Celebr8 on the Silver Screen is a NW regional writing competition which asks entrants to submit an idea based on, ‘What diversity means to me’. It is part of the celebr8 (don't discrimin8) festival of diversity which will highlight the cultural, social and economic benefits diversity brings to the North West
See: http://www.celebr8.org/news.htm

Five entries will be chosen and be developed into short films. These will then be shown at a regional film premie...

Three magazines are asking for contributions
1. CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR BRAND LITERARY MAGAZINE
BRAND Literary Magazine edited by Nina Rapi, with poetry editor Cherry Smyth and contributing editors including Ali Smith, Yang Lian, Jennifer Farmer is now accepting submissions for Issue 4.
We are focusing on the short form and are looking for high quality writing in any of the following:
short stories (max. 2.500 words); short plays or performance texts (max. 10 minutes); micro-fiction (up to f...

Open to Young Poets in Essex only.
Has anyone in your school written a good poem since August 1st 2007?
Poetry in Practice organizes an annual event to celebrate the wealth of
poetic talent in Essex. The event includes a very popular poetry
competition for young people.
The
competition is open to anyone under the age of 16 living in, or
attending school in. Essex. Prizes will be awarded in four age
categories. With the full support of Essex County Council the title
‘Essex...

This July, don’t miss this brand new,
ground-breaking event for Essex featuring a whole host of local talent and
professional artistes in a cluster of tented spaces. This mini festival of
wonders is aimed specifically at over 21s and offers an afternoon and evening
out like no other in the county. It’s not big, but it is clever - The Fling
will take place between 4pm and 11pm on Saturday 5th July with
entertainment throughout the 7-hour event including live music, cheeky cabaret,...

Lots of people are discovering Hovis for the first time, sadly.
Now you can hear the Radio 4 programme again by following this link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/progs/listenagain
Then click on the A-Z list to find the title of the programme which is available for 7 days after transmission.
Enjoy!

You may recall there was a Not Part Of New Years Eve last January. Due to the success of that event the organisers will be running it again on the last day of this years Not Part Of Festival (3rd-12th July) on Saturday 12th July. This is a 1 day festival hosting over 30 artists under 1 roof over 2 spaces.
Each artist gets 15 minutes to perform.
We are looking for performers for this eclectic and exciting event;
Stand Ups
Poets
Actors
Theatre Company's
Dancers
Bands...

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
Write Out Loud is proud and grateful to say that on Monday www.writeoutloud.net had 1,079 (one thousand and seventy nine) visitors, another record for us.
Increasing use is being made of the gig guide, blogs, chat facility, poets' showcase, etc and our reputation is growing daily.
Our aim is simply to spread the word(s) about the joys of poetry and of sharing our writing with each other; giving a voice to anyone who wants to write and share their writing with o...

The results of the 2008 Academi Cardiff International Poetry Competition
were announced at a floating ceremony aboard cruise vessel Seren Y Bae on Tuesday 3 June 2008.

Rose Flint (pictured) from Wiltshire sailed away with the first prize of £5000
for her poem The Field. Judges Jo Shapcott and U A Fanthorpe commented that her poem ‘practically jumped out of the pile, fuelled
by its own energy and exuberance. The poet has caught precisely the explosive
force, the juice and joy,...

[An article by Sarah Willians, Poetry Editor of Writers’ Forum magazine]We're not very good in the UK at blowing our own trumpet - but there's not much point performing to rows of empty seats, and anyone who wants an audience needs to make sure that somebody knows the show's happening (or the book launched, the workshop scheduled, the award won and so on). As poetry editor of a creative writing magazine, I'm constantly amazed by how few poetry people send me press releases, even thou...

Cinnamon Press writing awards offer not only cash prizes, but the prospect of a publishing slot with a contract for first poetry collection/ first novel or novella and short stories. Previous winners and runners up have proven their quality not only in the competition, but by going on to critical acclaim and further awards - Jane McKie, only yesterday announced as Scottish book of the year best first book for Morocco Rococo; Ruth Leader’s The Peacock Room shortlisted for best fi...

On Saturday 7 June 2008, 7.45pm, in the Southbank Centre London, hear from a global array of poets whose work has been inspired by the Yellow Mountain festival in China. Yan Liang and WN Herbert introduce Wang Xiaoni, Luo Ying from China, whose readings will be interspersed with those from Arthur Sze (USA), Fiona Sampson (UK), Odia Ofeimun (Nigeria).
An inspirational evening of poetry in translation. http://tinyurl.com/4bw4vz...

When Write Out Loud member Bill Keeth was looking to place his debut novel with a commercial publisher or a literary agent, not one of the firms he contacted wanted to know. Which is simply par for the course, as any unpublished author will tell you - certain published authors, too. Irvine Welsh, the best-selling author of Trainspotting, puts it like this: ‘I would never have been published if I started writing now. Publishing goes through cycles. It’s never been so cons...

