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19 February 2025
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Welcome to The Writer's Compass E-bulletin #622 Our next bulletin will be sent on 05/03/2025. Anything sent to Philippa Johnston by 03/03/2025 will be considered. |
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Like what you’re reading? This E-bulletin is sent to all NAWE members, associate members and e-members, highlighting new additions
to the website listings. Some areas of the site and further benefits are restricted to certain membership levels.
Not a full member? Click below to find out more about our membership and benefits & join our network. |
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NAWE Member Meet-Up (March 2025) - Register Now
Registration is now open via Eventbrite for our next online NAWE Member Meet-Up on Wednesday 12 March 2025 at 6-7pm when we'll be discussing issues around artificial intelligence (AI) in the second half. What does artificial intelligence mean for you both as a creative writer and as a teacher/facilitator of creative writing? Come along and share your experiences and thoughts. Free to attend but booking essential.
NAWE Online Conference 2025 - SAVE THE DATE!
This year's NAWE Online Conference will be taking place on Friday 7 & Saturday 8 November. Please put the date in your diaries! We'll be putting out a call for proposals in early March.
NAWE Publications
Writing in Education Conference Special – Issue 94 Spring 2025 is an expanded special edition featuring writing covering an enormous range of topics from presenters at the 2024 NAWE Conference. Download Writing in Education Conference Special here (Please remember to log in.)
Writing in Practice Vol 10 – This latest issue of NAWE's Journal of Creative Writing Research explores the use of creative writing for mental health and wellbeing purposes. Download here
NAWE Publication Submission Deadlines
Submissions are invited for Issue 95 of Writing in Education by March 24, 2025.
The submissions date for Volume 12 of Writing in Practice will be announced shortly.
News around the sector
Green Stories are launching a new novel: Murder in the Climate Assembly via the Crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. Additional funds will go towards a new Green Stories writing competition. The associated award-winning play is free for theatre companies to stage - details here.
For more NAWE news and updates from around the writing world, you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Literature Development Officer, Disability Arts Cymru
Deadline: 19/12/2025 - Wales
Do you have a passion for Literature and a commitment to promoting the rights of disabled people? Disability Arts Cymru are looking for a Literature Development Officer to join its team.
Quay Words writer-in-residence for March 2026, Literature Works
Deadline: 04/01/2026 - South West England
Literature Works are looking for a Quay Words Spring writer in residence for the month of March 2026 at Exeter Custom House as part of the Quay Words live literature programme.
Poet-in-residence, Gloucester Poetry Cares
Deadline: 04/01/2026 - South West England
Literature Works are seeking a poet-in-residence to deliver six weekly sessions at a care home in Gloucester as part of its Poetry Cares programme in February and March 2026.
Poet-in-Residence - SOUND: Plymouth Poetry Festival
Deadline: 16/01/2026 - South West England
Plymouth Poetry Festival is recruiting for a poet-in-residence to spend three days in Plymouth over the festival week in April 2026 working with community groups in the north of the city, as well as running a workshop for the general public and performing at locally run events.
Artist Call-out : Poet, Arts at NUH (Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust)
Deadline: 12/01/2026 - East Midlands
This is an exciting and unique opportunity to deliver a participatory poetry project at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, funded by Nottingham Hospitals Charity. We are seeking an experienced, sensitive and flexible poet or creative writer to work with patients and staff.
LETTING GO : Online Writers-in-Residence, Autumn Voices
Deadline: 08/12/2025 - Scotland
Autumn Voices seeks two Scotland-based writers to run online sessions for older people between February and June 2026.
Call out for Spoken Word and Poetry Commission, Beam
Deadline: 15/12/2025 - East Midlands
Are you a poet or spoken word artist? Are you passionate about heritage and storytelling? Do you have a connection to Chesterfield? If so, we need your creative skills for four exciting commission opportunities to create a poem or spoken word piece that responds to a number of heritage themes.
Filmmaker, First Story
Deadline: 18/12/2025 - England
First Story is seeking a filmmaker to produce a new short promotional film that supports sales of our programmes to schools. Total fee £5,500 (inc. VAT).
Callout for Creative Writer, Tees Valley Museums
Deadline: 14/11/2025 - North East England
Tees Valley Museums are looking to appoint a writer who will work alongside Kirkleatham and Preston Park Museums on our KS3 project “Tees Valley Voices: Identity through Time.”
Open Call: Deptford Literature Festival 2026
Deadline: 01/12/2025 - London
Deptford Literature Festival is back on Saturday 28 March 2026! The festival celebrates the diversity and creativity of Deptford and Lewisham through words, stories and performance. We’re looking for London-based writers, poets, artists, arts and community organisations with exciting ideas to shape and be part of our 2026 programme.
