Writers’ Centre Norwich

The Environment Series

• 21 June 2014 10am-4pm

Develop your poetry with this series of workshops led by Deryn Rees-Jones, Todd Swift and David Morley. With a focus on the natural world, you’ll experiment and progress with your writing.

Suitable for

• 18+

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/thenovelseries.aspx

The Novel Series

• 3 May 2014 10am-4pm
• 26 June 2014 10am-4pm

Composed of three workshops taught by Tobias Hill, Kerry Hudson and Nii Parkes, the Novel Series is designed to help you move from first draft to finished novel.

Suitable for

• 18+

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/thenovelseries.aspx

The Masterclass Series

• 31 May 2014 10am-4pm
• 12 — 13 July 2014 10am-4pm

Designed for advanced poets, the Masterclass Series will help you progress with your writing, and is taught by Helen Mort, Todd Swift and George Szirtes.

Suitable for

• 18+

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/themasterclassseriesforadvancedpoets.aspx

From First Draft to Novel with Kerry Hudson

• 3 May 2014 10am-4pm

Polish up your novel with this workshop on rewriting and editing with prize winning novelist Kerry Hudson. For further information and booking.

Suitable for

• 18+

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/fromfirstdrafttonovelwithkerryhudson.aspx

Writers’ Centre Norwich Presents If Destroyed Still True with Molly Naylor and Iain Ross

• 9 May 2014 9-10:30pm

How well do you get on with your teenage self? Last year Molly Naylor saw an old school friend in a sauna. Rather than engage in small talk, she found a way to hide from her in what's essentially a small, hot shed. It was weird and it occurred to her that her relationship with her teenage self might be slightly dysfunctional.

Find out more in If Destroyed Still True; an original new show about youth, friendship, growing up and dealing with your teenage self. Written and performed by Molly Naylor (BBC Radio 4's Whenever I Get Blown Up I Think Of You) with live music by Iain Ross (Bearsuit, Mega Emotion), the show features autobiography, songs and a real life teenager and will be a great night out that we highly recommend.

Where

Norwich Arts Centre
51 St Benedict's Street
Norwich
Norfolk
NR2 4PG

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/ifdestroyedstilltruefeaturingmollynaylorandiainross.aspx

Writers’ Centre Norwich Presents Ross Sutherland: Stand-By For Tape Back-Up

• 9 May 2014 6-7:30pm

Get a first look at Ross Sutherland’s latest multi-layered show before it slaps audiences in the face at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.

Inspired by the Eighties teenage experiment of matching up The Wizard of Oz with Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, Ross Sutherland will draw out a series of stories from his life, synchronising words, second-for-second, with the images behind him, using nothing but found-footage from a videotape belonging to his Granddad.

Come and find out for yourself what happens when fragments from old films and TV shows are looped, destroyed, and then re-built into a powerful audio-visual poem on memory, death and reruns

Where

Norwich Arts Centre
51 St Benedict's Street
Norwich
Norfolk
NR2 4PG

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/rosssutherlandstandbyfortapebackup.aspx

Writers’ Centre Norwich Presents An Evening with Ray Davies

• 10 May 2014 7-8:30pm

Step into the Playhouse and get ready to revisit some of the best riffs and stories played out by Kinks legend, Ray Davies. Hosted by rock musician, author and cartoonist Peter Blegvad, Davies will reveal what music, fame and America really mean to him.

Davies will re-tell his story through Americana, where he tries to make sense of his long love-hate relationship with the country that both inspired and frustrated him. You’ll be invited to ask your own questions as Davies revisits some of the most fascinating characters in recent pop culture through both an exclusive half-hour film and in conversation.

Where

Norwich Playhouse
41-58 St George's Street
Norwich
Norfolk
NR3 1AB

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/aneveningwithraydavies.aspx

Writers’ Centre Norwich Presents Literary Death Match: Featuring A.L. Kennedy and More

• 14 May 2014 8:30-10pm

Like a night out full of verve and spirit, with a little madness thrown in for good measure? Then come and celebrate the Norfolk & Norwich Festival Spiegeltent’s opening night with us in an evening of sharp wordplay, merriment and music.

