Writing School East Midlands programme 2016/17

Nottingham Creative Writing Courses

Sept 2016 – July 2017 Eve Makis

Literary Fiction, Memoir, Life Writing, Short Stories... with tutors including

Graeme Marsh Sue Moorcroft

Crime Fiction, Children’s Writing, Starting to Write, Manuscript Editing with tutors including

Stephen Booth Clare Harvey Jonathan Emmett

Kerry Young Follow us on Twitter

@WritingSchoolEM and say hello to us on Facebook at facebook.com/writingschool.eastmidlands

Alex Davis

2

Make time for writing Welcome to Writing School East Midlands: Nottingham It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the 2016/17 programme of courses, workshops and special events at Writing School East Midlands: Nottingham. Our new programme continues to reflect the Writing School’s commitment to providing excellent tuition in a supportive and creative environment, and this year we’ve introduced courses, workshops and events specially designed to help you develop your craft through our Building Block bundles (see page 10 for details) and also dedicated one-to-one tuition opportunities with established writers (see page 10 for details).

We welcome writers of all abilities regardless of experience and academic qualifications.Whether you write recreationally or if you’re an emerging writer at the start of your career, or indeed a professional author looking to connect with other writers and gain new ideas, we’re confident there will be a course in our programme suitable for you.

Our tutors are not only celebrated writers and performers in their own right, but accomplished teachers acknowledged for their skills and ability to work with a broad spectrum of readers and writers across a wide range of genres and forms, including novel writing, short fiction, self-editing for writers, writing for children, blog writing and creative non-fiction writing to name but a few. And our Special Events programme offers wonderful opportunities to work with distinguished visiting writers from across the country and nearby. This season’s programme includes Jonathan Emmett & Helena Pielichaty, Eve Makis, Kerry Young and Stephen Booth & Stuart Gibson.

We thank Waterstones Nottingham for its continued support in providing a welcoming venue in the Sillitoe Room.

Writing East Midlands CIC administrates Writing School East Midlands and is a Community Interest Company supported by Arts Council England.

0115 959 7929 • courses@writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk www.writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk Designed by Martin Parker at silbercow.co.uk tel: 0845 456 4838

Courses

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The Short of It: Short Story Writing for Beginners with Victoria Villasenor

Writing Your Novel: Inspiration and Perspiration with Megan Taylor

(Can be taken as individual course at your leisure or block booked for a 15% discount – see p10 for details)

(Can be taken as individual course at your leisure or block booked for a 15% discount – see p10 for details)

4 week course Code: WSN601 Term One Day & Time: Thursday 1–3pm Date: 8 Sept – 6 Oct, 2016 (No session 22 Sept) Venue: Watersones Nottingham, 1–5 Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR Cost: £75, £65 conc.

15 week course (over three 5 terms) Code: WSN603 Term One Day & Time: Saturday 1–3pm Date: 24 Sept – 22 Oct, 2016 Venue: Watersones Nottingham, 1–5 Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR Cost: £90, £80 conc.

This fun, informative course is for those who want to learn how to write interesting short stories. What makes a good short story? How is it different from a novel?

What elements do you need to have to create an interesting piece of work? Over the course of four weeks, we’ll discuss these elements, and you will learn how to write emotive, entertaining short stories. By the end of the four weeks, you will have a completed first draft of your own short story. Suitable for writers at all levels.

Self-Editing Crash Course with Victoria Villasenor One day workshop Code: WSN602 Day & Time: Saturday 10am – 4pm Date: 17 September, 2016 Venue: Watersones Nottingham, 1–5 Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR Cost: £55, £50 conc.

It’s a fabulous feeling to finish a manuscript. But, what do you do next? This single day crash course in selfediting is designed to give you the tools to look at your manuscript critically. We’ll look at your story and character arcs, talk about how to identify problems in conflict (and avoid a saggy middle!), and other craft elements. Suitable for writers at all levels.

“It was brilliant!”

– Inspiring Short Stories partcipant

Whether you’re a new writer wondering where to begin or an experienced author seeking fresh inspiration, this playful, practical and supportive course aims to offer help and advice on writing, revising and submitting your novel. Each week we’ll be exploring, encouraging and editing your words, taking your manuscript from first draft to submission.

In Term One, ‘Inspiration and Perspiration’, we’ll consider the essentials – character development, settings, structure and plot – along with looking at the individual ideas behind your desire to write. We will also cover practical advice on establishing effective writing habits and keeping going. Suitable for writers at all levels.

4 Courses Art Into Words – Using Exhibitions to Inspire New Writing 1 with Clare Harvey One day workshop Code: WSN604 Day & Time: Saturday 10am – 1pm Date: 8 October, 2016 Venue: Nottingham Lakeside Arts, University Park, Notts, NG7 2RD Cost: £25, £20 conc.

Working with the Making Beauty – Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva exhibition, writer Clare Harvey will help participants use the artist’s tactile art to investigate how juxtaposition of the familiar and strange can create a character-compelling point of view. The session will start in the gallery with a series of short activities, using artwork to spark ideas. Clare will then facilitate a focused writing session with the opportunity to reflect and feedback on each other’s work. Suitable for writers at all levels.

Art Into Words – Using Exhibitions to Inspire New Writing 2 with Clare Harvey One day workshop Code: WSN617 Day & Time: Saturday 10am – 1pm Date: 13 May, 2017 Venue: Nottingham Lakeside Arts, University Park, Notts, NG7 2RD Cost: £25, £20 conc.

Working with the Winifred Nicholson’s Paintings exhibition, writer Clare Harvey will help participants use the artist’s impressionistic paintings to create a sense of place. The session will start in the gallery with a series of short activities, using artwork to spark ideas. Clare will then facilitate a focused writing session with the opportunity to reflect and feedback on each other’s work. Suitable for writers at all levels.

BOOK YOUR PLACE Please note: Art Into Words workshops take place at Lakeside Arts (not at Waterstones) and can only be booked directly through Writing School East Midlands online at www.writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk or by post (please use the booking form in the centre of this programme brochure).

Art Into Words cannot be booked over the counter at Waterstones.

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5 Writing for the Commercial Fiction Market with Sue Moorcroft One day workshop Code: WSN605 Day & Time: Thursday 1.30 – 4.30pm Date: 20 October, 2016 Venue: Watersones Nottingham, 1–5 Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR Cost: £27, £24 conc.