Join the team at National Centre for Writing!
Deadline: 08/12/2025 - East England
We’re looking for two enthusiastic and organised part-time Assistants to provide administrative and event support for our busy programme: a Learning & Participation Assistant and a Communications & Marketing Assistant.
Lecturer in Creative Writing, University of Kent
Deadline: 20/11/2025 - South West England
Do you have the breadth and depth of specialist knowledge to teach undergraduate and postgraduate modules in Creative Writing fiction? Are you available for a fixed term part time post?
Finance Trustees, Arvon Foundation
Deadline: 21/11/2025 - UK
Arvon is looking for up to two new Trustees with financial expertise to help shape the future of the UK’s leading creative writing charity.
Literature Programmes Manager, Harrogate International Festival
Deadline: 12/12/2025 - Yorkshire
Harrogate International Festivals (HIF) is a dynamic cultural charity delivering world-class arts, literature and participation programmes. We are seeking a creative, organised and highly motivated literature producer to contribute to the development and success of HIF’s literary portfolio.
Writing in the Margins: Two Literary Residencies, The Alasdair Gray Archive
Deadline: 04/12/2025 - Scotland
The Alasdair Gray Archive (AGA) and The Agnes Owens Archive (AOA), supported by the Creative Scotland Open Fund for Organisations, invite applications for two eight-month writer residencies in 2026.
Communications Manager, Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre
Deadline: 14/11/2025 - Scotland
This is an exciting and creative post, designed to lead and support all communications across our organisation.
Residency for Creators of Children's Literature, Hugo Burge Foundation
Deadline: 02/11/2025 - Scotland
This is a fully-funded residency in the Scottish Borders for a UK-based writer of children or young adult literature. Residency Dates: Wednesday January 7th to Wednesday February 4th 2026.
Programmes and Marketing Assistant, Writing West Midlands
Deadline: 23/11/2025 - West Midlands
We are looking for a Programmes and Marketing Assistant to support our small team working on our programme of projects and events.
Brand Assistant, Edinburgh International Book Festival
Deadline: 05/11/2025 - Scotland
The Brand Assistant role provides important support to the Brand & Audiences team before, during, and after the Festival, working across a range of communications and administration tasks.
East Riding Young Poet Laureate: 18-25, East Riding Libraries
Deadline: 21/11/2025 - Yorkshire
Are you aged 18-25 and passionate about poetry and eager to develop your creative career? East Riding Libraries are seeking a young writer aged 18 to 25 to be their first Young Poet Laureate, receiving 6 months of mentorship from established East Riding poets.
WriteNow 2026
Deadline: 07/01/2026 - Republic of Ireland
WriteNow is Penguin’s award-winning programme to seek out, nurture, and publish new writers from under-represented communities in UK and Irish publishing.
The Rubery Book Award 2026
Deadline: 31/03/2026 - International
The Rubery Book Award is a prestigious international book award seeking the best books written in English by indie writers.
Europeana Creative Climate Action Award 2026
Deadline: 11/01/2026 - International
Enter the first Europeana Creative Climate Action Award! Submit your 500-word story or poem in response to our gallery of climate action imagery. Free to enter.
Literature Works: Applications for Word Space 2026-27 are now open
Deadline: 31/01/2026 - South West England
The submissions window for places on Literature Works' annual talent development programme, Word Space, is now open.
The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition 2026
Deadline: 16/02/2026 - Wales
The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition recognises the very best unpublished short stories in English in any style and on any subject up to a maximum of 5,000 words by writers in and/or from Wales.
The Cheshire Prize for Literature 2025/26
Deadline: 31/01/2026 - North West England
The Cheshire Prize for Literature 2025/26 is open to enter in three age categories. There is no theme - entrants can write about anything that inspires them. Free to enter.
Wolverhampton Literature Festival Poetry Competition 2026
Deadline: 31/12/2025 - International
Wolverhampton Literature Festival Poetry Competition 2026 has a 1st prize of £400, a 2nd prize £150, and three 3rd prizes of £25, with an additional prize of £50 for the best poem from a WV postcode. The judges for the main competition will be award-winning poets Martin Figura and Helen Ivory. The judge for the WV prize will be Wolverhampton based poet Steve Pottinger.
Call for Papers for the 6th Annual GOTH (Gender and Otherness in the Humanities) Symposium
Deadline: 12/12/2025 - East England
The Annual GOTH Symposium takes place on Friday 15 May 2026 in Milton Keynes and welcomes scholars from within and outside The Open University for productive interdisciplinary discussion and debate. Proposals are invited for presentations focusing on any aspects of gender and/or otherness in creative writing or pre-modern drama, literature and visual culture.
