The Writers' Conference 2014 Programme by Wem Write

Conference Programme

The Writersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Conference Building 2014 successful writing careers

WRITING EAST MIDLANDS

Welcome

elcome to The Writers’ Conference 2014, a day for writers and the writing industry to come together to share ideas, meet people and make new contacts. It is brought to you by Writing East Midlands in partnership with The University of Nottingham. The Writers’ Conference 2014 is the ﬁrst in the region for four years and is the springboard for an annual conference, which will build on the strong programme of events and opportunities Writing East Midlands currently delivers. Writing East Midlands is the writer development agency for the region. We work to create opportunities for experienced writers, and to nurture and encourage new talent. Our activities include residencies, live literature events, courses and workshops. We see writing at the heart of the creative industries, and the East Midlands at the centre of writing in the UK. The Conference programme today brings together an inspiring range of speakers, starting with our keynote speeches from Matt Haig and Jon McGregor. It will close with a brand new piece of work, created in collaboration with the delegates and speakers present, from Conference Poet in Residence Rob Gee. The rest of the programme is made up of a series of in-depth talks, panel events and agent one-to-ones with agents from some of the UK’s top agencies. Sessions take place in four time slots, with a choice of panels. All of our panels and speeches take place in the prestigious Portland Building. Refreshments and lunch will be served in the Atrium and, if you need some time to reﬂect on what you’ve heard today, or if you want to chat and network, we have a breakout space for you to use. All rooms are marked out on the map in the middle of 2 | THE WRITERS’ CONFERENCE 2014

this programme. If you need any assistance, please do ask any of the Writing East Midlands support team. We thank all of our supporters, sponsors and partners of The Writers’ Conference 2014, and in particular Arts Council England and The University of Nottingham for their generosity. Special thanks go to the many volunteers, organizations and colleagues who are helping to make today a success. We would be grateful if you could fill in our feedback form and hand it in to one of our team. Your contribution will help us to develop the conference for the future. We hope you enjoy The Writers’ Conference 2014 and find it helpful, thought-provoking and inspirational. Henderson Mullin, Chief Executive Aimee Wilkinson, Writer Development Manager Annabel Bennett, Education Manager Jacqueline Gabbitas, Marketing Manager Eleanor Hughes, Marketing and Events Officer Ella Gordon, Writing School East Midlands Admin Officer Writing East Midlands 49 Stoney Street, The Lace Market, Nottingham NG1 1LX Tel: 01159 59 79 29 / info@writingeastmidlands.co.uk www.writingeastmidlands.co.uk Twitter: @writingem, The Writers’ Conference hashtag #wemconf Facebook: www.facebook.com/writingeastmidlands

The Writers’ Conference is brought to you by Writing East Midlands, in partnership with The University of Nottingham

WRITING EAST MIDLANDS

The Writers’ Conference Building successful writing careers THE WRITERS’ CONFERENCE 2014 | 3

At a glance 9.30 – 10.00am

Arrival and registration

10.30am

Welcome: Jane Streeter – Chair of the Board, Writing East Midlands

10.35am

Keynote Speakers: Jon McGregor / Matt Haig

11.00 – 11.45am Slot one Panel 1

Working as a Writer in the Community: Panya Banjoko / Ali Betteridge (Chair) / Cathy Grindrod / Helen Mort

Panel 2

How to Sell Your Script and See it Produced (Sponsored by De Montfort University): Suba Das / Jim Hill (Chair) / Michelle Lipton / Hayley McKenzie

Panel 3

Writing for YA and Children – Rights and Responsibilities: David Belbin / Helena Pielichaty / Bali Rai / Jane Streeter (Chair)

11.45 – 12.15pm

Break

12.15 – 1.00pm Slot two Panel 1

Finding and Securing Funding: Ali Betteridge / Sara Bullimore / Henderson Mullin (Chair) / James Urquart

Panel 2

Working as a Writer in the Digital Age: Wayne Burrows / Adrian Reynolds / Farhana Shaikh / James Walker (Chair)

Panel 3

Promoting Yourself as a Writer: Stephen Booth / Cathy Bramley / Alex Davis (Chair) / Niki Valentine

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1.00 – 2.15pm

Lunch

2.15 – 3.00pm

Slot three

Panel 1

The Truths and Lies About Self-Publishing: Cathy Bramley / Alan Dance / Alex Davis (Chair) / Wilf Morgan / Georgia Twynham

Panel 2

Working in Schools and with Young People: Jonathan Davidson (Chair) / / Jess Green / Richard O'Neill / Helena Pielichaty

Panel 3

Managing a Writing Life: Jim Moran (Chair) / Cathy Grindrod / Jonathan Taylor / Lydia Towsey

3.00 – 3.30pm

Break

3.30 – 4.15pm

Slot four

Panel 1

Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Ask an Agent: Carole Blake / Shelia Crowley / John Jarrold / Henderson Mullin (Chair)

Panel 2

Writing Residencies: Judith Allnatt / Corinne Fowler (Chair) Rob Gee / Pippa Hennessy

