Birmingham Writers’ Group

Bringing Stories to Life: Picture Book Writing and Storytelling Retreat in Sunny Spain

26 January – 2 February, 2019

Whether you want to bring children’s stories to life on the page or through the oral tradition of storytelling, this retreat will give you the tools to make this happen. Participants will spend a week in Southern Spain exploring the craft of storytelling through writing exercises, games, drama, and puppetry. While each participant will choose to focus on either writing or oral storytelling workshops, there will also be combined skills workshops conducted by both tutors or special guests. Also included are yoga or tai chi each morning, daily Spanish lessons, and a day’s excursion in the nearby mountains.

Meet the tutors:

Zeeny Jhelumi is an international children’s storyteller, a children’s author, TEDx speaker, and an educator who leads classes for children and adults in the art of storytelling, creative writing, and public speaking. http://zeenyjhelumi.com

Rebecca Colby is a picture book author and poet. She is published       with Macmillan US, Albert Whitman & Company, and Floris Books.          www.rebeccacolbybooks.com

Meet the guest speakers:

Alice Corrie is the Picture Book Editor at David Fickling Books. She began her career at Random House Children’s Books in 2011. She went freelance in 2010 and works for a variety of clients including Penguin Random House, Egmont, Templar, Simon & Schuster, Ivy Kids, and of course, David Fickling Books. www.davidficklingbooks.com/team

Ness Wood is an Art Director and has worked for many major publishers on picture books, including Penguin Random House, Faber & Faber and David Fickling Books. She runs the Children’s Illustration Summer School at Cambridge School of Art and is a portfolio consultant for the MA in Children’s Illustration also at Cambridge. She is also one of the co-founders of Orange Beak Studio. www.nesswood.co.uk/

Peter Marley has over fifteen years’ experience in commissioning and editorial roles for major children’s publishers, including Egmont and Oxford University Press. He has particular expertise in picture books, illustrated non-fiction, pre-school publishing, and novelty formats.

Cost is £790 for 8 days, all meals are included, and payment may be made in instalments. For more information, contact: lifelearningretreats@gmail.com

Taking place in London on 20 May; a day of talks and panels featuring leading female novelists such as Ali Smith, Elif Shafak and Tessa Hadley and senior women from the world of publishing.
Includes a panel titled ‘How to Get Your First Book Published’, in which experts including Bazaar‘s editor-in-chief Justine Picardie, Bloomsbury’s group editor-in-chief Alexandra Pringle and the literary agent Karolina Sutton offer advice on how to make your manuscript stand out.

Tickets start at £25 (£75 for the whole day) and include a bespoke gift bag and a champagne reception.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-bazaar-literary-salon-tickets-39086628157

Specifically designed for authors and small presses, this two hour marketing and publicity workshop will focus on how to create impactful campaigns with tiny (or zero) budget.

We’ll cover such topics as: how to use social media if you’re time stretched; how to mobilise your authors to promote their titles; how to write a press release that hooks with the first line; how to garner great endorsements for your authors; creating book jackets that will grab attention; best practice around creating a marketing and publicity campaign, and how to engage with literary editors, reviewers, bloggers and radio producers.

Saturday 7th April

1400-1630

Custard Factory

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/marketing-publicity-on-a-shoestring-budget-room-204-tickets-43385364794

The Emma Press is celebrating five years of running as an independent press with a big anniversary party at 1000 Trades in the Jewellery Quarter on 17th March.

The party is also going to serve as a launch for our newest anthology: ‘The Emma Press Anthology of Love’. Poets who are featured in the book will be reading, we’ll have lots of copies on hand, and there will be drinks, games and goody bags too.

What’s more, for those who want to know what it’s really like to be a young female entrepreneur in Birmingham, the press’s founder, Emma Wright, will be talking about what goes on behind the scenes.

Join them for poetry readings, games, and more: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-emma-press-is-five-years-old-tickets-42708743000?aff=efbeventtix

Flarestack Poets is delighted to be launching Roz Goddard’s fifth poetry collection, Spill.
Full of tenderness, this collection explores the transformative power of love, loss and spirituality.
Roz will read from Spill and will be supported by guest readers Jane Commane and Jacqui Rowe. The M.C. For the event is Jonathan Davidson.
Afternoon tea will be served with copious amounts of cake in variety. You are all very welcome.

• Free event
• Sun, February 11, 2018, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM GMT
• Birmingham Buddhist Centre, 11 Park Road, Birmingham B13 8AB

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/launch-of-spill-poetry-collection-tickets-41206097547

A new creative writing course at Erdington Adult Education Centre (close to Erdington Railway Station) is designed to build knowledge and assurance in the art and support your existing and future writing needs.

There will be an enrollment session this Thursday (21st September) at 1PM and the course commences at the same time the following week.

When: Thursdays 13:00 – 15:00

Dates: 28th September – 14th December 2017

Cost: Full £110, Discount : £55, Concessionary £55

Here are the venue details:-

Where:

Erdington AE Centre
101 Sutton New Road,
Erdington B23 6RE
Tel: 0121 464 6190
Visit: www.learnbaes.ac.uk

“A writers’ retreat provides a day of uninterrupted writing in a supportive and friendly environment fueled by coffee, tea, biscuits and a lovely lunch.

It’s basically time and space to write  – to kick start a stalling project or get ahead on one that is motoring along steadily but could do with a boost.”

Karen will be running the retreats for a company called Writers’ HQ and writers can sign up to find out more about the Birmingham Writers’ Retreats here:

http://writershq.co.uk/birmingham-writers-retreat/

The Book Reality Experience in cooperation with FCM Publishing, Publisher’s Weekly’s Booklife, Draft2Digital and Ingram Spark are running a one day, hands-on practical guide to independent publishing in central Birmingham on the 23rd August.

The whole day, including lunch, access to a myriad of on-line training resources and a comprehensive reference guide is available for only £99.00.

They are willing to offer a 15% discount to members of Birmingham Writers Group – contact Heide for the code if you would like it.

Further details of the event can be found here: https://events.fcmpublishing.co.uk/

The Contemporary Small Press is holding this event at Ikon Gallery, Birmingham on Tuesday 27th June, 6-9pm

The event will bring together local readers, writers and small press publishers to discuss the opportunities and challenges related to small press publishing.  Speakers will include Emma Wright, editor at The Emma Press, Alan Mahar – former publishing director with the former Tindal Street Press, and writers published by both presses who will be reading from their work.

Reading and Being Read: Birmingham builds on previous events in London and Manchester, and will be a good opportunity for your writers to network with local publishers, writers and readers.

More information can be found on the Reading and Being Read website and tickets can be booked via Eventbrite
Reading and Being Read events are supported using public funding from the Arts Council England

Bearwood Action for Refugees are celebrating UK Refugee Week 2017 in style and inviting the whole community to join them.

On Sunday 25 June, in partnership with Agora Poetry, they are hosting a mammoth poetry slam, SLAMATHON, at Thimblemill Library in Bearwood, 2-7pm.

It will be fun-packed for all ages with storytelling, comedy, poetry workshops, crafts and plenty to eat with a bring and share buffet.

The event will be in aid of Aegean Solidarity Network and every penny raised will help support refugees in transit.

The application form for those wishing to enter the competition is here