News from the sector
At Scottish Book Trust we get lots of people telling us about different opportunities for writers in Scotland. Here's the current crop:
MAGAZINES AND MICROPHONES
From January 18 Scottish Book Trust New Writer Awardee George Anderson will be teaching a lifelong learning class for Edinburgh University called "Magazines and Microphones". The six week course aims to help short story writers edit their work for publication, and prepare to perform it on the burgeoning open-mic scene.
2012 TROUBADOUR INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE
This paid-entry poetry prize is accepting entries until October 15th and in additional to cash prizes, all prize-winning poets get a performance slot and season ticket to the Coffee-House Poetry Readings in London.
See here for more information.
NAWE WRITING RESIDENCY BRIEFING: CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
Are you an established writer with extensive experience of undertaking writing residencies across the UK and Ireland?
NAWE, in partnership with Literature Wales, Poetry Ireland and Scottish Book Trust, wishes to commission a briefing sheet on writing residencies aimed at writers who are interested in undertaking residency work and want to know more about what is involved and how to get started.
Find out more and download the brief
WRITING ROOM BURSARY COMPETITION
The Writing Room Bursary Competition offers the chance to win a free professional critique of your writing. The deadline is midnight on 31st January 2012.
Your report will be written by editors who have worked on international prize-winning novels, including those who have won the Booker and Richard & Judy awards.
WRITE NOW: BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW.
The conference is being held at The Mitchell Library, Glasgow: Friday 9th and Saturday 10th March 2012.
This year the conference will be held as part of Glasgow’s Book Festival - Aye Write!
There are a limited number of places available to attend on the Strathclyde University website.
PLACES FOR ORKNEY WRITING COURSE AVAILABLE Eight participants will be accepted on to the Orkney Writers' Course, which runs as part of St Magnus' Festival. Applications must be submitted by Monday 21 March 2011 and more information can be found here.
CHILDREN'S WRITING PRIZE FOR DIVERSE VOICES
Publisher Frances Lincoln and Seven Stories, the national centre for children’s books, have announced the Diverse Voices Award 2013 (in memory of Frances Lincoln, 1945 - 2001), to encourage and promote diversity in children’s fiction.
The Award will be given for a manuscript that celebrates cultural diversity in the widest possible sense, either in terms of its story or the ethnic and cultural origins of its author. The prize of £1,500, plus the option for Janetta Otter-Barry at Frances Lincoln Children’s Books to publish the novel, will be awarded to the best work of unpublished fiction for 8-to-12-year-olds by a writer, aged 18 years or over, who has not previously published a novel for children.
The closing date for all entries is 31st December 2012.
INTRODUCTION TO PLAYWRITING COURSE
The Playwrights Studio are running an introductory course for anyone interested in learning about the craft of playwriting. The course will take place on February 17th in Perthshire and more information on how to enrol is available here.
SCOTTISH WRITERS' CENTRE COMPETITION
The Scottish Writers' Centre are running a writing competition on the theme of Lighthouses, inviting submissions of short stories and poetry. The deadline is January 27th. See their website for more details.
FUNDED RESIDENCY OPPORTUNITY AT COVE PARK
Application deadline: 3rd February 2012
Applications for the 2012 programme of funded literature residencies are welcomed from writers at all stages of development in Scotland and the UK. Cove Park exists to provide artists with time, space and freedom to undertake significant research, develop their practice and ideas and produce new work or new ways of working. You will be joining a dynamic programme of artists across all the artforms and all career stages.
Residents live in Cove Park's self-catering cubes, with spectacular views over sea loch and mountains and you receive a weekly fee to defray living costs. At any one time there is a community of up to ten artists.
See their website for more info.
FRACTURED WEST MAGAZINE
Glasgow-based flash fiction magazine Fractured West are seeking submissions for their next issue. For more details see their website and submission guidelines.
360 NARRATIVES
A week-long immersive residency is taking place from 19th-25th March 2012
360 Narratives is a safe haven for professional writers to explore other forms of writing. Be challenged, collaborate and create new ideas and projects with your peers.
Find out more about the opportunity and how to apply for the collaborative residency.
WORKING PARTNERS ANTHOLOGY
Unpublished children's writers can win the opportunity to have extracts from their stories published in an anthology which will be sent to UK editors and agents free of charge. The competition will be chaired by Malorie Blackman.
FROM LITERATURETRAINING TO THE WRITER'S COMPASS
It’s all change for literaturetraining, the information and advice service for writers and literature professionals. Formerly a partnership project, it is now wholly part of NAWE (National Association of Writers in Education) as a lead partner. It also has a new name, The Writer’s Compass, which has been chosen to describe better its work helping writers to build and sustain their careers, and it will retain its remit to provide free information and advice on professional development for writers generally, not just those working in education. Its online directory, and all its other resources, can be found on the brand new NAWE website.
RECOMMENDED RETREAT: VILLA HELLEBOSCH
Villa Hellebosch is situated at Vollezele (Galmaarden), 25km south-west of Brussels, in a region of the Flemish Brabant, close to the linguistic border. Janice Galloway, a great writer and friend of Scottish Book Trust, says "I was offered a residency there last year and it's one of the most well-equipped places I've stayed in to write, with food laid on and very kind hosts who keep out of a writer's way. The place can be booked by those writers who can afford it and it seems a useful place for such writers to know about."
Find out more at the Villa Hellebosch website
HIGHLAND LITERARY SALON
Created in the tradition of the literary salons of Paris and New York, and based on the successes of similar gatherings in Edinburgh and Glasgow, the HLS brings together those with an interest in literature to discuss writing, ideas, projects, publishing, and all things literary.
The Salon will be on the third Tuesday of each month at Maverick's, 5 Young Street, Inverness, IV3 5BL.
Salons may feature writers, agents, and other literary professionals as guest speakers. See more at www.highlandlitsalon.com. For more information, contactinfo@highlandlitsalon.com.
WEEGIE WEDNESDAY
Weegie Wednesday began in January 2007, inspired by Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature’s salon night (last Tuesday of every month at the Wash Bar, upstairs). Writers, booksellers, publishers, librarians, or anyone who wishes to network and talk books is welcome. Please pass the word. The meetings take place once a month at the following venue:
Upstairs at The Universal Bar
Sauchiehall Lane (directly behind Waterstones in Sauchiehall Street), Glasgow
For more opportunities for writers and literature professionals in the UK visit:
