Sunday 6 November 2011

From the WWC mailbox



Old English post box

Launch of DAW's One Act Playwriting Competition 2012

Monday 17th October 2011. Today, DAW launched its annual Playwriting Competition. The competition aims to encourage the writing of plays for theatre in English and Welsh. Previous prizewinners have been published and performed as a result of promotion through our New Writing Scheme.

THE WINNING PLAY IN EACH CATEGORY

WILL RECEIVE A CASH PRIZE OF £250

AND WILL BE PUBLISHED

PLAYING TIME: 20-50 MINS – A MINIMUM CAST OF TWO

An Adjudicating Panel appointed by the Drama Association of Wales will read and consider the plays entered into the Competition and will award the following prizes:

• Best Play for a Youth Cast (16-25 years) - £250

• Best Play in the Open Category - £250

• Best Play in the Welsh Language - £250

• plus commemorative Prizewinners Medals

The above plays will also be published by DAW Publications


• Also:

• The Best Play from a Wales Based Playwright will be awarded a bursary to T? Newydd, the National Writers’ Centre for Wales


TO CONTINUE THE SUCCESS OF LAST YEARS SERVICE...

If you would like to make use of DAW’s Script Reading Service whilst your play is with us, please send £37.50 as the combined price of both competition entry - £17.50 and Script Reading Service - £20.00

For a hard copy of the application form, please contact Teresa on Cardiff +44 (0) 29 2045 2200 or

email: teresa@dramawales.org.uk


For a downloadable entry form by pdf or word format, visit our website: www.dramawales.org.uk/pages/playwritingcompetition.html

Closing date: 31st January 2012

THE COMPETITION IS OPEN TO EVERYONE. DON'T BE DISCOURAGED FROM ENTERING IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE WALES - WE RECEIVE ENTRIES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.


With special thanks this year to Christchurch Theatre Club, Dorset


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Dear Writers:

I would be very pleased to offer your group a free writing workshop at one of your regular meetings. I have taught writing for many years and so perhaps I will be able to offer something of interest.

I will make no charge, but only ask if I might be allowed to bring the new book that I have written, Freeing My Sisters, Olympia Publishers, for your members to see and buy if they wish.

Some possible topics you may wish to consider for the workshop are Building a Character, The Importance of Setting, Point of View (or Viewpoint). Naturally, if you have a specific topic you would like assistance with, please let me know.

With all best wishes,

Wilma Hayes


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Discover the pleasures of poetry with the T S Eliot Prize reading groups!

Now in its second year, this scheme is based on the shortlist for the 2011 T S Eliot Prize for Poetry, announced on 20 October.

The judges, Chair Gillian Clarke, Stephen Knight and Dennis O’Driscoll, have agreed on the ten-book shortlist:

Black Cat Bone John Burnside Cape

The Bees Carol Ann Duffy Picador

Profit and Loss Leontia Flynn Jonathan Cape

Night David Harsent Faber

Armour John Kinsella Picador

Grace Esther Morgan Bloodaxe

Tippoo Sultan’s Incredible Daljit Nagra Faber

White-Man-Eating Tiger

Toy-Machine!!!

November Sean O’Brien Picador

Farmers Cross Bernard O’Donoghue Faber

Memorial Alice Oswald Faber

From today groups can download three poems from each book, together with reading group notes on the poems, a biography and photo of each poet.

The PBS website will offer readers the opportunity to vote for their favourite poet and to take part in discussion of the shortlist on our facebook page. The result of the reading groups’ vote will be announced at the award ceremony.

Anxious about poetry? Who’s Afraid of T S Eliot? is an article suggesting ways in which you can overcome any anxieties you may have and free yourself up to enjoy poetry. The article offers some helpful comparisons along the lines of ‘if you like this… (novel) you might like to try that… (poetry collection)’.

Generous reading group discounts are available and readers can sign up for a weekly email which will cover the ten poets in turn and keep you up-to-date with news on the Prize.

There will also be a prize draw for tickets for the celebratory T S Eliot Prize Readings in the Royal Festival Hall on London’s Southbank on Sunday 15 January 2012.

Reading groups can download the poems from the site and incorporate them into their reading plans, or order books from the PBS if they wish to read further. We also hope to encourage the setting-up of new poetry reading groups. Pam Johnson’s article on the site shows how to go about it and describes how her own group enjoyed reading last year’s shortlist.

The winner of the 2011 T S Eliot Prize will be announced at the award ceremony on Monday 16 January 2012, when Mrs Valerie Eliot will present the winner with a cheque for £15,000. The shortlisted poets will each receive £1,000.

