Funny Women Comedy Writing Award 2012 (UK)

Deadline: 31 August 2012

We know that not every writer is a performer, so this is an opportunity for those happier behind the scenes to truly shine. That's why we're happy to be continuing the Comedy Writing Award in 2012, in association award winning comedy production company The Comedy Unit.

We are pleased to confirm our judges: award winning writers Hattie Naylor and Harry Venning, co-founder of the BritMums network, Jennifer Howze, newspaper columnist and Funny Women Charity Challenge winner Rowan Pelling and Creative Director of Development at The Comedy Unit, Gavin Smith. You can read more about the judges HERE.

THE PRIZE:

£500 script option fee for a 12 month development period, including three weeks intensive mentoring to complete the 30 minute script with dedicated access to a professional script editor.

THE CRITERIA:

• Short synopsis of the idea – Maximum one page.
• Entries will be 8 – 15 pages maximum of a 30 minute comedy script
• The comedy script can be aimed at radio or television/visual production. However we are not looking for a live play.
• The comedy script can take the form of sitcom, sketch, comedy drama, character monologues, (anything really) but it must feel like it would work as a coherent whole across a 30 Minute audience experience. I.E. ten 3 minute web viral episodes stuck together is not a 30 minute script.
• The sample does not have to begin at the start of the script but must run straight through from where it does start.
• If you feel it necessary you can add a short paragraph (max) detailing any relevant / key story information that isn’t in the script sample (EG: how the story started before the sample, how it will end after etc.)
• You can find The Comedy Unit's useful tips for Comedy Writing HERE

HOW TO ENTER:

• Only the following file formats will be accepted: PDF (preferred), .doc, or rtf. with the title of the work and your name in the script title.
• Ensure that your name, email address and phone number are included on the document.
• Entrants must be registered for the Funny Women Awards in order to enter. If already registered under the performance category, you do not need to register a second time.
• Please send entries to awards_2012@funnywomen.com with 'Comedy Writing Award' in the title.
• As part of Funny Women's dedication to new talent, only those who have not previously had a paid script commission are eligible to enter.
• A shortlist of six scripts will be presented to industry judges. Three finalists will be invited to the Funny Women Final on Monday 24th September at the Leicester Square Theatre where the winner will be announced.

Link: award registration

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries/ submissions: awards2012@funnywomen.com

Website: http://www.funnywomen.com/

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Deadline June 1 | SI Leeds Literary Prize Award for Unpublished Fiction by Black and Asian Women (UK)

Deadline: 1 June 2012

The SI Leeds Literary Prize is a new prize for unpublished fiction by Black and Asian women resident in the UK aged 18 years and over.

The prize aims to act as a loudspeaker for Black and Asian women’s voices, enabling fresh and original literary voices from a group disproportionately under-represented in mainstream literary culture to reach new audiences.

The inaugural prize will be awarded in October 2012, and will consist of:

• £2,000 to the winner
• £750 to the runner-up
• £250 as a third prize

In addition to the cash awards Peepal Tree Press will offer the winning, runner-up and third placed authors two 1:1 consultancy sessions in professional development support through its Inscribe programme. With the winner’s consent, the winning manuscript will be given serious consideration for publication by Peepal Tree Press. In addition, the winner, 2nd and 3rd prize winners will be invited to read short extracts from their work at the 2012 Ilkley Literature Festival.

How to enter

The prize is open to Black and Asian women writers aged 18 or over, based in the UK and writing fiction in English. Only unpublished original work is eligible for the prize. The fee per entry is £15. To find out if you are eligible to enter, please check the eligibility section.

All entries must be made by post using the entry form and cover sheet, and have to be submitted before the closing deadline of 1 June 2012. All submissions must be made following the format set out in the rules, so please read these carefully before you apply. If you have any queries about the format or timescale for the prize, please contact us.

Am I eligible to enter?

The Award is open to published and unpublished women writers, over the age of 18, of Black or Asian descent who are resident in the UK. Ethnicity will be self-defined by entrants. As a guideline, Black or Asian descent in the context of the Award signifies any Black background.

The Award is open to unpublished novels and/or collections of short stories of any genre of no less than 30,000 words. Manuscripts that have been previously published will not be eligible. However, whilst the main body of the novel or collection of short stories should comprise unpublished work, submissions will be accepted where no more than 25% of the work has been previously published. Manuscripts currently available for sale online, either in full or in significant proportion (i.e. more than 50% of the total manuscript) will be ineligible. Manuscripts either partially or wholly available online for no charge will be eligible.