The commercial fiction market is the financial backbone of contemporary publishing but finding your way into it may seem a steep learning curve. Sue Moorcroft provides insight into how to enter the world of commercial novels, short stories and serials via this interactive three-hour session, including time for your questions to be answered. Suitable for writers at all levels.

After the workshop, all students will be invited to the pre-publication launch of Sue Moorcroft’s new novel, The Christmas Promise at 6.00pm at Waterstones free of charge.

Getting into Non-Fiction Writing with Graeme Marsh One day workshop Code: WSN607 Day & Time: Saturday 10am – 4pm Date: 12 Nov, 2016 Venue: Watersones Nottingham, 1–5 Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR Cost: £55, £50 conc.

From magazine features to academic essays and books. Get started with non-fiction writing with tips and exercises that will get you from concept to publication.

Whether you’re looking to write your memoirs for your family or travel articles for the broadsheets, this workshop will open up the non-fiction genre and leave you inspired to start writing and pitching straight away.

Suitable for writers at all levels.

The Short of It: Short Story Writing with Victoria Villansenor (Can be taken as individual course at your leisure or block booked for a 15% discount – see p10 for details)

Writing Horror Fiction with Alex Davis One day workshop Code: WSN606 Day & Time: Saturday 10am – 4pm Date: 29 October, 2016 Venue: Watersones Nottingham, 1–5 Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR Cost: £55, £50 conc.

A one-day workshop focusing on horror fiction, a genre that is growing in popularity all the time. This workshop features a range of practical advice and exercises designed to enable you to develop strong atmosphere, offer powerful horror characterisation and master a range of technical devices to create true fear within your readers. Whether you’ve got some experience in writing dark fiction, or are a writer with an interest in the field you’d like to explore, this course is ideal for you. Suitable for writers at all levels.

4 week course Code: WSN608 Term Two Day & Time: Thursday 1–3pm Date: 19 Jan to 9 Feb, 2017 Venue: Watersones Nottingham, 1–5 Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR Cost: £75, £65 conc.

What can you do to make your short stories even better? How can you create short stories that engage a reader? In this mid-level short story course, we’ll discuss next-level elements of story creation, and develop a short story you can work with toward publication. Suitable for writers at all levels.

“The timing was perfect and allowed natural flow and conversation” – Beginnings, Middles & Endings

6 Courses Writing Your Novel: Writing and Workshopping with Megan Taylor

The Short of It: Short Story Writing Portfolio Workshop with Victoria Villasenor

(Can be taken as individual course at your leisure or block booked for a 15% discount – see p10 for details)

(Can be taken as individual course at your leisure or block booked for a 15% discount)

15 week course (over three 5 terms) Code: WSN610 Term Two Day & Time: Saturday 1–3pm Date: 28 Jan to 25 Feb, 2017 Venue: Watersones Nottingham, 1–5 Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR Cost: £90, £80 conc.

6 week course Code: WSN613 Term Three Day & Time: Thursday 1–3pm Date: 20 April to 25 May, 2017 Venue: Watersones Nottingham, 1–5 Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR Cost: £110, £100 conc.

Whether you’re a new writer wondering where to begin or an experienced author seeking fresh inspiration, this playful, practical and supportive course aims to offer help and advice on writing, revising and submitting your novel. Each week we’ll be exploring, encouraging and editing your words, taking your manuscript from first draft to submission.

One of the great things about short stories is that they can be written in a short time frame. In this intensive writing course, you’ll be encouraged to write several short stories throughout, all while being given tools to make your short stories come alive on the page. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have a number of new stories for your writing portfolio. Suitable for writers at all levels.

Term Two, ‘Writing and Workshopping’, will focus on feedback, and will help you to begin to smooth your novel into shape. You will have the opportunity to exchange your writing in a friendly and supportive environment, develop editorial skills and gain all important ideas on how to improve your writing.

Suitable for writers at all levels.

Between the Sheets: Erotica Writing Workshop with Victoria Villansenor One day workshop Code: WSN611 Day & Time: Thursday 10am – 4pm Date: 16 February, 2017 Venue: Watersones Nottingham, 1–5 Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR Cost: £55, £50 conc.

This fun, informative course is open to writers at all levels and is for those who want to learn how to write erotica and what to do with it once it’s written. What makes for good erotica writing? What makes erotica one of the best-selling markets? How do you write it believably? In this fun, one day course, we’ll talk about crafting good erotica, and try our hand at writing it ourselves! Suitable for writers at all levels.

7 Writing Your Novel: Revising and Submitting with Megan Taylor (Can be taken as individual course at your leisure or block booked for a 15% discount – see p10 for details)

15 week course (over three 5 terms) Code: WSN615 Term Three Day & Time: Saturday 1–3pm Date: 6 May to 3 June, 2017 Venue: Watersones Nottingham, 1–5 Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR Cost: £90, £80 conc.

Whether you’re a new writer wondering where to begin or an experienced author seeking fresh inspiration, this playful, practical and supportive course aims to offer help and advice on writing, revising and submitting your novel. Each week we’ll be exploring, encouraging and editing your words, taking your manuscript from first draft to submission.

Term Three, ‘Revising and Submitting’, will concentrate on editing your novel, helping you to tell your story in the best way you can before submitting. We’ll also offer practical advice on approaching agents and publishers. Suitable for writers at all levels.

Reading for Writing with Eve Makis 6 week course Code: WSN616 Day & Time: Monday 1–3pm Date: 8 May to 19 June, 2017 (no session on 29 May) Venue: Watersones Nottingham, 1–5 Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR Cost: £110, £100 conc.

Reading is an essential part of writing and can help us become better writers. In this exciting new course participants will be encouraged to write creative pieces in response to the work of established novelists and short story writers. Editorial advice and feedback will also be given on work produced during the sessions.

“The tutor was really knowledgable and great fun” – Writing Romantic Fiction participant

Special Offers from Waterstones Nottingham We’re pleased to announce through our partnership with Waterstones that all participants whose courses are taking place at Waterstones in Nottingham from September 2016 to July 2017 will be eligible for a 10% discount card to be redeemed against any book purchases in store at Waterstones during the duration of the course they are booked onto. Participants will be presented with the discount card at the beginning of the course. All participants who book on to a course at Waterstones (Sept 2016 – July 2017) will also be eligible for free tickets on request to any Waterstones Nottingham Author events. (Subject to availability. Standard £5 and £3 tickets, exemptions may apply). Apply by email to events.nottingham@waterstones.com

8 Special Events Values and Ethics in Fiction Writing with Kerry Young One Day Special Event Code: WSN609 Day & Time: Saturday 10am – 4pm Date: 21 Jan, 2017 Venue: Watersones Nottingham, 1–5 Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR Cost: £55, £50 conc.

