Louis De Bernieres Room Change

On the 1st November Captain Correlli's Mandolin author Louis De Bernieres will be visiting Norwich Writers' Circle.

We will meeting in The Hobart Room, instead of The Assembly House's Sexton Room.

Be sure to arrive early for what will is bound to be one of our most popular meetings in the current programme.

2012 Poetry Trailer

Our YouTube channel is now showing a promotional trailer for Norwich Writers' Circle's Open Poetry Competition 2012.

Please go here to watch the short film, or why not check out norwichwriters.org.uk/poetry for more Competition information.

Letton Hall

Between 19th and 22nd September, you are invited to come and join professional authors Nick & Claire Page for a taster programme in Creative Writing at Letton Hall, near Thetford.

The 3 night retreat is designed to give you the skills, space and inspiration to get creative. Whether you are an absolute beginner or an experienced writer, everyone is welcome.

For more information on the course, please visit lettonhall.org.

Everyday Eclipses

Everyday Eclipses by Roger McGough is the next poem to be featured in our online Poetry Season.

Please go here to listen to the poem.

Poetry Postal

The postal address for our 2012 Open Poetry Competition has been announced.

Please send your entries to:

Norwich Writers' Circle
Open Poetry Competition Secretary
1 Stannard Road
Norwich NR4 7JD
ENGLAND

More information on our ever-popular competition can be found at norwichwriters.org.uk/poetry.

Good luck!

Assembly House Art

Norwich Writers' Circle's regular meeting venue, The Assembly House on Theatre Street, is holding an Art Show which features new work by more than 150 artists from Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, until the end of the month.

Flying Colours: Fascinating Forms has been receiving rave reviews, with the Eastern Daily Press commenting: “The Georgian gem in the heart of Norwich is suddenly reborn as a major gallery via an event which aims to be the region’s answer to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition”.

This major new contemporary art exhibition is attracting over 200 people a day, and continues until Wednesday 31st August. The art show is open from 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Saturday, and 11.30am to 4.00pm on Sundays. Admission is free.

Voewood Festival

This year sees the first Voewood Festival.

The event, described as the literary garden party of the year, takes place over the weekend of 27th to 29th August at a house in High Kelling, voted the best in the region in this year's England Favourite House Awards.

Amongst the weekend's numerous highlights are appearances by historian Dan Cruickshank, Man Booker prize winner DBC Pierre, ex-MI5 boss Sir John Scarlett, plus The King's Speech authors Mark Logue and Peter Conradi.

Musical highlights include Beth Orton, David McAlmont, Glen Matlock and Adam Ant.

For more information please visit voewoodfestival.com.

Wymondham Words

The Wymondham Words Festival returns next month.

The event's 2nd year, which runs from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th September, features a weekend of readings, conversation and music set in the beautiful and historic South Norfolk market town.

Amongst the weekend's highlights is evenings with George Szirtes and Heidi Williamson. The weekend also sees our current Open Poetry Competition adjudicator Helen Ivory host a writing workshop on the Saturday.

Please visit wymondhamarts.com for more Festival info.

Programme Start

The beginning of our 2011/12 programme has been announced.

Norwich Writers' Circle will meet again on the 20th September for one of ever-popular free Open Evenings. In the weeks that follow we will be holding a evening with horror writer Joseph Freeman and welcoming best-selling author Louis de Bernières, along with a lot more to be announced.

Details of our complete programme will appear here during our annual Summer break. Watch this space for more details.

Summer Poetry

In conjunction with our recently launched Open Poetry Competition, this Summer sees our own online poem celebration.

Every weekend, for the next 7 weeks, we will be uploading some of the best comtemporary poetry to our popular YouTube channel for you to experience and enjoy.

For more information on how to enter our OPC please go here.

Forthcoming Attractions

Norwich Writers' Circle is currently on its annual Summer break. Our writing group will meet again in September, when our 2011/12 programme starts.