Memoirs, biographies and autobiographies are not eligible.

Entries must be in English.

Terms & Conditions

1. THE AWARDS

1.1 All entries will be read to create a long list of 12 titles for the judges. The best entries will be forwarded to the judges who will compile a shortlist of 6 outstanding works of fiction submitted for the SI Leeds Literary Prize 2012 (“the Award”), from which they will select a winner, a runner-up and a third placed entry.

1.2 The winning award is £2,000 and this will be presented to the author of the best
eligible novel or collection of short stories in the opinion of the judges.

1.3 There will be a runner-up award of £750 for the second placed novel or collection of short stories.

1.4 There will be a third place award of £250 for the remaining shortlisted novel or
collection of short stories.

1.5 In addition to the cash awards Peepal Tree Press will offer the winning, runner-up and third placed authors 2 one-to-one consultancy sessions in professional development support through its Inscribe programme. With the winner’s consent, the winning manuscript will be given serious consideration for publication by Peepal Tree Press.

1.6 In addition the winner, 2nd and 3rd prize winners will be invited to read short
extracts from their work at the 2012 Ilkley Literature Festival.

2. ELIGIBILITY

2.1 The Award is open to published and unpublished women writers, over the age of 18,
of Black or Asian descent who are resident in the UK. Ethnicity will be self-defined by entrants. As a guideline, Black or Asian descent in the context of the Award signifies

- any Black background, including:-
- Black African
- Black Caribbean
- any other Black background
- any Asian background, including
- Bangladeshi
- Indian
- Pakistani
- Thai
- Malay
- Philippine
- Vietnamese
- Chinese
- Japanese
- countries in the Middle East
- any other Asian background
- any mixed background, including
- Asian and White
- Black and White
- Any other background from more than one ethnic group.

Under the terms of Positive Action in the Equality Act 2010, these eligibility criteria are justified on the following grounds:

• That the Award Partners reasonably think that Black and Asian women writers suffer a disadvantage linked to their race and gender, and have a disproportionately low level of participation in the UK writing industry and bestseller lists

• That the action taken by the Award Partners encourages this group to overcome this disadvantage and encourages participation

• That the prize is a proportionate response to the issue.

2.2 The Award is open to unpublished* novels and/or collections of short stories of any genre of no less than 30,000 words.

2.3 *Manuscripts that have been previously published will not be eligible. However, whilst the main body of the novel or collection of short stories should comprise unpublished work, submissions will be accepted where no more than 25% of the work has been previously published. Manuscripts currently available for sale online, either in full or in significant proportion (i.e. more than 50% of the total manuscript) will be ineligible. Manuscripts either partially or wholly available online for no charge will be eligible.

2.4 Entrants must warrant that the entry is a complete original work of fiction and is entirely the author's own work; that it does not infringe any existing copyright, moral or other rights of any third party, contains nothing obscene, libellous, unlawful or defamatory of any living person or corporate body.

2.5 Memoirs, biographies and autobiographies are not eligible.

2.6 Entries must be in English.

2.7 Authors may submit more than one novel or collection of stories. An additional entry fee for each submission is required (see HOW TO ENTER below).

2.8 The Award is not open to employees of Peepal Tree Press, Ilkley Literature Festival and members of SI Leeds (the Award Partners) or anyone connected with the Award or their direct family members.

2.9 Entries that are submitted posthumously will not be eligible for the Award.

3. COPYRIGHT AND TERMS OF USE

3.1 By submitting a novel or collection of short stories to the Award the entrant acknowledges and agrees that excerpts (chosen by the Award Partners) of the winning, or other short-listed, novel or collection of stories may be read out or reproduced as part of the Award Partners’ promotion and documentation of the Award, including Award Partners’ marketing and publicity literature, events, and websites and as a feature of the 2012 Ilkley Literature Festival free of any fees or royalty payments.

3.2 The Award Partners undertake to ensure that copyright of all manuscripts entered for the Award is protected. Non short-listed manuscripts will be shredded.

4. JUDGING

4.1 The SI Leeds Literary Prize will be looking for the most original and engaging writing and will consider all entries on the basis of quality of prose and narrative voice. The Award aims to support and award excellence, creativity and originality.

4.2 Manuscripts will be judged anonymously, i.e. without knowledge of the author’s name, age or background. (Please see HOW TO ENTER below)

4.3 Judging of the Award will be as follows:

Stage 1: All entries will be read by a team of readers and will be sifted in accordance with the Award criteria. A long list of no more than 12 novels/collections of short stories will be put forward to the judging panel.