The course focuses on the role of fiction writers as social observers and commentators. As such, it is concerned with moral meaning. What is the underlying moral message of your story? Why does it matter? How can your writing help to create a more comprehensible human experience?

The day will be organised around individual and group writing exercises and discussion, examples of work presented by participants and workshop-based feedback. Suitable for writers with some experience.

Writing Blogs and Audience Building with Shreya Sen-Handley One Day Special Event Code: WSN612 Day & Time: Saturday 10am – 4pm Date: 18 March, 2017 Venue: Watersones Nottingham, 1–5 Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR Cost: £55, £50 conc.

This course is for anyone who’s thinking of starting a blog or has a relatively new or even a fairly established blog. If you’re looking for inspiration to get started or to getting back into the swing of things, as well as steer and support with what to write, how to write, how often to write, and whom to write for, then this workshop is for you. We will explore writing blogs and cover blogging essentials, such as drumming up readership and even using blogs to catch the eye of a traditional publisher. There’ll be lots of sharing, writing exercises and plenty of laughter too! Suitable for writers at all levels.

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9 PLEASE NOTE: places are limited on these courses, therefore early booking is advisable.

Researching & Writing the Perfect Murder with Stephen Booth and Stuart Gibbon One Day Special Event Code: WSN614 Date: 22 April, 2017 Day & Time: Saturday 10am – 4.30pm Venue: Watersones Nottingham, 1–5 Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR Cost: £65, £58 conc.

A unique opportunity to delve into the exciting world of crime writing with two leading experts in the field. Join former Senior Police Detective, Stuart Gibbon in the morning for an engaging workshop taking you through the scenario of the discovery of a body to the detention of a suspect, looking at the initial steps at the crime scene, suspect enquiries, forensic evidence and police custody procedures.

In the afternoon, armed with your authentic details of a murder investigation, join bestselling author Stephen Booth who will address how to create a protagonist who is believable, interesting and engaging. The workshop will help you to form rounded, multi-dimensional characters who will drive the story, and also cover the importance of clear objectives and a credible motivation to produce a robust plot which avoids the dreaded ‘sag’ in the middle. Suitable for writers at all levels.

Picture Books and Middle Grade with Jonathan Emmett and Helena Pielichaty One Day Special Event Code: WSN618 Day & Time: Saturday 10am – 4.30pm Date: 24 June, 2017 Venue: Watersones Nottingham, 1–5 Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR Cost: £65, £58 conc.

This brilliant one-day double workshop gives an introduction to writing for preschool and primary age children. Suitable for writers at all levels.

Jonathan Emmett has written over thirty picture books for preschool and primary age. He will talk about the challenges and rewards of writing picture books, outline the writing and publishing process, reveal the ins and outs of working with an illustrator and address the pros and cons of writing in rhyme.

After lunch, join Helena Pielichaty to gain tips and ideas on writing for the 7–11 age range. Helena will share her experience of writing for this age group through practical writing exercises and discussion about what publishers are looking for, as well as sharing examples of current contemporary children’s fiction.

0115 959 7929 • courses@writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk www.writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk

10 Tutorials If you need in-depth critical feedback on your work, our one-to-one tutorials are perfect. Designed to help you identify the strengths of your writing, as well as where and how it can be developed and honed, our tutorials comprise one hour preparation by the tutor and one hour in-person tutorial. Suitable for experienced writers.

Time, date and where the tutorial will take place is decided between participants and tutors.

Please send up to 150 lines of poetry or 2000 words of prose in advance of the tutorial to: courses@writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk

Duration: One hour preparation, followed by a one hour face-to-face tutorial Venue, time & date: To be decided with tutor Cost: £110 Code: WSTUT16 Tutorial tutors 2016/17 are: Victoria Villasenor, Megan Taylor, Alex Davis, Stephen Booth.

If you have a tutor from the list that you’d particularly like to work with, please do let us know by email.

Building Block Bundles: Nottingham Our courses and workshops are designed for writers at all levels of experience and ability and are suitable for people who write recreationally, as well as professional authors and emerging writers looking to publish their work.

Some of our courses have been programmed specially to help you to develop your writing, from early/beginner courses through to more advanced courses and workshops, and we’ve bundled them together as our Building Block programme. You can book any of our courses separately, but if you’d like to book a suggested programme of development, you can book one of our bundles at a 15% discounted price (cheaper than most residential courses).

Chapter Blocks A programme to help you develop your novel writing skills and sell your novel.

Book all three Writing Your Novel courses with this bundle.

Book: Writing Your Novel, Writing and Workshopping and Revising and WSN-CHAP Submitting for £230 (saving £40)

Short Blocks A programme to help you develop your short stories. Book all three The Short of It courses: Short Story Writing for Beginners, Short Story Writing and Short Story Writing Portfolio for £260 (saving £40) WSN-SHORT

11

“I’m trying to write a novel.”

A

t one time, I would have said this in a whisper – if I’d admitted it at all.

Although I’ve been writing since childhood, I kept my stories to myself for many years. I told myself the privacy was important for several reasons – mainly because the time I spent writing was precious to me, something that was exclusively mine, and because I knew I was still learning. While these things were true, I was also more than a bit scared.

I love reading as much as I love writing and gazing at my packed bookshelves, the idea that one day I might be published too seemed not just arrogant, but ridiculous – all those brilliant authors out there, how could I presume I might have anything to offer? Admittedly, I had my daydreams, but still... What about the criticism that would come with sharing my work? And the rejection? The fear of feeling exposed?

Thank goodness I got over that!

As I grew older, my excitement about writing became a force of its own (which meant the daydreams began to bubble over) and this, combined with a few life changes, transformed everything. Three published novels and a short story collection later, plus having completed a Creative Writing MA, I couldn’t be happier – but none of it would have happened if I’d kept my ideas, notebooks and manuscripts holed up with the dust-bunnies under the bed.

I can’t stress enough how much the practical and personal support I’ve received from terrific tutors, wonderful workshops and a fantastic fiction feedback group have helped along the way (though they may not have fully cured my addiction to alliteration). When I started offering my own creative writing workshops in 2012, I hoped other writers might feel as inspired and liberated as I had.

