk/
Cuckoo Quarterley - Online
Cuckoo Quarterly is an online literary magazine for and by young people and www.cuckooreview.com is an arts and culture magazine written by and for 15-23 year-olds. New Writing North has only recently expanded its remit to include the Yorkshire and the North West, and would be delighted to have more young people from the area submitting to Cuckoo.
For more information about New Writing North's work with young people, see www.newwritingnorth.com or follow @cuckoowriters
Bare Fiction Magazine
Bare Fiction Magazine will be independently published three times a year, with issues in March, July & November, plus the special first issue launched in December 2013.
We want our readers to discover genre-defying boldness from exciting writers in poetry, fiction and plays, literary review, interviews and commentary. To that end, we need prose, poetry and play texts that instantly grab our minds and take us on extraordinary literary journeys. If your work is competently written but doesn’t have the kind of depth that makes the readers work just that little bit harder, then it’s probably not for us. We want you to make peoples eyes open wider and their minds race with excitement as they feast on your words, if you think that your writing can do this the please visit the website for more details.
More info: www.barefictionmagazine.co.uk/submissions/
LOCAL PUBLICATIONS
John Barron’s debut pamphlet, The Nail Forge, has recently been published by Tall Lighthouse Press. The pamphlet is a wide-ranging exploration of how our senses, intuition and language allow us to understand ourselves and the ties that bind us. It is about deafness, quietness, silence and listening, about what happens when we become more attentive to our experience.
It is available from The Tall Lighthouse Press website (www.thelighthousepress.com), independent bookshops The Last Chapter (www.thelastchapter.co.uk) and Rare and Racy (www.rareandracy.co.uk) and at readings.
John will be reading with the Penistone Poets on 16th January at The Art House Cafe, Penistone, and on 23rd January at The Red Deer, Sheffield, with other Tall Lighthouse poets to be confirmed.
John Barron’s debut pamphlet, The Nail Forge, has recently been published by Tall Lighthouse Press. The pamphlet is a wide-ranging exploration of how our senses, intuition and language allow us to understand ourselves and the ties that bind us. It is about deafness, quietness, silence and listening, about what happens when we become more attentive to our experience.
It is available from The Tall Lighthouse Press website (www.thelighthousepress.com), independent bookshops The Last Chapter (www.thelastchapter.co.uk) and Rare and Racy (www.rareandracy.co.uk) and at readings.
John will be reading with the Penistone Poets on 16th January at The Art House Cafe, Penistone, and on 23rd January at The Red Deer, Sheffield, with other Tall Lighthouse poets to be confirmed.
Song and Poetry Competition
The Miners’ Strike of 1984/5, inspired many new songs and poems. 30 years on, we are looking for new songs and poems to inspire people struggling in today’s world. We are looking for original work about unemployment, human rights, discrimination, inequality, war, the environment, hunger and social justice.
Guidelines:
1. To enter you must have been born after December 31st, 1983.
2. Songs must take no longer than 5 minutes to perform. Musical performances must be unplugged or simple electric combos.
3. Poems are limited to a maximum of 40 lines.
4. Entries must be recorded as mp3s and emailed to bornineightyfour@yahoo.co.uk; all entries will be acknowledged.
5. The judges will not know your identity; their decision will be final.
6. There is a prize of £50 for the winning song and £50 for the winning poem. Winners will be invited to perform at the Winding Wheel Concert on March 8th, 2014.
7. The closing date for entries is midnight on Friday, January 31st, 2014.
8. We hope to have judged the entries and informed everyone of the result by Friday, February 7th, 2014
9. With the permission of the authors, the best songs and poems will be published on our website: http://bornin84.co.uk/index.html
10. Application forms can be downloaded from our website: http://bornin84.co.uk/index.html
TRAINING, JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES
The Columnist @ Ideas Tap - Closing date 31st January 2014
Ideas Tap are giving one brilliant writer the chance to become IdeasMag¹s weekly Columnist for six months. They should be ready to explore arts and pop-culture, and they'll be paid £100 per 500-word column. Second place will win a month's paid internship at IdeasTap (£300 per week). Finally, eight runners up will receive three mentoring sessions with a professional journalist.
Judges include Tony Cross (Conde Nast Digital), Alice Jones (The Independent) and Nancy Groves (Guardian Culture Professionals).
Apply by 31 January
More details: http://bit.ly/19GiAiX
Writing Squad Assistant Writers (West Midlands) - Closing date: 1st February 2014
Writing West Midlands are looking for expressions of interest from individuals looking to work as Assistant Writers at our Write On! Writing Squads across the region.
These voluntary roles (we are able to cover travel expenses) will involve working alongside the Lead Writers at some of our Writing Squads. The Assistants provide additional support; help with mentoring and providing advice and creative writing exercises for the children and young people taking part. They also shadow the Lead Writers to learn new skills with the opportunity for career development. Writing Squad Assistants work closely with the Lead Writers under the management of Writing West Midlands staff Joanne Penn and Jonathan Davidson. We are looking for people who are interested in developing the skills and creativity of children and young people.
More details and how to apply here: www.writingwestmidlands.org/writing-squad-assistant-writer-opportunities/
Coaching Course for Writers – (in partnership with Arvon and RD1st) - April 18th 2014 application deadline
Many writers who have also been tutors and facilitators in their working lives are looking to extend their range of opportunities for earning a living. The field of coaching on a one to one basis is ideal for experienced writers who enjoy working with other colleagues in the field and enabling their writing careers to flourish.
This course, in partnership with The Arvon Foundation, is being run again due to popular demand. NAWE is offering an accredited training opportunity to its members who wish to develop their coaching skills. It will also be suitable for those working in further or higher educational settings to enhance work with students on an individual basis. Performance Coach Training is recognised by the Association of Coaching and will accredit the course.
Dates: Two three day blocks of training: 27th, 28th, 29th June 2014 and 22nd 23rd 24th July
Venue: Radisson Hotel, York. Cost: £595 (excluding accommodation). An application process will take place. The closing date for applications will be Friday 18th April 2014.
If you wish to book a place or find out more about applying, please contact Anne Caldwell: a.caldwell@nawe.co.uk / Tel. 07818 052108