Stage 2: The judging panel will read all long-listed entries and will select a Short List of 6 outstanding novels/collections of short stories submitted for the Award.

Stage 3: The judging panel will further discuss and agree the winning, runner-up and third placed entries.

4.4 Shortlisted authors will be contacted personally by email or telephone.

4.5 The Judges’ decision is final and no correspondence can be entered into.

4.6 The judging will be fair and independent. The judging panel will be appointed by the Award Partners and will include a distinguished and experienced literary professional as its chair.

4.7 Any permitted reference to the Award by the shortlisted writers will be advised by the Award Partners.

5. HOW TO ENTER

5.1 Manuscripts must be sent by post together with the completed entry forms and entry fee. Manuscripts arriving by post without the completed entry forms or entry fee will not be eligible.

5.2 Manuscripts should be sent in their entirety, i.e. as a finished novel or a finished collection of short stories. Incomplete works are not eligible. Authors may not add to or alter their manuscript after it has been entered for the Award.

5.3 Manuscripts must be submitted printed in double-spaced lines of 12 point font on single-sided A4 paper. Pages must be numbered.

5.4 The author’s name should not appear on the manuscript. Use the form provided to enter your name, title of novel or collection of short stories and contact details. Your manuscript will be logged against your name but will be judged anonymously.

5.5 Manuscripts will not be returned. Authors requiring an acknowledgement of receipt of their manuscript should enclose a stamped addressed envelope marked SI Leeds Literary Prize Acknowledgement. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt.

5.6 The Entry Fee for each manuscript submitted is £15.00 payable by cheque to SI Leeds.

5.7 Entries must arrive by Friday 1st June 2012. Late entries will not be eligible.

5.8 The Award Partners reserve the right to cancel the Award at any stage, if deemed necessary in its opinion, or if circumstances arise outside of its control. If cancelled, the entry fee would be refunded.

5.9 The Award Partners reserve the right to refuse entry to the Award for any reason at its absolute discretion.

5.10 By submitting a manuscript the entrant agrees to attend the Award ceremony in the event of being shortlisted for the Award and also, in the event of winning the Award, to undertake a mutually acceptable limited programme of activities to promote the Award. Entrants are responsible for all reasonable costs associated with attending the Award ceremony.

5.11 The entrant agrees that she will contribute where possible to press and publicity activities for the Award and hereby grant the Award Partners all necessary rights in her contribution for press/publicity activities for the Award

Download: entry form, cover sheet

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: click here

Website: http://sileedsliteraryprize.wordpress.com/

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Deadline May 31 | Seeking Real-Life Stories from Britain's Rural Women: Countryside Magazine (to celebrate the Queen's diamond jubilee)

Deadline: 31 May 2012

An appeal has been launched to find real-life stories from Britain’s rural women to explore how their roles have changed over the past 60 years.

April 2012 Countyside front coverCountryside magazine, one of the NFU’s flagship magazines, is celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by exploring a number of themes, including conservation, access, the ‘Good Life’ and the land. Readers are being asked to get involved by sending in their thoughts on how they think life has changed in the countryside since Her Majesty’s coronation in 1953.

Countryside editor Martin Stanhope said: “My grandmother was a Land Girl who met my farming grandfather during the war and their partnership was instrumental in building the family farming business in the post-war years. But it’s fascinating to see how those roles have evolved, from one primarily of home-maker to the much more hands-on decision-making positions held by today’s rural women.

“So we’re really keen to hear the stories of today’s country women – or their families – and how they first got involved in farming, what obstacles or prejudice they encountered, and their hopes for the future.”

Readers are being asked to get involved by sending in their thoughts on how they think life has changed in the countryside since Her Majesty’s coronation in 1952.

Anyone who would like to contribute should email around 150 words to martin.stanhope@nfu.org.uk by May 31.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries/ submissions: martin.stanhope@nfu.org.uk

Website: http://www.countrysideonline.co.uk

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Women Writing Women: Helen Simpson and Michèle Roberts (University of East Anglia, UK)

Date: 31 May 2012 (7pm)

London Review Bookshop features readings, discussions, talks and debates that make the Bookshop a vital centre for intellectual exchange.

WOMEN WRITING WOMEN: HELEN SIMPSON AND MICHÈLE ROBERTS

Two of Britain’s most eminent female writers will be discussing literature, fiction, women, the short story and much else besides. Helen Simpson is the author of six collections of stories, the latest of which, A Bunch of Fives, has just been published by Vintage. Michèle Roberts has written twelve highly acclaimed novels and has also published poetry and short stories, most recently collected in Mud: stories of sex and love (Virago). Her most recent book is Ignorance, published by Bloomsbury, and she is currently Emeritus Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia.

