© 2020 Writing West Midlands
Young Writers’ Toolkit 2023
presented by Spark Young Writers
For those aged 14 – 24
Saturday 25 March 2023
12.30pm – 4.30pm (one-to-ones from 10am-12.30pm)
Birmingham and Midland Institute, Margaret Street, Birmingham
Tickets: £15 to 20 – bursaries available
Supported by the Authors’ Licensing & Collecting Society and Arts Council England
You love writing, and have done since you knew how to write. You would like to have a career as a writer, but don’t know how to, or whether it’s a viable option.
We’re here to help.
Join us for the first in-person Young Writers’ Toolkit for those aged 14-24, and their parents and carers.
With plenty of opportunities to ask questions and meet other writers your age, the Young Writers’ Toolkit will help you find out:
- How to go from writing for fun, to writing and getting paid
- What happens on a creative writing university course
- How to find sources of inspiration and motivation when you get stuck
- Do you need to study Creative Writing at University to be a writer? (Clue: no!)
- What other jobs you could do which still use your writing skills and passion
- More about working in the publishing industry
One-to-ones are also available in the morning – these need to be booked separately and are available on a first come, first served basis. These one-to-one sessions are for you to discuss directly with one of the Writing West Midlands staff anything you’d like to know about in more depth.
Our speakers include:
- Novelist and Creative Writing Lecturer Charley Barnes
- Former Birmingham Young Poet Laureate and writer Nyanda Foday
- TV producer and scriptwriter David Chikwe
- YouTuber, book reviewer and former book publicist Leena Normington
- Former Birmingham Poet Laureate, performer and workshop leader Casey Bailey
The Young Writers’ Toolkit is essential for any young writers looking to go to University to study creative writing; who would like to forge a career as a writer; or who simply want to find out more about how that might be possible.
Tickets to attend are £15 to £20 and bursaries are available. You can view our Bursary Policy here.
Timetable:
| Time | Session content |
| 10am – 12.30pm | Individual advice sessions |
| 12.30pm – 1.30pm | Registration and Young Writer meet up |
| 1.30 – 2.15pm | Becoming a Writer with Charley Barnes and Nyanda Foday |
| Comfort break/signing | |
| 2.30 -3.15pm | Working as a writer with David Chikwe and Leena Normington |
| Comfort break/signing | |
| 3.15-3.45pm | Break for networking/fact finding |
| 3.45 – 4.30pm | Author interview: “Keeping it real” with Casey Bailey |
