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South East

FictionFire

offers creative writing day courses, mentoring, critiquing and editorial advice with novelist and experienced writing tutor Lorna Fergusson. Inspiration in the beauty of historic Oxford. Courses include: Making Memorable Scenes (2 Oct) and Shape Up and Make Your Pitch (16 Oct).

£95

2 & 16 October.

Freelance Research Assistant

available for writers of magazines or novels, especially if they specialise in crime or historical fiction. Contact Fiona Johnston for more information.

Kateproof

offers a professional proofreading service from a qualified proofreader and editor.

North West

Creative Writing Workshop - Historical Fiction

with Margaret Murphy, who will talk about how to create historical characters, period and detail. Participants will be encouraged to write a short piece or story as a basis for entering the Flashback Fiction competition.

Forum Library, Manchester.

4 September, 1-4pm.

ROI

Workshops on the Abbey stage

explore voice using text from current and upcoming productions: Macbeth (8 May, 10am-1pm); The Plough and the Stars (4 Sep, 10am-1pm).

€40 for each workshop.

Abbey Theatre, Dublin.

London

Exiled Lit Cafe: Voices from Palestine

with Adania Shibli, Ehab Bessaiso, Mahmoud Darwish and Yuyutso Sharma.

£4 (£2 members).

Poetry Cafe, Betterton Street, London.

6 September, 7.30pm.

North West

Texting Obama: Politics/Poetics/Popular Culture

is an international conference and programme of cultural events.

Manchester Metropolitan University.

7-10 September.

South East

The Projection Room

is a new course for screenwriters, with an opportunity to develop an original feature idea from treatment, step outline and first draft. With structured writing exercises, group and individual feedback.

£400 (£300).

Lighthouse, 28 Kensington Street, Brighton.

8 September - 2 March 2011.

London

Tilt: Spoken Word at the Tipping Point

presents three spoken word shows with Francesca Martinez, Tim Clare, Robin Deacon, Laura Dockrill and Melanie Abrahams.

£4.50

Kings Place Festival, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London.

9 September, 7.30, 8.45 and 10pm.

South East

Chiltern Writers Manuscript Evening

welcomes all to come and read their work in a welcoming atmosphere and receive positive feedback.

£3, free to members.

Wendover Library Room.

9 September, 8pm.

London

Fast Track Introduction to Playwriting

is a weekend workshop for beginners, introducing playwriting skills and theory through practical exercises, class activities and engaging discussion.

£290.

Toynbee Studios, London.

11-12 September.

Wales

Kaleidoscopic: Adaptations Festival

covers a range of platforms and media, to include film, television, radio, theatre, graphic design, literature and branding.

Glyndwr University, Wrexham and Wrexham Library.

9-11 September

South West

Scriptwriters Doo Dah

offers two courses for scriptwriters: The Basics Plus – write a brand new play for theatre (Ten Saturdays from 11 Sep, 10.30am-12.30pm); For writers with some experience (Ten Sundays, from 12 Sep, 10.30am-12.30pm).

£55 each.

Salisbury Arts Centre.

  • Box Office 01722 321 744.

North East

Bare Knuckle Poetry Slam

features sixteen poets who will compete in pairs for the audience vote. Slam poetry, but not as we know it.

£4.

Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle upon Tyne.

13 September, 7.30pm.

Wales

Creative Writing Courses

at Cardiff Centre for Lifelong Learning include: Creative Writing at the Museum, Writing Cardiff, Scripting a Television Drama and many more. Open days are taking place: 11 September (11am-1.30pm) and 14 September (12-2pm, 5-7pm).

Wales

On the Edge

features a rehearsed reading of Talking to Wordsworth by Gillian Clarke.

£4.

The Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea.

15 September, 7.30pm.

North East

Events at Newcastle City Library

include: Dan Smith: Dry Season, first novel experience (25 Aug, 6-7.45pm); Diane Janes: The Pull of the Moon (1 Sep, 2-4pm); Literary Lunch: Women of Mystery (14 Sep, 12.30-2pm, £10); Matthew Crow & Guy Mankowski book launches (16 Sep, 6-7.45pm).

Newcastle City Library.

Northern Ireland

British and Irish Contemporary Poetry Conference

features poetry readings with Ciaran Carson, Leontia Flynn, Michael Longley, Medbh McGuckian, Sinead Morrissey and Frank Ormsby.

Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast.

