Showing posts with label creative writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label creative writing. Show all posts

Saturday 3 February 2024

Events in February 2024



A Ghastly Find at Cheetham
Saturday 17th February
10.00-11.00am and 7.00-8.00pm
Romancing the Gothic
I'll be giving a talk on bodysnatching, the history of anatomy, museums and the Manchester Mummy
Booking Link

Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 18th February
10.30–5.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf
I'm hosting an online writing retreat for creative writers with writing exercises and structured writing sessions
Members Event

Interested in booking me for an event? Click here to find out more.

Monday 8 January 2024

Events in January 2024



Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 21st January
10.30–5.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf
I'm hosting an online writing retreat for creative writers with writing exercises and structured writing sessions
Members Event

Hannah's Bookshelf Imbolc Special
Saturday 27th January
2.00–4.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf / North Manchester FM
I'm hosting a special seasonal edition of my regular radio show on North Manchester FM, including Imbolc-themed flash fiction
Submission Link

Imbolc Walk in the Woods
Sunday 28th January
11.30–12.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a sociable walk in the woods to enjoy the changing seasons
Booking Link

Imbolc Stories
Wednesday 31st January
2.00-4.00pm
Castlerea House
I'm running a seasonal poetry and storytelling workshop session for residents at Castlerea care home
Private Event

Interested in booking me for an event? Click here to find out more.

Thursday 30 November 2023

Events in December 2023


Bailey's Wood Festive Winter Walk and Talk
Wednesday 6th December
11.00–12.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a gentle, social walk in the woods with a festive theme
Booking Link

Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 10th December
10.30–5.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf
I'm hosting an online writing retreat for creative writers with writing exercises and structured writing sessions
Members Event

Winter Solstice Walk in the Woods
Friday 22nd December
2.30–3.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a sociable walk in the woods to enjoy the changing seasons
Booking Link

Interested in booking me for an event? Click here to find out more.

Saturday 30 September 2023

Events in October 2023


Why Isn't Failsworth in Manchester?
Tuesday 3rd October
2.00-3.00pm
Failsworth Townswomen's Guild
I'm giving a local history talk on the history of Failsworth and incorporation
Members Event

Park Write - Spooky Season
Saturday 14th October
2.00-5.00pm
Friends of Crumpsall Park
I'm hosting a spooky creative writing workshop in Crumpsall Park, using the park as inspiration for creativity
Booking Link

Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 15th October
10.30–5.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf
I'm hosting an online writing retreat for creative writers with writing exercises and structured writing sessions
Members Event

Bailey's Wood Ghost Stories Walk and Talk
Wednesday 18th October
11.00–12.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a gentle, social walk in the woods, telling some ghost stories along the way
Booking Link

Bailey's Wood Halloween Story Walk
Monday 23rd October
2.00-3.00pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a spooky, creative walk in the woods, suitable for all ages
Booking Link

Crumpsall Park Halloween Story Walk
Wednesday 25th October
11.00-12noon
Friends of Crumpsall Park
I'll be leading a spooky, creative walk around the park, suitable for all ages
Booking Link

Green Quarter's Eccentric Past: A Weird History Walking Tour
Wednesday 25th October
7.00-8.00pm
GRUB MCR
I'll be leading a weird history walk from Angel Meadow to Red Bank, sharing stories of the area's dark and peculiar past
Booking Link

A Nightmare on Nelson Street
Thursday 26th October
6.30-8.00pm
Pankhurst Centre
I'll be leading a weird history walk along Nelson Street, before returning to the Pankhurst Centre for cocoa and tales of the spookiest suffragettes
Booking Link

Interested in booking me for an event? Click here to find out more.

Thursday 31 August 2023

Events in September 2023


Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 17th September
10.30–5.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf
I'm hosting an online writing retreat for creative writers with writing exercises and structured writing sessions
Members Event

Booth Hall Before the Hospital
Monday 18th September
2.00-4.00pm
NHS Retirement Fellowship (South Manchester Branch)
I'm giving a local history talk on the history of Booth Hall (the house, not the hospital) in Manchester
Members Event

Autumn Equinox Walk in the Woods
Friday 22nd September
5.30–6.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a sociable walk in the woods to enjoy the changing seasons
Booking Link

Park Write - History Writing
Saturday 30th September
2.00-5.00pm
Friends of Crumpsall Park
I'm hosting a history-themed creative writing workshop in Crumpsall Park, using the park as inspiration for creativity
Booking Link

Interested in booking me for an event? Click here to find out more.

