Sarah Sheridan at Write Now 2012

Another guest post from Jacob McLean, this one about Sara Sheridan and her quest to cure writers everywhere of Technophobia. Sara is running her workshop on the 9th of March; this session can be booked as part of the conference package or as an individual session for 15 pounds (12 for concessions). 

Sara Sheridan: Your Book Needs You

Many writers are afraid of technology. (Science fiction is pretty much a genre dedicated to that fear.) Bestselling Sara Sheridan was no different. That is, until the “Great Geek” taught her some virtual tricks. A GoogleSite, a Twitter account, a Facebook page, and a LinkedIn account later, Ms. Sheridan was converted. The importance of adapting to these new technologies goes beyond self-promotion, she says. “Net neutrality is probably the most vital issue for freedom of speech online and should be at the top of any writer's agenda. Most don't even know what that means (it's that the fastest broadband speeds might be chargeable at a rate well beyond small scale bloggers or individuals). If net neutrality is abandoned, individual voices will download so slowly that they would be unheard. This has huge implications for writers, yet in the writing community net neutrality is largely unspoken.” Sara will look to orient us within this new, exciting digital landscape. Whether it’s self-publicity or the protection of our rights, these battles are, increasingly, taking place online. Let Sara get you up to speed with what is required of writers in the 21st century. For more information about Sara Sheridan, follow this link. 

You can book by phone 0141 548 3511 during normal business hours, or via this link: http://onlineshop.strath.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&catid=19&modid=2&prodid=113&deptid=157&prodvarid=0.

You can follow Sara Sheridan on Twitter: @sarasheridan

Last Chance To Get Your Abstracts In - Write Now

Last chance to enter papers and readings for Write Now 2012
The call for paper closes at noon on Thursday 15th December


Readings may consist of a number of poems or 1-2 short works of fiction / literary journalism and may be on any topic and in any style but must last no longer than 6 minutes.

Creative writing is as diverse and varied as those who practice it, so there are no topics or themes to be adhered to.  We are as eager to hear from new voices as established names in the field.  All we ask is that you are passionate about your writing / research and you can transmit that enthusiasm with a presentation of between 15 and 20 minutes.

Send proposal abstracts of not more than 300 words and creative pieces accompanied by a brief bio to: bryony.stocker@strath.ac.uk

For more information go to http://flavors.me/writenow#72f/twitter

Another Rallying Call: deadline for abstracts 8/4/11

‘Write Now!’
1 Day Post Graduate Creative Writing Conference
Strathclyde University, Glasgow
Friday 3rd June 2011

Critical papers and practice based presentations (a reading balanced by a critical element) are invited for the one day creative writing conference to be held in the heart of Glasgow.  Topics for presentations may include, but are not limited to:
• Language: found, reinvented or rediscovered
• Dialects: historical or modern
• Genre Fiction
• Emerging trends in fiction, poetry, drama and journalism

Creative Writing, Journalism and English postgraduates and scholars are invited to explore creative writing in the broadest possible terms considering genre, technique, language, historical development, impact and performance.  This conference aims to allow postgraduates and scholars to share their research and creative output but also to foster a community of writers and researchers interested in the many facets of creative writing.

               © Steve Lindridge
Keynote speaker Louise Welsh is the award winning author of The Cutting Room (2002) and most recently Naming the Bones (2010). She is also a successful playwright and is currently writer in residence for The University of Glasgow & Glasgow School of Art.

Readings may consist of a number of poems or 1-2 short works of fiction / literary journalism and may be on any topic and in any style.

Confirmed readers include:  Poet, linguist and Reader in English Studies David Kinloch who will read from his forthcoming collection Finger of a Frenchman (April 2011).  Somerset Maugham Award winning novelist and Creative Writing lecturer Rodge Glass will perform new work.  Award winning investigative journalist and Director of the Strathclyde University Innocence Project Eamonn O’Neill will give us an exclusive sneak peek into his forthcoming novel The Last Court of Appeal. Helen Fitzgerald (Aussie now living as a Weegie, novelist, ex-Social Worker, and many other things besides) will read from The Donor (July 2011), her latest novel.

Presentations 20 minutes
Readings 10 minutes (maximum)

Send proposal abstracts of not more than 300 words and creative pieces accompanied by a brief bio to: bryony.stocker@strath.ac.uk

Closing Date for Submissions: Friday 8th April 2011

Applications can be made via our online shop at http://onlineshop.strath.ac.uk click on the Humanities and Social Sciences link under Conferences and Events.  You will find our conference here with an online application.  Alternatively, please complete the application form available on our website http://www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/conferences and return with the fee of £10 per delegate.
The closing date for applications to attend is the 20th of May.

Organiser: Bryony Stocker, University of Strathclyde - bryony.stocker@strath.ac.uk
Promoter: Mary McDonough, University of Strathclyde - maryfmcdonough@me.com
Find us on the web at - http://flavors.me/writenow and follow us on Twitter

The Donor

We have another confirmed reader for Write Now on 3/6/11: Helen FitzGerald. She writes "comic noir" novels in which bad things happen to good people as well as to bad people. She was the last author in the Visiting Authors series of talks Doug Johnstone organised at the Ramshorn Theatre for this year on 30/3/11. She read just enough from her upcoming novel, The Donor (out in July 2011), and talked about her process as a writer, and why she needs contact with other people/writers to keep focussed and to keep going. The Donor is about a single, bumbling but well-intentioned, Dad to twin teenaged girls who finds himself in an impossible situation. There is apparently a lot of wine involved in his decision-making process....


Helen is all OVER the Web, and needs you to be her friend, because "writers need input" and audiences.


http://www.faber.co.uk/author/helen-fitzgerald/
http://helenfitzgerald.posterous.com/
Befriend her on Facebook http://tinyurl.com/3b6d5ac
or follow her on Twitter: @FitzGeraldHelen


Come meet her and hear more about The Donor for yourself on the 3rd of June. You can now register to attend on-line; http://tinyurl.com/43sjsoz takes you directly to the University of Strathclyde on-line shop. 


There is still time to send an abstract too, and we would love to hear from you: 


http://bit.ly/CFPDOC
http://bit.ly/CFPPDF

The Last Court of Appeal

Eamonn O'Neill will be reading from his forthcoming novel, The Last Court of Appeal, on 3/6/11, at the Write Now Creative Writing Conference at the University of Strathclyde. Eammon is a lecturer in Journalism at the University of Stathclyde, works as investigative journalist, and has previously authored 3 non-fiction works. Apart from being rather illustrious company, Eamonn also likes a good chin-wag (source who refused to be named; I'm prepared to remain silent, since I retain my 5th Amendment rights). There is still time to send Bryony Stocker an abstract; please see the CFP (in either PDF or Word format). We also welcome volunteers for a free reading of works in progress taking place in the evening after the conference is over.


http://bit.ly/CFPDOC
http://bit.ly/CFPPDF


Eamonn chirps as @EamonnONeill on Twitter; you can follow him there or subscribe to his site http://www.eamonnoneill.com for regular updates.