16 September, 6.30pm.

London

Ten - The Complete Works Showcase

with hosts Bernardine Evaristo and Daljit Nagra, and poets Roger Robinson, Denise Saul, Sen Seneviratne, Malika Booker, Mir Mahfuz Ali, Shazea Quraishi, Karen McCarthy, Rowyda Amin, Janet Kofi Tsekpo and Nick Makoha.

£7.

The Tabernacle, Powis Square, London.

17 September, 7pm.

Scotland

Auction of Pleasures

is a dinner and auction to raise funds for Glasgow Women’s Library’s refurbishment of their new home at the Mitchell Library.

£45 per person, £400 per table.

St Andrew’s in the Square, Glasgow.

17 September, 6-11pm.

West Midlands

That Awkward Age

with Roger McGough, and an evening of poems to amaze and delight.

£15 (£10).

Number 8 Community Arts Centre, Pershore.

17 September, 7.30pm.

London

Write Convincing Dialogue

is a creative writer’s afternoon run by Greenacre Writers. Meet fellow creative writers, work on creative writing exercises and share your work to receive supportive feedback and ideas in a friendly and stimulating environment.

£10 (£5 members).

Finchley, North London.

18 September, 2-5pm.

Wales

Academi Literary Bus Tour

entitled Lynette Roberts in Llanybri, with Dr John Pikoulis.

£45 (£42).

Starts in Cardiff, with request-only pick-ups en-route along the M4.

18 September.

West Midlands

Courses at Farncombe Estate

include: Novel Outline in a Weekend (14-16 May); Fiction Writing for Beginners (4 July); Write From Life (18 Sep); Faster Novel Writing Techniques (14 Nov).

Farncombe Estate, Broadway.

Yorkshire

Brontë Festival of Women’s Writing

features events including: Kate Mosse (17 Spe, 8pm); An evening with the Poet Laureate: Carol Ann Duffy (18 Sep, 7.30pm).

Brontë Parsonage Museum, Haworth.

17-19 September.

Scotland

Where have I come from? Where are we going?

is a show that investigates how women learn to be women in a cross-artform show combining humour, spoken word, poetry and performance.

£7 (£5).

Studio, The Arches, 253 Argyle Street, Glasgow.

21 & 22 September, 9pm.

London

Reach for the Heights

is an exploration of what makes for Great Writing. The workshop with Brenda Cooper offers the chance to explore the principles behind the writing of famous authors, and show you how to apply these principles to your own writing.

£20.

The Literary Consultancy, London.

23 September, 2.30-5.30pm.

North West

Writing from Art: Uncertainty in the City

is a new series of workshops hosted by Litfest in partnership with Storey Gallery.

£60 (£50).

The Poetry Bookcase, Storey, Lancaster.

23 September - 28 October, 7-9pm.

London

The Confident Creative Retreat

offers a hands-on workshop with Cat Bennett that will give participants a chance to explore the creative process using drawing as a tool to free the hand and mind

£299. £199 if booked by 31 July.

London.

25 & 26 September.

North East

Performance Poetry Workshop and Masterclass

with Poetry Jack, with the chance to write and workshop poetry, learn stagecraft and microphone skills.

£30.

Alington House, Durham.

25 September, 10am-4pm.

Yorkshire

The Feast of Sensory Delights Workshop

will show you how to make your writing connect with as many readers as possible based on the theories of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).

£30.

The Bowery, 54 Otley Road, Leeds.

25 September, 10am-2pm.

London

Creative Writes

offers supportive, small, tailor-made and motivational creative writing workshops in beautiful surroundings. Includes short story, poetry, language games, character building & storytelling. Group & individual work. No feedback!

Muswell Hill, London.

Sunday afternoons: 4 Jul-1 Aug,2-4om, £75; Wednesday evenings: 15, 22, 29 Sep & 6, 13 Oct, £100; Weekend Intensive: 25 & 26 Sep , 2-6pm, £80.

North East

Eight Great Poets at the Morden Tower

with Claire Askew, Kathleen Kenny, Valerie Laws, Josephine Scott, Alistair Robinson, Colin Will, Mike Dillon and Kevin Cadwallender.

£4 (£3).

Morden Tower, Back Stowell Street, Newcastle upon Tyne.

26 September, 7.30pm.

South East

Tongues & Grooves

is a poetry and music club with events including an open mic by arrangement, and monthly creative writing workshops. With events including: Paul Birtill and Mike Loveday (25 Jul); Caroline Carver and Jenny Hamlett (26 Sep).