Monday 31 July 2023

Events in August 2023


Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 20th August
10.30–5.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf
I'm hosting a online writing retreat for creative writers with writing exercises and structured writing sessions
Members Event

Park Write - Place Writing
Saturday 26th August
2.00-5.00pm
Friends of Crumpsall Park
I'm hosting a place-themed creative writing workshop in Crumpsall Park, using the park as inspiration for creativity
Booking Link

Interested in booking me for an event? Click here to find out more.

Saturday 15 July 2023

Events in July 2023


Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 9th July
10.30–5.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf
I'm hosting an online writing retreat for creative writers with writing exercises and structured writing sessions
Members Event

Summer Holidays in Blackley's Past
Wednesday 12th July
7.00-8.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'm giving a local history talk on the history of summer holidays, with a focus on Blackley and North Manchester
Booking Link

Suffrage Sonnets
Sunday 16th July
11.30-12.15pm, 2.15-3.00pm
The Pankhurst Centre
I'm running a creative writing workshop as part of the Emmeline's Birthday Party event at the Pankhurst Centre
Booking Link

Park Write - Nature Writing
Saturday 22nd July
2.00-5.00pm
Friends of Crumpsall Park
I'm hosting a nature-themed creative writing workshop in Crumpsall Park, using the park as inspiration for creativity
Booking Link

Lammas Stories
Wednesday 26th July
2.00-4.00pm
Castlerea House
I'm running a seasonal poetry and storytelling workshop session for residents at Castlerea care home
Private Event

Interested in booking me for an event? Click here to find out more.

Friday 30 August 2019

Clayton Hall Dark Fiction Writing Course


Fancy the opportunity to develop your creative writing in atmospheric, inspirational and unique setting of Clayton Hall (once home to Humphrey Chetham)? One of Manchester’s hidden heritage gems is offering a six-week dark fiction writing course… with me (the Hall’s writer-in-residence)!

Reasons you should consider this course? (1) Clayton Hall is an unusual and evocative location, easily accessible on the Metrolink. (2) In addition to the workshop sessions, we’ll also be having a reading and performance night… just in time for Halloween! (3) We have a guest workshop by the absolutely amazing Rosie Garland as part of the course!

Find the course on Facebook or Eventbrite… or keeping reading for more info…


Writer-in-residence Hannah Kate leads a six-part weekly writing course (with performance night) in the unique and evocative setting of Clayton Hall. Learn techniques for creating atmospheric and evocative writing, workshop your ideas, and share your work in a friendly and supportive environment. This course also includes a guest workshop from Manchester author Rosie Garland, and an optional extra workshop at another heritage site in Manchester.

Course outline:
Wed 18 Sep (7-9pm): Welcome to Clayton Hall and Writing Dark Fiction
Wed 25 Sep (7-9pm): Ghosts of Manchester, pt. 1
Wed 2 Oct (7-9pm): Guest workshop by Rosie Garland
Wed 9 Oct (7-9pm): Darkly Descriptive Writing
Wed 16 Oct (7-9pm): Ghosts of Manchester, pt. 2
Wed 23 Oct (7-9pm): Creating Character and Writing Dialogue

Reading and Performance Night:
Wed 30 Oct (7-9pm): A chance to read work produced on the course in the atmospheric setting of Clayton Hall

Optional Extra Workshop:
Sat 19 Oct (am): Additional ‘on-site’ workshop delivered at another Manchester heritage site (tbc)

Hannah Kate is writer-in-residence at Clayton Hall. Hannah is a North Manchester-based poet, short story writer and editor, and she presents a weekly literature show on North Manchester FM. Hannah has run numerous creative sessions for organizations including Commonword, Oldham Coliseum and Write Like a Grrrl, and has delivered workshops a number of heritage sites and museums, including the V&A and Manchester Museum.