Panel 3

Prizes and Awards, Improving Your Chances: Luke Kennard / Éireann Lorsung / Alison Moore / Matthew Welton (Chair)

4.30pm

The Writers’ Conference Poet in Residence – Rob Gee

4.45pm

Closing Conference from Jane Streeter

5.00pm

Conference ends

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Programme 11.00 – 11.45

SLOT ONE

Panel 1 Working as a Writer in the Community This panel will look at different forms of community work undertaken by writers, including running one-off site-specific workshops, engaging with different groups, reaching out to new audiences and venues, and how to set up your own writing in the community projects. Speakers: Panya Banjoko / Ali Betteridge (Chair) Cathy Grindrod / Helen Mort

Panel 2 How to Sell Your Script and See it Produced (Sponsored by DMU) Scriptwriting for theatre, film and television is one of the most competitive but potentially rewarding outlets for a writer’s skills. Thousands of scripts are written every year, but selling a script and seeing it produced can take more work than the writing itself. How do writers go from a finished script to a finished production, and what are the opportunities today for new writing? Speakers: Suba Das / Jim Hill (Chair) Michelle Lipton / Hayley McKenzie

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Panel 3 Writing for Children and Young Adults – a Writer’s Rights and Responsibilities In the ever growing genre of writing for children and young adults, how do you as a writer negotiate the fine line between subject matter and what is appropriate for your audience’s age range? How do you address the latest language on the street, and are there any subjects which can’t be covered? How do these considerations affect language and tone? And how do sensibilities change over time, or even over media? This panel will bring together leading writers in the field to explore just these issues. Speakers: David Belbin / Helena Pielichaty Bali Rai / Jane Streeter (Chair)

12.15 – 1.00

SLOT TWO

Panel 1 Finding and Securing Funding for Writers So, you’ve got that shining project or book in you, but how do you find the funding to turn that dream into a reality? This panel will explore the different sources available for writers, from Arts Council England to Charitable Trusts and Foundations, to local authorities and crowd funding, and how best to take advantage of these different funding streams. Speakers: Ali Betteridge / Sara Bullimore Henderson Mullin (Chair) / James Urquart

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Panel 2 Working as a Writer in the Digital Age New technologies are changing how stories are told and how we encounter them. The internet and computers provide ways to make interactive and immersive stories that are still being explored. Video games are experimenting with ever more sophisticated narratives and are providing exciting platforms for writers. This panel has a particular focus on the opportunities that the new digital age can present to writers and how authors can best promote themselves in the online landscape. It will also give examples of diﬀerent projects writers can get involved in. Speakers: Wayne Burrows / Adrian Reynolds Farhana Shaikh / James Walker (Chair)

Panel 3 Promoting Yourself as a Writer – Building Audiences Promoting yourself and your projects is crucial for a successful career as a freelance writer. In the ever-competitive literature landscape, with publishers’ marketing budgets diminishing, how do you reach out to new audiences and ensure your writing is read? This panel will bring together leading authors who have a particular expertise in this area, to discuss strategies for making your voice heard. Speakers: Stephen Booth / Cathy Bramley Alex Davis (Chair) / Niki Valentine

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2.15 – 3.00

SLOT THREE

Panel 1 The Truths and Lies About Self-Publishing In a world where it's safer for an editor at a mainstream publishing house to buy a book that reads a lot like last year's bestseller than to support an unproven concept, it is small wonder that there has been a recent surge of interest in self-publishing. Hear four well established self-published authors talk about their experience in the publishing world, how they reach their readers and why they chose this particular avenue for their writing. Speakers: Cathy Bramley / Alan Dance / Alex Davis (Chair) Wilf Morgan / Georgia Twynham

Panel 2 Working in Schools and with Young People For emerging and established professional writers, working in schools and with young people can be an important part of their career, both creatively and ﬁnancially. This panel will bring together leading writers with a wealth of experience in this area and discuss the practicalities of working with this particular audience. Speakers: Jonathan Davidson (Chair) / Jess Green Richard O'Neill / Helena Pielichaty

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Panel 3 Managing a Writing Life This panel will explore the practicalities of being a writer in today’s world of other commitments, the demands of a day job and also promoting yourself as a writer. It will look at how you carve time for your own writing, and the considerations you have to take into account when you are managing various projects and deadlines. Speakers: Cathy Grindrod / Jim Moran (Chair) Jonathan Taylor / Lydia Towsey

3.30 – 4.15

SLOT FOUR

Panel 1 Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Ask an Agent Agents are the bridge between writers and publishers, and are among the most influential people in the publishing industry. The role of the agent can include much more than simply selling your book, and agents are increasingly responsible for finding and nurturing talented new writers. Choosing the right agent can affect every step of a writer’s career, and understanding how the agent / author relationship works is essential to making that choice. Now’s your chance to have your questions answered. Speakers: Carole Blake / Shelia Crowley John Jarrold / Henderson Mullin (Chair)

