Next Writing Day: Saturday 20 March 2010
Contact us to let us know if you're planning to attend, and sign up here to receive Writing Day reminders.
In Defence of Poetry debate — TONIGHT
This event is sponsored by The Poetry Business.
Should children be protected from controversial literature? Should works be studied because of their literary merit or as springboards to discuss particular issues? Should students be taught to analyse poems in order to understand their meaning or should they be asked to provide a personal response? How important should poetry be in teaching English? Who should determine the content of the school curriculum and according to what criteria? What are the roles of the poet, the critic, the teacher and the reader in upholding the importance of poetry? And what, if any, is the role of government?
The speakers at the debate will be George Szirtes, Ronan McDonald, Andrew McMillan and Michele Ledda. The debate will be chaired by Wes Brown.
Wednesday 10 March 2010, 6:15pm (for a 6:30 start) to 8:30pm
Conference Room 1, The Carriageworks, Millennium Square, Leeds, LS2 3AD
Email paul@leedssalon.org.uk if you plan to attend.
Read site visitor responses to the questions raised by the debate...
The Writing Squad is Now Recruiting
The Writing Squad is looking for fifteen motivated writers aged between sixteen and twenty who are from, live, work or study in the Yorkshire and Humber region. See here for more information.
Anna Woodford Wins Crashaw Prize
2008 Book & Pamphlet Competition winner, Anna Woodford, has just been named the winner of this year's international Crashaw Prize, run by Salt Publishing. She will have a full-length collection published in the UK, USA and Australia later this year. Anna's pamphlet, Party Piece, is still available from us.
COMING SOON FROM SMITH/DOORSTOP
A new pamphlet from John McAuliffe — A Midgie — is available this month. Read a poem from it here.
Yvonne Green's first full-length collection, The Assay, is due for publication in June, but you can pre-order copies now from here. Yvonne's first collection, Boukhara (a winner in the 2007 Book & Pamphlet Competition), is still available.
2009 Competition Winners Announced
The first-stage winners of the 2009 competition have now been decided. They are Nina Boyd, Sue Boyle, Alan Payne and Jane Aspinall.
See here for quotes from Andrew Motion on the work and the short- and long-lists.
The Rules of 100 Things
You are a reporter.
Think of something you've seen today. Describe what you saw. Remember the details that only a witness would know. Don't comment. Don't judge.
