Writing West Midlands
Join us to launch Clare Morrall’s new novel, The Roundabout Man
2 weeks ago
Tuesday 21st February 2012
7pm – 8.30pm/ Free event
Ikon Gallery
1 Oozells Square
Birmingham, B1 2HS
Sceptre and Writing West Midlands are delighted to invite you to celebrate the publication of the new novel from Clare Morrall, The Roundabout Man.
Who is The Roundabout Man? He doesn’t look like a tramp, yet he lives on a roundabout in a caravan and survives on the leftovers from a nearby motorway service station. He calls himself Quinn, the name of a boy in a world-famous series of children’s books, but he’s nearer retirement than childhood.
What he hopes no one will discover is that he’s the real Quinn, immortalised as a child by his mother in her entrancing tales about a little boy’s adventures with his triplet sisters. It is this inheritance he has successfully run away from- until now. When Quinn’s reclusive existence is invaded, he is forced to face his past, and the uncomfortable truths and secrets it contains about himself, his sisters and, most of all, his mother.
This event includes a reading and book signing.
How to book:
Places are free but should be reserved by calling Ikon on 0121 248 0708.
Bookings now being taken for the Stratford-upon-Avon Write On! Writing Squad
1 month ago
Our Write On! Writing Squad running in Stratford-upon-Avon is now available to be booked online through The Royal Shakespeare Company’s website. The Squad which is a writing group for young people aged 12 to 16 who are interested in creative writing will be meeting on Saturday’s from 10.30am – 12.30pm at the RSC’s The Clore Centre, Waterside on the following dates:
21st January, 25th February, 24th March, 28th April, 19th May and the 23rd June 2012.
The writer David Calcutt will be running the sessions which will look at different aspects of creative writing and will help develop writing skills, introduce new techniques and give members the opportunity to learn about being a writer in a relaxed and informal environment.
Tickets can be bought for individual sessions or you can book the full six in one go through the RSC’s website by clicking here or you can call the Ticket Hotline on 0844 800 1110.
For more information about the Stratford-upon-Avon Writing Squads, please contact Joanne Penn, Administrative Assistant, Writing West Midlands on 0121 246 2774 or email joanne[at]writingwestmidlands.org.
Don’t forget that we also have Writing Squads for children and young people running throughout the West Midlands, please click here for full details.
Writing Squads across the region in 2012!
1 month ago
Are you aged between 8 to 16 and interested in creative writing and finding out about being a writer or do you know someone who is? If so, you may be interested in our writing groups called Write On! Writing Squads which will be running at various locations across the region in 2012.
We have Write On! Writing Squads running in the following places: Birmingham, Hereford, Walsall, Stafford Rising Brook, Eccleshall, Stratford upon Avon, Kidderminster and Coventry.
For more information, please see the Write On! Writing Squad page you can get in touch with us to find out more through our contact page.
Calling all young budding poets!
4 months ago
Do you know any budding young poets who might like to take part in Saturday’s Poetry Slam (at the Library Theatre, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham B3 3HQ)? This is part of the Birmingham Book Festival, which starts on National Poetry Day, Thursday 6th October.
The young writers will have chance to work with former Young Birmingham Poet Laureate Matt Windle, along with other young slam poets Kesha Campbell and Becki Head.
These three dynamic young poets will guide the others in creating new poems or working on existing ones on the National Poetry Day 2011 theme of ‘Games’ from 1-4pm, ready for a public performance from 4-5pm.
It is completely free to take part in and to attend, and there will be a prize for the eventual Slam winner. No poetry experience needed! Open to anyone aged 12-18.
Full Details of the event are here, on the Birmingham Book Festival’s website:
http://www.birminghambookfestival.org/slam-young-people-set-the-mic-alight-1529/
Youngsters can book a place at any time before the day by emailing joanne[at]birminghambookfestival.org or calling 0121 246 2774.