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Panel 2 Writing Residencies Writing residencies can take all sorts of shapes and formats, from working in heritage and library settings, to health and wellbeing or working in prisons or schools. They facilitate the creative development of writers and strengthen their links with local communities and audiences. This panel will look at the practicalities of being a writer in residence, how to make the connections and what exactly being a Writer in Residence can involve. Speakers: Judith Allnatt / Corinne Fowler (Chair) Rob Gee / Pippa Hennessy

Panel 3 Prizes and Awards, Improving Your Chances With a whole host of new and established writing prizes, awards and competitions available, how do you choose which award would be best to apply for, and how do you improve your chances at getting noticed? Does being nominated and indeed winning such prizes lead to writerly fame? This panel will look at the value such awards bring to the writers and the writing community, and how best to approach applying. Speakers: Luke Kennard / Ă&#x2030;ireann Lorsung Alison Moore / Matthew Welton (Chair)

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Speakers and Agents Matt Haig / – Keynote Speaker Matt Haig is the author of novels for both adults and children. His adult novels include the bestsellers The Last Family in England, the film rights of which were sold to Brad Pitt’s production company, The Radleys, which was a TV Book Club ‘Best Read’ and The Humans, which is a 2014 World Book Night title. His first novel for children, Shadow Forest, won the Gold Smarties Award and the Blue Peter Book of the Year, and his latest book is a young adult novel Echo Boy, the film rights of which have just been sold. The Guardian described his writing as ‘delightfully weird’ and the New York Times called him ‘a writer of great talent’. His works have been translated into over thirty languages. He was recently the Booktrust’s Writer in Residence.

Photo: Dan Sinclair

Jon McGregor / The University of Nottingham – Keynote Speaker Jon McGregor is a novelist and short story writer and his recent books include This Isn’t The Sort Of Thing That Happens To Someone Like You, winner of the East Midlands Book Award 2013, and Even The Dogs, winner of the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2012. In 2002, he was longlisted for the Booker Prize as its youngest contender with his ﬁrst novel, If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things, which went on to win the Betty Trask Prize and the Somerset Maugham Award. He is the Writer in Residence at The University of Nottingham’s School of English, where he edits ‘The Letters Page’, a literary journal in letters, celebrating the epistolary form and exploring its place in a literary culture which is moving slowly into the digital world.

Photo: Nick Rawle

Rob Gee / The Writers’ Conference Poet in Residence Performance poet, comic, and ex-psychiatric nurse, Rob has clocked up over two thousand shows around the world and won numerous poetry slams, including The Edinburgh Slam, The Orlando Poetry Smackdown and BBC 2’s ‘Why 12 | THE WRITERS’ CONFERENCE 2014

Poetry Matters’ slam. He’s performed with Harold Pinter, Sarah Millican, Jo Brand, Frankie Boyle and Jimmy Carr, and appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Bespoke Poetry. Rob has been commissioned to write comedy and poetry for Leicester City Football Club, Leicester Comedy Festival, Groundwork, The Mighty Creatives and the NHS. He is also sent into schools as a warning to children. Rob’s is the only performance ever to have instigated a ﬁght at The Leamington Spa Peace festival. His school workshops specialise in motivating people to write, and promoting teamwork and conﬁdence through performing what they’ve written. He also leads comedy/poetry workshops with mental health service users and artists wishing to work in mental health.

Judith Allnatt / Author Judith Allnatt is an acclaimed short story writer and novelist. Her ﬁrst novel, A Mile of River, was a Radio 5 Live Book of the Month and was shortlisted for the Portico Prize for Literature, and her second novel, The Poet’s Wife, was shortlisted for the East Midlands Book Award. Short stories have featured in the Bridport Prize Anthology, the Commonwealth Short Story Awards, and on BBC Radio 4. Her third novel is The Moon Field, (HarperCollins 2014), set in the First World War. Judith has lectured widely on Creative Writing for universities and freelance for almost two decades. She lives with her family in Northamptonshire and is working on her fourth novel. www.judithallnatt.co.uk

Panya Banjoko / Freelance Learning and Engagement Project Worker Panya Banjoko has worked extensively with museums and galleries as a creative writer. Her roles for Nottingham Castle Museum and Galleries include Learning and Engagement Project Worker and Outreach Worker. She has managed a number of community projects including SANKOFA, a bicentenary project, in partnership with Wedgwood. She writes creative packs to accompany the Museum’s Community Loans Boxes and has been Poet in Residence for the National Trust’s 100 verses at Charlecote Park, Warwickshire. In 2010 she founded Nottingham Black Archive (NBA) an organisation dedicated to researching, collecting and preserving black history, heritage and culture in Nottingham.

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David Belbin / Author David Belbin is the author of more than thirty novels for Young Adults, numerous short stories, and ten short novels for ‘reluctant’ readers. He is best known for Love Lessons, Festival, and The Beat, a Nottingham-based crime series. His work has been translated into twenty ﬁve languages. David’s novels for adults include The Pretender and Bone and Cane. He runs a module in Children’s and Young Adult Fiction on the MA Creative Writing at Nottingham Trent University. His most recent novel, Student, follows a student at the University of Nottingham over her three year degree course.

