Thursday

Writers' Comp

Winchester Writers’ Competitions are now open! 

 

The competitions include Writing for Children, the Short Story, the Shorter Short Story, Poetry, Haiku, Feature Articles, Slim Volume, Small Edition, Crime Fiction, Lifewriting, Retirement, The First Three Pages of the Novel, Sustainability of the Environment and the Young Writers Poetry Competition. Something for Everyone! The entries must be original and unpublished work, written by one author, submitted using a pseudonym and must not have won an award in any previous competition. Self-published work is acceptable. Copyright remains with the author. The deadline is 24 May, 2013 for all competitions, except the Young Writers’ Poetry Competition, which has a deadline of 19 July. Sixty-three prizes and five trophies will be awarded at the Writers’ Awards Ceremony on June 22nd, during the 33rd Winchester Writers’ Conference. In addition, the winner of each competition will be published in the Winchester Writers’ Conference anthology,The Best of 2013, published in the autumn. For the competition booklet, please follow this link:http://www.writersconference.co.uk/or 

To view both the full competition booklet, please follow this link:http://www.writersconference.co.uk/

Wednesday

Voice Your Words

Would you like to recite a poem? Fancy reading an extract from your WIP? Wish to tell a short story? Or want to narrate a favourite chapter?

We provide the microphone and audience, you provide the words!

THIS Sunday’s (April 7) NOT The Hay Book Festival is featuring an ‘open mic’ stage as part of the day’s literary activities. A seated food court area will host the audience for anyone brave enough to attempt to entertain them (Not just NWUK members).

Providing your words are not offensive, and you bear in mind that children may be present, the stage is yours. It could be your own work or a favourite piece but should be no longer than 5 minutes in duration.

If you’d like to take part simply pull up at the old Bartons bus depot in Chilwell between 10.45am and 2.30pm and ask for John Baird or Richard Barton. If you’d like to book a time for your reading please email John before the 7th john@newwritersuk.co.uk

The book festival will feature a series of free to attend talks:

Stephen Booth, the best-selling crime writer will be speaking at 1.40pm. His talk will be on ‘A Sense of Place’ and his use of locations.

Earlier in the day, at 11.20am, the award-winning adult and children’s author Gloria Morgan will be looking at the role of character in fiction with a talk titled, ‘Who Are These People?’

At 12 o’clock, adult fiction author Philip Baker will be discussing where his ideas come from.

Local history makes up the other two talks:

Alan Oxley will speak of Gasbags and Gliders at 12.40pm as he covers the History of Barton Transport from 1908 to 1989.

Maureen Rushton will tell the story of the women that worked at the Chilwell Shell Filling Factory during the First World War in her talk ‘The Canary Girls of Chilwell’: Rushton is the author of a book of the same name.

Plenty of parking is available at a venue that oozes character and history, so if you’re a fan of the written word, or just want a great day out, get along to Chilwell’s High Road between 10am and 4pm. The event is part of the NOT the Camden Market – around 50 stalls of local crafts and produce.