Crossroads Festival aims to support new and emerging writers by offering advice and inspiration through a series of talks and workshops.

Featuring: Kerry Young, Meena Kandasamy, Alison Moore, Irfan Master, Onjali Rauf, Corinne Fowler, Divya Ghelani, Penny Jones, Rebecca Burns, Debz Hobbs-Wyatt alongside exciting new voices.

Organised and programmed by Farhana Shaikh, Dahlia Publishing.

Made possible with generous support from: Curve Theatre, DMU's Everybody's Reading Festival, The Literary Consultancy, Dahlia Publishing, The Writing Magazine, Arvon, Mslexia, Comma Press and The Asian Writer.

Our festival bookshop will be run by independent bookseller Kibworth Books.

For concessions, discounts and stall enquiries please contact me via email on f.shaikh@dahliapublishing.co.uk

PROGRAMME TIMETABLE (subject to change)

10:00 – 10:20AM Registration

10:30 – 11 AM Welcome and Keynote by Kerry Young

11:15AM - 12:30PM Writing rules (and when to break them!)

Advice on how to write well can be confusing and contradictory. How do writers navigate this and who should they listen to? In this session, new and emerging writers will share their experiences and discuss whether writers new to the craft should follow writing rules or break them.

Featuring readings and discussion from Penny Jones (chair), Alison Moore, Irfan Master and Shereen Malherbe along with new and emerging voices.

This event is sponsored by The Literary Consultancy.

12:30 PM – 1:45 PM – Networking Lunch / Visit stalls

LUNCH-TIME BOOK CLUB

12:45 - 1:45 PM Big Read Leicester: The Boy at the Back of the Class with Onjali Rauf

Join us for a big read of The Boy at the Back of the Class with author Onjali Rauf over lunch.

Read the book and then come along to our book club discussion and put your questions to the author.

Told with heart and humour, The Boy at the Back of the Class is a child’s perspective on the Syrian refugee crisis, highlighting the importance of friendship and kindness in a world that doesn’t always make sense. This award-winning book reminds us all of the potential in standing as an ally while teaching us that everyone deserves a place to call home.

This event will be followed by a book signing in the mezzanine.

2 PM – 3 PM Finance and Funding for writers

Applying for funding and managing projects is becoming every day practice for writers who want to sustain a writing career. In this session, three writers who are leading projects discuss the various funding routes available, share tips on making a successful application and the lessons they’ve learnt from managing their projects.

Featuring writers Corinne Fowler (Colonial Countryside), Divya Ghelani (Imperial Typewriter Strike) and Farhana Shaikh (Middle Way Mentoring Programme)

3.15 PM – 3:45 PM Tea break / Visit stalls / Mass Flash

3:45PM Raffle / Flash Fiction Prize Announcement

4PM Afternoon Keynote Address: Meena Kandasamy

4:30PM – 5:30PM Leicester Writes Short Story Prize Readings and Anthology Launch

Join us to celebrate all things small and perfectly formed.

The Leicester Writes Short Story Prize was set up in 2017 to encourage anyone to have a go at writing a short story. This event will showcase writers from across the country who have been long-listed in this year's short story competition.

Come and listen to a brilliant mix of new writing and be inspired to enter next year's competition.

Our prize anthology featuring all 20 short stories will be launched on the day.

MEZZANINE TIMETABLE

WORKSHOPS ~ £10 each

11 AM - 12 PM Beginning and Endings with Rebecca Burns

In this workshop, short story writer and novelist Rebecca Burns will look at the trickiest bits of a short story - beginnings and endings. She will discuss how to hook your readers in from the first sentence and how to ensure that your story has a satisfying ending.

Rebecca Burns is a writer of short stories and fiction. Her work has been published in over thirty online and print journals. She has won or been placed in many competitions including the Fowey Festival of Words and Music Short Story Competition. Her debut collection of short stories, Catching the Barrmundi, was published by Odyssey Books in 2012 and was longlisted for the Edge Hill Award. Her second collection, The Settling Earth (2014) was also longlisted for the Edge Hill. Her debut novel, The Bishop’s Girl, was published in 2016, and her third collection of short stories, Artefacts and Other Stories, appeared in 2017, both again published by Odyssey Books. Her second novel, Beyond the Bay was published in September 2018.

2 PM – 3 PM Tell it with a Twist with Debz Hobbs-Wyatt

For three years running, Debz Hobbs-Wyatt has been a finalist in the Leicester Writes Short Story Prize with stories that experiment with both form and style. In this workshop, Debz will discuss the art of writing short stories, and through a series of exercises offer you the chance to put your own ideas to the test.

Debz Hobbs-Wyatt lives and works in Essex as a full-time writer and editor. She has had over thirty short stories published and won the inaugural Bath Short Story Prize in 2013. She has also been nominated the US Pushcart prize and shortlisted in the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Her debut novel While No One Was Watching was published by Parthian Books and she has several other novels in various stages of development. She edits professionally and mentors aspiring writers.