Ali Betteridge / Literature Development Oﬃcer, Derbyshire County Council Ali Betteridge is the Literature Development Oﬃcer for Derbyshire County Council. She develops a range of literature events and activities and gives advice to writers, writing groups, and to organisations interested in developing literature projects. She also manages the Derbyshire Poet Laureate project and is a member of the organising team for the Derbyshire Literature Festival. Her background is in participatory arts and arts development. www.derbyshire.gov.uk/literature

Carole Blake / Joint Managing Director, Blake Friedmann Literary Agency Carole Blake founded her literary agency in 1977 after fourteen years working for publishing houses, ﬁnally as Marketing Director of mass market paperback imprint Sphere. Carole is the past president of The Book Trade Charity and the Association of Authors’ Agents, and past chairman of The Society of Bookmen. She is currently a member of the advisory board for the post-graduate publishing studies courses at both City University and UCLA. She is also the the author of From Pitch to Publication (Macmillan 1999). Carole’s clients include Elizabeth Chadwick, Barbara Erskine, Peter James and Julian Stockwin. She is the recipient of the Pandora Award 2013 for ‘Signiﬁcant and Sustained Contribution to the Publishing Industry’. www.blakefriedmann.co.uk

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Stephen Booth / Author A former newspaper journalist, Stephen Booth is the creator of two young Derbyshire police detectives, DS Ben Cooper and DS Diane Fry, who have appeared in thirteen novels, all set around the Peak District. The Cooper and Fry series has won awards on both sides of the Atlantic, with Ben Cooper being nominated for a Sherlock Award for the ‘Best Detective created by a British author’. In 2003 the Crime Writers’ Association presented Stephen with the Dagger in the Library award for ‘The author whose books have given readers most pleasure’. The novels have been translated into ﬁfteen languages, and are currently in development as a television series. Stephen lives in rural Nottinghamshire, and his latest title is Already Dead.

Cathy Bramley / Author Cathy Bramley arrived to study European Business at Nottingham Trent and never really left Nottingham although she is thankfully no longer in student accommodation. She writes commercial women’s fiction and if pressed, also admits to running a PR and Marketing Agency. She self-published her first novel, Conditional Love in October 2013 and it became an Amazon Kindle best seller in January this year. Cathy’s next novel Ivy Lane will be her first foray into traditional publishing. It will be serialised digitally, from April 2014 with the paperback following in 2015 published by Transworld Books. She is represented by literary agent Hannah Ferguson at The Marsh Agency.

Sara Bullimore / Arts Consultant Sara Bullimore has worked within the arts and cultural sector for over fifteen years. Since becoming the Arts Officer for the City of Lincoln in 2003 she has created, fundraised and managed many festivals including the Lincoln Book Festival. She became freelance in 2009 and has continued to work with a variety of clients creating bespoke fundraising action plans, delivering and fundraising for festivals including Wolds Words. She is the Creative Director of Lincoln Inspired, a new festival of literature, performance and art, which currently receives the majority of its finances from philanthropic methods including two successful crowd funding campaigns, donations and sponsorship. She is a member of Arts Development UK and a Crowdfunder affiliate.

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Wayne Burrows / Poet Wayne Burrows is a writer whose work spans poetry, journalism, performance, short film and visual installations. He has published three collections of poetry, most recently The Apple Sequence (Shoestring, 2011) and several fiction chapbooks, including Spirit Wrappings (Nottingham Contemporary, 2012). He is the editor of Staple magazine and was the first Writer in Residence at Nottingham Contemporary.

Jane Commane / Editor, Nine Arches Press Jane Commane is a poet, writing tutor and editor at Nine Arches Press. She also co-edits Under the Radar magazine and has run a variety of indoor and outdoor writing workshops, everywhere from castles and museums to allotment gardens and riverbanks. Her work has been published in Anon, The Warwick Review, Tears in the Fence, The Morning Star and anthologised in The Best British Poetry 2011 and Lung Jazz: Young British Poets for Oxfam. Born in Coventry, she lives and works in Warwickshire. www.ninearchespress.com

Sheila Crowley / Literary Agent, Curtis Brown Sheila started her career at Poolbeg Press, before moving to London in 1991, where she worked at a number of leading publishers, including HarperCollins and Hodder. During the 1990s and early ‘00s she held a number of high profile sales and marketing positions and worked closely with many authors and agents. This was her inspiration to change to ‘the other side’ and in 2003 she became a literary agent. She worked at APWatt for five years before moving to Curtis Brown, the biggest Literary Agency in the UK. Sheila represents a wide range of authors, and she specialises in quality fiction, crime and thrillers, memoir, business, sport and MBS. Her clients include Jojo Moyes, Santa Montefiore, and Declan Hughes.