Look what's happening at Manchester's Central Library in July
1). CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPEAN DAY - SATURDAY 5th JULY 11am - 4pm
books information stalls music IT Sessions Dual-language Stories crafts for children quiz Prize Draw Refreshments
Contact Fran Devine on 234 - 1986
2). JURIS KRONBERGS - MONDAY 7th JULY 6.30pm - 7.30pm
was born in Sweden in 1946, the child of Latvian war refugees. Fluent in Latvian & Swedish, he is a p...

A day of poetry, celebrating Friendship, Love and Food - Saturday 12th July, Wheatsheaf Library, Rochdale. It's Free with a Workshop: at 11am followed by Readings: 2.30pm
Anjum Malik returns to Rochdale with her poems and her poet friends to give you a very special experience.
Anjum will perform her food poems to make your mouth water and your tummy rumble, her love poems to make your heart beat faster for the one you love or the one you want to love, and her loss poems to remember, remini...

New writer Mia Darlone launches her comedy production Below the Belt.

Featuring cast from network TV and Channel M productions, and a risky sexual content, this debut production from Mia Darlone is set to grab attention at this year’s Not Part Of festival in Manchester.

Mia Darlone started performing her rude poetic monologues, (as characters such as Cockney Rhyming Slag), on stage around Manchester at the end of 2007. She has just written a short film called X-rayted, (about an...

Write Out Loud is saddened to hear news of the recent death of Pat West, aka PVT West, founder and curator of Glastonbury's Poetry and Words Tent for the last 15 years. Always providing an awesome line-up of poetic talent, the platform which Pat created has been a highlight in the career of hundreds of Uk and international poets and has entertained thousands of sun-burnt and mud-splattered punters over the years. From performing in the nude to her inimitable handling of errant...

Chester Performs is looking for Artists and Performers to take part in a two day summer street festival. Roam the Rows is a celebration of the city, its retailers, the cultural heritage and the people of Cheshire. It will take place on the Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th of August in Chester City Centre.
They are looking for:
Street artists and performersMusicians and singersComedy acts Please feel free to submit ideas and suggestions for other ways to animate the city centre and...

A course from Primary Creations taking place on Tuesdays from 17th June 2008, 7.30pm - 9.30pm at the Dancehouse, Oxford Road, Manchester. 6 sessions at a cost of £45. The sessions are designed to help structure your ideas, develop them, give feedback on your work and a great opportunity to network with other northwest writers.
You do not need to have any previous writing experience to benefit from these sessions as they work step by step through the process looking at, formatting...

Two of the finest exponents of comic poetry join forces to bring you a marvellous evening of mirth and merriment.
Marvin Cheeseman made his debut as a performance poet at Manchester's Frog and Bucket comedy club in 1998 - we look forward to welcoming the Doyen of Deadpan to wordfest!
Julian Daniel is a stand-up comic with a burgeoning reputation on the Northern circuit, and his recent tongue-in-cheek book How to Dump your Girlfriend co-written with Henry Pumpkin has been published t...

Conclave: A Journal of Character seeks writing that centres around well-crafted characters - complex and authentic. Love them or hate them, characters who are unforgettable and infuse their stories with life beyond the page. Conclave welcomes short stories, flash fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and prose poems. International submissions are encouraged, but all submissions must be in English. www.conclavejournal.com...

Submissions are now being accepted for Issue 6 of The Mental Virus. Art, poetry, fiction, photography, charity shop reviews, curio-type articles - all wanted.
Submission to WOL's John Togher at woodenhorse@tiscali.co.uk
Check out the MV web site www.thementalvirus.com...

The Ugly Tree continues to promote the best new work from the northwest and around the world. The new issue includes an interview with, and poetry from, Manchester’s exceptional Mike Garry and features 17 other vibrant poets: Vincent Berquez, Rachel Fox, Simon Rennie, Edward Lee, Paul Robinson, Geoff Stevens, Ken Champion, Lucy Winrow, Michael Lee Johnson, Richard Barrett, Michael Wilson, Sarah L. Dixon, Nigel Humphreys, Lincoln O'Neill, Neil Campbell, Helên Thomas & Natalie Willi...

DYSSING MONADYS are still looking for poetry submissions for OCT and NOV.

Submission guidelines are on www.missfitproductions.org

Closing date: 30 Sept 2008

Last month's poem of the month writer,Gaia Holmes, has chosen this month's poem.

Gaia says,"I've chosen 'The Hare' as I love the sharpness and precision of the language. I love the clear, strong imagery and the way the words effectively evoke a chill. "
Find out more about Christine and her work at
http://www.writeoutloud.net/poets/christinebousfield

THE HARE

I’m an arctic ghost, now figure,
now ground, a shiver
on the white horizon;

a fierce and cunning mother,
I bear bone-a...