Rosie Garland is a poet, writer and performance artist. She is the author of The Palace of Curiosities, Vixen and The Night Brother, as well as a number of poetry collections and short fiction. Rosie is currently writer-in-residence at the John Rylands Library.

Book your place on the course by clicking here or using the form below:

Friday 7 September 2018

Clayton Hall’s New Writer-in-Residence


Historic Clayton Hall in Manchester is welcoming its first writer-in-residence! North Manchester writer and poet Hannah Kate joins the team at Clayton Hall Living History Museum from September 2018 as writer-in-residence.

Hannah is the author of numerous short stories and poems, many of which are inspired by her love of Manchester’s history. Often dark and strange, her fiction includes ‘Nimby’ and ‘Knotweed’ (both set in North Manchester parks) and ‘Lever’s Row’ (a sort of love song to Piccadilly Gardens). Her most recent published work is ‘Dust to Dust’, a horror story inspired by Hollinwood’s Hannah Beswick, also known as the Manchester Mummy. Hannah is also the host of long-running radio shows ‘Hannah’s Bookshelf’ and ‘A Helping of History’ on North Manchester FM.

During her residency at the hall, Hannah will be running events and activities for both beginner and more experienced creative writers. She’ll also be writing and performing some original pieces inspired by Clayton Hall and its long and unique history. Watch this space for details of upcoming activities and opportunities to get involved!

Clayton Hall is a Grade II*-listed building and a rare example of a moated, medieval site. Standing on a scheduled ancient monument it is situated in Clayton Park, Manchester. The original hall was built for the Clayton family in the twelfth century. It later passed into the hands of the Byron family, of which the poet Lord Byron was a member. The Byrons lived at the hall until they sold it to two London merchants, George and Humphrey Chetham. Humphrey is famous for founding Chethams School and Library in the centre of Manchester.

Patchwork Poem


Help create a Patchwork Poem at Clayton Hall this Saturday! Meet the hall’s new writer-in-residence Hannah Kate at the Heritage Open Day on Saturday 8th September, 11-4pm. Hannah will be collecting words, phrases and lines of poetry from visitors to the hall – any little scraps and patches people share during their visit. Hannah will be taking these pieces and stitching them together to create a Clayton Hall ‘Patchwork Poem’. If you’re visiting the hall on Saturday, please do say hello to Hannah and leave us a few of your words!

Wednesday 21 September 2016

3 Minute Scares – A Halloween Writing Competition for North Manchester FM

North Manchester FM presenter Hannah Kate wants you to scare her this Halloween!


She’s asking people throughout Greater Manchester to submit their scariest 3 minute stories for a new creative writing competition. Writers keen to be crowned Greater Manchester’s spookiest wordsmith can submit a recording of their mini-tale via Hannah’s website, with the best entries being played on air on the Halloween edition of Hannah’s Bookshelf on Saturday 29 October.

The Halloween flash fiction competition will be judged by Dr Sorcha Ní Fhlaínn and Dr Xavier Aldana Reyes of MMU’s Centre for Gothic Studies, with the writer of the best entry receiving a prize from Breakout, Manchester’s real life escape room game. Entries need to be 3 minutes long, meaning a word count of 350-400 words. The judges will be looking for style and originality, as well as how scary the story is.

North Manchester FM presenter Hannah Kate says: ‘I want this competition to bring out some of the region’s scariest talent. It’s difficult to tell a good tale in just 3 minutes, but I know that there’s people out there who are up for the challenge.’

All writers need to enter the competition is a computer with a microphone… and a good story. Entries can be recorded via Hannah’s website. More information and rules of the competition can also be found on the website.

Hannah’s Bookshelf is North Manchester FM’s weekly literature show, and it goes out live every Saturday 2-4pm. The show has been running since January 2015 and has featured guests including Rosie Garland, Ramsey Campbell, Tony Walsh and Gwyneth Jones. The show broadcasts on 106.6FM for North Manchester residents and through the ‘listen online’ feature for the rest of the world.