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Alan Dance / Writer and Publisher, Arundel Books Alan was born in Nottingham in 1946 and spent his working life in the rail industry. His first book, The Chilwell Ghost – A New Investigation, was published in 1998. Retirement in 2004 gave him more time to devote to his interests, particularly local and family history, and these have greatly influenced his writing. Whilst researching family history he became fascinated by the lives of people living and working in the slums of early nineteenth century Nottingham, where many if his ancestors worked. This gave him the inspiration for his best-selling first novel, Narrow Marsh. The sequel, Leen Times, was published in 2011 and his latest book The Westbrook Affair was published last year.

Suba Das / Associate Director (Artist Development), Curve Theatre Suba Das is Associate Director at Curve, the East Midlands’ ﬂagship performing arts centre. Before taking up his post at Curve, Suba was Director in Residence at The National Theatre Studio, English Touring Theatre and Theatre Royal Stratford East. In 2010, he founded the company Custom/Practice, committed to widening access to classical theatre for actors and audiences from diverse backgrounds, supported by the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Almeida Theatre. In 2011 he was selected as one of seven directors sent to New York by the Old Vic New Voices as a showcase of new British talent. Suba has directed for Theatre 503, Tamasha, Ice & Fire, and the Young Vic.

Jonathan Davidson / Chief Executive, Writing West Midlands Jonathan Davidson is founder and Chief Executive of Writing West Midlands. He is a member of the National Association of Writers in Education and jointly-convenes their Writers’ in Schools Project Managers Network. He is Chair of the Artistic Policy Committee of the Belgrade Theatre and a Board member for Artspace and Interplay Theatre. His radio plays are regularly broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4. His stage adaptation for young people with learning disabilities of Mary Webb’s novel, Precious Bane, toured in 2009. His second poetry collection, Early Train, was published by Smith Doorstop in 2011 and he’s performed poetry widely, including at the 2014 Nicaragua International Poetry Festival in Granada. He has produced four touring poetry-theatre shows, most recently Being Human. THE WRITERS’ CONFERENCE 2014 | 17

Portland Building – C Floor

Entra Disabled

Atrium Refreshments & Lunch

Registrati

Panel Room 3

Keynotes & Panel Room 1

Panel Room 2

KEY

Entr

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Plan

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Breakout/ Networking Space

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WEM CONFERENCE AREA

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Alex Davis / Writer, Boo Books Alex Davis is a freelance author, events organiser, tutor, proof-reader and copy editor specialising in science-fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. He has taught writing courses all over the Midlands. His first two anthologies as editor, No Monsters Allowed and X7, are available to buy on Amazon, and he has recently launched a new small press based in Derby, Boo Books, with a view to publishing the best talent from around the East and West Midlands. Forthcoming anthologies as editor include Breaking the Rules, After the Fall, Strange Fortune and Worms. Twitter at @AlexDavis1981 or email alexdavisevents@hotmail.co.uk

Corinne Fowler / Director, Centre for New Writing, University of Leicester Corinne Fowler is Director of the Centre for New Writing, which supports writers by resourcing and commissioning new work. She is a published ﬁction writer and editor. Dr. Fowler’s research specialism is regional British black and British Asian writing. She co-authored Postcolonial Manchester: Diaspora Space and The Devolution of Literary Culture and has curated exhibitions about regional writing in the North West and the East Midlands. She directed an Arts Council-funded project called ‘Grassroutes: Contemporary Leicestershire Writing’ and is co-investigator on an Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project about de-industrialised buildings, called ‘Aﬀective Digital Histories’.

Jess Green / Poet Local performance poet, Jess Green has performed around the country at festivals including Latitude, Secret Garden Party, Bestival and at the Edinburgh Fringe as well as working as a Writer in Residence for Newcastle’s Juice Festival. Her first collection #romance was published with Holdfire Press is 2012. She was mentored by Polar Bear whilst a member of the Roundhouse Poetry Collective and was runner up in the UK Slam Championships. She is currently writing her first solo show, Burning Books, and delivers workshops across the country.

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Cathy Grindrod / Writer Cathy Grindrod is a poet and playwright, and former Derbyshire Poet Laureate. She has published two pamphlets and three full collections of poetry, and also wrote the libretto to More Glass Than Wall, a collaboration with composer James Redwood, shortlisted for a BBC Radio 3 Composer of the Year Award. Cathy was recently awarded an Honorary Master of Letters by Derby University for her work with writing and wellbeing across Derbyshire. She is a freelance tutor, mentor, project coordinator and consultant, and her work includes projects with carers in Derby City, prisoners at HMP Sudbury and HMP Foston, and secondary school pupils in Nottingham Schools with the charity, First Story. She also mentors on the BA in Creative and Professional Writing at the University of Nottingham.

Pippa Hennessy / Development Director, Nottingham Writers’ Studio Pippa Hennessy was a software developer in a previous life. She is now the Development Director at Nottingham Writers’ Studio, a lecturer at the University of Nottingham on the Creative and Professional Writing and Humanities degree programmes, and works for Five Leaves Publications. She writes poetry and ﬁction and is studying for an MA in Creative Writing. As a freelancer she produces ebooks, runs workshops on ebook production, and had led creative writing workshops in prisons, art galleries, schools, museums, and libraries. She also manages the EU-funded ‘Dovetail’ project, a collaboration between writing groups in Nottingham, Karlsruhe and Budapest.