In my workshops, I try to offer exercises that are playful, practical and individual. Ideally I hope that a writer taking one of my courses will find the space to develop and celebrate their own unique writing voice while also learning effective writing habits that will provide ongoing rewards. We’ll consider technical elements such as honing characters and settings, along with understanding essential aspects like structure and point of view – but we’ll also look at the tale that only you can tell. Whether you have a vague but nagging idea for a novel or a manuscript you can’t stop rewriting, I hope the workshops will help.

I don’t believe your novels and short stories belong under the bed. At times, writing can be about hard graft and challenging yourself and thinking outside of the box, but it also has the potential to be the most exhilarating and transformative thing that you ever do. – Megan Taylor, Writing Your Novel tutor

12 Tutors STEPHEN BOOTH is a former newspaper journalist and the author of 16 novels in the award-winning Cooper and Fry crime series, featuring Derbyshire police detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry. Translated into 16 languages, his books have won awards on both sides of the Atlantic, and are currently in development for a TV series.

Stephen lives in Nottinghamshire and has led crime writing courses for Writing School East Midlands.

ALEX DAVIS is a writer, publisher and literature professional with a decade of experience in the writing industry. His novel The Last war was released in 2015 and he has had a range of short horror stories and poems published over the years. Alongside this he runs Boo Books, a small press based in Derby, as well as running the annual Edge-Lit and Sledge-Lit horror, SF and fantasy events in Derby. He is an experienced tutor, with more than 30 extended courses and 50 shorter workshops to his name.

JONATHAN EMMETT worked as an architect before pursuing a career in children’s books. As well as writing picture books such as Bringing Down the Moon, Someone Bigger and The Princess and the Pig, Jonathan also writes and paper-engineers popup books. His books have won several awards including the Red House Children’s Book Award for Pigs Might Fly and the Sheffield Children’s Book Award for The Pig’s Knickers.

STUART GIBBON is a former Senior Police Detective with considerable experience of crime investigation in London and the East Midlands. As a Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) in Major Crime he was in charge of murder and other serious cases. Stuart now advises writers on police actions and procedures as GIB Consultancy. He also talks with writing groups on the subject of ‘Murder Investigation’ and appears on TV/radio as a policing expert.

CLARE HARVEY’s debut novel, The Gunner Girl (Simon & Schuster), reached number 25 in the bestseller charts this year. The locally-based mum-of-three is a graduate from the University of Nottingham’s Creative Writing MA. As the wife of a former soldier, Clare has lived and worked in a variety of jobs all over the world, but has settled in Nottingham and now writes full time.

EVE MAKIS studied at Leicester University and worked as a journalist and radio presenter in the UK and Cyprus before becoming a novelist. Her first book Eat, Drink and be Married was published in five languages and awarded the Young Booksellers International Book of the Year Award. She co-wrote a screen adaptation of her third book, Land of the Golden Apple, and the film is due for release in 2016. Eve is a regular speaker at book events and a part time tutor in creative writing at Nottingham University. Her latest book The Spice Box Letters has been long listed for the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize 2015, awarded the Aurora Mardiganian Gold Medal and shortlisted for the East Midlands book award.

GRAEME MARSH’s writing career started with the BBC in Suffolk before he joined the Daily Express as a freelance health columnist and feature writer. His first book was published in 2006 with a follow up in 2008. He has written for a wide range of magazines and recently returned from a year blogging and taking images for a charity in Sub-Saharan Africa.

13 Award-winning author SUE MOORCROFT writes contemporary women’s fiction with occasionally unexpected themes. Her next two books are contracted to publishing giant HarperCollins UK. Sue is a past vice chair of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and editor of its two anthologies. She also writes short stories, serials, articles and writing ‘how to’.

HELENA PIELICHATY has written over thirty books for children. She has appeared at several of the UKs top literary festivals including Edinburgh, Oxford and Cheltenham.

Helena is passionate about encouraging children to read for pleasure and in 2012 became the UK’s first Patron of Reading. She has also served as Chair of the Society of Authors’ Children’s Writers and Illustrators’ Group and is involved in the Premier League Reading Stars initiative run by the Literacy Trust.

SHREYA SEN-HANDLEY is a former television journalist and producer for channels such as CNBC and MTV, who now writes and illustrates for the British and Indian media. A columnist for the National Geographic, Times of India and Nottingham Post, she has also written for The Guardian, Daily Mail and The Hindu. A children’s book she illustrated for Hatchette was published in 2014 and her memoir based on her popular CNN/Times of India blog is forthcoming from Harper Collins in 2017.

MEGAN TAYLOR is the author of three novels, How We Were Lost, The Dawning and The Lives of Ghosts and a short story collection, The Woman Under the Ground. She has an MA in Novel Writing, with Distinction, from Manchester Metropolitan University and has been enjoying running creative writing workshops for over six years.

VICTORIA VILLASENOR is a development editor for a publishing house in New York, and also runs the social enterprise Global Words. She works with marginalized communities throughout the Midlands on writing projects, and is a multi-published author.

KERRY YOUNG is the author of three novels. Pao (Bloomsbury, 2011) shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, the Commonwealth Book Prize and the East Midlands Book Award. Gloria (Bloomsbury, 2013) longlisted for the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, shortlisted for the East Midlands Book Award and nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Her third novel Show Me A Mountain was published by Bloomsbury in June 2016.

Gift Certificates available now Help your friends make time for writing. Whether you’re looking for the perfect birthday gift for the writer in your life or if you just want to treat a friend to some writing time, our gift certificates are just the ticket. They come in denominations from £10 up to £100 with a gift-card.

Call us on 0115 959 7929 or buy online at www.writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk

14 Booking Form HOW TO BOOK Online: book online at www.writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk and pay by debit or credit card.

By Post: to book on any of the courses in this programme, please complete the booking form and return to Writing School East Midlands, 49 Stoney Street, Nottingham NG1 1LX with your cheque (made payable to Writing School East Midlands Ltd). If booking for someone else, please include their name and contact details in the additional information section. Tel: 0115 959 7929 In person: In Nottingham only, you can pay for full price courses at Waterstones Nottingham. If you are paying a concession rate you must pay Writing School East Midlands directly (online or by post).

Concessions are available for participants who are: unemployed, disabled, over 60 & on low income, or full time students.