All are welcome to watch the event. You can get (free) tickets on the door, or book via the link below, or by calling Mac’s box office on 0121 446 3232.
http://www.birminghambookfestival.org/slam-young-people-set-the-mic-alight-1529/
Newsletter – September 2011
5 months ago
by Writing West Midlands
in Birmingham Book Festival, Birmingham Writing Squads, Coventry Writing Squads, Events, For Aspiring Writers, For Emerging Writers, For Established Writers, For Literature Professionals And Organisations, Kidderminster Writing Squads, Links To Other Organisations and Events, Literature Festivals, New Writing, Our Organisation, Poetry, Poetry in Performance, Walsall Writing Squads, Write On! Writers in School, Write On! Writing Squads, Writer Training, Writers in Schools and Communities, Writing by Young People, Writing West Midlands
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Writing Groups for Young Writers in Herefordshire
5 months ago
by Writing West Midlands
in For Aspiring Writers, For Emerging Writers, Hereford Writing Squads, Links To Other Organisations and Events, New Writing, Our Organisation, Theatre Writing, Write On! Writing Squads, Writer Training, Writers in Schools and Communities, Writing by Young People, Writing for Film, Writing for Radio, Writing for Television, Writing in Performance, Writing West Midlands
Hereford Write On! Writing Squads
Writing Groups for Young Writers in Herefordshire
Hereford Library hosts two Writing West Midlands writing groups, for young people aged 8 to 12 and 12 to 16 who are interested in creative writing – poems, plays, stories or blogs! The Hereford Writing Squads are led by professional writer Brenda Read-Brown, with support from writer Deborah Alma, and help young people develop their skills and learn about being a writer. The groups meets monthly on Saturdays from 10.30am – 12noon (8 – 12) and 1.30pm to 3pm (12 – 16), with sessions on 10th September, 15th October, 19th November and 17th December in 2011 and continuing into 2012.
There is a session charge of £16 for 4 sessions or £5 per session if paid on the day. To reserve a place or for more information please contact Joanne Penn at Writing West Midlands on 0121 246 2770 or joanne@writingwestmidlands.org. Other Write On! Writing Squads are being run across the West Midlands – contact us for details.
The Hereford Write On! Writing Squads is a project of Writing West Midlands. http://www.writingwestmidlands.org/writeon/writing-squads/
In association with the Hereford Libraries. http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/leisure/libraries/1566.asp
Kidderminster Write On! Writing Squad
5 months ago
by Writing West Midlands
in Events, For Aspiring Writers, For Emerging Writers, Poetry, Poetry in Performance, Theatre Writing, Writer Training, Writers in Schools and Communities, Writing by Young People, Writing for Broadcast, Writing for Film, Writing for Radio, Writing for Television, Writing in Performance, Writing West Midlands
Kidderminster Write On! Writing Squad
The Writing Squad for Young Writers in Kidderminster and Worcestershire
Kidderminster Library will be hosting a new group for young people aged 12 to 16 who are interested in creative writing – poems, plays, stories or songs! The Kidderminster Writing Squad will be led by professional writer Ian MacLeod and help young people develop their skills and learn about being a writer. The group will meet monthly on Saturdays from 2pm to 4pm, with sessions on 24th September, 15th October, 26th November and 10th December 2011 and on into 2012. There will be a session charge of £16 for these first 4 sessions or £5 per session if paid on the day. To reserve a place or for more information please contact Joanne Penn at Writing West Midlands on 0121 246 2770 or joanne@writingwestmidlands.org.
The Kidderminster Write On! Writing Squad is a project of Writing West Midlands. www.writingwestmidlands.org
In association with Worcestershire County Council’s Libraries and Learning Service. www.worcestershire.gov.uk/libraries
Getting Started as a Writer in Education
6 months ago
Getting Started as a Writer in Education
In partnership with National Association of Writers in Education
Friday 16th September 2011
10.00am – 1.00pm
This workshop day aims to provide a toolkit for writers wishing to work in a range of educational fields. It is ideal for writers wanting to explore how they might look for work, who to contact, what to offer and discuss what schools and other educational settings might be looking for. There will be an introduction to current curriculum areas that are relevant to writers as well as lots of practical tips and opportunities for discussion.