The Florence Arms, Florence Road, Southsea.

Last Sunday of every month.

London

Courses with the Met Film School

include: Part-time Filmmaking (21 Apr-13 Oct; 15 Sep-9 Mar, £4,000); Introduction to Writing for TV (15-16 May; 10-11 Jul, £300); From Story to Screen in Eight Weeks (24 May-16 Jul; 27 Sep-19 Nov, £4,000).

London

Courses with the Script Factory

include: Horror & Slasher (13 Jul); Truth and Fiction (15 Jul); Thriller (16 Jul); Film Script Reading (20 Sep); Television Drama Script Reading (28 Sep); Script Reading Training for Distributors (29 Sep). Brand new: Story Design (Sep); Radio Drama (Sep)

The Script Factory, Frith Street, London.

All 10am-5pm.

East

Gamlingay District and Writers Group

meets monthly and follows a themed programme. Welcomes new members of all ages and abilities.

Meets at members’ houses. Contact for directions.

East Midlands

The Speculators

is a group for writers of speculative fiction which meets to write, critique new writing and discuss the business of writing. Welcomes new members.

Friends Meeting House, Queens Road, Leicester.

Wednesdays, 7-9pm.

London

Winchmore Hill Writers

is a small, informal and friendly group that meets for creative development, mutual support and very good chocolate biscuits! Everyone welcome.

London N21.

Occasional Saturdays; also a reading group that meets Tuesday afternoons in term-time only.

London

Poets Anonymous

is a poetry evening with floor spots available.

£2 (£1).

Fairfield Hotel Bar, 1 Landsdowne Road, Croydon.

First Friday of the month, 8pm.

North East

The Philippa Pearce Memorial Lecture: In the Footsteps

with Michael Morpurgo. The event will include a book signing. Adults only.

Free, but please book.

Seven Stories, Newcastle upon Tyne.

30 September, 5pm.

North West

Come Strut Your Stuff

is a long-running poetry and acoustic music event.

Free.

Egg Café, Newington, Liverpool.

First Monday of every month.

South West

NEW Word Central

is a friendly, informal new group who meet to read and discuss work and share information, contacts and news. Writers of all genres are welcome – just bring something to read.

£2 per session.

Centre for the Creative Industries, Exeter College, Victoria Yard, Off Queen Street, Exeter.

Second and fourth Thursday of the month (term time), 6pm-8pm.

South West

Workshop for Writers – Working with Schools

is an opportunity for emerging writers to explore the Write Team approach and working with schools.

£25.

The Mission Theatre, Corn Street, Bath.

30 September, 10am-1pm.

West Midlands

New City Playwrights

meets to discuss work and provide support, and is serious about work produced being staged.

Bantock House Museum, Wolverhampton.

Second Saturday of each month, 11am-1pm.

West Midlands

Worcester Writers’ Circle

is an enthusiastic group who enjoy writing for pleasure and publication.

Dancox House, St Clement’s Gardens, Worcester.

First and third Tuesday of each month, 7.30pm.

West Midlands

You Don’t Have to Say

is Alan Beard’s second short story collection, that will be launched with a reading.

Free.

Ikon Gallery, 1 Oozells Square, Birmingham.

30 September, 6.30pm.

North East

Writing Courses with Newcastle City Library

include: Nature Writing and the Environment (10 weekly sessions from 16 Sep); Songsville: Composers and Songwriters, their Lyrics and History (10 weekly sessions from 29 Sep); The Face of Literature (10 weekly sessions from 1 Oct).

City Library, Newcastle upon Tyne.

ROI

A New Way to Fly

is a novel writing workshop with Sean O’Reilly that runs for twenty weeks.

€1,500.

Dublin, Ireland.

1 October - 31 January.

London

NAWE New Accredited Training in Coaching Skills for Writers

is aimed at experienced writers who work as tutors and facilitators who are looking to extend their range of opportunities for earning a living, and for those working in Further or Higher Education settings.

Free Word Centre, London.

January-May 2011 (Exact dates tbc). Deadline for applications, 4 October.

North West

Events at Brewery Arts Centre

include: Open Mic Workshop (31 Jul, £4); Warehouse Open Mic (31 Jul, 7.30pm, £2); An evening with Flambard Press, with poets Andrew Forster, Jackie Litherland and Andy Croft (24 Sep, 7.30pm, £5); The Children’s Bookshow (29 Sep, 1.30pm, £3.50/£5 adults/teacher free); Brewery Books: Dr Chris Anderson presents Joseph O’Connor’s Star of the Sea (5 Oct, 7.45pm, £2.50).