All our courses are for adult learners (18 years +)

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Course Cancellation: In the event of cancellation by us, you will be offered a credit note, refund or the opportunity to transfer to another course. Refunds are not normally made in other circumstances. In exceptional circumstances consideration will be given to a request from a participant who wishes to cancel. If a refund is agreed, a ÂŁ10 administration fee will be charged. It may also be possible to transfer fees between courses. Terms & Conditions can be found on page 16 (Leicester section) and on our website www.writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk.

15 LEICESTER Writing Workshop 1 with Maxine Linnell A Taste of Poetry with John Gallas The Prose Poem with Mimi Khalvati Starting to Write Fiction with Divya Ghelani Making Poems with Jacqueline Gabbitas Writing for Children & YA with Alex Gutteridge Finding the Rhythm with Wayne Burrows Writing Workshop 2 with Maxine Linnell Poetry Writing Workshop with Lydia Towsey Short Story Masterclass with Jacob Ross Writing Romantic Fiction with Sue Moorcroft Novel Writing Workshop with Rod Duncan Tell Your Own Story with Maxine Linnell The Pleasure of Writing with Alison Dunne Fine-tune Your Manuscript with Richard Sheehan Values and Ethics in Fiction Writing with Kerry Young Tutorials

Full price

Conc.

WSL601 WSL602 WSL603 WSL604 WSL605 WSL606 WSL607 WSL608 WSL609 WSL610 WSL611 WSL612 WSL613 WSL614 WSL615 WSL616 WSTUT16

£144 £27 £50 £144 £144 £108 £144 £144 £144 £55 £55 £144 £108 £108 £55 £55 £110

£128 £24 £45 £128 £128 £96 £128 £128 £128 £50 £50 £128 £96 £96 £50 £50

NOTTINGHAM The Short of It: term 1 with Victoria Villasenor Self-Editing Crash Course with Victoria Villasenor Writing Your Novel: term 1 Megan Taylor Art Into Words 1 with Clare Harvey Commercial Fiction Market with Sue Moorcroft Writing Horror Fiction with Alex Davis Getting into Non-Fiction Writing with Graeme Marsh The Short of It: term 2 with Victoria Villansenor Values and Ethics in Fiction Writing with Kerry Young Writing Your Novel: term 2 with Megan Taylor Between the Sheets with Victoria Villansenor Writing Blogs/Audience Building with Shreya Sen-Handley The Short of It: term 3 with Victoria Villasenor The Perfect Murder with Stephen Booth & Stuart Gibbon Writing Your Novel: term 3 with Megan Taylor Reading for Writing with Eve Makis Art Into Words 2 with Clare Harvey Picture Books... with Jonathan Emmett & Helena Pielichaty Tutorials Chapter blocks Short blocks

Full price

Conc.

WSN601 WSN602 WSN603 WSN604 WSN605 WSN606 WSN607 WSN608 WSN609 WSN610 WSN611 WSN612 WSN613 WSN614 WSN615 WSN616 WSN617 WSN618 WSTUT16 WSN-CHAP WSN-SHORT

£75 £55 £90 £25 £27 £55 £55 £75 £55 £90 £55 £55 £110 £65 £90 £110 £25 £65 £110 £230 £260

£65 £50 £80 £20 £24 £50 £50 £65 £50 £80 £50 £50 £100 £58 £80 £100 £20 £58 – – –

TOTAL AMOUNT

Tick

                 Tick

                    

£ ..................................

16 Mobile ready Writing School We have a brand new website at www.writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk Book your courses, find out more about our tutors, read about friends’ writing successes as well as samples of participants’ work, and donate to our Bursary Fund.

Writing School Terms and conditions COURSE INFORMATION Writing School East Midlands Ltd takes all reasonable care to ensure that all details, descriptions and prices of products are correct at the time of going to press. All courses offered by Writing School East Midlands are subject to availability. If any course you have ordered has been filled before your order is accepted, we will notify you by email as soon as possible.

REFUNDS AND CANCELLATIONS Every effort will be made to run the advertised programme; we reserve the right to make changes should this become necessary. In the unfortunate event of cancellation by us a credit note or refund will be made. Refunds are not normally made in other circumstances. In exceptional circumstances consideration will be given to a participant who wishes to cancel. If a refund is agreed, a £10 administration fee will be charged. It may also be possible to transfer fees between courses.

If you wish to contact us about a booking, please email us on courses@writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk or write to: Writing School East Midlands 49 Stoney Street The Lace Market Nottingham NG1 1LX

DATA PROTECTION Writing School East Midlands Ltd takes the privacy and security of our customers very seriously.

We comply with the requirements of the United Kingdom Data Protection Act 1998 relating to the personal information you supply to us. We do not sell, release, rent or share any customer information and will not do so unless required to by law. Contracts between you and Writing School East Midlands Ltd are governed by English Law.

Leicester Creative Writing Courses

Sept 2016 201 – June 2017 Sept Jacob Ross

Literary Fiction, Memoir, Life Writing, Short Stories... with tutors including

Wayne Burrows Divya Ghelani

John Gallas

Poetry, Crime Fiction, YA & Children’s books, Starting to Write, Manuscript Editing with tutors including

Kerry Young

Rod Duncan

Sue Moorcroft

Mimi Khalvati Follow us on Twitter

@WritingSchoolEM and say hello to us on Facebook at facebook.com/writingschool.eastmidlands

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Make time for writing Welcome to Writing School East Midlands: Leicester What’s Your Writing School?

We’re delighted to welcome you to our 2016/17 programme of courses, workshops and special events at Writing School East Midlands: Leicester. Our new programme continues to reflect the Writing School’s commitment to providing excellent tuition in a supportive and creative environment. We’re building on the successes of last year to bring you courses and workshops on novel writing, poetry, memoir and short stories, and we’re delighted to welcome Mimi Khalvati, Jacob Ross, Sue Moorcroft and Kerry Young to our Special Events programme.

We welcome writers of all abilities regardless of experience and academic qualifications. If you’re writing just for the pleasure of it we have a course for you, if you’re new to writing (or want to test out a new form) we have plenty of courses and workshops for you to try, and if you want to take your work to the next level we have a range of courses that can help including our dedicated oneto-one tutorials.

Our tutors are not only celebrated writers and performers in their own right, but accomplished teachers acknowledged for their skills and ability to work with a broad spectrum of readers and writers across a wide range of genres and forms.

