Hello and welcome to the Winchester Writers' Conference website

2010 Conference: 25th - 27th June
Weeklong Workshops: 28th June - 2nd July

'mind-opening, refreshing, fun, friendly, inspiring, simply the best'

Honorary Patrons
Dame Beryl Bainbridge
Baroness James of Holland Park
Jacqueline Wilson OBE
Maureen Lipman
Colin Dexter OBE

Welcome to the Big 30th Winchester Writers' Conference, Festival and Bookfair

Stop Press!

Small But Perfectly Formed - Writing a Short, Short-Story
Click here to read the short, short story written by the members of John Gilbey's Mini-Course.


Young Writers' Poetry Competition
Sponsored by Marwell Wildlife
Nearly 800 entries were received and are now being adjudicated by Keith Bennett, well known Hampshire poet, who founded the New Forest Poetry Society. Winners will receive family tickets to Marwell. For further details about Marwell Wildlife please click here.

How better could we celebrate our Big 30th Winchester Writers' Conference, Festival and Bookfair than to welcome Sir Terry Pratchett, OBE, Carol Ann Duffy, Poet Laureate, and Robert Goddard, renowned author of more than 20 books to lead the glittering line-up of 65 authors, poets, playwrights, producers, literary agents, commissioning editors and industry specialists who dedicate themselves to supporting fledgling and published writers at this international event.

We are bursting with talented writers. You will enjoy writers as diverse as Judith Allnatt, whose second novel, The Poet's Wife, was published in January by Transworld, Beverley Birch, Senior Commissioning Editor for Hodder Children's Books whose mystery thriller, Siri, will be published by Egmont this year, Caroline Taggart, editor of many popular reference books including My Grammar and I, Sam North, author of Mean Tide and Another Place to Die, Paul Bryers, writer, filmmaker and author of a children's series, The Mysteries of the Septagram, Rose Elliot, Britain's foremost vegetarian cookery writer, Debby Holt, whose Recipe for Scandal was published in January, Jack Sheffield's latest novel, Village Teacher which will follow his first three books into the international market and June Hampson, whose sixth gritty gangster saga will be published by Orion this year.

Come for a day: stay for a week, to learn how to advance your writing and marketing skills during your choice of 43 workshops, 60 lectures and 500 one-to-one appointments. Re-structure your novel, harness ideas for poems, write scripts for a radio or television play, discuss the techniques of writing for children or pitch your polished work to literary agents and commissioning editors who are searching for new talent.

Enter the 18 writing competitions, sixty-seven prizes, five trophies and 110 certificates will be awarded at the Writers' Awards Reception, Saturday, 26 June, 1830-1945, The Stripe, to which everyone is welcome. Each entry will receive an adjudication that will help revision. The first place winning entries will be printed in the conference anthology, The Best of 2010. An excellent way to have your work noticed professionally. Please note that the deadline for entries is Friday, 4 June with the exception of the Short Story, Shorter Short Story, First Three Pages of the Novel and Retirement Competitions which have Friday, May 28 as the deadline.

More than a hundred writers have now reported major publishing successes as a direct result of their attendance at our past conferences. Five will briefly talk about their successes at the Plenary Session, 0900-1000 Saturday 26 June, the Stripe.

New this year is the Writers, Agents and Editors Panel on Friday 25 June, 0730-1000 pm in The Vault, University Centre Building, which will be open to all writers. Plan your questions for this intrepid team. Later at 1030 the Midnight Read will commence in The Vault where speakers and delegates are invited to read excerpts from their published or unpublished short stories, novels, poems or plays or offer performance poetry under the leadership of an appointed chairman. Write your name on the flip chart in the Bookfair, The Stripe, to book your place.

Many previous delegates have praised the excellence of the lectures, workshops and one-to-one appointments as well as the comfortable facilities, adding how enjoyable it is to meet and to exchange ideas with others who have the same compelling interests, even during the Midnight Read!

Enjoy the Writers' Awards Dinner, Saturday 26th June, 8 - 11pm in the University Centre. Master of Ceremonies, Mr Derek Drew. After Dinner Speaker, Jack Sheffield. Music, Janina Bywater.
Prize Draw: First prize: free place at the 31st Winchester Writers' Conference and book prizes galore! Book prizes courtesy of Countryside Books and Transworld Publishers Ltd. A pdf version of the Conference Programme may be accessed by clicking here.

Forthcoming events have been posted, which include a spendid day course, How to Self-Publish Your Book, on Friday, May 7th, 2010 and Friday September 17th 2010 in the boardroom of CPI Antony Rowe Limited, Chippenham, one of the UK's largest book production specialists. Not only will we consider the editorial content, the extant pages and the layout of your book, but also we will take a tour through the factory floor to illustrate the various options of book size, binding, colour and covers now available either digitally or by using the lithographic process. To give everyone the attention they deserve, numbers are limited to eight writers per session.

In April, 2010, we are planning The Great Novel Workshop in Mallorca. Email me for details.

For now, I wish you continued success with your writing. I look forward immensely to hearing your writing news and to welcoming you to our next events.

Barbara Large MBE FRSA HFUW
barbara.large@winchester.ac.uk
Founder-Director Winchester Writers' Conference

To read more about Barbara Large, please click here

please note the terms and conditions on page 32 of the Conference Programme when applying

Proud sponsors of 2010 Mini Courses & Workshops

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