Link: ticket booking

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For enquiries: call 020 7269 9030

Website: http://www.lrbshop.co.uk

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Creative Writing Workshop for Cis, Trans Women and Queer Feminists (Feminist Brighton, UK)

Date: 23 May 2012

Join Feminist Brighton for the second in a series of workshops for cis and trans women and queer feminists:

Friends Meeting House
Wednesday 23rd May
6.30pm

A creative writing workshop that aims to engage everyone in exploring our inner and outer worlds through poems and personal accounts.

We will employ our creativity to express our views and aspects of our lives past and present. Using accessible writing techniques, we can engage questions such as: Who am I now? When have I felt lost or fearful or angry? What do I perceive in the world around me? Through our writing, we can find ways of shaping our ideas, thoughts, emotions, memories – reclaiming the power and strength of our own unique voice.

The workshop runs for three hours, 6.30-9.30 and there will be an opportunity for tea and biscuits. The workshop is open to women who identify as cis or trans and queer feminists. We ask for a donation of 2-3 pounds to cover the cost of the room hire.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: brightonfeminist@googlemail.com

Website: http://feministbrighton.wordpress.com

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Call for Chapters - The Orange Prize for Fiction: Critical Essays

Deadline: 16 July 2012

The editors of a proposed collection of critical essays on the Orange Prize for Fiction are issuing a call for chapters.

The board are particularly interested in work on the following writers: Barbara Kingsolver, Tea Obreht, Kate Grenville, Helen Dunmore, Suzanne Berne, Ann Patchett, Rose Tremain, Linda Grant, Andrea Levy, Anne Michaels, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Carol Shields.

They also welcome proposed chapters on any topic relating to the Orange Prize, its shortlists, judging and marketing.

Final articles should be 7-9,000 words, and would be required by July 2013.

Please send 250-300 word abstract, with brief biographical details, to Dr Nick Turner (n.turner@mmu.ac.uk) by July 16th 2012

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries/ submissions: n.turner@mmu.ac.uk

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Free Creative Writing Workshop for Young Mums with Poet Karen Owen (Penygroes Library, UK)

Date: 16 May 2012

A day in the life of a young mum. Have you got something to say? Feel like writing? There will be free Creative writing workshops for young mums at Penygroes Library with Poet Karen Owen on May 16, 10:00-14:00 / 14:00-16:00 and May 17, 19:00-21:00. To book a place, call Gwen Lasarus at 01286 679465 or e-mail GwenLasarus@gwynedd.gov.uk

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: GwenLasarus@gwynedd.gov.uk

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Seeking Real-Life Stories from Britain's Rural Women: Countryside Magazine (to celebrate the Queen's diamond jubilee)

Deadline: 31 May 2012

An appeal has been launched to find real-life stories from Britain’s rural women to explore how their roles have changed over the past 60 years.

April 2012 Countyside front coverCountryside magazine, one of the NFU’s flagship magazines, is celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by exploring a number of themes, including conservation, access, the ‘Good Life’ and the land. Readers are being asked to get involved by sending in their thoughts on how they think life has changed in the countryside since Her Majesty’s coronation in 1953.

Countryside editor Martin Stanhope said: “My grandmother was a Land Girl who met my farming grandfather during the war and their partnership was instrumental in building the family farming business in the post-war years. But it’s fascinating to see how those roles have evolved, from one primarily of home-maker to the much more hands-on decision-making positions held by today’s rural women.

“So we’re really keen to hear the stories of today’s country women – or their families – and how they first got involved in farming, what obstacles or prejudice they encountered, and their hopes for the future.”

Readers are being asked to get involved by sending in their thoughts on how they think life has changed in the countryside since Her Majesty’s coronation in 1952.

Anyone who would like to contribute should email around 150 words to martin.stanhope@nfu.org.uk by May 31.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries/ submissions: martin.stanhope@nfu.org.uk

Website: http://www.countrysideonline.co.uk

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Free Workshop: Write Away Creative Writing Workshop with Judith Shalkowski (Leeds, UK)

Deadline: 22 August 2011

Judith received an Arts Council England Award in 2009 to restructure her novel, Finding Sophia, with the Gold Dust Programme. As part of her award, she is offering a free creative writing workshop. If you are interested in writing creatively, capturing personal experiences or family history, or as a basis for novel writing, book onto this free workshop. Booking required, as places
are limited to 50.

