Friday 24 June 2011

Sunday is our birthday


Come join us this Sunday, at the Art House Cafe between 3-5pm, to celebrate our 70th anniversary. The Worcester Writers' Circle is the
ongest continously running writers group in the country. Its first meeting was held on 26 June 1941. Including readings by members, the launch of the anthology “The Unbroken Circle”, birthday cake and a glass of wine.

And a little bit of press - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-13839615

Literary Portraits exhibition


An exhibition of

Literary Portraits

by Paul Powis & Sara Hayward

at The Art Haus @ Four Seasons,

74 Battenhall Avenue, Worcester,

WR5 2HW

20-27th June 2011

Open 10 - 4pm daily

How to find us: From Worcester City Centre take

A44 towards M5 (junction 7) turning right into

Camphill Road becoming Battenhall Avenue (we

are the last but one on the right down the no

through road).

Telephone: (01905 ) 357563

www.powishayward.co.uk

Sylvia Herbert on the Worcestershire Literary Festival

Sara Hayward on the Worcestershire literary festival

Worcester Lampoon - Satire Evening









We had an amazing night of satirical readings on Tuesday by the Worcester Writers Circle.

The evening organized by Tony Judge had the audience laughing, smiling, and all left eagerly anticipating future events.

Thank you and congratulations to all who read and contributed, and another big thank you to Tony for being the event to the Literary Festival.


Worcester Sauce!





Tuesday night's Worcester Sauce was a huge success.

Thank you Peter for organizing this incredible evening. Another huge thank you and congratulations to all the talented Worcester Writers Circle writers who read, contributed, and made the evening such an enjoyable one.



Sunday 19 June 2011

Saturday 18 June 2011

The literary festival has launched!


Well, for anyone who missed it, last night was the launch of the literary festival.

Not to mention, we, Worcester, are now the proud possessors of a Poet Laureate!

A big congratulations to Theo Theobald our first county poet laureate, Fergus McGonigal runner up and Heather Wastie third.

Events are now running all over the county. So get out there and be a part of this amazing county.


Sunday 12 June 2011

Inspiring action

If it works for great leaders, I would be willing to believe it will work for great characters.

Smile, it's your super power.

Thursday 9 June 2011

Stuck for a character?

Ravenous rodent: The grey squirrel in Morro Rock Park, California just can't say no to a snack from visitors
This fellow is has enough character to go round.

Wednesday 8 June 2011

Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity

Taking Imagination Seriously

Our twins, triplets?...

Aphex Twin


So off into google space I went, and it seems that it is perhaps overdue that the WWC, met with its twins.

First the WWC, better known as the World Water Council.

Second the WWC, also called the World Wrestling Council.

It is a funny world, of writers, wrestlers and water.

Rather sounds like a tale that out to have a good moral.


Sunday 5 June 2011

June competitions

6th of June


Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2011

Play: More than 1 hour in length. Fee: FREE. Prizes: £16,000/3x£8000 (be aware that prize monies are utilised in production of winning play(s). Judges: Simon Stephens, Maxine Peake, Sue Johnston, Jackie Kay, Frankcom, Michael Oglesby, see web for more details - http://www.writeaplay.co.uk/about/rules/

The Page is Printed Creative Writing Prize (UK)

Closing Date: 6 June 2011. Prize (Adult): £100 (£50 cash, £50 Waterstones vouchers) + free festival tickets. Prize (Under 16): £50 (£25 cash, £25 Waterstones vouchers) + free festival tickets. Visit www.tacchi-morris.com for more information or to enter online.

10th of June

NSC Theatre Awards

Seeks writers, directors and actors for 10 new plays. Writers should submit plays of up to 10 minutes on any theme. Prize: a shortlist of 10 plays will be performed to a celebrity panel and audience.

Entry fee: £5 per entry.

NSC Theatre Awards, Jo Adamson-Parker, Studio 81, Kirkstall Road, Leeds LS3 1LH. See website - www.northernspiritcreative.co.uk


11th of June


Wirral Festival of Firsts Open Poetry Competition

is for poems of up to 40 lines. Adjudicator: Gill McEvoy. Prizes: £100, 2@£25.

Entry fee: £3 for 1 poem, £5 for 2 poems.

FoF Poetry, 71 Alderley Road, Hoylake, Wirral, CH47 2AU. See website - www.festivaloffirsts.co.uk


13th of June


The Guardian International Development Journalism Competition 2011

challenges would-be journalists to write a feature of 650 to 1,000 words on one from a set of themes that highlights an aspect of global poverty which deserves greater media exposure (see website for full list). Prizes: 16 writers (eight professional, eight amateur) will have their work published in the Guardian. Online entry only.

Entry fee: Free. See website - www.guardian.co.uk/journalismcompetition


17th of June


The Seamus Heaney Centre Prize for Poetry

is now accepting submissions for any first collection of poetry at least 40 pages in length published in the UK or Ireland between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2010. The chairman of the judges will be Professor Harry Clifton, the Ireland Chair of Poetry. 2011 Prize: is £1000.


