Call for True Stories: Disruption

Detours, delays, cancellations: sometimes plans, journeys, and schedules run into unexpected disruptions. Sometimes we end up somewhere else; sometimes we arrive late or not at all. Good or bad, disruptions can lead us places beyond our imagination.

Whether you or your plans have gotten derailed, rescheduled, cancelled, or delayed, we want your story of disruptions (physical, mental, emotional) and the things that sometimes run off course on the journey from point A to point B.

Have a true story to share? Email (storiesatthestorey@gmail.com) message, tweet us to sign up for your 3-5-minute (2-4 pages A4) slot.

Not sure you're ready to read your true story? That’s fine too. Come by and listen. If you would like to share a story but want us to offer some feedback, get in touch. We can help you get your story ready.

When: Thursday, June 28, 7-8 PM

Where: Printroom Café & Bar, Lancaster

Sponsored by Graduate College

North West Literary Arts June Edition: May highlights and Theme Reveal

In this month's newsletter we share our experiences putting on a funding event and hosting our first event in London. We learned a lot. The newsletter offers some highlights and invites readers to share their insights on organizing events. We also included an invitation to join our new Facebook Group, Create. Create is a space for networking, sharing information and resources, and supporting other creatives.

We also reveal this month's theme for Stories at the Storey.

As always, if you'd like to get involved, get in touch.

Thanks for reading

North West Literary Arts May News

In this month’s newsletter, we’re talking about last month’s Stories at the Storey, upcoming events (you’re all invited), and breaking through writers’ block. Want to read this month's newsletter? May's newsletter is available to read on our Patreon site and on our Onliterary website.

Dates to remember:

May 29th: we are hosting an evening with Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi and Naomi Kruger. If you’d like to join us at our free literary salon in London, please order a free ticket via Eventbrite.

May 31: Funding Your Creativity, the Arts Council will be joining us to discuss funding your creative practice/project. The panel will include discussion of grants as well as ticketing, crowd funding, and collaborations. We have creatives joining us from a number of practices and disciplines. If you’re near Lancaster, order your free ticket via Eventbrite and contact us to make a one-to-one appointment with the Arts Councils Alison Boyle. During the one-to-one you’ll be able to talk about projects, applications, etc…

Thanks and Happy May!

North West Literary Arts News: April Edition

North West

Literary Arts

Volume 1 / Issue 7

The View from my window

Last month we shared stories loosely exploring the theme “firsts.” The stories made us laugh, think, listen, and cry.  There were stories about loss, love, acceptance, memory, family, and more. As we are each month, Naomi and I were touched by the openness, truth, trust, and generosity of each storyteller.

In the spirit of the theme, Naomi shared an exclusive reading of May. The reading left us breathless and anxious to hear more.

Last month was a first for me too. I shared drafts of my interpretation of the theme as a work-in-progress on Patreon where I will also be posting a recording of the piece.  I am hoping to share my writing journey each month. Writing is a process, by sharing mine I hope to empower other writers to create, share, and publish their own.

April’s theme is another true or false night. Storytellers do not have to tell us whether the stories they share are fiction, creative nonfiction, or hybrid pieces. I’ve already started writing mine. If you’d like to share your 3-5 minute true story in person, via email, on our website, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram let us know.

At Stories at the Storey there’s always room for one more.

What’s New?

We have some exciting upcoming events and you’re invited!

Book Launch: April 28, 7-9PM, Waterstones King Street, Lancaster: Join us as we celebrate the launch of Naomi Kruger’s, May. The event will include a reading, followed by a lively discussion and light refreshments. The event is free and all are welcome. Please order your free tickets via Eventbrite.

Interested in volunteering? We need volunteers to help the event run smoothly. Some roles could include seating guests, setting up, taking pictures, and/or social media marketing and engagement. Email us at northwestliteraryarts@gmail.com to get involved.

Funding and Developing Your Creative Writing, Practice, and/or Project: May, 2018 (TBC). Join us for a free event to discuss funding, developing, and delivering creative writing and other arts projects. This discussion aims to provide information on funding opportunities as well as providing an opportunity to network and collaborate with individuals and organizations. The event is for practitioners, writers, creators, etc... in literature, dance, music. We will also discuss crowd funding, collaborating, the Arts Council’s role as developers, match funding, and strategies to support one another to create sustainable arts. We will be joined by Alison Boyle from the Arts Council. Alison is also offering individual 10 minute one-to-one sessions to discuss Arts Council proposals and your project. If you are interested in an appointment, please contact Yvonne at northwestliteraryarts@gmail.com. Other guests to be confirmed.

How can this event be useful to you? We are organizing a collaborating/networking event a week prior so that writers and other creative practitioners have the opportunity to consider projects, explore potential collaborations, and develop relationships. If you are interested in this free event or have a suggestion about ways we can make the event more relevant, please get in touch.

