Loved the whole week. Brilliant choice of courses and workshops. It will take a lot to top this next year - but I'm sure the committee will be up for it.
Loved the whole week. Brilliant choice of courses and workshops. It will take a lot to top this next year - but I'm sure the committee will be up for it.
Matt Black
More infoClose BoxMatt Black will take you back to being a child(!) as he reads and perform poems of many moods, fun-filled, serious, lyrical, and daft too, from his collection Goblin In The Fridge, which was a Poetry Book Society Children's Bookshelf Special Choice. He will then talk about the process of writing the collection, and there will be a question and answer session for those who want to stay and talk about writing poetry for children.
Matt writes poems for adults and children, enjoys reading and performing, and likes to be entertaining and thought-provoking. He is experienced in leading workshops in all sorts of situations and is currently Derbyshire Poet Laureate 2011-2013.
His collections are Swimmer (for adults),
His poems are published in magazines including Staple, The Rialto, The North and Magma. He has won awards and commissions, and has toured (with British Council and Arts Council support) in Germany, U.S.A., Ireland, Poland and the Czech Republic. He enjoys working with artists and musicians. His poems for children are published in anthologies through Macmillan, OUP, Hodder and Stoughton and Scholastic.
He has set a World Record (unofficial) performing in 50 venues in 5 hours on a tandem bicycle. He invented the world's first Poetry Jukebox which he uses regularly at festivals and schools, and created (with Jonny White, sculptor) the Fanti-Elastical ZingZong Poetry Imagination Machine.
View Matt's website
Katherine Bolton-Parris
More infoClose BoxThis one-hour workshop will cover what National Novel Writing Month is and how it can change your writing habits. It will include inspiration ideas, time-management, how to join and feedback from other NaNo-ers, plus a review of the positive outcomes gained from participating in NaNoWriMo.
Katherine is an experienced Creative Writing Tutor and the owner of The Write Retreat in Brittany, France. Regular Judge for short-story competitions and also a writer, Katherine has been coming to Swanwick for many years now, and enjoys meeting up with old friends and making new ones.
Katherine also will be leading the daily morning meditation by the lake.
View Katherine's website
Martin Brocklebank
More infoClose BoxIs your writers' group boring? Do the same people read out their 'latest' work (that you’ve heard before)? Is it the same old thing meeting after meeting? Are you the one who has to arrange everything? Do they leave it all to you? Have you run out of ideas? This is the workshop for you
We shall look at various exercises (games) that are designed to stimulate the writers' brain. If time allows, we may try one or two. I hope to pack you full of ideas to take back to your writers' group, and I hope next year you will all come up to me in the bar and say, "Martin, it really worked. What are you drinking?"
I have been Chairman of Speakeasy - Milton Keynes Writers' Group - for over 20 years and I have travelled with the group's ups and downs. In November 2013 we will be celebrating 30 years as a writers' group. Quite an achievement I think you will agree. I am also a Creative Writing Tutor, Mentor, Editor, Broadcaster, Performance Poet, Course Leader (WSS),Committee member (3 years WSS), competition judge, e-mail writing tutor and an encourager.
Margaret Burton
More infoClose BoxHave you ever listened to comedy on the radio and thought, 'I could do better than that'? Or watched your favourite sit-com and said, 'I wish I could write like that'?
Well, the chances are you could. Why not? After all, these programmes don't happen by accident and that birthday card that made you laugh out loud in the shop was manufactured to do just that.
So maybe now you're thinking, 'That's all very well and I'd love to write humour and comedy but where would I start? How do I get ideas out of my head and on to the page or screen?'
I can't tell you that it's easy or fair - and I don't profess to be able to turn you into a 'Top of the Bill' stand-up comic - but if you come along to my workshop, I can offer an hour of practical ideas and advice.
We'll work on jokes and punch-lines, puns, timing, satire and topical humour. We'll also discuss professional presentation in terms of how, where and to whom (and how to avoid the dreaded 'slush' pile).
If you've been too shy to write comedy because you think people will laugh at you, you never know, maybe they will and maybe you'll enjoy it!
Margaret has been attending Swanwick since 1995, the same year she discovered her love of comedy-writing. Subsequently she had some regular success, including one-liners for The News Huddlines on Radio 2 and was a heat winner in the sketch show Shoot the Writers, aired on ITV1. She has also written sketches for Children's ITV.
In an earlier life she has been a local correspondent for The Portsmouth Evening News and has a background in accounts and finance. When she grows up she wants to be a successful sit-com writer.
Elizabeth Hopkinson
More infoClose BoxJoin fantasy author Elizabeth Hopkinson for a workshop on Scandinavian folk tale "Prince Lindworm". We'll be looking at symbols, motifs and characters in the story; then coming up with our own re-tellings.
Elizabeth is the author of historical fantasy Silver Hands and a host of fantasy short stories that have appeared in various places over the last 10 years. She regularly performs her work in West Yorkshire, and posts a bizarre variety of blog entries, drawings and anything related to her writing on the web. She's also a Swanwick regular, and is thrilled to be tutoring again.
View Elizabeth's website
Marion Hough
More infoClose BoxExplore the many ways in which you may promote yourself and your work to increase your sales.
Marion has been a Swanwicker since 1975. She has published newspaper columns, magazine articles, short stories, pantomimes and books for children and adults. She has been a tutor for 30 years in freelance writing and public speaking.
Linda Lewis
More infoClose BoxGetting to the short list in smaller competitions is easier than you might think. All you have to do is ... come to this session and find out.
The session will include exercises.
Linda has been working full time as a writer since 2003, concentrating mainly on short stories. She also writes articles, fillers and books about the craft of writing. In 2012, her book THE WRITER'S TREASURY OF IDEAS was published by Filament Publishing and she also has a series of writers' guides available on Kindle thanks to a partnership with Byker books.
In August 2012 she started work as a tutor for The Writers' Bureau. She also runs various workshops and courses and is available to give talks and judge competitions. She lives in Leeds where she also boards dogs while their owners are on holiday.
View Linda's website
Lois Maddox
More infoClose Box
Lois Maddox has been attending The Writers' Summer School for 18 years. This is her second term as a Committee Member. Her main contribution is organising the Book Room with a Team of Helpers. She has also given various workshops and 'What are you Writing Now' evening events. It is her love of 'Swanwick' that has lead her to establish writing weekend courses in the UK and in Spain as Malaga Workshops.
Lois is a Freelance Writer and Speaker. She is bilingual English-Spanish and has taught all levels for many years. Her own writing has included columns for her local newspaper, articles and short stories, interviews and recordings for radio. She has also reviewed books. Her interests are Steam Railways and Family History on which she has given many talks. She is struggling to edit a novel.
At the end of the Swanwick day, there is still time for a one hour session, panel or talk to whet your appetite for more writing! These independent sessions offer a taster of a variety of topics to round off your day before the evening's entertainment. Perfect after a cup of tea on the lawn!
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