These include poetry, novel writing, short fiction, editing, writing for children & YA and creative non-fiction. We’re delighted to welcome three new core tutors to our Leicester team: Divya Ghelani, Richard Sheehan and Alex Gutteridge.

Our courses take place at venues across Leicester, including Phoenix and LCB Depot, and we’re trying out new venues this year so we’re very pleased to welcome Clarence House (the Age UK building) and Secular Hall to our list.

Writing East Midlands CIC administrates Writing School East Midlands and is a Community Interest Company supported by Arts Council England.

0115 959 7929 • courses@writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk www.writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk Designed by Martin Parker at silbercow.co.uk tel: 0845 456 4838

Courses

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Writing Workshop 1 with Maxine Linnell

A Taste of Poetry with John Gallas

16 week course Code: WSL601 (over two 8-week terms) Term One Day & time: Tuesday 10–12pm Date: 20 Sep – 15 Nov 2016 (no session 18 Oct) Venue: LCB Depot, 31 Rutland St, Leicester LE1 1RE Cost: £144, £128 conc.

3hr mini workshop Code: WSL602 Day & Time: Wednesday 12–3pm Date: 12 October 2016 Venue: Clarence House, 46 Humberstone Gate, Leicester LE1 3JP Cost: £27, £24 conc.

Develop your writing skills and try out new genres and forms in a friendly and supportive atmosphere. Use peer feedback to find out how your readers will experience your writing, and develop your own feedback skills which you can use to edit and revise your own work. Suitable for writers at all levels.

Just bring along your brain-ingredients, John will provide the recipes, and together you’ll cook up, in a friendly kitchen, a bunch of tasty poems. An introduction to ways and means of writing poems, independently and with others, with clear guidelines and inspirations to get you going: objects, pictures, origami, line-swapping, idea-swapping, giant fridgemagnet words to shuffle, and a small but perfectly-formed Main Course of Performance. Suitable for writers at all levels.

“Gave me permission to go to new places with my poetry” – Confessional Poetry participant

4 Courses Starting to Write Fiction with Divya Ghelani

Writing for Children & YA with Alex Gutteridge

8 week course Code: WSL604 Day & Time: Tuesday 6.30–8.30pm Date: 25 Oct – 13 Dec, 2016 Venue: Secular Hall, 75 Humberstone Gate, Leicester LE1 1WB Cost: £144, £128 conc.

6 week course Code: WSL606 Day & Time: Thursday 12.30–2.30pm Date: 3 Nov – 15 Dec (no session 24 Nov) Venue: Clarence House, 46 Humberstone Gate, Leicester LE1 3JP Cost: £108, £96 conc.

In this introduction to writing fiction, Divya will teach you how to use memory and imagination and to create believable fiction worlds. She’ll guide you through plot development, character formation and research, as well as what makes dialogue and description really work.

Suitable for beginners.

Encouragement, inspiration and practical information are at the heart of this course. We will work on characters, plotting, dialogue, pace and style. Wherever you are in your writing journey these sessions will aim to give breadth and depth to your writing whilst preparing your work for publication. Suitable for writers at all levels.

Making Poems with Jacqueline Gabbitas 8 session course (fortnightly) Code: WSL605 Day & Time: Saturday 11.30am – 3pm Date: 29 Oct 2016 – 18 Feb, 2017 (no session 24 Dec) Venue: Secular Hall, 75 Humberstone Gate, Leicester LE1 1WB Cost: £144, £128 conc.

Taking the building blocks of poetry writing as its focus, this course will explore imagery, structure, sound and language to produce poetry drafts we can develop at home. We will look at how published poems use these building blocks, through reading and exercises, and dedicate alternate sessions to feedback on the poems we’ve worked on at home. Suitable for beginners and prose writers new to poetry.

Finding the Rhythm with Wayne Burrows 8 week course Code: WSL607 Day & Time: Thursday 12.30–2.30pm Date: 12 Jan – 9 March, 2017 (no session 16 Feb) Venue: Clarence House, 46 Humberstone Gate, Leicester LE1 3JP Cost: £144, £128 conc.

An introduction to reading, writing and using poetic metres and forms, especially designed for page poets looking to think about their writing more rhythmically, and performance poets looking to explore the possibilities of using more formal metres and approaches in their writing. This course will look at close readings, discussions, practical exercises and workshop poems. Suitable for poets with some experience.

“Tutor was very knowledgeable and encouraging.

Created a productive and creative learning environment.” – Writing Workshop participant

5 Writing Workshop 2 with Maxine Linnell

Poetry Writing Workshop with Lydia Towsey

16 week course Code: WSL608 (over two 8-week terms) Term Two Day & Time: Tuesday 10am – 12pm Date: 17 Jan – 14 March, 2017 (no session 14 Feb) Venue: LCB Depot, 31 Rutland St, Leicester LE1 1RE Cost: £144, £128 conc.

8 week course Code: WSL609 Day & Time: Tuesday 6.30–8.30pm Date: 24 Jan – 21 March, 2017 (no session 14 Feb) Venue: Secular Hall, 75 Humberstone Gate, Leicester LE1 1WB Cost: £144, £128

Develop your writing skills and try out new genres and forms in a friendly and supportive atmosphere. Use peer feedback to find out how your readers will experience your writing, and develop your own feedback skills which you can use to edit and revise your own work. Preference for places will be given to participants who have attended Writing Workshop 1.

Suitable for writers at all levels.

A feedback driven course, breaking down and building back up the bricks and mortar of poetry. From foundations of meter, line and stanza to fundamentals of rhyme, reason, metaphor and more; we’ll explore a variety of formal structures, developing and honing material through one to one, and group reading, discussion, writing and appraisal. Suitable for writers at all levels.

6 Courses Novel Writing Workshop with Rod Duncan

The Pleasure of Writing with Alison Dunne

8 week course Code: WSL612 Day & Time: Tuesday, 7–9pm Date: 25 April – 20 June, 2017 (no session 30 May) Venue: Secular Hall, 75 Humberstone Gate, Leicester LE1 1WB Cost: £144, £128 conc.

6 week course Code: WSL614 Day & Time: Weds 6.30–8.30pm Dates: 10th May – 21 June, 2017 (no session 31 May) Venue: Secular Hall, 75 Humberstone Gate, Leicester LE1 1WB Cost: £108, £96 conc.

