Birmingham Book Festival

The Birmingham Book Festival runs from 3rd-29th October.

Events include one run by the Writers' Guild:

Difficult Teenagers: Writing For The Teenage Market

Friday 9th October 7pm

Fazeley Studios, 191 Fazeley Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B5 5SE

Three practitioners share their experiences and discuss the issues around writing for teenagers.

Chris O’Connell from Theatre Absolute, Coventry, author of the award-winning Street Trilogy and the recent plays Hang Lenny Pope & Zero, will talk about the connections the company's work has made with teenage audiences.
David Calcutt has recently written two critically-acclaimed novels for young people, Crowboy & Shadow Bringer and will talk about his writing for this age group.
Marcus Romer of Pilot Theatre Company (winner 2008 TMA Best Show For Young People Award for Looking For JJ), will look at the use of digital media alongside theatre to appeal to a teenage audience.

Free to Guild Members, otherwise £5 (£3.75)

Members please reply to WMidWritersGuild@aol.com to say you’re coming.

Non-members book through the Festival website or on 0121 303 2323


Another event to highlight:

David Edgar – How Plays Work

Tuesday 13th October 7:30pm

Birmingham Conservatoire

David Edgar, President of the Writers’ Guild, pioneered the teaching of playwriting in the UK, founding the first Playwriting Studies course at Birmingham University twenty years ago. This event celebrates the publication of How Plays Work, a book that offers a masterclass for playwrights and playmakers and is a fascinating guide to the anatomy of drama. It also gives an opportunity to discuss the wider implications of teaching playwriting studies in terms of quality, quantity and the expectations of writers.

£3 for Guild members, otherwise £5 (£3.75)

Members please email joanne@birminghambookfestival.org to say you’re going & then pay on the door. Please say you’re a Writers’ Guild member in the email.

Non-members book through the Festival website or on 0121 303 2323

Finally, another event in which the Guild is involved:

The Writers’ Toolkit – Writer Networking Conference

Saturday 21st November 10am-4pm

South Birmingham College, High St Digbeth, Birmingham B5 5SU

The Writers’ Toolkit is an annual gathering for emerging and established writers and anyone working in the writing industry. It offers a unique opportunity to learn about aspects of the business of being a writer and to network with others writing and working in literature development through a mixture of panel discussions and Q&A sessions.

Subjects covered include Understanding Publishing, Pitching Ideas, Social Networking for Writers, Working with the BBC, Writing with Communities, Promoting Poetry, Working with Agents and Writing in the Digital Age. Other individuals and organisations involved include Arts Council England, Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, Arvon Foundation, National Association of Writers in Education, BBC Radio Four, The National Academy of Writing and Bloodaxe Books.

£29 (£23) Including Buffet – book direct with the festival on 0121 246 2770.