For further information please contact:

Email: David Kay or Hannah Kate
Website: North Manchester FM or Hannah Kate

Wednesday 17 July 2013

OUT NOW: Free to Write: Prison Voices Past and Present (Headland)

Foreword by Erwin James
Edited by Gareth Creer, Hannah Priest and Tamsin Spargo


Blurb:

"The Free to Write Project has demonstrated that the long, rich and resilient tradition of writing in prison is as vital and vibrant as ever. The poems and narratives withing these pages tell us of lives that are valuable and resilient." - Erwin James

Free to Write introduces new writing by prisoners as well as true stories of how writing helped men and women of the past imagine a better future after prison.

It is the outcome of a practical research project run by Liverpool John Moores University's Centre for Writing and Research Centre for Literature and Cultural History.

Essays by Tamsin Spargo, Helen Rogers, Hannah Priest and Adam Creed.

Poetry and prose from HMP Shrewsbury, HMP Frankland, HMP Styal, HMP Lancaster Farms and HMP Greenock.

Contents:

Editors’ Note by Gareth Creer, Hannah Priest and Tamsin Spargo

Foreword by Erwin James

Free to Learn? Reading and Writing in the Early Nineteenth-Century Prison by Helen Rogers

Mountain Bughouse 216: One Prisoner's Writing as Protest and Escape by Tamsin Spargo

Free to Write: Prison Voices by Hannah Priest

Prison Voices: Present (Poetry and prose from HMP Shrewsbury, HMP Frankland, HMP Styal, HMP Lancaster Farms and HMP Greenock with commentary by Adam Creed)

For more information about the book, please contact the publisher.

Saturday 25 February 2012

CFP: 2nd Global Conference: Writing: Paradigms, Power, Poetics, Praxis

Saturday 10th November – Monday 12th November 2012

Salzburg, Austria

Call for Papers:

This global research and publications project on Writing will explore the many facets of writing from an interdisciplinary perspective. It seeks to explore the many intertextual and intersemiotic facets of writing as they exist in the digital age but also taking into account the historical forces, process and mechanisms, their relationships to contemporary writing forms, and the possibilities of future directions. ‘All writing comes from somewhere’ and with this axiom in mind this project will not only examine the pragmatic elements of writing but also the complex issues concerning the metafunctions of writing as a creative and purposeful process across various disciplines.

Papers, presentations, reports, workshops and pre-formed panels are invited on, but not limited to any of the following focus areas;

1. Writing as a Creative Process: Theory and Practice
* What are the origins and forms of creative writing?
* What are the personal and interpersonal relationship between creativity and writing?
* How is effective and creative writing developed and nurtured?
* How do various disciplines understand the pragmatic elements of writing and the thought processes that underpin writing?
* What are the similarities/differences in understanding between the related research disciplines?
* How can creative writing be fostered in a world dominated by measurement, outcomes and benchmarks?
* How do authors actually write?

2. Writing across the Disciplines: Theory and Practice
* How do various disciplines define writing?
* The psychology, philosophy and pedagogy of writing of various fields of thought
* What is creativity in theory and practice in the business world?
* Can writing be taught?
* How do readers engage with writing?
* What does engagement with writing and the writing process mean for adults and for children?
* How does writing develop in all age groups or across age groups?
* What are the various forms of Inter-disciplinary approaches to teaching writing?
* Historical and contemporary representations of writing as art, in film and literature?
* The future role of writing?
* How will the visual media be related to writing in the next decade or beyond?
* The relationships between children’s engagement with television, film, visual literacy and writing?
* Traditional forms of writing: what are they and how do they fit in the visual age?
* The role and nature of learning theories and their view of writing

3. Critical and Cultural Thinking
* How is writing linked to critical thinking? Is it the same ascritical literacy?
* Where does this writing ability come from?
* What is the role of the 'significant other' in developing critical engagement with writing at home, school and beyond?
* What are the conditions that foster critical thinking and critical writing?
* How is writing engendered and produced in different contexts of cultural contexts?
* Developing writing as life skills, social issues and education for citizenship in the 21st century

Papers will be considered on any related theme. 300 word abstracts should be submitted by Friday 4th May 2012. If an abstract is accepted for the conference, a full draft paper should be submitted by Friday 3rd August 2012. 300 word abstracts should be submitted to the Organising Chairs; abstracts may be in Word, WordPerfect, or RTF formats, following this order:

a) author(s), b) affiliation, c) email address, d) title of abstract, e) body of abstract, f) up to 10 keywords

E-mails should be entitled: Writing2 Abstract Submission

Please use plain text (Times Roman 12) and abstain from using any special formatting, characters or emphasis (such as bold, italics or underline). Please note that a Book of Abstracts is planned for the end of the year. All accepted abstracts will be included in this publication. We acknowledge receipt and answer to all paper proposals submitted. If you do not receive a reply from us in a week you should assume we did not receive your proposal; it might be lost in cyberspace! We suggest, then, to look for an alternative electronic route or resend.

