Monday 23 November 2009

The Writers' Toolkit 2009

Saturday was our annual writer networking conference, the Writers' Toolkit 2009. 130 writers and others working in the writing industry came from all over the UK to meet and mingle, enjoying panel sessions on everything from Business Sense for Writers and Agents and Contacts to Performing your Poetry and Pitching Ideas. There was a lot of useful networking, chatting, tea drinking and, despite a rainy grey day in the city, bundles of enthusiasm for the matter at hand.

The day began with an excellent keynote speech from Archers writer Mary Cutler, and ended with a closing address from Director of Literature Strategy at Arts Council England, Antonia Byatt. Antonia's words about the need for activity and networking and open lines of communication between the funders and the writers about what the writing community needs struck a great chord with all those who had come to the conference with just such a thought in mind.

Antonia was followed by Jonathan Davidson, whose announcement of our new umbrella body, Writing West Midlands, was, therefore, timely. WWM is now the new Literature Development Agency for the West Midlands, formed out of a desire to emulate the good work being done by other regional agencies - Writing East Midlands, New Writing North, for example.

The West Midlands has long needed the same treatment, and now, although a fledgling iniative at present, WWM is the banner term for the organisation encompassing the Birmingham Book Festival, its education programme Write On!, and all the other work we do.


Find out more at the new Writing West Midlands website.

Monday 2 November 2009

Another (Festival) year over, really?

The Birmingham Book Festival is over for another year. Festival years seem to be like dog years. There must be several per human year - surely it isn't November already?

Another year wrapped up as the cold begins to set in, and the Festival is still very much in our minds. The final week began with our brilliant Readers Day. This was a fantastic, intensive session with four brilliant novelists - Jenn Ashworth, Mark Illis, Jeremy Page and Amanda Smyth.

Rather than the usual hour and a bit format, this event took up almost an entire afternoon, punctuated with coffee and tea, and allowed the audience to really get to know the writers. Guided by former Midlands Today broadcast journalist Sue Beardsmore, the writers talked and were questioned extensively about their reading and writing lives.

It was interesting to find out the true life stories behind their work, the influences on them as youngsters that drove them to be the readers and writers they are today, to know their favourite (and least favourite!) books, and to hear about their personal relationship with the written word.

I highly recommend all of their books:

A Kind of Intimacy by Jenn Ashworth
Black Rock by Amanda Smyth
Tender by Mark Illis
The Wake by Jeremy Page


Tuesday the 27th October saw some other unique events - an extraordinary lecture on Clouds from Richard Hamblyn, good poetry from Helen Mort and the Postcard Poets, and a very popular panel of writers, editors and producers of The Archers. On the final night we saw emerging talent from the National Academy of Writing's current students, storytelling bringing to life the mother-daughter relationship in Some Girls' Mothers and the launch of the latest R J Ellory novel. The night, and the Festival, were rounded off with the Keynote Address by the incredible George Monbiot.

The full text of that lecture will soon be available here and on our website.

We would like to thank everyone who participated in this year's festival. As ever it has been a labour of love and of enthusiasm for great writing and the need to read. We welcome feedback from those who have participated or attended, and if you didn't manage to fill in one of our questionnaires but have something to say, you are welcome to email me at sara at birminghambookfestival dot org.

And it isn't entirely over, as we still have the November Writers' Toolkit to look forward to. This takes place on 21st November at South Birmingham College and is aimed at all emerging and established writers. If you would like to know more or book a place, email joanne at birminghambookfestival dot org.

Thanks for all your support this year - and yes, we're already thinking about 2010...

Sara