For further information please go to www.poetrybooks.co.uk/projects

or contact: Hilary Davidson or Chris Holifield at the Poetry Book Society

tel 020 7831 7468 emails hilary@poetrybooks.co.uk and chris@poetrybooks.co.uk

Competition Listings

Events Listings


Festivals around the UK

Aldeburgh International Poetry Festival

www.thepoetrytrust.org


London History Festival

14th to 24th November 2011 at Kensington Central Library and Waterstone's Kensington

www.londonhistoryfestival.com


Dylan Thomas Festival

The Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea

http://www.dylanthomas.com/index.cfm?articleid=8653


Richmond Upon Thames Literature Festival

2011 will see the 20th Richmond literary festival. http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home/leisure_and_culture/arts/literature_festival.htm


Cambridge Winter Wordfest

At the ADC Theatre in Cambridge

http://www.cambridgewordfest.co.uk/


Southwold Literature Festival

Part of the Ways with Words series of literature festivals, held in the lovely seaside resort of Southwold, Suffolk

http://www.wayswithwords.co.uk


Competition Listings for November


Closing November 1st

Bridge House Short Story Competition

Prizes: 1st - Six months one-to-one mentoring; runner-up - five short story critiques. A total of fifteen winners will also have their stories published in a collection.

Entry fee: £5.


4Screenwriting Competition

Free to enter. looking for 12 talented, original writers who currently have no broadcast credit but want to write for television drama. Run by Channel 4, over a 5 month period participants will work on their own 1 hour script for an original series or serial, and attend two weekend talks and script-meetings.

http://4talent.channel4.com/extra/4SC


Closing November 5th


Words With Jam/Cornerstones Literary Consultancy

Prize: Win a free General Report on a manuscript up to 100,000 words in length. Entry is Free. Send the opening paragraph (no more than 100 words) of your as yet unpublished novel. Further details on web site. wordswithjam.co.uk/compcornercornerstones


Closing November 15th


Creative competitor

Free to enter competition for stories upto 300 words.

http://creativecompetitor.com/competitions/new-competitions/free-writing-competition/

Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival Fiction Contest (USA) Grand Prize: $1500, domestic airfare (up to $500) and French Quarter accommodations to attend the 26th annual Festival in New Orleans (21-25 March 2012), VIP all-access Festival Pass for 2012 (value $500), public reading at a literary panel at the 2012 Festival, and publication in Louisiana Literature. For original short stories up to 7000 words in length. Visit www.tennesseewilliams.net/contests for full guidelines.


The London School of Liberal Arts

The Subversive Image Competition, Prizes: 1st prize: £200, 2nd prize: £100. Entry is Free. Visit the competition page on our website for guidelines. libartslondon.co.uk/portfolio/competition/


221b Magazine Winter Annual

Free to enter competition for detective stories up to 12,000 words. email to editor221b@yahoo.co.uk. For full details please see our website: 221bmagazine.co.uk/


Closing November 18th

The Women’s Empowerment Project Book Prize

Entry is £20. The competition winner will have their book published and receive competitive royalties.

Full details on web site. twepbookprize.wordpress.com/


Closing November 30th

The Betty Trask Prize

Free to enter competition for novelists under 35. Prize fund of £20,000.

Details on the web: http://www.societyofauthors.org/betty-trask


Cafe Writers Open Poetry Comp

For poems with a maximum of 40 lines there are generous prizes of up to £1000

Details on the web: http://cafewriters.awardspace.com/competitions.htm


Cinnamon Press Poetry/ Short Story/ Novella

Three categories with great prizes. Details on the web: http://www.cinnamonpress.com/competitions/


Fish Publishing Short Story

For stories up to 5000 words. Details on the web: http://www.fishpublishing.com/short-story-competition-contest.php


Inktears Short Story Competition 2011 (UK)

For short stories on any theme between 1000 and 3000 words in length. Stories may be previously published (prior to 30 April 2011) or unpublished. Visit www.inktears.com for full details.


Leaf Books First Chapter

Submit the first 2000 words of your novel to win.post Leaf Books Ltd, 2 Hastings Place, Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, U.K. CF64 2TD


Magma 50th Issue Poetry Competition (UK)

For unpublished poems up to 80 lines on any subject. Poems will be judged by George Szirtes. Poems of up to 10 lines will also be considered for the Magma Editor's Prize (first prize of £500, second£200).Visit www.magmapoetry.com/competition for full details and to download postal entry form, or to enter online from 16 October onwards.


Mary Gornell Memorial Short Story Comp

For stories up to 2000 words. Details on the web: http://www.ashbywritersclub.com/


The New Writer Prose and Poetry Prize

Story: 500-5000 wds. Micro Fiction: 500 wds. Poems: Single poems up to 40 lines. Collections 6-10 poems. Articles (literary theme) 2000 wds. Email admin@thenewwriter.com with queries) The New Writer, PO Box 60, CRANBROOK, TN17 2RE


The Plough Poetry Prize

Prizes up to £1000. Details on the web: http://www.theploughprize.co.uk/


Soul-Making Literary Competition (USA)

The competition now has 12 categories which include short story, flash fiction, young adult writers prose, humour, and novel excerpt. Address: The Webhallow House, 1544 Sweetwood Drive, Broadmoor Vlg., CA 94015-1717, USA. Visit www.soulmakingcontest.us for more information and complete rules.


Swanezine - Short Story Competition 2011

Free to enter with a 1000 word max no minimum.To enter go to the website. swanezine/short-story-competition


The New Writer Prose and Poetry Competition - Fiction

Short stories 500 to 5,000 words, micro fiction up to 500 words; on any subject or theme. Details on the web: thenewwriter.com/