Wild words will ricochet around the atmospheric Spiegeltent as Emma Jane Unsworth, DW Wilson and Isley Lynn compete in an edge-of-your-seat and humorous read-off.

They’ll be fighting for the right to compete in a showdown which will be adjudicated by a panel of three all-star judges, including writer and performer A.L. Kennedy. But who will be crowned the ultimate Literary Death Match champion?

Where

The Spiegeltent
Chapelfield Gardens
Norwich
Norfolk

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/literarydeathmatchfeaturingalkennedyandmanymore.aspx

Writers’ Centre Norwich Presents [Live] Art Club: The Shroud, Featuring Siddhartha Bose & Avaes Mohammad

• 17 May 2014 10:30-11:45pm

A father writes letters to his homesick son. A Kolkata potter shapes clay goddesses from the silt of the Ganges. A young man circles the funeral pyre.

Join us for this electrifying and original new show about loss, time and the things that connect us all. Written and performed by lauded poetic playwrights Siddhartha Bose and Avaes Mohammad, ‘The Shroud’ is a powerful two-man miniature epic that you won’t want to miss.

Where

Norwich Arts Centre
51 St Benedict's Street
Norwich
Norfolk
NR2 4PG

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/theshroudfeaturingsiddharthaboseavaesmohammad.aspx

Writers’ Centre Norwich Presents From A Distance with Raffaella Barker

• 18 May 2014 7:15-8pm

Catch the last event of The Lives of Great Women Writers, our day-long literary festival, to find out about the latest work from Norfolk’s Raffaella Barker, the author of many acclaimed novels.

From a Distance is a tender and compelling story of human connection and the yearning we have to belong. Moving between the post-war artists' colony around St Ives in Cornwall and present-day Norfolk, Barker's new novel explores the secrets and flaws that shape our lives across generations.

Raffaella Barker, daughter of the poet George Barker and the novelist Elspeth Barker, was born and brought up in the Norfolk countryside. Discover how the county has affected her writing, listen to her read and get your questions ready.

Where

Norwic Cathedral Hostry
The Close
Norwich
Norfolk
NR1 4DH

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/fromadistancewithraffaellabarker.aspx

Writers’ Centre Norwich Presents Bellman & Black with Diane Setterfield

• 18 May 2014 6-7:30pm

Everyone loves a good ghost story. As the sun sets on our day-long literary festival, we invite you to enjoy a Victorian ghost story featuring a small cruel act, a mysterious bargain, and unraveling, terrible consequences.

Diane Setterfield’s second novel, Bellman & Black is about a boy who commits one small cruel act that comes back to haunt him in later life. Hear Setterfield, who describes herself as ‘a reader first, a writer second’ read an extract from the novel and talk about its creation.

Where

Norwich Cathedral Hostry
The Close
Norwich
Norfolk
NR1 4DH

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/bellmanblackwithdianesetterfield.aspx

Writers’ Centre Norwich Presents Sally Heathcote: Suffragette with Mary and Bryan Talbot

• 18 May 2014 4:45-6pm

Sally Heathcote: Suffragette is Mary and Bryan Talbot’s tale of loyalty, love and courage, set against the vividly realised backdrop of Edwardian Britain. It follows the fortunes of a maid-of-all-work swept up in the feminist militancy of the era.

Hear Mary and Bryan talk about the process of writing a graphic novel and how the imagery of acclaimed illustrator, Kate Charlesworth, helped the era come to life.

Where

Norwich Cathedral Hostry
The Close
Norwich
Norfolk
NR1 4DH

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/sallyheathcotesuffragettewithmaryandbryantalbot.aspx

Writers’ Centre Norwich Presents How To Be A Heroine with Samantha Ellis

• 18 May 2014 3:30-5pm

On a pilgrimage to Wuthering Heights, Samantha Ellis found herself arguing with her best friend about which heroine was best, Jane Eyre or Cathy Earnshaw. The result led Samantha to realise that all her life she’d been trying to be Cathy – wild, free, passionate - when she should have been trying to be courageous Jane.

