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Welcome to The Writer's Compass E-bulletin #643 Our next bulletin will be sent on 07/01/2026. Anything sent to Philippa Johnston by 05/01/2026 will be considered.

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.

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Feature

NAWE Member Meet-Up / January 2026 - Save the Date
Our first Member Meet-Up of 2026 takes place online on Wednesday 14 January at 6-7pm and will be a chance to meet the new chairs, discuss the future of NAWE, and catch up with what fellow Members are doing. Please save the date - registration will open next week.

Inspiring Writing: NAWE Online Conference 2025 - Session recordings available
The full conference recordings are available to view online until Friday 16 January. If you weren't able to attend, you can buy an on-demand member ticket for £35. 

Writing in Practice Vol 11 - Online Now
This latest issue of NAWE’s Journal of Creative Writing Research demonstrates the continuing vitality of writing. Download now

NAWE Publication Deadlines

Writing in Education Issue 97 (Conference Special): Submit by 19 December 2025.

NAWE’s Writing in Practice: The Journal of Creative Writing Research  Volume 12 (Special issue exploring creative writing pedagogy)Please submit by midnight (GMT), 26 January 2026.

Bulletin Break over Christmas

Wishing all our members a very happy festive break. This is our last bulletin for 2025. We'll be taking a short bulletin break over Christmas with our first bulletin of 2026 going out on 7 January.

NAWE is now on InstagramLinkedIn and Bluesky as well as Facebook - follow us for more NAWE news and updates from around the writing world. 


Jobs
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.

Competitions/Submissions
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.


Events
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.

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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.


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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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