April - August 2014
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Writing School Leicester Events and Courses
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“If there was a word that means more than excellent I would use it!” Anne Jordan
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When I finally decided to ‘be a writer’ seriously, I signed up for a course at Writing School Leicester. At that point I had very little confidence in my writing, and was struggling to put pen to paper. Two courses later I was awarded a place on the MA in Creative Writing at UEA. Ten years on I was offered a two book deal with Picador, and my debut novel, Ten Things I’ve Learnt About Love was published in 2013. It’s been a long, challenging and exciting journey, and I’m grateful to Writing School Leicester for that initial encouragement and support.’ Sarah Butler
Enrol online at: writingschoolleicester.co.uk
Welcome to Writing School Leicester’s Summer Programme Writing East Midlands* is the writer development agency for the region. We work to create opportunities for experienced writers, and nurture and develop new, talented writers from all sorts of backgrounds. We’ve been delighted to hear of the success stories of many of our students being matched with agents or seeing their work published following on from one of our courses at the Writing School. Our courses are designed to encourage students to experiment with different writing styles, hone their craft and strengthen their voice and find suitable places for their work within the literature landscape. If you have a recent success story, please do let us know! We’ve also teamed up with Pewter Rose Press to produce the second Writing School Anthology. All students enrolled on one of our courses between August 2013 and December 2014 will have the chance to submit a piece of writing developed during, or inspired from, a course at the Writing School. Please see page 3 of this brochure for more details. We’re pleased to announce another season of courses to suit your ambitions and writing interests. This term brings some exciting new courses including Writing as a Reader with Polly Tuckett, How to be a Journalist with Michael Davies, Crafting your Writing with Maxine Linnell as well as the ever popular Novel Writing Workshop with Rod Duncan and Writing from the Body with Alison Dunne. Our courses offer students the opportunity to not only explore and develop under the guidance of experienced, published and practicing writers, but also the chance to engage with likeminded people and connect with the wider writing community. We’re really keen to programme courses you’re interested in, so if there’s something you want to see, please do get in touch.
Our Courses For over 60 years, Writing School Leicester has delivered courses taught by highly respected, published, practising writers. We welcome writers at any stage in their development, from beginners looking to delve into creative writing and explore different forms, to emerging professionals looking to develop and share their work in our Writing Workshops. We provide a welcoming environment for participants to learn a professional approach to writing, and we’ll help you to seek publication, performance, or to broadcast your work. Through our courses you will gain skills and confidence, valuable contacts within the writing community, and knowledge of the writing industry.
Venue All events and courses take place at Leicester Adult Education College, Wellington Street, Leicester, LE1 6HL, unless stated otherwise.
Parking & Accessibility Please do let us know at the time of booking if you’ll require special access, so we can book an appropriate classroom. There is some pay and display on-street parking (with disabled bays at the front of the college). The nearest car parks are on Dover Street, and also a car park on York Road. For more information please contact the college directly on 0116 233 4343.
Special Offers We’re offering Early Birds 10% off all courses! See individual courses for details.
Gift Certificates are now available Treat a friend to a Writing School Leicester course and help them unlock their imagination. Visit www.writingschoolleicester.co.uk or call us on 0115 959 7929 to find out more.
Henderson Mullin Chief Executive Writing East Midlands * Writing East Midlands is a not-for-profit organisation supported by Arts Council England
2 Call us on 0115 959 7929 Follow us on twitter @WritingSchoolEM
Writing ScANhTHoOLoOGl Y We’re delighted to be teaming up again with Pewter Rose Press to produce the second Writing School Anthology. All students enrolled on one of our courses between August 2013 and December 2014 will have the chance to submit a piece of writing to be considered for the printed anthology. The pieces will be selected and edited by a professional publishing team, giving students valuable insight into the practice of submitting your work to a publisher. Each chosen piece will be published both in the printed anthology and in ebook format, and each selected writer will also receive a free copy of the anthology and the chance to read your work at the book launch should you so wish. For further information on how to submit please follow the links on: www.writingeastmidlands.co.uk/writing_school or email info@writingeastmidlands.co.uk Buy FUTURES, our first anthology, online: www.pewter-rose-press.com FUTURES ebook is available on Kindle and iTunes
Courses and Events Novel Writing Workshop with Rod Duncan The only way to learn the craft of the novelist is to write a novel. This course - for students with some existing experience - will make the process of writing and editing easier and more enjoyable. You will share work-in-progress, receive constructive feedback, hear aspiring novelists sharing their work and offer your own feedback to them. This is an ongoing workshop built around extracts of work in progress and motivated by the shared goal of achieving publication. 9 Sessions from 29 April (No classes Tuesday 27 May) Tuesday 7.15pm – 9.15pm Course Code: WS1322 Price: £135 plus a 4% PayPal fee if booking online Early bird price just £121.50 if booked before 12 April!