Jim Hill / Senior Lecturer, MA TV & Scriptwriting, De Montfort University Jim Hill is a graduate of the National Film and Television School and has worked extensively as a freelance writer, producer and director in television. He is best known as the co-creator of the television series Boon. He has worked on popular shows including Minder, The Bill, Lovejoy, Casualty, and Pie in the Sky and has worked extensively in Europe for Fremantle Worldwide Drama as a story consultant on a daily serial drama. He is currently the Senior Lecturer for the MA Television Scriptwriting degree programme at De Montfort University in Leicester and a visiting lecturer at City University, London. THE WRITERS’ CONFERENCE 2014 | 21

John Jarrold / Literary Agent As an editor and editorial director, John Jarrold published bestselling novelists including Iain Banks, Terry Brooks, Arthur C Clarke, David Gemmell and Michael Morcock. After leaving London publishing he worked as an editor with new and published writers. Since 2004 he has run the John Jarrold Literary Agency, which specialises entirely in SF, Fantasy and Horror and has clinched multi-book deals for over 20 debut novelists.

Luke Kennard / Lecturer in Creative Writing, University of Birmingham Luke Kennard is the author of four volumes of poetry, two pamphlets and a novella called Holophin. His second collection of prose poems and verse, The Harbour Beyond the Movie was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection in 2007 making him the youngest poet ever to be shortlisted. He lectures at the University of Birmingham and has been working on his ﬁrst novel for some time.

Michelle Lipton / Scriptwriter Michelle Lipton is a scriptwriter who works in television, radio and ﬁlm. Since graduating from De Montfort University with an MA in TV Scriptwriting, she has written for Doctors, Hollyoaks and Rocket’s Island. She has had original series optioned and developed by companies such as Hat Trick, Red and CBBC, has written three ﬁve-part drama series for Radio 4, and in 2011 won the ‘Imison Award for Best Original Drama by a Writer New to Radio’. She has adapted cult classic novel Cassandra at the Wedding into a romantic comedy feature for Mass Productions and has also developed and written animation features for Creative England.

Éireann Lorsung / Writer Éireann Lorsung grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she completed her undergraduate degree in English and Japanese and a Master of Fine Arts in Poetry and Visual Arts. She received her PhD from The University of Nottingham in 2013. She is the author of Music For Landing Planes, Her Book and Sweetbriar. Recently her poems have appeared in Beloit Poetry Journal, La Vague, Burnside 22 | THE WRITERS’ CONFERENCE 2014

Review, Colorado Review and Women’s Studies Quarterly. Éireann is currently at work on a novel about archives and earthquakes, pieces of which can be found in Two Serious Ladies, DIAGRAM and Bluestem. She edits the journal ‘111O’ and runs the micropress Miel. www.miel-books.com

Penny Luithlen / Agent, Luithlen Agency Penny Luithlen’s Leicester-based Luithlen Agency was established in 1986 and is internationally renowned for overseeing high quality fiction by award-winning writers. The agency’s focus is children’s fiction, and their authors have won every major children’s fiction award in the UK. Luithlen Agency is also well known for selling foreign rights, with many of their authors in over fifteen languages. Penny is passionate about offering page-turning fiction that children want to read, talk about, and pass on to their friends. The agency is proud to have produced so many brilliant novels for avid readers, as well as the kind of book than can convert a nonreader into a reader.

Hayley McKenzie / Script Editor, Script Angel Hayley McKenzie is an experienced script editor in TV and feature ﬁlms and the founder of Script Angel. She has worked as Development Executive at ITV Studios and script edited on Casualty, Blue Murder, Heartbeat and Hollyoaks. Her ﬁlm script editing credits include indie hit Papadopoulos & Sons, Chakara and The Watcher Self. She is a Project Mentor for Northern Film & Media, Script Consultant for The Sitcom Mission and a features writer (on screenwriting) for Script Magazine.

Alison Moore / Author Alison Moore’s ﬁrst novel, The Lighthouse, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2012, the National Book Awards 2012, the East Midlands Book Award 2013 and the Sydney J Bounds Award 2013 before winning the McKitterick Prize 2013. Her second novel, He Wants, is published in August 2014. Her shorter ﬁction has been anthologized in Best British Short Stories and her debut collection, The Pre-War House and Other Stories, has been shortlisted for the East Midlands Book Awrds. She is a member of Nottingham Writers’ Studio and an honorary lecturer in the School of English at The University of Nottingham. www.alison-moore.com THE WRITERS’ CONFERENCE 2014 | 23

Jim Moran / University of Nottingham Jim Moran is an associate professor in English at the University of Nottingham. He has written and edited a number of books, most recently The Theatre of Seán O’Casey and Regional Modernisms. At the moment he is working on a book entitled The Theatre of D.H. Lawrence, which will be published by Bloomsbury in 2015. Jim is currently a mid-career fellow of the British Academy; a visiting fellow at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and the presenter of a monthly book review on BBC Radio Nottingham, where he gives particular attention to authors from the local area. In 2013 he won a Philip Leverhulme prize for his research into twentieth-century drama.