How To Be A Heroine is a funny and inspiring memoir by playwright Samantha Ellis. Attracting praise from all corners, it explores the role of heroines from our favourite books.

Where

Norwich Cathedral Hostry
The Close
Norwich
Norfolk
NR1 4DH

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/howtobeaheroinewithsamanthaellis.aspx

Writers’ Centre Norwich Presents Penelope Fitzgerald: A Life with Hermione Lee

• 18 May 2014 2-3:30pm

Get ready to be inspired with the first event of our day-long literary festival on the lives of great women writers, beginning with a novelist who would never have described herself in such grand terms, Penelope Fitzgerald.

Where

Norwich Cathedral Hostry
The Close
Norwich
Norfolk
NR1 4DH

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/penelopefitzgeraldalifewithhermionelee.aspx

Writers’ Centre Norwich Presents Kate Mosse: The Harriet Martineau Lecture

• 22 May 2014 7:30-9pm

Mosse has a passion for bringing overlooked women’s history to life in her bestselling novels, non fiction and plays, as well as for supporting international writing by women as Co Founder of the Baileys (formerly Orange) Women's Prize for Fiction. She is the perfect writer to follow Ali Smith in this second annual Martineau lecture where she will draw on her own experiences as a novelist and cultural commentator to reflect on Martineau’s legacy and life.

You can also take the chance to pose your own questions to Mosse about her forthcoming novel - The Taxidermist's Daughter - in our Q and A and have your books signed in an event that is bound to leave you captivated and inspired.

Where

Norwich Playhouse
41-58 St George's Street
Norwich
Norfolk
NR3 1AB

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/katemossetheharrietmartineaulecture.aspx

Writers’ Centre Norwich Presents Darren Shan & Alexander Gordon Smith

• 23 May 2014 4:30-6pm

Seal the exits and prepare to be scared in an evening of stirring conversation between two of the most popular young adult fiction writers out there.

Darren Shan and Alexander Gordon Smith will be reading from their books, sharing how they write such gripping stories and answering all of those questions you’re dying to get an answer to.

Where

Norwich Playhouse
41-58 St. George's Street
Norwich
Norfolk
NR3 1AB

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/aneveningwithdarrenshanandalexandergordonsmith.aspx

Writers’ Centre Norwich Presents Karl Ove Knausgaard

• 24 May 2014 5-6:30pm

Come and discover a breathtaking cycle of work billed as the greatest literary sensation in Norway in decades.

Karl Ove Knausgaard’s ‘My Struggle’ books have spurred a heated debate about the use of autobiographical elements in fiction. In addition to amazing reviews and several awards and nominations, his literary experiment has generated enormous interest amongst journalists, critics and readers alike.

Knauusgaard will be joined by his translator Don Bartlett, and the evening will be hosted by Philip Langeskov. You’ll have the chance to pose your own questions and to get your books signed after the event

Where

Norwich Playhouse
41-58 St George's Street
Norwich
Norfolk
NR3 1AB

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/aneveningwithkarloveknausgaard.aspx

Come one, come all as The Salon celebrates Norwich UNESCO City of Literature at the magnificent Festival Spiegeltent.

In resplendent surroundings, come and meet a plethora of talent from Norwich’s literary scene. There will be readings from local authors, salient gossip and hard facts around Norwich’s future literary plans, details of upcoming events and organisations that you can get involved with and, importantly, the opportunity to mingle with everyone involved with the above.

Where

The Spiegeltent
Chapelfield Gardens
Norwich
Norfolk

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/norwichcityofliteraturethesalon.aspx

Editing, Structure and Form: A Poetry Masterclass with Helen Mort

• 31 May 2014 10am-4pm

Learn the knack to editing and buff up up your poetry with this workshop from award winning poet Helen Mort.

Suitable for

• 18+

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/editingstructureandformapoetryworkshopwithhelenmort.aspx

Join us at Norwich Playhouse for an evening of book-talk, anecdotes and lively discussion with critic, biographer and famed cultural commentator, John Carey.

Whilst discussing his latest book The Unexpected Professor with writer and critic DJ Taylor, John Carey will offer “a personal account of what books and reading have meant to me” as well as stories about some of the greatest writers of the 20th century; their friendships, feuds and affairs.