• Individual and shared writing exercises
• Excerpts read from the writer’s novel, Finding Sophia
• Light refreshments provided

Call 0113 247 6016 to book your place and avoid disappointment.

Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm

Location: Leeds Central Library, Calverley Street, LS1 3AB, Leeds

Contact Information:

For inquiries: call 0113 247 6016

Website: http://www.leeds.gov.uk/Leisure_and_culture/Libraries.aspx

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Harper Collins Novel Pitch Competition: Get Your Novel Reviewed by Claudia Carroll (UK)

Deadline: 1 August 2011

Get personal writing advice from a bestselling women's fiction author!

We're delighted to announce a writing competition for all you Women's Fiction authors out there! The winner will have the first 20,000 words of their novel reviewed and critiqued by bestselling Women's Fiction author, Claudia Carroll. They, along with 4 runners-up, will also win a signed copy of Claudia's upcoming novel, Will You Still Love Me, Tomorrow?

Best of all, you don't even need to really do anything. Just send us your novel's pitch, which most of you will probably have ready and waiting. Claudia will choose the strongest pitch and invite the author to send in their opening chapters. Pitches should be no longer than 225 words, and, you might want to consider splitting it up into a short (25 words) and a long section (200).

All submissions must be sent to Pitch.Competition@harpercollins.co.uk

Closing date for entry is 1st August. Entrants can submit as many entries as they like, but only one pitch per novel. Pitches can be in any format, however, they must not exceed 225 words.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: Pitch.Competition@harpercollins.co.uk

For submissions: Pitch.Competition@harpercollins.co.uk

Website: http://www.authonomy.com/

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Call for Papers: Woman and Film in Africa Conference (University of Westminister, UK)

Deadline: 16 September 2011

Women and Film in Africa Conference: Overcoming Social Barriers, Conference organised by the Africa Media Centre, University of Westminster, Date: Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November 2011, Venue: University of Westminster, Marylebone Campus 35 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5LS

This is a 1st Call for Papers for a conference on the contemporary and historical role played by women in the film, television and video industries in Africa. From the Arab North Africa, West Africa, Central and East Africa, through to Southern Africa, women have emerged from the double oppression of patriarchy and colonialism to become the unsung heroines of the moving image as producers, directors,actresses, script writers, financiers, promoters, marketers and distributors of film, television and video in postcolonial Africa. Sadly, such immense contributions by women are underrepresented, both in industry debates and in academic research. There are now many cases in which African women in front of and behind the camera have overcome social barriers and yet this is sidelined. This conference invites students, practitioners, academics and researchers to debate how women have contributed to film, television and video markets in Africa from pre-colonial, colonial to postcolonial periods. Existing industry and academic work should also discuss the ways female audiences in Africa have engaged with film, television and video texts. The conference will include a session with leading female filmmakers. Papers may include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following themes:

* The Influence of Feminism on African filmmakers;* Women in front and behind the camera in African film;* Women in the African feature film industry;* Women in technical roles in film, video and television in Africa;* Women documentary makers in Africa;* Gender and Representation of Women in African film;* Audiences for films by African women/Female audiences in Africa;* Case histories of leading African women film makers;* Women scriptwriters;* African women acting in video, film and television;* Censorship and the portrayal of African women in film and television;* The role of NGOs in commissioning women filmmakers and issue-based films;* How African governments have helped or hindered filmmaking by African women

DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS

The deadline for submission of abstracts is Friday 16 September, 2011. Successful applicants will be notified by Friday 23 September, 2011. Abstracts should be 200 words long. They must include the title of the conference, presenter’s name, affiliation, email and postal address,together with the title of the paper. Please ensure when saving your abstract that your name is part of the file name. Please email your abstract to Helen Cohen, Events Administrator at: (journalism@westminster.ac.uk).

PROGRAMME AND REGISTRATION

This two day conference will take place on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November, 2011. The fee for registration (which applies to all participants, including presenters) will be £135, with a concessionary rate of £55 for students, to cover all conference documentation, refreshments and administration costs. Registration will open in September 2011

Contact Information:

For inquiries: journalism@westminster.ac.uk

For submissions: journalism@westminster.ac.uk

Website: http://www.wmin.ac.uk/

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Needle and Thread: A Creative Writing Workshop (The Phenomenal Woman Program) - Stratford

Date: 30 July 2011

The PHENOMENAL-WOMAN PROGRAM in conjunction with KAI PERSONAL DESIGNS
presents... NEEDLE AND THREAD: A Creative Writing Workshop Inspired By All Things Embroidery

Ever been to an embroidery designer's workspace?