Brewery Arts Centre, Highgate, Kendal.

London

Events with Spread the Word

include: Ten: The Complete Works Showcase, woth hosts Bernardine Evaristo and Daljit Nagra, who will launch the new Bloodaxe anthology by ten exceptional Black and Asian UK poets (The Tabernacle, 17 Sep, 7-8.30pm, £7); PenPals Slam, a networking and showcase event for young writers aged 18-30yrs (Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, 6 Oct, 6.30-9pm, £7).

North West

Courses with the Poetry School

include: The Ambitious Poem: work in progress with Annie Freud (Wordsworth Trust, Cumbria, 29 Sep, 10.30am-1pm, £20); The Power of Experience with Vicki Feaver (Wordsworth Trust, Cumbria, 21 Aug, 10.30am-4.30pm, £30); Transatlantic Poets: a reading course with John McAuliffe and Jeffrey Wainwright (Friends’ Meeting House, Manchester, from 7 Oct, £99).

South West

Events with Apples & Snakes

include: Gallery Sessions with Simon Mole, Phil Bowen, Nikky Norton and Lucy Lepchani (The Queen’s Theatre, Barnstaple, 21 Sep, 8pm, £9.50, 01271 324 242); Forked compered by Cathy McCabe (B-Bar, Barbican Theatre, Plymouth, 23 Sep, 8pm, £5, 01752 242 021); Meter, an informal networking get-together (The Voodoo Lounge, Exeter Phoenix, Exeter, 9 Oct, 5pm, Free, 01752 242 016).

East Midlands

Everybody’s Reading

is a pioneering scheme to get every primary school child in Leicester reading. With opportunities to get involved and organise events, and small grants available to support the most exciting and creative event ideas.

Leicester.

2-10 October.

East Midlands

Theory and Practice in Contemporary Women’s Writing

is a networking event that will provide postgraduates working on contemporary women’s writing an opportunity to make new as well as foster established contacts and collaborations with other students in the field. Keynote speaker: Scarlett Thomas.

£30 before 31 August, £35 thereafter.

23 October. Registration deadline 11 October.

North East

Events at the Lit & Phil

include those with: Degna Stone, who will launch her chapbook with a reading (23 Sep, 7.30pm. £2); Sheree Mack, who will read from her chapbook (14 Oct, 7.30pm, £2).

Lit & Phil, Westgate Road, Newcastle.

North West

Author event

with Jane Eagland.

Free, but ticketed.

Blackburn Library.

14 October, 7pm.

London

10th Poetry Plus Festival

with readings and workshops.

£10 (£7.50) for the day, £2.50 for the workshops (spaces limited).

CVA Resource Centre, London Road, Croydon.

16 October, 10.30am-8pm.

South West

Writing workshops at New Brewery Arts

include: Write and be Published with Rona Laycock (23 Sep, 7-9pm, £79/£76); Creative Writing for Beginners with Rona Laycock (2 Oct, 1-4pm, £20); Writing for the Stage with Anne Lauppe (9 Oct, 2-4.30pm, £20); Poetry Surgery with Nigel McLoughlin (10 Oct, half-hourly slots from 10am, £23); Spirit of Place with Liz Carew (16 Oct, 2-4.15pm, £20).

New Brewery Arts, Cirencester.

Yorkshire

Maintaining Your Motivation to Write

is a novelist’s pre-Christmas treat, including an exploration of useful, realistic methods of kick-starting stalled projects.

£30.

The Bowery, Leeds.

16 October.

North West

Historical Novel Society Conference

with panel discussions and talks with a number of top authors including: Harry Sidebottom, Doug Jackson, Ann Turnbull, Jean Fullerton, Orna Ross and Mary Sharratt.

Mecahnics’ Institute, Manchester.

17 October, 9am-5pm.

East

Events with Chorleywood Bookshop

include: Crime on a summer evening with Peter Robinson and Sophie Hannah (4 Aug, 7.30pm); Max Arthur will talk about his latest book (22 Sep); Bruce Fogle will talk about his latest book (19 Oct, 7.30pm).

Both at Chorleywood Memorial Hall.

North East

Ten by Ten

is a monthly night of spoken word and poetry, where ten performers get ten minutes each to do their stuff.