Writing as a Reader with Polly Tuckett Reading for pleasure as well as reading with a critical eye improves one’s ability as a writer no end. In this course, you will read widely, then take inspiration from the work of other writers, and try out various literary forms without worrying too much about discovering your own authentic ‘voice’. The texts we will look at, taken from poetry and fiction, are chosen for their quality and interest, and to contrast with one another in an exploration of a given theme. Week to week the theme will vary – Love, Family, Self, Other. You will be encouraged to poach the ideas and stylistic devices that appeal to you in the work of published writers, coming up with what will inevitably be your own distinctive take on a theme. 4 Sessions from 1 May Thursday 10am - Noon Course Code: WS1324 Price: £60 plus 4% PayPal fee if booking online Early bird price just £54 if booked before 12 April!
check the website for the latest course information www.writingschoolleicester.co.uk 3
Writing Young Adult Fiction
How to be a Journalist
with Maxine Linnell
with Michael Davies
How do you deal with the latest language on the street? What subjects can be covered? Does it have to be fantasy or realism? More than anything, young adult fiction has to tell a gripping story. This one-day course will give you a chance to try out your ideas, discuss them with other writers and see what shapes might work. Suitable for writers at all levels of experience.
In these days of Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and a host of other streams of consciousness, the question of how to make your voice heard above the babble is increasingly pressing. In this one-day, whistlestop tour of the current landscape, Michael Davies aims to explore the state of modern journalism and look at ways that an individual might be able to stand out from the crowd. Using a combination of interactive workshop sessions, current examples and open-forum discussions, this lively one-day course offers an overview of journalism in the 21st century and where things might be heading. But the course is not just an academic exercise – it also encourages participants to answer for themselves the increasingly pressing question: where do I fit in?
One-day course 12 May 2014 Monday 10am – 3.00 (Lunch not included) Course Code: WS1325 Price: £45 plus 4% PayPal fee if booking online Early bird price just £40.50 if booked before 12 April!
Poetry Writing for Beginners with John Gallas First-time writer, dabbler, hopeful or looking for fun with words, this two-part course will set you on your way. Session One will help you to write poems in pairs, in groups, and on your own, with clear targets, looking at various forms and styles, and learning through enjoyment. With some work on these at home between sessions, you will come to Session two ready to make changes according to the responses of others in the group. You will read, seek reactions, choose your ‘best’ work from your own and others’ opinions, and have something to work into a Final Version for submission to a publication. 2 Sessions from 14 May Wednesday 1pm – 3pm Course Code: WS1323 Price: £30 plus 4% PayPal fee if booking online Early bird price just £27 if booked before 12 April!
‘The teaching was excellent; very knowledgeable industry experience and great insight.’ Will Vollar Bell
One-day course 19 May 2014 Monday 10am – 3.00pm (Lunch not included) Course Code: WS1326 Price: £45 plus 4% PayPal fee if booking online Early bird price just £40.50 if booked before 12 April!
Crafting Your Writing with Maxine Linnell Publisher’s note for submissions: ‘you should present your work to a highly professional standard and ensure that you have edited the text to the best of your ability.’ Whether you’re thinking of agents and publishers or self-publishing, you need to give your work the best chance of shining. This course looks at the building blocks of the craft, helping you to shape whatever you're writing with more confidence, in your own voice. Point of view, tense, punctuation, making a sentence, presenting a manuscript will all be covered - and they can make all the difference to your craft and getting your work noticed. Suitable for writers with some previous writing experience, poetry and prose are accepted. 5 Sessions from 2 June Monday 1pm – 3pm Course Code: WS1327 Price: £75 plus 4% PayPal fee if booking online Early bird price just £67.50 if booked before 12 April!