It's living art, a place where a hive of ideas are constantly born: sketches, works in progress, completed works; wall hangings, cushions, cards, bags, towel sets; burning incense, background music, (un)finished lunch. And when she locks up and leaves for the day, the room admires itself against the reflection of the moon.

I thought an embroidery designer's workspace would be a wonderful space to run a writing workshop. And you're invited.

DATE: Saturday, 30th July

TIME: 1.30pm-3.30pm

LOCATION: Stratford (full address given upon booking)

PRICE: £15 per person

Notebooks, pens, refreshments will be provided. PLACES LIMITED TO SIX WOMEN, SO BOOK EARLY!

Contact Information:

For inquiries: ebele@ebele.co.uk

For submissions: ebele@ebele.co.uk

Website: http://www.ebele.co.uk/workshops.htm

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Content Writers Wanted for Website Project for Women (USA/ UK)

We want to fulfill a website project for women with quality and unique content within a short period of time. We are looking for English native speakers as long-term web content writers. We want you to research and write 20 articles per week, for special categories (e.g. lifestyle, travel, children & family, money & carreer, shopping, health, beauty & fashion, etc.).

Each article should have 250-300 words with high quality and unique content. We will check all articles with copyscape and won`t accept duplicated articles. Furthermore we reserve the right not to accept articles we consider to be low quality or unfit.

Please send us at least one test article, your favorite categories and your bid per article/ batch. We have further long-term projects and will hire you again, if we are satisfied with your work.

Contact Information:

For submissions: apply here

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Call for Submissions from Women: Vaani Anthology

Deadline: 31 August 2011

Submission now open for 2011 VAANI Anthology. V would like to celebrate the ethos of Olympics 2012 happening here in London. Hence V are dedicating our next Anthology to the cause so that people are inspired and encouraged to be a part of the amazing sport culture and its also our way of saying V care.

The topic is emotions, feelings, joys and sorrows related to any sports, or you could write a fictional account of how a particular sport was invented, or on any game that's played only in one particular country/town which no one else knows about.

Submissions are open for short stories, poems and essays. There is a selection process through which all the entries go through and only the selected entries are published. The Anthology is scheduled to be published in October 2011.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: submissions@vaani.org

For submissions: submissions@vaani.org

Website: http://www.vaani.org/

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Free Workshop: Travel Writing Workshop with Kate Nivison (Beckenham Library, UK)

Date: 8 July 2011

Ever dreamed of an exotic life as a travel journalist?

Experienced travel writer and author of 'How to Turn Your Holidays into Popular Fiction' will be giving a free introductory class giving you hints and tips on how to become a travel journalist, how to make notes whilst away and how to sell your articles.

Praise for How to Turn Your Holidays in to Popular Fiction

‘The first thing I ask about this book is: why has no one ever thought of it before?...all the advice you’ll ever need . . . this book is a good read.’ - Writer’s News

‘A stimulating, comprehensive guide, practical, yet highly imaginative. An entertaining read in itself, as well as very helpful.’ - Gaynor Davies, Fiction Editor, Woman’s Weekly

Time: Friday, July 8 · 11:00am - 2:00pm

Location: Beckenham Library, Beckenham, UK

Contact Information:

For inquiries: leila@bromleylitfest.co.uk

Website: http://bromleylitfest.co.uk

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Call for Short Stories: Woman's Weekly Magazine (UK)

We regret we can't accept stories by email. Please include an sae in case we have to return your manuscript.

Fiction is a vital ingredient of Woman's Weekly, the place where readers can escape and switch off. This doesn't mean predictable plots or old-fashioned romances. Escapism means getting involved in a really gripping tale with believable characters. Above all, we are looking for originality and a wide variety of themes and moods, such as mystery, humour, relationships and family issues, with warmth still an important factor. Try to be subtle in your writing and remember the maxim: "Show don't tell". We recommend you read several issues of Woman's Weekly and Woman's Weekly Fiction Special to get a feel for our audience.

Unfortunately, we can't offer criticism, but if your writing shows promise, we will contact you.

What we are looking for

For the weekly magazine:

Short stories of 1,000 and 2,000 words
Serials in 3 or 4 parts of 3,800 words each

For Fiction Special (At least 20 stories 10 times a year):

Stories of 1,000 to 8,000 words

General tips

° We read only typescripts. Handwritten work can't be considered.
° Double line spacing on one side of the paper only and wide margins.
° Number each page and make sure your name is at the top of each page.
° If sending stories from abroad, please enclose an international reply coupon.
° If you would like us to acknowledge receipt of your manuscript, enclose a stamped, addressed postcard.
° Please note that it can take up to sixteen weeks for manuscripts to be considered, and that we are unable to enter into any correspondence by email.