The best way to learn the craft of the novelist is to write a novel. Through the sharing of work-in-progress and detailed feedback, participants hone their writing and critiquing skills. This class is driven by the participants’ needs, so we will spend time focusing on specific writing issues such as dialogue or plotting when requested. Suitable for experienced fiction writers.

Writing can be a great pleasure and through this course we will explore different forms, poetry, short fiction, life writing and scripts. Sessions will be practical with exercises to get your creativity flowing and opportunities for getting feedback on your work.

Suitable for writers at all levels.

Tell Your Own Story with Maxine Linnell 6 week course Code: WSL613 Day & Time: Tuesday 10am – 12pm Date: 2 May – 13 June, 2017 (no session 30 May) Venue: LCB Depot, 31 Rutland St, Leicester LE1 1RE Cost: £108, £96 conc.

Many writers use parts of their own lives in their work.

Fictionalised memoir is now popular, and the boundaries are often blurred. In this course we’ll be looking at examples of memoir, talking through some of the issues, and using prompts, exercises and feedback to develop memoir writing skills. Suitable for writers at all levels.

Fine-tune Your Manuscript with Richard Sheehan One-day workshop Code: WSL615 Day & Time: Saturday 11am – 5pm Date: 27 May, 2017 Venue: Secular Hall, 75 Humberstone Gate, Leicester LE1 1WB Cost: £55, £50 conc.

Get your manuscript in tip-top shape for agents and publishers. Many manuscripts languish in agents’ and publishers’ slush piles because not enough fine-tuning has gone into the editing of the final drafts. This workshop will teach you what editors look for when polishing a manuscript and will show you techniques for improving your manuscript and getting it ready to submit to agents and publishers. Suitable for novelists with a completed or nearly completed manuscript.

7 Tutorials If you need in-depth critical feedback on your work, our one-to-one tutorials are perfect. Designed to help you identify the strengths of your writing, as well as where and how it can be developed and honed, our tutorials comprise one hour preparation by the tutor and one hour in-person tutorial. Suitable for experienced writers.

Time, date and where the tutorial will take place is decided between participants and tutors.

Please send up to 150 lines of poetry or 2000 words of prose in advance of the tutorial to: courses@writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk

Duration: One hour preparation, followed by a one hour face-to-face tutorial Venue, time & date: To be decided with tutor Cost: £110 Code: WSTUT16 Tutorial tutors 2016/17 are: Wayne Burrows, Alison Dunne, John Gallas, Divya Ghelani, Maxine Linnell, Lydia Towsey, Polly Tuckett.

If you have a tutor from the list that you’d particularly like to work with, please do let us know by email.

Bursary Scheme Supported in part by participants at the School, Writing School East Midlands is pleased to introduce a bursary scheme for writers on low incomes.

We have a limited number of bursaries of 30% of course cost available for places on all our courses, workshops and tutorials.

For more information, terms and conditions, and to apply for a bursary, please contact aimee@writingeastmidlands.co.uk. Bursaries are offered on a discretionary basis and applications are confidential.

Donate to the Bursary Fund If you’d like to contribute to the Bursary Fund and help a fellow writer develop their writing, please fill in the box on the booking form or donate online at www.writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk

8 Special Events The Prose Poem with Mimi Khalvati One Day Special Event Code: WSL603 Day & Time: Saturday 11am – 5pm Date: 22 October 2016 Venue: Phoenix Arts, 4 Midland Street, Leicester LE1 1TG Cost: £50, £45 conc.

“Writing a prose poem is like trying to catch a fly in a dark room. The fly probably isn’t even there, the fly is inside your head, still, you keep tripping over and bumping into things in hot pursuit. The prose poem is a burst of language following a collision with a large piece of furniture”. – Charles Simic Renowned poet Mimi Khlavati returns to the Writing School for a special oneday masterclass on the prose poem. Through exercises and examples, we will learn what prose poems are and how to write them. Ideal for poets who want to challenge their ideas of poetry. Suitable for experienced poets.

Short Story Masterclass with Jacob Ross One Day Special Event Code: WSL610 Day & Time: Saturday 11am – 5pm Date: 28 January 2017 Venue: Secular Hall, 75 Humberstone Gate, Leicester LE1 1WB Cost: £55, £50 conc.

In this one-day masterclass, critically acclaimed short story writer and novelist Jacob Ross will show us what makes a good short story. We will look at examples of published work and learn how we can develop and hone our own stories. Suitable for experienced writers.

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9 PLEASE NOTE: places are limited on these courses, therefore early booking is advisable.

Writing Romantic Fiction with Sue Moorcroft One Day Special Event Day & Time: Monday 11am – 4pm Date: 13 February 2017 Venue: Clarence House, 46 Humberstone Gate, Leicester, LE1 3 JP Cost: £55, £50 conc.

Code: WSL611

This fun, interactive one-day workshop is designed to arm participants with the writing and storytelling techniques particular to romantic fiction – one of the fastest selling genres. Take part in the exercises, study the genre and look at the publishing world with experienced tutor and award-winning author, Sue Moorcroft. Suitable for writers at all levels.

Values and Ethics in Fiction Writing with Kerry Young One Day Special Event Code: WSL616 Day & Time: Saturday 11am – 5pm Date: 10 June 2017 Venue: Secular Hall, 75 Humberstone Gate, Leicester LE1 1WB Cost: £55, £50 conc.

This workshop focuses on the role of fiction writers as social observers and commentators. As such, it is concerned with moral meaning: What is the underlying moral message of your story? Why does it matter? How can your writing help to create a more comprehensible human experience? The day will be organised around individual and group writing exercises & discussion, examples of work presented by participants, and workshop-based feedback.

Suitable for writers at all levels.

0115 959 7929 • courses@writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk www.writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk

10 Tutors Wayne BurroWs’s most recent publications are Black Glass: New & Selected Poems (Shoestring, 2015) and Exotica Suite & Other Fictions (Shoestring, 2015). Exotica Suite has also been released as a full length album featuring musical performances of the written texts, made in collaboration with Paul Isherwood (The Soundcarriers). roD DunCan is a novelist and screenwriter. His first novel Backlash was shortlisted for the John Creasey Dagger for the best debut crime novel. His steam punk novel, The Bullet Catcher’s Daughter (Angry Robot, 2014) was shortlisted for the Philip K Dick Award and the East Midlands Book Award 2015.

