Upcoming literary events & activities

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Judy

I’m looking forward to a few weekends jam-packed with literary hi-jinks.

Saturday 26th October 2024 The Great Festival Flash Off, online

At this online session, I’ll be teaching a one-hour version of my ‘Writing on Water’ workshop, inviting flash writers to explore different ways of using water to inspire or shine up themes in their writing, with generative exercises, examples from a variety of writers, and time to write.

The full day (11.00am to 6.30pm) only costs £30, with two hour-long workshops and one 90min workshop, plus readings, breakout rooms for chats, yoga for writers and a competition each time.

In addition to ‘Writing on Water’, the 26th October edition of the Great Festival Flash Off includes workshops with Ingrid Jendzrejewski and a discussion/reading/Q&A with Karen Jones and Diane Simmons.

Book for The Great Festival Flash Off here.

Friday 1st November, Clevedon LitFest Writing Competitions prize-giving
Jubilee Lounge, Clevedon Community Centre, aka Princes Hall, BS21 7SZ, from 7.30pm

CompAwards showing KatLyon, bristol poet 2024, on orange and blue background To announce the winners Clevedon LitFest Writing Competitions, there’ll be an inspiring evening of celebrations and performances. As one of the judges for the short story entries, I can’t wait to meet the writers of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd award-winning stories, and the writer of the highly commended story.

With a performance from the current Bristol City Poet Kat Lyons. it’s going to be a very special night indeed.

There’s no need to book for this free event – just turn up. See you there?

Saturday 2nd November, Celebration of the Book
Clevedon Community Centre, aka Princes Hall, BS21 7SZ, from 10am

Clevedon LitFest’s Celebration of the Book returns as a one-day convention of books and book arts.

A day-pass for all talks, discussions and readings costs just £15, with workshops costing extra.

Find full details for Celebration of the Book and book here.

I’ll be helping out with talks and panels throughout the day, and sharing a story or two of my own from 5.30pm as part of ‘Exploring the Edges: Literary fiction readings.’

Sunday 10th November, The Laurie Lee Prize for Writing 2024
Lansdown, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 1BB, from 5.30pm

As one of the shortlisted authors, I’ll be there to celebrate being part of the legacy of one of my long-time favourite authors and hear readings from the winning entries and those “which most captivated our judges” as part of Stroud Book Festival 2024.

The event will feature a performance of ‘April Rise’, a poem by Laurie Lee, set to music by Jonathan Trim and performed by Every Other Monday Choir, which sounds wonderful!

Book your free tickets for The Laurie Lee Prize for Writing 2024.

Saturday 30th November, The Festival of Stories
SPARKS (the old M&S), 78 Broadmead, Bristol, from 10am

The celebration of storytelling is a free day bringing together an “eclectic mix of seasoned storytellers, emerging voices and passionate listeners for a day filled with tales that span generations, cultures, and experiences.”

I’m part of the ‘stories for grown ups’ line-up and can’t wait to discover what else is going on.

Enter Clevedon LitFest’s Short Story Competition today

Posted on August 6, 2024 by Judy

Gulls over Clevedon Pier_Photo by Judy Darley Do you live in North Somerset and write fiction? If so, I urge you to enter Clevedon LitFest’s Short Fiction Competition.

Open to North Somerset postcode residents only, age 19 years or above.

Prizes

1st Prize is £100
2nd is £75
3rd is £50

One short story no longer than 500 words can be submitted.

Closing date = 12th August 2024 at 11.59pm BST.

Entry fee £5 (when paying please give the same email address as that used to submit your entry).

Your entry can only be submitted by email, as an attachment, using the email
address given when you paid your entry fee.

Find the rules and full details here.

Pay your entry fee here.

Julie Davies won the inaugural Clevedon Literary Festival short story competition with her story Remembrance in 2023. She says: “Winning the Clevedon LitFest Short Story Competition was a huge boost to my confidence as a writer. It’s a badge of validation I wear with pride. Also, it funded a whole new stack of books for my reading pile, thanks to the generous prize money!”

Your judges

Jackie Hales moved to Clevedon in 2022 and is thoroughly enjoying being involved with local writing, reading, singing and walking groups. Before retiring, she taught Creative Writing modules, and back in the 1990s, she was a Poetry Guild national semi-finalist.