Contact Information:

For submissions: Fiction Department, Woman's Weekly, IPC Media, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU

Website: http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/womansweekly

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Call for Papers - Maggie Gee: Critical Essays/ Conference (University of St. Andrews, UK)

Deadline: 1 February 2012

This two-day international conference aims to bring together scholars for the first academic conference dedicated to Maggie Gee’s writing. Gee is one of Britain’s most prolific and critically-acclaimed novelists: the author of 12 novels, as well as collections of short stories, edited anthologies of contemporary writing and, most recently, an autobiography – My Animal Life (Telegram Books, 2010).

Since she was selected for Granta’s first list of Best of Young British Novelists in 1983 (in company with Salman Rushdie, Kazuo Ishiguro, Martin Amis, Pat Barker, Julian Barnes, Ian McEwan and Rose Tremain), Gee has worked in publishing, academic research (gaining a PhD in the twentieth-century novel from Wolverhampton Polytechnic in 1980) and was the first female Chair of the Royal Society of Literature. She is currently working as one of the Society’s Vice Presidents, as well as acting as Visiting Professor of Writing at Sheffield Hallam University. In addition to her publishing and academic responsibilities, Gee is also highly critically acclaimed: her eighth novel, The White Family (2002), was shortlisted in 2002 for the Orange Prize for Fiction as well as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 2004.

Ceaselessly inventive and astonishing, Gee’s writing is distinguished by ambitious scope and aesthetic innovation, tackling political themes and writing across a broad range of subjects and genres. Intertwining intimate domestic dramas with grand-scale, seismic shifts in cosmic balance, several of Gee’s novels imagine global disaster, apocalyptic futures and environmental catastrophes. Meanwhile, Gee is also concerned with exploring issues of racism, prejudice, cultural difference and class inequalities. Her body of work confronts political attitudes in contemporary Britain through satire, comedy, family saga, thriller and romance.

The organisers welcome papers on any topic related to Maggie Gee’s writing. Topics might include, but are not limited to, Maggie Gee’s writing and:

- genre, science fiction, thriller, autobiographical fiction, romance, family saga, political satire
- war, terrorism, violence and political activism
- (post-)apocalypse and ecocatastrophe
- inter-generational conflict, familial relationships
- utopian and dystopian thinking
- the urban and the rural
- racism, migration and multicultural Britain
- the role, and representation, of women
- the environment and new ecocritical directions
- class, social mobility, poverty and social inequality
- modernism and its inheritances
- death, suicide and posthumous narrative voices
- the representation of time and imagining the future
- nuclear weaponry
- society, nature and the cosmos
- cosmopolitanism, Africa, Japan
- contemporary women’s writing and publishing
- translation, the British publishing industry

The conference welcomes papers from any discipline, a variety of theoretical perspectives, and those which engage with media beyond that of the written text. Submissions are welcome from both research students and academics. Please send a title and 300 word abstract for a 20 minute paper along with your name, affiliation and 100 word professional biography to gee_at_glyphi.co.uk by 1st February 2012.

The conference is organised by Dr Sarah Dillon, Lecturer in Contemporary Fiction, School of English, University of St Andrews and Dr Caroline Edwards, Tutor in English Literature, Department of English, University of Surrey.

The conference is sponsored by Gylphi Arts and Humanities Publisher. Selected papers from the conference proceedings will be published as Maggie Gee: Critical Essays, with a foreword by Gee, as part of Gylphi’s Contemporary Writers: Critical Essays series (Series Editor: Dr Sarah Dillon). For more information regarding the Series see: http://www.gylphi.co.uk/criticalessays/index.php

Contact Information:

For inquiries: gee@glyphi.co.uk

For submissions: gee@glyphi.co.uk

Website: http://www.gylphi.co.uk/gee

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Women of Wolverhampton's Free Creative Writing Workshop for Women (Wolverhampton, UK)

Date: 24 June 2011

Poets Emma Purshouse and Jane Seabourne will be leading a creative writing workshop for women on Friday 24th June 1.00 – 3.00pm.

