Showcase aims to gather writing riches for festival
OUR borough is blessed with a plethora of excellent creative writers, including published, performing, storytellers and poets such as Seamus Kelly, Robin Parker and Eileen Earnshaw.
We also have across Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale many very active hives of outstanding literary creativity such as Touchstones Creative Writing Group, Langley Writers and Weaving Words.
On Sunday, October 20, The Rochdale Literature and Ideas Festival 2019 [RLIF19] Writers Showcase will see the very best of these local writers, storytellers, poets and songwriters sharing selected pieces of original work that explore the
concept of Identity.
They will be joined by stage and TV actress, entertainer and social activist, our very own Sue Devaney.
The Writer’s Showcase is now in its fourth year as part of the Rochdale Literature and Ideas Festival and will for the first time be held in the iconic setting of St Mary in the Baum.
The event’s lighting, sound and visuals will be supported by young people of the SWCT Technical Team.
The RLIF19 Writers Showcase will be preceded by a workshop led by Steve Cooke and Seamus Kelly at which creative writers from across the borough will be invited to share the best of their work, exploring the theme of Identity and to plan the final programme for the showcase.
The preparatory workshop will be held at St Mary in the Baum on Thursday 20 September, from 5.30pm to 9pm.
It is noticeable that this very successful event is not yet fully representative of the rich diverse cultural heritage of our borough.
Plans are underway to rectify this by inviting writers, storytellers, poets and songwriters from such as the BAME and LGBTQ communities to participate in both the workshop and showcase.
In the first instance some may be ready and able to take part in the workshop and perform at the event and others maybe to take a more observational role at the event itself as members of the audience.
Hopefully this will act as a catalyst for bringing together members of our diverse communities to share their stories, poems and songs and to support each other in developing their skills. creative writing