4 Call us on 0115 959 7929 Contact us via facebook www.facebook.com/writingschool.eastmidlands
Writing from the Body
The Business of Writing
with Alison Dunne
with Michael Davies
Writing is a physical experience. In this course we’ll be experimenting with how to let your body do the talking. Using a variety of writing exercises, we will also make use of breathing meditation and other gentle physical methods of letting the body tell its story. We’ll learn to recognise when we are flowing creatively, bypassing our own censor and getting to the heart of what we want to say. Suitable for all genres and levels of writing experience - you will be writing both in class and at home and sharing your work with the class.
So you’ve written your novel/screenplay/script (delete as applicable). You’ve got some interest from agents/publishers/producers (ditto). Now what? This course isn’t going to tell you how to edit, redraft or improve your work (well, maybe a bit). What it will do is address some of the things you’ll definitely need but might not have thought about. In short, the hard graft, nose-to-thegrindstone, business side of a writing career. JK Rowling was a single mum scribbling in the corner of a busy tea shop in Edinburgh – and look at her now! But it’s one thing jotting down ideas; it’s quite another turning your art into a career. So how do you go about it? There are, of course, as many paths as there are writers, but that’s not to say you can’t follow some of the avenues forged by earlier pioneers. Using examples, this interactive, fun course looks at the practical bits of a writing career that are rarely talked about, and suggests some of the tools you’ll need to survive.
5 Sessions from 5 June Thursday 10 - Noon Course Code: WS1329 Price: £75 plus a 4% PayPal fee if booking online Early bird price just £67.50 if booked before 12 April!
Honing Your Poetry with John Gallas A one-session workshop aimed at helping you to assess which of your (previously written) poems work best. This will be done by reading, discussion and an appreciation of new, different and exciting ways to write, and things to write about. Our target is to present two or three poems, in their best draft, for publication. 2 hour course on 11 June Wednesday 1pm – 3pm Course Code: WS1328 Price: £20 plus 4% PayPal fee if booking online
One-day course 14 June 2014 Saturday 10.30am – 4pm Course Code: WS1330 Price: £60 plus a 4% PayPal fee if booking online Early bird price just £54 if booked before 12 April!
‘ The course completely fulfilled my expectations. The tutor, Rod Duncan, was knowledgeable, experienced, enthusiastic, welcoming and energising.’
Early bird price just £18 if booked before 12 April!
Mary Gibson
‘ The tutor was a good poet who cares for the craft, while still believing everyone has a chance to actually write good poetry. That deserves respect.’
‘ The Writing School course was perfect for me – very positive and encouraging, relaxed teaching and style. Just right ’ Jon Wilkins
Anastassos Pagiaslis
check the website for the latest course information www.writingschoolleicester.co.uk 5
Course Tutors Rod Duncan Rod Duncan is a novelist and screenwriter. His first novel, Backlash, was shortlisted for the John Creasey Dagger for the best debut crime novel of 2003. He has two further crime novels published by Simon & Schuster, a novella published by Five Leaves and a non-fiction book published by George Ronald. His next novel, The Bullet Catcher’s Daughter, is science fiction/fantasy and will be published by Angry Robot in 2014. Rod wrote the screenplay for the feature film How to Make a Movie for £43. He has been teaching creative writing for over 10 years. Twitter: @Rodduncan
Polly Tuckett Polly is a published writer and tutor of creative writing with over fifteen years teaching experience. She teaches in a range of settings and pitches her courses to people of all abilities and varying levels of writing experience. Polly has good knowledge of the local literary scene having curated Short Fuse, a short fiction spoken word showcase for several years in Brighton and Leicester.