Wilf Morgan / Eighty8Tales Wilf Morgan is the author of several novels, novellas and short story compilations for both adults and younger readers. His works include That Time in Honduras and The Assasin’s Wedding. A computer programmer by trade, he took time oﬀ in 2010 to look after his children and set up Eight8Tales Press, an independent self-publishing label. His recent title is Arthur Ness and the Secret of Waterwhistle Pt. 1, an adventure novel for young readers. Passionate about encouraging children to have fun writing, he visits local schools and delivers creative writing sessions. Wilf lives in Southwell, Nottinghamshire with his wife and three children.

Helen Mort / Derbyshire Poet Laureate Helen Mort was born in Sheﬃeld in 1985. Her collection Division Street was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot prize, the Costa Prize and the East Midlands Book Awards. She has published two pamphlets with Tall-Lighthouse Press; The Shape of Every Box and A Pint for the Ghost, a Poetry Book Society Choice in Spring 2010. Five-times winner of the Foyle Young Poets award, she received an Eric Gregory Award from The Society of Authors in 2007 and won the Manchester Young Writer Prize in 2008. In 2010, she became the youngest ever poet in residence at The Wordsworth Trust, Grasmere, and she is the current Derbyshire Poet Laureate.

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Henderson Mullin / Chief Executive, Writing East Midlands Henderson is the Chief Executive of Writing East Midlands which runs and supports writing projects and events across the region. Writing East Midlands works to create employment opportunities for established writers and to discover new writers of quality. Before setting up WEM in 2008, Henderson worked as the Publisher, then Chief Executive, for Index on Censorship, the campaigning NGO which publishes books and magazines in support of freedom of expression. He has contributed to various advisory boards including Writers and Scholars Educational Trust, New Art Exchange, Open Air FM, Human Rights House Network, and the Free Word Centre for Literature, Literacy and Freedom of Expression. He was a Regional Artist Advisor for Artists taking the lead, and a member of The Rhythm Writers performance collective based in London.

Richard O’Neill / Writer Richard O’Neill was born and brought up in a large Romany family in the North of England and learned his storytelling skills from some of the best travelling storytellers in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. He has been a full time professional storyteller and writer since 2004. He delivers sessions in over one hundred schools across the country, helping to improve literacy, attendance, transition, inclusion and entrepreneurship. He was recently awarded the title of ‘National Literacy Hero’ by the National Literacy Trust. He is the author of nine children’s books and his latest is Time Cat and the Missing Pie Oven. He is currently Writing East Midlands’ Writer in Residence at both Babington College and Medway Primary school in Leicester.

Helena Pielichaty / Writer Helena Pielichaty (pronounced Pierre-li-hatty) is a quarter Polish, quarter Russian and half Yorkshire. Her first book, Vicious Circle, published in 1998, was one of the Book Trust’s Top 100 books of that year. Since then she has written over thirty books for children, many of which have been translated into several languages. Helena is passionate about encouraging children to read for pleasure and in 2012 became the UK’s first Patron of Reading at a school in North Wales. In between writing books and school visits she follows Huddersfield Town FC and tweets too much. She lives in Nottinghamshire and has two grown up children. THE WRITERS’ CONFERENCE 2014 | 25

Bali Rai / Author Bali Rai grew up in Leicester, where he returned after studying in London to do a variety of jobs before writing his ﬁrst acclaimed novel, (Un)arranged Marriage. Published in thirteen languages to date, he is now a distinctive voice in young adult ﬁction and is invited all over the world to talk about his work. Bali likes cooking, talking and is a devoted Liverpool FC fan.

Adrian Reynolds / Writer Recovering copywriter Adrian Reynolds scripted episodes of Doctors for the BBC and feared he faced writing medical drama for years unless he did something drastic. His focus is now primarially on genre storytelling, often in digital form such as the App-Released supernatural thriller serial Making Sparks, fantasy audio serial Dragon Run Saga and online science fiction comic Dadtown. He also turned to the internet to fund a short science fiction film, White Lily and uses skype to speak with collaborators in America, Australia and beyond. His experience also includes developing material for online roleplaying games, and concepts that work across different media. www.about.me/adrianreynolds

Farhana Shaikh / Writer Farhana Shaikh is a writer, freelance editor and publisher born in Leicester. She did a BA in Publishing with English at Loughborough University and later founded The Asian Writer, an online magazine championing Asian literature. In 2010 she established Dahlia Publishing, a boutique indie press which seeks to nurture regional and diverse writing. She hosts the monthly Writers Meet Up Leicester and has just launched LeicesterWrites.co.uk for writers living across the county.