Venue: Women’s Activity Room, 103, Salop St, Wolverhampton WV3 0SY (On corner of Salop St and Fold St, Please buzz for entry)

All women are welcome – if you have never written anything but would like to have a go, if you are a secret scribbler or if you are already an experienced writer, come and join us for an afternoon of creative writing in a friendly and supportive atmosphere.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: chris.irvine@wowonline.org.uk or jseabourne@blueyonder.co.uk

Website: http://wowonline.org.uk/

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Call for Papers: Capturing Witches: Histories, Stories, Images (Lancaster University, UK)

Deadline: 1 December 2011

In 2012, a year-long programme of events in Lancaster and the surrounding area will mark the 400th anniversary of the trial and execution of the first group of Lancashire Witches. A second trial occurred in 1634 and although pardoned, the accused were re-imprisoned in Lancaster Castle. The case of the Lancashire Witches and their supposed crimes interwove fact and fiction, local hostilities and more exotic ideas of witches’ sabbats that were usually associated with continental witchcraft. They became a cause célèbre, like the witches of Trier and Fulda (Germany), Torsåker (Sweden) and Salem (North America).

This interdisciplinary conference uses the Lancashire witches as a focal point to engage with wider questions about witchcraft: its definitions as maleficium (evil doing) or demonology in trials, the various traditions of witchcraft across centuries and continents, and the ways in which contemporary practice engages with these.

Capturing Witches: Histories, Stories, Images will focus particular attention on how witchcraft is theorised and represented in and through history and across cultures. We particularly encourage considerations of literary, musical, artistic and filmic representations of witchcraft.

We invite proposals for 20-minute papers and panels on witches and/or witchcraft which might address - but are not limited to - the following themes:

•  antiquity;
•  religion and belief;
•  Neo-Paganism;
•  the developing world;
•  human rights;
•  gender;
•  corporeality;
•  location;
•  ritual (ceremony, performance, magical practice);
•  childhood;
•  language;
•  law;
•  consumption ( dress, fashion, food);
•  the arts (literature, music, film, painting, dance, theatre, graphic novels);
•  the Gothic;
•  new media
  

Proposals for contributions which go beyond the conventional academic format are also welcome.

Proposals (paper: 250 words, panel/other format: 500 words) including a 50-word bio for each contributor should be sent to the conference team by 1 December 2011 to capturingwitches@lancaster.ac.uk. Decisions on submissions will be made by 31 January 2012.

Conference team: Charlotte Baker, Alison Findlay, Liz Oakley-Brown, Elena Semino, Catherine Spooner

Capturing Witches: Histories, Stories, Images
400 years after the Lancashire Witches
Lancaster University
17-19 August 2012

Confirmed Keynote speakers: Diane Purkiss (UWE); Robert Poole (Cumbria)

Contact Information:

For inquiries: capturingwitches@lancaster.ac.uk

For submissions: capturingwitches@lancaster.ac.uk

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Free to Enter: £1,000 Woman & Home Magazine's Short Story Competition

Deadline: 20 May 2011

Could you write a winning short story? Get writing for our annual short story competition in association with the Costa Book Awards.

It’s often said that everyone has a story inside them. Well here’s the chance to discover yours. The w&h short story competition is the perfect opportunity to show off your creativity and, with fantastic prizes that could realise dreams of a career in fiction, what have you got to lose?

The prizes

1st prize – £1,000 and your story published in woman&home, plus a set of the 20 shortlisted books for the 2011 Costa Book Awards ceremony in London, with travel and luxury accommodation also included.

Nine shortlisted finalists will each receive a set of the 20 shortlisted books for the 2011 Costa Book Awards. For more info on the awards, go to costabookawards.com

The judges

Sue James: w&h Editorial Director

Penny Vincenzi: Bestselling author

Joanne Harris: Author of 15 novels, including Chocolat

Clare Alexander: Director and agent at Aitken Alexander Associates, one of the UK's leading literary agencies

Bud McLintock: Director of the Costa Book Awards since 1994

Fanny Blake: w&h Books Editor, writer and former publisher

How to enter

The theme is 'the secret', but the title you give your story is up to you.

Submit your story of no more than 2,500 words, typed in double spacing, on one side of each sheet of A4 paper. Number the pages and keep a copy, as we can’t return entries.

Include a recent colour photo (this also cannot be returned) and 200 words about yourself. Fill in and attach the coupon on p215 of our May issue, or download and print off the entry form here, to the front of your entry. You’ll need a separate coupon for each story.

All entries must be received by Friday, 20 May 2011.

Contact Information:

For submissions: woman&home Short Story Competition, IPC Media, The Blue Fin Building,
110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU

Website: http://www.womanandhome.com

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