JaCqueline GaBBitas’s poetry chapbooks are Mid Lands (Hearing Eye), Earthworks and Small Grass (Stonewood Press). She is an award-winning poet, published in Poetry Review and The Forward Book of Poetry (Faber) and has appeared on BBC Radio 3’s The Verb. She is co-editor of the literary magazine Brittle Star.

New Zealand poet John Gallas has published sixteen collections including The Song Atlas, and 40 Lies (pictures by Sarah Kirkby). The Little Sublime Comedy is due from Carcanet in 2017. He is a Fellow of the English Association, a Librettist for Toads on a Tapestry (a Magna Carta Cantata), and The Iris Murder (opera

by Alasdair Nicolson) and poet for this year’s St Magnus Festival, Orkney.

DiVya Ghelani has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. She is working on her debut novel Runaway; shortlisted for the Harry Bowling Prize for New Writing and long-listed for the 2016 Deborah Roger’s Foundation Prize. She is a London @WordFactoryUK Apprentice and will be Artist in Residence at Waterstones Piccadilly from Sept 2016. aleX GutteriDGe has been writing for children for nearly 20 years. She has written picture books, young fiction, a book for reluctant readers, a middle grade novel and two YA novels. Her middle grade novel, Oven Chips for Tea was broadcast on the radio. Her two YA novels, Last Chance Angel and No Going Back have been shortlisted for a number of awards with No Going Back winning the Northamptonshire Children’s Choice Book Award of 2015.

MaXine linnell has six published books, including Vintage and Closer, she has also published poetry and a stage play. “The most realistic, most compelling read I’ve come across for a long time.” (Carousel). An experienced psychotherapist and teacher, she now works as an editor, mentor and creative writing teacher, and writes book critiques.

Maxine’s debut poetry collection is forthcoming from Soundswrite Press in 2017.

MiMi KhalVati has published seven collections with Carcanet Press, including The Meanest Flower which was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation, a Financial Times Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the T S Eliot Prize. Her most recent collection is The Weather Wheel, a PBS Recommendation. She is the founder of The Poetry School in London, where she is a tutor. She has received a Cholmondeley Award from the Society of Authors, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Award-winning author sue MoorCroft writes contemporary women’s fiction with occasionally unexpected themes. Her next two books are contracted to publishing giant HarperCollins UK. Love & Freedom won the Best Romantic Read Award 2011 and Dream a Little Dream was nominated for a RoNA in 2013. Sue is a past vice chair of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and editor of its two anthologies.

11 JaCoB ross is the author of acclaimed short story collections Song for Simone and A Way to Catch the Dust. His forthcoming collection, Tell no one about this is due in 2017. Ross is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and has been a judge of the V S Pritchett Memorial Prize, the Olive Cook, Scott Moncrieff and Tom-Gallon Literary Awards. riCharD sheehan has been working as a freelance copy-editor and proofreader since 2012, after qualifying with the Publishing Training Centre and the Society for Editors and Proofreaders. He has worked on over 170 novels. He co-wrote and taught the Introduction to Fiction Editing course run by the Society for Editors and Proofreaders, and has also run workshops and masterclasses for The Literary Consultancy and Leicester Writes. lyDia toWsey has over fifteen years’ experience of writing, performing and teaching. She’s spoken at the House of Lords, performed at London’s 100 Club and toured ‘Three the Hard Way’. Lydia is the Chair/Compere of WORD! Her collection The Venus Papers is published by Burning Eye Books, and will be toured in 2016/17.

Polly tuCKett is a Leicester based writer and a qualified creative writing tutor with over 15 years teaching experience. Her short fiction has been shortlisted for the Bridport and Fish prizes and her debut short story chapbook is forthcoming from Stonewood Press in 2017.

Kerry younG is the author of three novels published by Bloomsbury. Pao (2011) shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, the Commonwealth Book Prize and the East Midlands Book Award. Gloria (2013) was longlisted for the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, shortlisted for the East Midlands Book Award and nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Her third novel Show Me A Mountain was published in June 2016. alison Dunne has been teaching creative writing for over twenty years. She is a poet, performer, fiction writer and playwright. Her play Girls with Balls premiered at Curve Leicester in 2015 and Cloaks premiered at Buxton Fringe in July 2016. Alison’s work has been published, won competitions and broadcast on BBC Radio 4. She has performed at Edinburgh Festival and The Bloomsbury Theatre. Alison believes in the therapeutic benefits of writing.

Gift Certificates available now Help your friends make time for writing. Whether you’re looking for the perfect birthday gift for the writer in your life or if you just want to treat a friend to some writing time, our gift certificates are just the ticket. They come in denominations from £10 up to £100 with a gift-card.

Call us on 0115 959 7929 or buy online at www.writingschooleastmidlands.co.uk

Success Stories We asked Writing School participants to tell us about their writing successes. Thank you so much for sharing them with us! And to inspire us all, we’re sharing them here:

nded who atte , S D R A ICH ROBIN R f Writing School les, tic ro a numbe s had over 20 ar ries ha courses, ces and short sto the g pie s includin interest n io t a c li b pu , appear in dvanced Nursing A re f o Journal o he Dalesman. M T o d Debut an self-published tw d, A e -e h recently Matador: LE-JOG d to h En books wit rek from Land’s 15 T ’s h r n t e 20 o w h Mid-life ic h ral roats, w the Gene John O’G in d r a w ok A he Beach Bo Category, and T n riller Non-fictio asso, a crime/th e Pic in th Piltdown ld Medal o G e h t n 2015 which wo ry at the o g e t a C s.

Fiction elf Award h S g in h Wis

Participa nt LILLIA N BUTT has seen ERWICK much su c cess with 150 shor over t stories for wom magazin e n’s es, mostl y People and Wom ’s Friend an’s Wee kly, publi date (un s hed to der the p en name Holmes).

Rebecca Her dysto pic YA no Silent W vel A orld was shortliste Lucy Cav d for the endish P rize in 20 longliste 1 4 a nd d for the Bath Chil Novel Aw d r e n ’s ard.

ANJA BAUMHOFF, now based in Berlin, has just finished her novel Wenn Tote Schlafen (If the Dead are Asleep) started in Rod Duncan’s Novel Writing Workshop.

Writing School alum and WEM Mentee GARRY MARTIN has published four books with Colley Books: Beneath Napoleon’s Hat Volumes 1-3, and Patchwork. A fifth, The Boy who Made God Smile, is forthcoming in autumn 2016.

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