Jane Streeter / Chair, Writing East Midlands Jane Streeter began her bookselling life in 1984, working at Hammick’s Legal Bookshop and the Parks Business Bookshop in London. Following a move back to her home town of Nottingham, and three children later, she still had not kicked the habit, so in 1996, Jane opened The Bookcase 26 | THE WRITERS’ CONFERENCE 2014

in Lowdham, the village where she lives. She is a Trustee of the East Midlands Book Award and current Chair of Writing East Midlands. She is passionate about our regional literary heritage and about encouraging the writers of the future. Jane has been a member of various book industry panels and has just taken up the post of World Book Day Chair, having recently completed a two year term as the President of the UK Booksellers Association.

Jonathan Taylor / Writer and Lecturer, Leicester University

Photo: Ambrose Musiyiwa

Jonathan Taylor is a lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Leicester, and Co-Director of arts organisation and small publisher Crystal Clear Creators. Jonathan Taylor’s books include the novel Entertaining Strangers; memoir Take Me Home; and short story collection, Kontakte and Other Stories. He is also the editor of Overheard: Stories to Read Aloud, winner of the Saboteur Award for Best Fiction Anthology 2013. www.jonathanptaylor.co.uk.

Lydia Towsey / Poet Lydia Towsey is a poet and performer with a Masters degree in Creative Writing. Previous commissions include: Freedom Showcase (Literature Network); Spoken Word All Stars Tour (Poet in the City) & Beyond Words, a U.K. tour of four South African poets, including the South African Poet Laureate (Apples and Snakes). She has won a Decibel commission, was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, spoke at the House of Lords and was featured by The London Magazine. In 2014, Lydia will be touring Three the Hard Way with Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze MBE and Alison Dunne.

Georgia Twynham / Author, Thirteenth Series Born in Wellingborough in 1972, Georgia moved with her family to Menorca at the age of ﬁfteen. She wrote short stories and poetry from an early age but her real passion for writing didn’t truly emerge until she was thirty one when she wrote articles and for her own website to support herself and her daughter. Georgia felt there was a need for a strong British female heroine, and wanted a main character that had a normal family could relate to, and so Val Saunders was born. Georgia spends her time with her daughter in their home in Leicestershire and her life is ﬁlled with promoting her books and writing. THE WRITERS’ CONFERENCE 2014 | 27

James Urquart / Arts Council England: Relationship Manager, Literature James Urquart spent a decade bookselling and another as a broadsheet literary critic before joining the Arts Council in 2010. He has been Chair of Nottingham Writers Studio and involved in writing related projects around Nottingham ever since.

Niki Valentine / Course Leader BA Creative and Professional Writing, The University of Nottingham Niki Valentine is the award winning author of The Haunted, Possessed and The Doll’s House. She also writes gritty, realist ﬁction as Nicola Monaghan. When she isn’t working on her next novel, Niki teaches Creative and Professional Writing at The University of Nottingham. www.nikivalentine.webeden.co.uk

James Walker / Editor, Dawn of the Unread James is the Chair of the Nottingham Writers’ Studio and Literature Editor at LeftLion. He was recently commissioned for BBC Arts Council multimedia platform The Space where he created the Sillitoe Trail, exploring themes from Alan Sillitoe’s Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. He is currently working on an interactive graphic novel called Dawn of the Unread in support of libraries. www.dawnoftheunread.com

Matthew Welton / Lecturer in Creative Writing, The University of Nottingham ‘Matthew Welton is a poet whose books include The Book of Matthew, ‘We needed coffee but…’ (both Carcanet) and Waffles (EggBox). He has won an Eric Gregory Award, the Jerwood Opera Writing Fellowship (with Larry Goves), the Aldeburgh First Collection Prize, and second prize in the Arvon International Poetry Competition. He has become ‘increasingly admired by and influential on an emerging generation of UK poets, but his work remains difficult to categorise – British in sensibility, yet orientated towards European and US poetry traditions’ – The Quietus, 2013. Matthew was born in Nottingham, lives in Nottingham, and teaches creative writing at the University of Nottingham. 28 | THE WRITERS’ CONFERENCE 2014

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Five Leaves Bookshop

Five Leaves Bookshop opened in November in Nottingham city centre – the first independent in Nottingham since 2000 and the only indie to have opened in any city centre over the last few years. The bookshop grew out of the longstanding Five Leaves Publications, the region’s “biggest small press”. It follows the radical and literary tradition of the publishing side, but has a much wider stock. Five Leaves is particularly strong on landscape/cityscape and modern poetry, carries 80 literary, cultural and political magazines and is open six days a week (and, soon, on Sunday afternoons). The Bookshop has an events programme – “Wednesdays in the Bookshop” – with talks, readings, book launches and other events. We work with groups such as Nottm. Irish Studies Group, Runnymede Trust, Nottm. Trades Council, Amnesty, Society of Friends (Quakers) and Nottingham Writers Studio. Five Leaves Bookshop, 14a Long Row, Nottingham NG1 2DH www.fiveleavesbookshop.co.uk

Writing East Midlands www.writingeastmidlands.co.uk