Birmingham Writers’ Group

David Higham Associates: a literary agency based in central London will be running an online Open Week to support under-represented writers across the world.

“We are thrilled to be inviting all applicants to a series of events this October aiming to demystify the industry, including advice on writing submission letters, a look at the role of the agent, as well as the work of translation and film & TV rights teams. Twenty writers will then be selected to attend our DHA New Writers’ Open Week in January 2021, which will feature further exclusive talks from agents, authors and editors, and include an in-depth 1-1 feedback session on their submitted work with a DHA agent.

This open day will be an excellent opportunity for budding authors from under-represented backgrounds (LGBTQ+ writers, writers of colour, writers from working-class backgrounds, writers from ethnic, cultural and religious minorities and writers with a disability) to find out more about the industry and have their material looked at by a leading literary agent.”

For further information about the event and to apply, please see here: https://www.davidhigham.co.uk/dhaopenday/.

When: Wednesday 10th June 2020

Where: Royal Station Hotel, Neville Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5DH

We’re hugely excited at David Higham to be taking our Open Days on the road! Our first stop is Newcastle where we will be offering ten writers the opportunity to meet with industry experts and receive tailored feedback on their work from top literary agents.

The Open Day will take place on Wednesday 10th June 2020 at the Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle and will focus on fiction-writing for adults*. There will be sessions throughout the day to answer questions about all aspects of the industry, from the role of an agent to the publishing process, as well as one-to-one sessions to provide tailored feedback on current writing projects.

Applications for this day are now open! We welcome applications from any writer living in the UK from an under-represented background including LGBTQ+ writers, BAME writers, writers from working-class backgrounds, writers from ethnic, cultural and religious minorities, and disabled writers. Writers must be un-agented.

As this event is in Newcastle, we strongly encourage under-represented writers from the North of England to apply. We have plans to run further open days across the UK in the future.

*We are not at this time looking for poetry, plays, screenplays or children’s fiction.

Visit their website for details

Naomi Paul will run a 1 day course for writing West Midlands on 6th April 10am – 4pm

Cost: £45

Find more info here

UniSlam is the UK’s international, collegiate team poetry slam.
The Grand Finals will take place on Sunday February 3rd at The Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham.
The event will include performances from judges Hollie McNish, Melissa Lozada-Oliva and Dizraeli.
UniSlam will take place throughout the weekend, including free entry to the preliminary bouts and semifinals at the Hippodrome.
Tickets for the finals can be reserved through The Old Rep’s site: http://livebrum.co.uk/the-old-rep-theatre/2019/02/03/unislam-grand-finals

Awaken Your Creativity through Kundalini Yoga

Calling all writers!  Join us for this one-day workshop of yoga and writing practice to awaken your creativity, fire your imagination, and prepare the body and mind for writing.

Who is it for?
Anyone who is interested in finding out how yoga can help to get the creative writing juices flowing.  The workshop is suitable for the beginner or more experienced writer and you don’t need to have done yoga before to attend.  The only requirement is an ability to breathe!

Details: http://www.kundaliniyogaforyou.com/workshops

The creative writing course at Erdington Adult Education Centre (close to Erdington Railway Station) is to be repeated this year. It’s to build knowledge and assurance in the art and support your existing and future writing needs.

When: Thursdays 13:00 – 15:00

Dates: 20th September – 6th December 2018

Cost: £176

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

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