£3.

The Cumberland Arms, Ouseburn, Newcastle upon Tyne.

15 July, 23 September, 21 October, 8pm.

London

Tell Me a Story: The Craft of Narrative

is a two-day workshop that offers the opportunity for fiction writers to roll up their sleeves and get to grips with the nuts and bolts of the storytellers craft.

£160

The Rugby Arms, 19 Great James Street, London.

9 & 23 October, 10.30am-4pm.

London

Write Wandsworth!

is a series of creative writing workshops delivered in partnership with Wandsworth Library and Heritage Service. Courses available include: Writing in the City with Sarah Butler (Tooting Library, 11 Sep, 10.30am-4pm, £15/£10); Gnovel Ideas – comics workshop with Ilya (Southfields Library, 2 Oct, 10.30am-4pm, £15/£10); Poetry with Anthony Joseph (Balham Library, 7 Oct, 10am-1pm, £10/£7); Family Writing Workshop with Steve Tasane (Earlsfield Library, 23 Oct, 10am-1pm, £10/£7); Writing for Young Readers with Jamila Gavin (Northcote Library, 6 Nov, 10am-4pm, £15/£10); Scriptwriting with London Playwrights Collective (Northcote Library, 22 Jan 2011, 10am-4pm, £15/£10); Short Stories with Courttia Newland (Putney Library, 12 Feb 2011, 10am-4pm, £30/£20).

Scotland

The Poetry Society Poetry Surgery

with Kona Macphee. Discuss your poems on a one-to-one basis.

£40 (£30 Poetry Society members).

Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh.

17 July; 30 October.

South East

Goldenford Publishers

presents an ongoing programme of activities, including: Mapping Your Story (A Writers’ Workshop) (Parish Church Hall, Church Road, Leatherhead; 01372 456 778, 9 Oct, 2-5pm, £10/£8); Music and the Muse (Guildford Institute, Ward Street, Guildford, 27 Oct, 2.45-4pm, £6/£5); Mapping Your Story (A Writers’ Workshop) (Guildford Institute, 30 Oct, 10am-2pm, £10/£8).

Wales

BayLit: Shock of the New

is a festival that pushes the boundaries of literature in Cardiff Bay, focusing on new and emerging writers as well as innovative and original writing styles, publications, technologies and performances. Academi is keen for Cardiff writers, readers and residents to get involved. Contact Academi for more information.

Venues around Cardiff Bay.

25-30 October.

London

Travel Writing Workshop

is a regular one-day event that offers expert guidance on writing and selling travel features from experienced travel writer and editor Peter Carty.

Central London.

London

Coffee House Poetry at the Troubadour

presents events including: Yvonne Gree, Lesley Saunders, Helen Ivory, Martin Figura, Agnieszka Studzinska, John Greening, Gale Burns and Kate Noakes (20 Sep); The Rialto celebrates 25 poetic years (4 Oct); Poems on the Underground (18 Oct); London Festival Fringe New Poetry Award wiht judges Adam O’Riordan, Tamar Yoseloff and Daljit Nagra alongside fifteen shortlisted first-collection poets (1 Nov).

Wales

Poetry on the Border

presents the finest poets in engaging, powerful and stimulating combinations. Featuring: A Celebration of Chris Torrance with Lee Harwood, Graham Hartill, Ric Hool and Phil Maillard (16 Jul); Gwyneth Lewis & Philip Gross (4 Sep); Menna Elfyn & Alice Oswald (2 Oct); Ruth Bidgood & Daljit Nagra (6 Nov).

£12 (£10) each.

Drill Hall, Lower Church Street, Chepstow, Monmouthshire.

All at 7.30pm.

London

Creativity, Dissidence and Women

is Nawal el Saadawi’s trademark course, but she will be teaching it in London for the first time.

Goldsmiths College, London.

19-21 November.

South West

Writing Workshops with Jane Reece

include: Get Started in Writing, a day of creative exercises and ideas to break through writers’ block (18 Sep); Life Writing (23 Oct); Writing Landscapes (27 Nov); Writing for Health and Well-being (4 Dec).

Bristol Folk House, 40a Park Street, Bristol.

ROI

Affordable Courses at the Irish Writers’ Centre

include those in a range of disciplines including poetry, the short story and novel writing.

€70 for one-day courses and €140 for weekend courses.

Irish Writers’ Centre, Dublin.

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