Mrs Gerry Hellawell, The Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry, School of English, Queen’s University, Belfast, 2 University Square, Belfast BT7 1NN

See website - www.qub.ac.uk/heaneycentre


20th of June


Creative Competitor Open Poetry Comp

Poem: 40 lines max. Fee: £5. Prizes: £500/£250/£100/£75/£50/e-coaching session/3 mnths Premier 1 membership. See website - http://creativecompetitor.com/competitions/open-poetry-competition/


30th of June

Bridport Prize

Story: 5000 wds. Poems: 42 lines max. Flash Fiction: 250 wds max. Fee: £7 (story) £6 (poem) £5 (Flash) Prizes: £5000/£1000/£500/£100 local award for short story/poetry, £1000/£500/£250 for flash fiction comp. See website - http://www.bridportprize.org.uk/

Calderdale Libraries Short Story Comp

Story: 3000 wds. Fee: £4. Prizes: £300/£100/£50. See website - http://www.calderdale.gov.uk/leisure/libraries/readers/shortstory-competition/index.html

Cinnamon Press Poetry/Short Story/Novella Awards

Novel/Novella: 1st 10k words. Poems: 10 poems up to 40 lines. Story: 2-4000 wds. Fee: £16 each category. Prizes: £100 (poetry), £100 (story) £400 (novel/novella). See website - http://www.cinnamonpress.com/competitions/

CwrtNewydd Scribblers Summer Sun Summer Fun Short Story Comp

Story: 1500 wds. Theme: Summertime. Fee: £5, £3 for subsequent entries. Prizes: £40/£20/£10 See website - http://cwrtnewyddscribblers.webs.com/shortstorycompetition.htm

Creative Competitor 3 Characters Fiction Writing Comp

Story: 3000 wds. Theme: inspired by pictures of 3 characters on website. Rules: Only three characters allowed in story. Fee: £3. See website - http://creativecompetitor.com/competitions/3-character-fiction-competition/

Earlyworks Press Flash Fiction Comp

Story: 250 wds (incl title). Fee: £3 or up to 6 entries for £12. Prizes: £75/£15/£5 for runners up. See website - http://www.earlyworkspress.co.uk/Competitions.htm

Lightship Publishing Short Story, First Chapter, Poetry and Flash Comps

Story: 5000 wds. Poem: 200 wds limit (not lines). First Chapter: 5400 wds max. Flash: 600 wds. See website - http://www.lightshippublishing.co.uk/

The Great Blue Heron Poetry Contest

For poems of up to 150 lines that do not exceed 4 pages. Prizes: US$600, US$400, US$200 plus publication.

Entry fee: US$30, US$40 for entrants outside of North America.

www.antigonishreview.com


Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for Traditional Verse

Prizes: 1st, $3000. Altogether there are 10 cash prizes totalling $5550. Submit poems in traditional verse forms, such as sonnets and free verse. This competition is now in its 8th year. Winning entries will be published on line. Both published and unpublished work accepted. Entries can be submitted by post or on line. Entry fee: $7 for every 25 lines, payable to Winning Writers. See website - www.winningwriters.com/margaret


The Meridian Writing Summer Short Story Competition

Prizes: 1st, £100 / 2nd, £50 / 3rd, £25 plus firstwriter.com vouchers. For stories up to 3000 words from new and published authors. Open theme/genre. Entry fee: £5 Visit: http://www.meridian-writing.co.uk for full details.

Rhyme and Reason Short Story and Poetry comp

Story: 400 wds. Poem: 30 lines. Theme: Time (in both categories). Fee: £5 in each category or £4 in each category for 3 entries or more. Prizes: £110/£60/£30 each category. Junior prizes of Book tokens £30/£20/£10 in each category. See website - http://www.irhh.org/sitehome/fundraising/fundraisinggroups/rhyme_reason.html

The Ted Walters International Short Story, Poetry and Playwriting Comp

Story: 2000 wds. Poem: 40 lines. Play: 20 mins. Fee: £4 (short story and poetry comps), £6 (plays). reductions for multiple entries. See website for details. Prizes: £200/£50/£15 book token in each category. See website - http://www.the-village.co.uk/tedwalters.htm

Writers Reign Short Story Comp

Story: 1000=1500 wds. Theme: The Power of Love. Fee: £3.50 per story. Prizes: £100/£50/£25/3x£10. See website - http://www.writersreign.co.uk/WritersReign-Competition.html


The Writers’ Bureau Short Story Competition

For stories of up to 2,000 wds on any theme. Judge: Ian Pattison. Prizes: £500, £300, £200, £100; the winning story will be published in Freelance Market News. Entry fee: £5 per story. See website -

www.wbcompetition.com


Writers’ Village Best Writing Award Summer 2011

For a short story of up to 3,000 words in any genre of prose fiction. All entrants will receive a short critique of their story. Prizes: £200, £100, £50, 5@£20; winning entries will also be published online.

£10 for up to two stories. See website - www.writers-village.org


Writers New and Old Short Story Competition


Prizes: 1st, £50 / 2nd, £25 For 500 word short stories on the theme of chocolate - it could be a story about your love of chocolate, or intrigue and mystery, or the name of a character or pet, or whatever you choose to write about. Simply use your imagination and let it run wild. Entry fee: £5. See website - www.writersnewandold.com/competitions.html


Ten Best Short Stories

For stories of up to 3,000 on any subject. Prize: top ten stories will be published in a short story collection. Entry is free. See website - www.creativeprintpublishing.com