Free Events for Writers with Women's Prize Trust and ClassFest

Women's Prize

Join us on Wednesday evenings in November for a series of events for writers, brought to you by the Women's Prize Trust and ClassFest

<h3>Join us in the Writers' Room on Wednesdays in November</h3><h3> </h3>The Women's Prize Trust and Working Class Writers Festival are delighted to bring you a series of FREE online events for writers. From practical workshops with inspiring authors to panel discussions with publishing industry insiders, mix up your midweek and express your creativity, develop new skills and connect with other writers. Sign up and try something new today! Please note that you must sign up for each individual event through Eventbrite to secure your place, as capacity is limited. Recordings of the events will be made available to attendees for one month following the events.***<h3>Demystifying Publishing: A conversation</h3>Wednesday 1st November, 7-8pmWhat does it feel like to be published, and who will you work with? What are agents and publishers looking for? What happens to your work editorially? How do you promote your book?These are just a few of the big questions you might have when it comes to getting your writing published. In this panel conversation, you’ll meet an author (Natasha Carthew), agent (Juliet Pickering), editor (Serena Arthur) and publicist (Alison Barrow), who will chat about how each of them helps to steer an author from manuscript to published book, and what to expect along the way.***<h3>Disadvantage as Advantage: Voice and Style with Jacqueline Crooks</h3>Wednesday 8th November, 7-8pmThe goal of this workshop is to help women harness the power of their individual voice and language, particularly those who lack confidence in writing well in English. Without focusing on grammar, we will utilise the creativity of colloquial language, broken English, or indigenous dialects, breaking down borders between accepted styles and othered languages. We will cover Voice and Style using a variety of exercises. Participants will create a short piece of writing that showcases their unique style by the end of the session. Together we will celebrate and value diversity of expression.Bring a notebook or laptop to write on as the class involves practical exercises.***<h3>Writing a Great Synopsis with Jill Dawson</h3>Wednesday 15th November, 7-8pmHow do you write a cracking synopsis that really does your novel justice and makes the reader want to read on? Author Jill Dawson offers her best tips for this tricky task, which many new writers find daunting and mysterious. She will show how a synopsis may have many different functions for a writer, and is an essential skill for anyone serious about becoming published.Bring a notebook or laptop to write on as the class involves practical exercises. ***About the speakers:Serena Arthur is Editor at Trapeze Books, an imprint of Orion Books (a division of Hachette UK), that focuses on conversation-starting fiction and non-fiction. She is drawn to books that are bold, distinctive and memorable. Outside work, she is a writer and performer of poetry, and a lover of anything artsy.Alison Barrow is an award-winning PR Director with over 30 years’ experience in book publishing. She specialises in launching writing careers via media coverage, through literary festivals and bookshop events, and across key social media platforms. She enjoys walking her dog, listening to audiobooks , cooking and reading (sometimes at the same time!).Natasha Carthew is a working-class writer from Cornwall, and the Founder and Artistic Director of The Working Class Writers’ Festival, and The Nature Writing Prize for Working Class Writers in association with Octopus/Hachette. She has written four novels, three poetry collections, and recently published her memoir, Undercurrent: A Cornish Memoir of Poverty, Nature and Resilience.Juliet Pickering is an agent at Blake Friedmann Agency, working with a broad range of authors of fiction and non-fiction. She loves stories that make the ordinary extraordinary – of love, friendship, family and fun.Jacqueline Crooks was born in Jamaica and grew up in 70s and 80s Southall, part of London’s migrant community. She delivers writing workshops in the community sector primarily with working class and global majority communities. Her stories have been longlisted and shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, the BBC National Short Story Award. Named as a 2023 top ten debut author by the Guardian/The Observer for her novel, Fire Rush. She writes in Jamaican Nation Language.Jill Dawson is the author of eleven novels - her latest is The Bewitching, all published by Sceptre. Fred and Edie was shortlisted for the Women's Prize, Watch Me Disappear was longlisted. She has also won prizes for poetry and short stories. Jill has edited six anthologies and contributed to many others including Kit De Waal's Common People. She runs Gold Dust http://www.gold-dust.org.uk a mentoring scheme for new writers and is experienced at working with up and coming writers. Her new novel Pixie is due from Bloomsbury in 2025.