In the meantime, this Blog will be updated and include information on forthcoming meetings, along with all our regular member news, and the launch of our annual Open Poetry Competition. The OPC launch will also be complimented by Norwich Writers' first online poetry season.

Watch this space for all the latest NWC news.

Anne Thanks

Last Tuesday's AGM & Prize-Giving Evening saw our long-standing Chairman, Anne Funnell, step down from her role.

Anne has now sent the below message to us:

Dear All

I was overwhelmed by the magnificent bouquet presented to me on the occasion of my resignation from the post of Chairman of the Norwich Writers' Circle. There were so many that the flowers filled two vases.

The card signed by various members of the Circle was very touching and even more wonderful was the Waterstone's voucher which was totally unexpected and will be carefully preserved until the right book is chosen.

Thank you all very much
 
Anne Funnell

Agnes & Walter

Norwich Writers' Circle committee member Elizabeth Taylor can currently be seen on stage in Smith dancetheatre's Agnes & Walter

The show, inspired by The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, is currently being performed in Norfolk this July, before heading to the Edinburgh Festival during the Summer.

More about the theatre production can be found on the show's official website here.

Elizabeth Taylor

See Norwich Writers' Circle committee member Elizabeth Taylor perform on stage in the coming months.

Elizabeth will be peforming in Smith dancetheatre's Agnes & Walter - a show inspired by The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty - all over Norfolk this July, before heading to the Edinburgh Festival later on this Summer.

To read more about this exciting theatre production please go to the show's official website which can be found here.

Helen Ivory

The adjudicator for our 2012 Open Poetry Competition has been announced as Helen Ivory.

In 1999 Helen won an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors. She has had 3 collections of poetry with Bloodaxe Books: The Double Life of Clocks (2002), The Dog in the Sky (2006) and The Breakfast Machine (2010).

Helen Ivory edits the webzine Ink Sweat and Tears. She is an Editor for The Poetry Archive and programmes the Creative Writing courses for Continuing Education at UEA. She teaches for the Poetry School, the Arvon Foundation and for various organizations in Norwich. She is also an artist and regularly posts new work on her website - helenivory.co.uk - which is about to be archived by the British Library.

Our websites will be updated all our latest Open Poetry Competition news, including information on its official launch. Watch this space for more details this Summer.

Summer Reads

Our writing friends at Writers' Centre Norwich have recently launched the Summer Reads scheme.

The scheme starts with 6 great books, which you can read one or all of, whether alone or in a book group. You can get further involved ny reading information on the books online, meeting the authors in special events and much more.

For further information please go here.

Street Hunt

As part of this year's Norfolk & Norwich Festival, the Street Hunt competition has been launched.

Street Hunt is a visual crossword puzzle, a treasure hunt where the riches are road names, a story emerging from the page, and your chance to win up to £10,000.00.

For more information please visit streethunt.co.uk.

Easter 2011

Wishing you a Happy Easter

from everyone at Norwich Writers' Circle.

Please go here to watch

our Easter greetings video.

Neil Storey's Ghost Stories

Following his visit to us in October last year, Neil Storey returned to Norwich Writers' Circle this evening to adjudicate our Ghost Story Competition.

The popular author and historian commended all 16 entries in the competition, citing that he was impressed with the humanity of the characters featured and some of the descriptive passages featured in the short stories.

The winners were then announced as:

1st
Going Home
by Mickie Dann

2nd
Local Hero
by Paul Taylor

3rd
The Ghostly Badger
by Barré Funnell

We then heard all 3 winning entries, plus a spooky short story selection, featuring some of the runners-up.

At our next meeting we will be welcoming back Jean Fullerton who will be giving us a workshop on Characterisation & Viewpoint. We hope to see you then.

G'Day

St Gregory's Centre For The Arts, in Pottergate, is holding a Book Festival on 23rd April - St George's Day - called G'Day.

The festival, which runs between 9.00am and 4.00pm, features books signings, creative writing, readings, story telling and even a human library.

To read more about this exciting literary event please go here.