A CELEBRATION OF WRITING

The inaugural Bournemouth Writing Festival will take place in April, with a smorgasbord of professional authors and industry experts, including writers, journalists, editors, screenwriters, poets and comic book writers, on-hand to help with every part of their writing journey, writes Gary Dalkin.

Bournemouth has associations with a whole host of well-known authors, including Mary Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson, JRR Tolkien, Sir Frederick Hoyle, Bram Stoker and Frederick E. Smith, and the Bournemouth Writing Festival will offer a mix of talks, walks, workshops, panels and networking events where professional authors will help and nurture writers to spark their imagination. Other events will include Writing on The Beach, a poetry hunt, and genre breakfasts.

From novice novelists needing help to get going to those deciding whether to self-publish or pursue the traditional agent route, a wealth of advice and discussion will be available.

Festival co-founder Dominic Wong said: ‘The speakers come mainly from our local writing community and are passionate about helping budding or more seasoned writers to improve and progress in their writing. The response we’ve had has been incredible and we look forward to announcing the full programme with tickets going on sale in the New Year.’

Festival co-founder Ildiko SpinFisher said: ‘Dorset is famous for its literary links and we are finding so many talented and enthusiastic writers and authors in the area that it’s time to put Bournemouth back on the literary map. Our fun activities aim to connect local writers to create a thriving writing community.’

The Bournemouth Writing Festival takes place over the weekend of 21-23 April in venues in the town centre.

Find out more at www. BournemouthWritingFestival. co.uk. If you’d like to get involved or have an enquiry, email: bournemouthwritingfestival@gmail.com. Follow on Twitter: @BmthWritingFest, Facebook: @BournemouthWritingFestival