Tyger Tyger: children’s poetry magazine open for submissions
Deadline: 31/12/2025 - International
Tyger Tyger Magazine is an online journal of new poems for children. We are currently open for submissions of formal poems aimed at 7-11-year-olds - we're looking for sonnets, triolets, villanelles, haiku, limericks, and anything else that follows a set structure.
Northern Writers' Awards 2026 open for entries
Deadline: 05/02/2026 - North East England
If you are a writer living in the North of England, you’re invited to submit to a raft of Northern Writers' Awards 2026 which are open for entries.
Call for submissions for Haddaway & Write 2026
Deadline: 09/01/2026 - North East England
In partnership with Gala Durham and funded by Arts Council England, Haddaway & Write will support up to six North East writers to develop original short plays, with dramaturgical support from award-winning writer, Sarah Tarbit.
Jerwood Royal Court Commissioning Scheme 2026
Deadline: 23/01/2026 - UK
The Jerwood Royal Court Commissioning Scheme is a new national fund to unlock risk and investment in commissioning new plays.
Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize 2026
Deadline: 07/01/2026 - International
Founded in 2010, the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize seeks submissions that seamlessly blend literary merit with captivating storytelling. Open to unagented women writers aged 18 or over (at the time of applying), and currently living in the UK, Ireland or the Channel Islands full time.
Irish Writers Centre National Mentoring Programme 2026
Deadline: 31/12/2025 - Northern Ireland
The National Mentoring Programme is an opportunity open to all writers across the island of Ireland to receive sustained creative and professional mentoring from an established Irish writer of their choosing. A minimum of 35 mentoring relationships are on offer.
Bridport Prize 2026
Deadline: 31/05/2026 - International
The Bridport Prize is committed to discovering new writers in poetry, short story, flash fiction, the novel and memoir. The 2026 competition is now open for submissions. Open to writers of any nationality writing in English aged 16 and over.
Writing West Midlands: Room 204 Writer Development Programme
Deadline: 07/01/2026 - West Midlands
Room 204 is Writing West Midlands' annual writer development programme which allows writers from across the West Midlands to develop their skills through mentoring, networking, one-to-ones with Writing West Midlands staff, performances and access to the wider Room 204 network of 205 writers.
Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2026
Deadline: 31/08/2026 - International
Aesthetica is looking for the best new writing talent. The £5,000 international literary prize is open to poetry and short fiction entries on any theme, celebrating innovation in content and form. Open to writers of all ages and nationalities.
Curtis Brown Creative: Two new scholarships sponsored by former students
Deadline: 16/03/2026 - International
Curtis Brown Creative have announced that former CBC students and bestselling authors Jack Meggitt-Phillips (The Beast and the Bethany) and Jennie Godfrey (The List of Suspicious Things) will be sponsoring places on its flagship Writing Your Novel courses in 2026.
Exeter Northcott Theatre: Elevate Writers/ Annual Script Window
Deadline: 20/12/2025 - South West England
Are you a writer based in the South West? Do you have a play you would like to share? As part of its ELEVATE programme, Exeter Northcott Theatre’s annual script window is returning in which writers can submit plays to be read by the Northcott’s artistic team.
The Bridge Awards Residencies, Cove Park
Deadline: 12/01/2026 - Scotland
Funded residencies for artists based in Scotland whose careers have been impacted by a breast cancer diagnosis and who have undergone successful treatment and are up to five years in remission.
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Master the Art of Historical Fiction with Rebecca Abrams
Region: South East England
A one-year in-person course focused on all aspects of historical fiction for writers of all levels. Ten full-day sessions (10.30am-6pm) held on the last Friday of every month (excl. July and August) consisting of seminars, workshops and 1:2:1 mentoring. Small group genre-specific teaching and guidance for a whole year with award-winning author and experienced creative writing teacher Rebecca Abrams. Book by 30 December.
Writing for Wellbeing Workshop (January 2026)
Region: Yorkshire
In person event at The Conservatory, Scampston Walled Garden, Malton, Yorkshire, hosted by The Bothies – a registered charity. This month's theme: Reciprocity – Giving and Receiving.
Leeds Creative Writing Weekend 2026
Region: Yorkshire
Join the Writers Online team for the inaugural Leeds Creative Writing Weekend at Weetwood Hall Hotel – a three-day creative weekend designed to inspire writers of all levels. 6th-8th November 2026.
Poetry School: Taking a Position: Points of View Studio with Kathryn Simmonds
Region: International
First, second, third person; explore how different points of view and narrative positions affect your poems.
Artswork: Creative Facilitation
Region: UK
This practical one-day online training course helps creative professionals develop the confidence and techniques needed to plan and lead engaging, inclusive sessions in creative, cultural, and heritage contexts.