Organising Chairs

Phil Fitzsimmons
Faculty of Education,
Avondale College of Higher Learning
New South Wales, Australia

Rob Fisher
Network Leader
Inter-Disciplinary.Net,
Freeland, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

The conference is part of the Education Hub series of research projects, which in turn belong to the At the Interface programmes of Inter-Disciplinary.Net. It aims to bring together people from different areas and interests to share ideas and explore discussions which are innovative and challenging. All papers accepted for and presented at this conference are eligible for publication in an ISBN eBook. Selected papers may be invited to go forward for development into a themed ISBN hard copy volume or volumes.

For further details of the project, please click here.

For further details of the conference, please click here.

Please note: Inter-Disciplinary.Net is a not-for-profit network and we are not in a position to be able to assist with conference travel or subsistence.

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Call for Submissions: Black & BLUE

Black & BLUE
A Monthly Publication of New Writing

DRAMA
POETRY
PROSE

Black & BLUE is a new paper. Our first issue will be published in September 2012. We are looking for fresh, innovative voices to rival the lifeless literary scene. We are looking for sad and beautiful writing. We will publish lists, receipts, fictional notes, short sketches as well as conventional poetry and prose We are happy to look at anything you feel like writing. We like strange, unique voices.

Send submissions to this address.

Sunday 31 October 2010

Jura Challenges Writers to Compose Short Story in 1984 Minutes

Like writing? Like whisky? Then you might be interested in this...

Jura malt whisky is reviving the Jura Lodge as a writer's retreat for one weekend only with a riveting offer for the UK's creative writing community.

Jura is offering one budding author the chance to stay at the island's exclusive Jura Lodge and compose a short story based on the island. There is one catch! Writers will only have 1984 minutes to compose their story, in keeping with the name of the George Orwell masterpiece which was penned on the island more than 60 years ago.

To win the competition, writers are being asked to submit the first 300 words of their proposed short story. There are only two criteria. First, the narrative of the short story must take place on the island itself. Second, the story should have a link to one of the many myths and legends about Jura.

For thousands of years, good fortune and mystery has enriched this tiny island, from the creation of its dominating scenery to the rumours of witches, prophecies and the graves of the Knights Templar. The rich bank of stories can be found here.

One lucky winner will have a chance to soak up the sounds, sights and flavour of Jura before setting to work in the Jura Lodge. The winner will then have 1984 minutes in which to complete a short story. The finished product will be published on Jura's website as part of a compendium of short stories, essays and poetry as a follow-up to the Spirit of Jura.

Jura distillery manager Willie Cochrane said:

"Jura has a long established literary tradition, so we thought it was about time to revive that tradition. This competition will offer one amateur author the chance to soak up the atmosphere of this great island before applying their inspiration to a short story. There's no shortage of material for our lucky winner on an island which is rich with myths and legends steeped in history."

The short story competition follows in the footsteps of the Jura distillery's partnership with the Scottish Book Trust. In 2006, the two partners established the Jura Malt Whisky Writers' Retreat programme, offering writers space, peace and time in a truly inspirational setting, amid the luxury of the Distillery Lodge. Several leading authors, essayists and poets participated in the programme, including Will Self, Liz Lochhead, Kathleen Jamie, Romesh Gunesekara, John Burnside, Philip Gourevitch and Swetha Prakash. The resulting works were published in a book, the Spirit of Jura, which went on sale last year.

Entry Details

Budding authors should send their entries to Isle of Jura by Friday 31st December 2010. Entrants must register as a Diurach on the Isle of Jura website to enter the competition and submit their Diurach number along with their entry for the purposes of verification.