Jackie’s Her début novel was published in 2022, with her second due for release in August 2024. She has also had published memoir, short stories, microfiction and poetry, both online and in print.

She has annually marked a writing competition in Yorkshire, and she enthusiastically judged Clevedon Literary Festival short story competition last year, so she is looking forward to reading this year’s entries.

What Jackie is looking for in Competition entries:

“I’m looking for writing that draws me into its world through originality, impact and engaging characterisation, making me want to read to the end. Language use and structure will be carefully crafted for maximum effect on the reader.”

Judy Darley is an award-winning writer, editor and creative workshop leader who relocated to Clevedon in December 2023. She is the author of short fiction collections The Stairs Are a Snowcapped Mountain (Reflex Press), Sky Light Rain (Valley Press) and Remember Me To The Bees (Tangent Books).

She previously judged competitions for National Flash Fiction Day UK and Oxford Flash Fiction Prize, among others. She won first prize in the New Writers UK Winter Story competition 2024 with her micro-tale A Bright Day.

In her other life, Judy is a Community Manager and helps to run conferences about financial wellbeing.

What Judy is looking for in Competition entries:

“I want to be moved by what I read. Although 500 words is no longer than a flash fiction, that’s enough space to create a story arc. There should be some sense of change in the story, if only in the protagonist. I want to read stories that ignite my imagination and capture my heart!”

Good luck!

Discover the secrets of award-winning short story writers

Posted on June 2, 2024 by Judy

I’m excited to be chairing a panel at Clevedon Literary Festival on Saturday 8th June. From 1.30pm until 2.30pm, I will be interviewing writers Keza O’Neill, whose story Lucky Strike placed 3rd in the 2023 Bristol Prize short story competition, and Julie Davies, winner of the inaugural Clevedon Literary Festival short story competition in 2023.

Book your tickets here for just £5 each. Bargain!

Taking place at St John’s Hall, Clevedon BS21 7XJ, the session will cover creative processes, inspiration, and how you know when you have a potentially award-winning story ready to send out into the world. We’ll talk about the impact of a prize win on your sense of yourself as a writer, as well as what these talented writers are working on now.

Find details of the whole summer festival (5th-9th June) here. There are masses of excellent talks and inspiring events taking place throughout the beautiful North Somerset coastal town across these days, as well as pockets of literary goodness throughout the year!

Your panellists

Keza O’Neill’s story ‘Lucky Strike’, a tale of thwarted rage and a commentary on the gentrification of coastal towns, recently won the Sansom Award and was awarded third place in the Bristol Short Story Prize with her story Lucky Strike. Keza has been longlisted for the Bath Short Story Award 2023, the CWA Debut Dagger 2021 and the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize 2019. Keza completed a Masters in Creative Writing in 2023 via The Open University for which she was awarded a Distinction.

Keza is a qualified Coach-Mentor and spent 12 years working in Diversity & Inclusion and Learning & Development in a global Tech company, supporting clients across 40+ countries and multiple timezones. She’s interested in the relationships between people and places and the significance of ‘home’ in shaping identity.

Julie Davies won the inaugural Clevedon Literary Festival short story competition with her story Remembrance in 2023. Her story Just Dessert was the second place winner in the Winchester Festival I Am Writing Flash Fiction Competition 2022.

Julie writes flash fiction, short stories, and poetry, and is currently working on her first novel. One of her favourites of the stories she’s written is about a Martian craterworm.

When she’s not writing, Julie enjoys time with her grandchildren, especially reading with them and encouraging their love of books. She also enjoys tending her garden, walking, visiting RSPB reserves, travelling, sewing, discussing books in her reading group, and a bit of drawing and mindful doodling whenever her mind needs a calming space.

Judy Darley photo credit Jo Mary Bulter Photography_crop Judy Darley is an award-winning writer, editor and creative workshop leader who relocated to Clevedon in December 2023. She is the author of short fiction collections The Stairs Are a Snowcapped Mountain (Reflex Press), Sky Light Rain (Valley Press) and Remember Me To The Bees (Tangent Books).

She previously judged competitions for National Flash Fiction Day UK and Oxford Flash Fiction Prize, among others, and is one of the judges for Clevedon Literary Festival Open Short Story Competition 2024. She won first prize in the New Writers UK Winter Story competition 2024 with her micro-tale A Bright Day.