Carey is a sharp commentator who believes that reading is life-changing and that books shouldn’t be the exclusive preserve of any one group.

Where

Norwich Playhouse
41-58 St George's Street
Norwich
Norfolk
NR3 1AB

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/theunexpectedprofessorjohncareyinconversationwithdjtaylor.aspx

Writers’ Centre Norwich Presents An Evening with JM Coetzee, Xiaolu Guo, Julia Franck and Ivan Vladislavić,

• 19 June 2014 7:30-9pm

Writers’ Centre Norwich would love you to join us in welcoming Nobel Laureate JM Coetzee back to Norwich, City of Literature, for a very special Worlds Literature Festival event.

In years past Coetzee has wowed Playhouse audiences with sharp new prose and an even sharper presence, and this time will be no exception. The Man Booker prize winning author of Life & Times of Michael K and Disgrace is highly sought-after the world over but rarely appears; we’re promised a special and electric evening that you won’t want to miss.

Coetzee will be joined by international talents Xiaolu Guo (A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers), Julia Franck (The Blind Side of the Heart) and Ivan Vladislavic (Double Negative) for an evening of world literature that will invigorate and absorb you.

Where

Norwich Playhouse
41-58 St George's Street
Norwich
Norfolk
NR3 1AB

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/aneveningwithjmcoetzeexiaoluguojuliafranckandivanvladislavic.aspx

Poetry Environments with David Morley

• 21 June 2014 10am-4pm

Join leading poet David Morley in the stunning grounds of Norwich Cathedral for a poetry workshop with a difference.

Suitable for

• 18+
• Not suitable for children

Where

Norwich Cathedral
12 The Close
NR1 4DH

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/poetryenvironmentswithdavidmorley1.aspx

Writers’ Centre Norwich Presents: A City of Stories with Patrick Ness

• 24 June 2014 7:30-9pm

Writers’ Centre Norwich and Fly Festival offer you the chance to hear Patrick read and talk live with our friendly expert, Daniel Hahn. After the talk, grab the opportunity to take the reins and ask your own questions before getting your novel signed.

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/acityofstorieswithpatrickness.aspx

Enjoy an evening of rousing debate as Scottish writer and artist Alasdair Gray travels south of the border to discuss Scottish independence and the arts.

Alasdair Gray’s first novel Lanark is a classic and is the backbone of a collection of popular works, from award-winning novels to fine illustrations. Now you can get to the heart of his ideas as he reads from Independence, his book that supports home rule for Scotland.

Gray, who will be joined by esteemed panelists, will bring the discussion into England, looking at what national identity means for the way we live our lives and produce our art.

Where

Norwich Playhouse
41-58 St George's Street
Norwich
Norfolk
NR1 4DH

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/independenceaneveningwithalasdairgray.aspx

Receive expert tailored advice on your agent submission from literary agent Ed Wilson of Johnson & Alcock in this one-to-one feedback session. Choose one half-hour slot between 11:00am and 4:15pm

Suitable for

• 18+

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/onetooneagentfeedbackwithedwilsonofjohnsonalcock.aspx

The Art of the Short Story with Philip Langeskov

• 5 July 2014 10am-4pm

Refine your short story writing with this workshop from UEA tutor Philip Langeskov.

Suitable for

• 18+

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/theartoftheshortstorywithphiliplangeskov.aspx

Voice & Other Places: Poetry Weekend with George Szirtes

• 12 — 13 July 2014 10am-4pm

Enjoy a weekend devoted to the craft of poetry under the tutelage of internationally renowned poet George Szirtes.

Suitable for

• 18+

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/voiceotherplacespoetryweekendwithgeorgeszirtes.aspx

Stuck in the Middle: A Novel Structure Workshop with Nii Parkes

• 26 July 2014 10am-4pm

Solve your novel’s structural problems with this workshop from critically acclaimed author Nii Parkes.

Suitable for

• 18+

Admission

Website

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/Events-all/stuckinthemiddleanovelstructureworkshopwithniiparkes.aspx