Facilitators: Anne Caldwell and Jonathan Davidson
Anne is an accredited coach, poet, and Programme Manager for NAWE’s Writers Compass. She also teaches creative writing at Bolton University and for the Open University. Her latest book is ‘Talking With The Dead’ (Cinnamon press 2011). Anne has worked extensively in schools and the community over the last fifteen years working with children under five to adults over eighty.
Jonathan has worked for over twenty years in arts management and literature development, including working as a literature officer for local authorities and organising book festivals. He is joint-founder and Associate Director of the Birmingham Book Festival and Director of Midlands Creative Projects LTD. He is also Chief Executive of Writing West Midlands and runs its very successful Write On! Writers in Schools programme.
Fees £20 NAWE members, £35 non members.
Tea and Coffee provided.
The Mac Arts Centre
Edgbaston Road
Birmingham
B12 9QH
How to Book
Email a.caldwell@nawe.co.uk or tel. 07818 052108
The Birmingham Book Festival 2011
6 months ago
by Writing West Midlands
in Birmingham Book Festival, Events, For Aspiring Writers, For Emerging Writers, For Established Writers, For Literature Professionals And Organisations, Literature Festivals, Our Organisation, Poetry, Poetry in Performance, Theatre Writing, Writer Training, Writing in Performance, Writing West Midlands
The Birmingham Book Festival 2011
6-16 October
www.birminghambookfestival.org
For 13 years, the Birmingham Book Festival has been a place for ideas and conversation, bringing writing to the fore in its capacity to make us question our worlds. This year is no exception: there is much to talk about in 2011, and plenty to interrogate during the ten days of the Festival.
WILL SELF will lead us in an examination of our dependency on the car in an alternative sermon in the city’s beautiful cathedral. TONY HARRISON will bring his exceptional repertoire of striking verse and the weighty subjects that populate it, to our stage. STUART MACONIE will share his journey through the decades of our recent history in search of the tragic, shameful and glorious ‘days that made Britain’. IAN RANKIN will take us back to 1985 and a period of political turmoil with his new novel. OWEN HATHERLEY will chart the architectural wreckage of the ‘age of greed and aspiration’ of the late nineties and early noughties.
IAN LESLIE will explore how deceit is central to who we are and ingrained in our practise of art, advertising, sport, politics and war. Cuban poet VÍCTOR RODRÍGUEZ NÚÑEZ will join us in a rare UK appearance to share poetry that is ‘participatory yet not political, Cuban yet not essentially Nationalist.’ Dutch poets ELLEN DECKWITZ and DAAN DOESBORGH will delight us with their extraordinary blend of humour, rhythm and mime.
There’s more, too. A festival shop, a festival book (JENN ASHWORTH’S Cold Light, a brilliant second novel), an all night writing workshop with JUDITH ALLNATT (back by popular demand), a Fringe Festival giving opportunities to meet professionals such as TINDAL STREET PRESS and reporter SONIA FALEIRO and a specially commissioned empty shop sound installation, BOY YOU TURN ME.
Join us as we work our way around the city, inhabiting an array of interesting venues, exploring a profusion of events, workshops and conversations. Enjoy!
Grants for Writers from the West Midlands
6 months ago
Grants available for writers from West Midlands
Following the closure of Script, the recentlyWest Midlands agency for dramatic writers, some money has been given to Arvon Foundation’s grant fund specifically to help writers from the West Midlands. If you would like to attend an Arvon residential creative writing course on theatre, film, comedy, TV or radio and live in the West Midlands, please contact emma@arvonfoundation.org for information on how you can apply for a grant for up to 90% of your course.
http://arvonfoundation.org/index2.php?pid=126&subid=116