London Book Launch: Join us on May 29^th for an evening of words with Jennifer Nansugba Makumbi and Naomi Kruger. Jennifer will be reading from Kintu and Naomi will be reading from May. The readings will be followed by engaging discussion, refreshments, and opportunities to have books signed.

Tips and Prompts

Not sure how to start your next writing project? This month’s tip could help. Between researching, plotting, brainstorming, and visualizing, it takes a lot of steps to go from idea to finished draft. While these can be necessary steps, they sometimes get in the way of what we set out to do: write. Whether you outline, cloud, plot, or map, if your current strategy is slowing you down, change it. How?

Just write. There is plenty of time to plot, consider, research, and edit after you get the words on the page.

1. Imagine an idea.
2. Write.

Before I start writing, I mentally listen to my characters’ voices and begin picturing them in scenes. I get to know them by imagining how they act and react, how they walk, and the boundaries they are willing to cross. So before I pick up a pen or type a word, I imagine.  

Next, I write. 

How do you start writing a piece?

Building Community, One Story at a Time

Have news to share? Let us know and we will share it either via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or email.

Twitter: @NWLitSalon

Facebook: North West Literary Salon

Email: northwestliteraryarts@gmail.com

Instagram: North West Literary Arts

Want our help with a project? Get in touch.

Thanks for reading,

Yvonne and Naomi, North West Literary Arts

Stories at the Storey Call for True Stories: March

Kisses, jobs, loves, speeding tickets; they say you never forget your first.This month's Stories at The Storey theme is "firsts" (loosely interpreted). Want to share your true story loosely exploring the theme "firsts"? Email, message, tweet us to sign up for your 5-minute slot. Not sure you're ready to read your true story? Well, they say "there's a first time for everything".

Get in touch, we can help you get your story ready.

When: Thursday, March 29. 7-8 PM

Where: Printroom Café & Bar, Lancaster

Want to share your 3-5 minute (2-4 pages A4) true story?

Email: storiesatthestorey@gmail.com to sign up for an open-mic slot.

Sponsored by Graduate College, Stories at the Storey is a pay what you decide event. Order free tickets via Eventbrite.

Good with Money and with Words? Volunteer Opening at North West Literary Arts C.I.C.

North West Literary Arts is looking for a dynamic board member to join us. If you (or someone you know) have experience in writing and managing art funding applications, accounting skills, and experience working with literary events, projects, and/or organizations, we’d love to chat about ways to grow our organization.

About Us: The Directors, Naomi Kruger and Yvonne Battle-Felton, are published writers, educators, and creative producers who are passionate about empowering emerging writers, providing platforms, and creating engaging literature-based events. Our past and current projects include performed workshops, literary salons, and a monthly true-story open mic night. We aim to increase diversity in publishing and most of our projects are aimed at writers over 30. 

We want to make literature accessible to writers from backgrounds under-represented in publishing and to engage audiences who may not currently see their stories reflected on the page.

Our mission is to build community one story at a time. We hope you’ll join us.

Please note, this is an unpaid role. To arrange a discussion about the role please email Yvonne and Naomi at northwestliteraryarts@gmail.com

Call for True Stories: January Stories at The Storey

Call for Writers, Readers, Storytellers, You

It can warm, guide, and move us; propel, protect, reveal: This month’s theme is “light” (loosely interpreted). Join us as we share true stories of light: walking with or in it, the pursuit of, the search for, the loss of, and everything in between.

Whether you are a writer, reader, storyteller, or can spin an interesting tale, we would love to hear your 3-5 minute (2-4 pages A4) true story loosely interpreting this month's theme. Have a true story to share? Message us here or email: storiesatthestorey@gmail.com to sign up for an open-mic slot.

Please note this month features the opportunity to have your true story recorded by and broadcast on Beyond Radio. As always, this is optional. If you would like to read and have your story recorded, please let us know. If you would like to read and would not like your story recorded, please let us know that as well.

The choice is yours.

Either way, we’d love to hear your true story.

When is it? The next Stories at the Storey is Thursday, January 25.  The event is 7-8 PM (Join us for drinks and refreshments at 6:30).

Where is it? Stories at the Storey is at Print Room Cafe in The Storey, Lancaster

What are we looking for? Stories at the Storey is a true story open mic night. The stories we are looking for are creative nonfiction, lifewriting, well-crafted true stories.

What is Creative Nonfiction? Creative nonfiction draws on storytelling techniques to create stories that engage readers. Create a scene for us; describe the setting, landscape (emotional, geographical, otherwise), bring your characters to life. For an example of Creative Nonfiction, read Truman Capote's In Cold Blood or Creative Nonfiction magazine.

Tips:

The most engaging stories are practiced. Whether you memorize your story, read it from a screen, or read it from a notebook, practice reading your story out loud.

Remember you have 3-5 minutes; that's about 2-4 sheets of A4. Your story will be concise. It doesn't have to connect all of the dots for us.

Engage us, invite us in to your world.

Relax: we want to hear your story as much as you want to share it.

So sign up for your slot and get writing!