35 New Courses for 35 Years of the Irish Writers Centre
Region: International
2026 marks 35 years of the Irish Writers Centre, which was founded in 1991. We're delighted to unveil our first batch of new creative writing courses from January onwards, covering a huge range of interests and for writers at every stage of their journey.
Hyperfocus: Thematically-focused online poetry courses
Region: International
Launching in January 2026, Out-Spoken Press and Out-Spoken Academy will join forces to bring you the Hyperfocus online poetry course. Spanning a four-month period with eight of the UK’s best tutors, the programme will draw on the four themes of grief, parents, resistance and eros.
Arvon Residential Writing Course: Landscape, walking and eco-poetics - Writing the Earth with Sarah Westcott and Will Burns
Region: West Midlands
How can walking, and writing, help us deepen our personal and poetic engagement with the natural world? Join acclaimed ecopoets Will Burns and Sarah Westcott to walk the land, find the lines and feel the rhythm of new poems as we connect with the more-than-human.
Writing West Midlands: Freelance Feature Writing: From Pitch to Publication with Caroline Butterwick
Region: International
Discover how to write and sell feature articles for newspapers and magazines with freelance journalist Caroline Butterwick.
Curtis Brown Creative: 30-Day Writing Bootcamp with Anna Davis
Region: International
Join us for 30 days of writing, with online lessons, tasks and tips to help you find focus and get to your desk every day.
EACWP XX Symposium (Granada, April-May, 2026) | Save the date!
Region: Europe
Every year in the Spring, EACWP (European Association of Creative Writing Programmes) celebrates its annual Symposium with EACWP members & worldwide colleagues meeting in a different European city.
Write & Shine's December Festival
Region: London
Write & Shine's December Festival is now open for bookings! From 9-21 December 2025, Write & Shine will host morning writing workshops and events inspired by fairy tales, myths and folklore - online and in person.
Apples and Snakes On:line - New Masterclass Online Series
Region: International
Apples and Snakes On:line is our brand-new series of wintertime masterclasses from Malika Booker, Kate Ireland, Keisha Thompson, Testament, John Hegley, Kate Fox, Michael Rosen, Bradley Taylor, and Kareem Parkins Brown. Take time out from the busy festive season and cold nights by developing your craft in these online sessions.
Ty Newydd: The Business of Writing: Creating strong foundations to support your author career with Clare Mackintosh
Region: Wales
During this week-long retreat, award-winning and best-selling author Clare Mackintosh will cover everything to do with the business of writing and building a thriving author career.
Europeana Writers' Room - monthly creative writing workshops
Region: International
This free, online monthly series of creative writing workshops uses collections from Europeana.eu as inspiration for writing prompts. The sessions take place on the first Wednesday of each month at 15:00-16:00 CEST (14:00-15:00 UK time) and each has its own theme so there are always new stories to be created!
Your writing journey, shared (with National Centre for Writing)
Region: International
Find community, accountability and feedback with an online tutored course this spring! Created by the National Centre for Writing and the University of East Anglia, these courses offer regular assignment feedback from your expert tutor. NAWE Member Discount available.
Creative Support Group 2026 with Camilla Nelson
Region: International
Are you an artist, writer, poet or researcher in need of structure, accountability, online feedback & support? This group is for you! Early Bird prices end: 15th December 2025.
Towards an Experimental Ecology of Line with Camilla Nelson
Region: International
A six-month online course for creative makers, writers and thinkers to explore the material and conceptual dynamics of line through making, thinking, writing, feedback & reflection. Early Bird prices end: 15th December 2025.
Scriptease Scriptwriting Course for stage and screen starting Jan 2026 with Sara Clifford and Lisa Fulthorpe
Region: UK
Do You Have A Story You’re Burning To Tell? Would you love to write a script, and hear it read by professional actors? This will be the sixth year of Scriptease, the highly successful, year-long scriptwriting program, facilitated by two professional writers and lecturers, Sara Clifford and Lisa Fulthorpe. Book by 5th January.
Writing Neurodiversity: Processing Lived Experience through Poetry with Dr Rachel Carney
Region: International
This online course will offer a safe and supportive space in which to explore, articulate, process and reflect on your own neurodivergent experience, using poetry as a therapeutic tool. Free places available if eligible.
The Writer's Compass is the name
for NAWE's information and advice services for writers generally, not just those
working in education.
The E-bulletin is sent to all
NAWE members, highlighting new additions to the website listings, which are
openly accessible. Some areas of the site (and other benefits) are however
restricted to certain membership levels. For more information, see our
Membership page.
NAWE aims to put creativity at the heart of education. NAWE is a charity funded largely by its members fees and donations.
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