Maxine Linnell Maxine Linnell has written three novels for young adults, Vintage, Closer, and Breaking the Rules, which are published by Five Leaves and A&C Black. “The most realistic, most compelling read I’ve come across for a long time.” Carousel. Real Reads have also published three retellings of novels by Thomas Hardy for children and young people. Maxine mentors new writers, is a reader for The Literary Consultancy and an editor and proofreader. www.maxinelinnell.com
‘ A very good balance of discussion and practical exercises; the workshop was of real practical value – thank you.’ Emma George
6 Call us on 0115 959 7929 Follow us on twitter @WritingSchoolEM
John Gallas John is a poet from New Zealand, with 10 poetry books published by Carcanet Press, 2 books published with Agraphia and 2 Chold Hub Press books published. He has 40 years’ experience of school and adult education teaching creative writing, poetry classes and workshops, readings and performances, recordings and competitions. John has been shortlisted for the East Midlands Book Award in 2012 and he was recently made FEA (Fellow of the English Association) for creative writing. www.johngallaspoetry.co.uk
Michael Davies Michael’s writing has appeared on stage, screen, radio, the internet and the printed page. His original stage play Rasputin’s Mother won the national playwriting competition and received its professional premiere in the spring of 2013. His switch to scriptwriting followed a successful 20-year career in journalism. He has been a professional critic for nearly 30 years and writes programme notes for theatres across the country and in the West End. His work has appeared in national newspapers and he has been a regular reviewer for The Stage. Michael holds an MA in TV Scriptwriting from Leicester De Montfort University and has written radio plays, feature films, TV, corporate and online scripts, novels and short stories.
Alison Dunne Alison is a poet & novelist, short story writer & performer and teaches writing in the community, prisons, university, adult education, the NHS – in fact anywhere. She is also experienced at leading bibliotherapy groups, using reading aloud to increase wellbeing. It works! Alison’s chapbook April’s Fish was published by Koo Press in 2007 and her short fiction has been published by Virago and has featured on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio Wales (short story and Poetry Please). In 2012 Alison was a finalist in the Novelicious novel competition. She is a seasoned performer and has performed in various venues including at the Edinburgh Fringe and the Bloomsbury Theatre. ivoryfishbone.wordpress.com
How to Book To book on any of the courses in this brochure, please complete the booking form on the back and return to Enrolment Office, Leicester Adult Education College, Wellington Street, Leicester, LE1 6HL. You can pay by cash or cheque (made out to Writing School East Midlands Ltd) over the counter at the college, or send a cheque in the post, along with your booking form, and a self-addressed stamped envelope to the college. Please make your cheques payable to Writing School East Midlands Ltd. Alternatively you can book online at www.writingschoolleicester.co.uk and pay by debit or credit card. There is a 4% PayPal fee if booking online. Please note: Card payments cannot be taken over the counter at the Leicester Adult Education College. Please tick the boxes on the booking form to show the course(s) you wish to book, then enter the total fee. If booking for someone else, please include their name and contact details in the Additional Information section. This brochure includes courses and events from April 2014 – August 2014. Please keep checking our website for updates to the programme, and sign up to our newsletter at www.writingschoolleicester.co.uk to receive special offers and changes to the programme.
Course Cancellation In the event of cancellation by us, you will be offered a full 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 written request from a student who wishes to cancel. If a refund is agreed, a ÂŁ10 administration fee will be charged. It is also possible for the fee you have paid to be credited against a future course. Full Terms and Conditions can be found on our website.
Contact Us Email: info@writingeastmidlands.co.uk Telephone: 01159 59 79 29 Website: www.writingschoolleicester.co.uk Twitter: @WritingSchoolEM Facebook.com/writingschool.eastmidlands
Gift vouchers are now available Treat a friend to a Writing School Leicester course and help them unlock their imagination. Visit www.writingschoolleicester.co.uk or call us on 0115 959 7929 to find out more.
check the website for the latest course information www.writingschoolleicester.co.uk 7
Booking Form Cost
Early Bird
£135
£121.50
WS1322
Novel Writing Workshop with Rod Duncan
WS1324
Writing as a Reader with Polly Tuckett
£60
£54
WS1325
Writing Young Adult Fiction with Maxine Linnell
£45
£40.50
WS1323
Poetry Writing for Beginners with John Gallas
£30
£27
WS1326
How to be a Journalist with Michael Davies
£45
£40.50
WS1327
Crafting Your Writing with Maxine Linnell
£75
£67.50
WS1329
Writing from the Body with Alison Dunne
£75
£67.50
WS1328
Honing Your Poetry with John Gallas
£20
£18
£60
£54
WS1330 The Business of Writing with Michael Davies
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