29 May 2020
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Are you missing the literary festival season? Bring the authors into your home with two upcoming online festivals
Virtual Writers’ Weekend, 9-12 July
Originally just Writers' Weekend, Winchester, the Virtual Writers' Weekend brings together 65 literary agents, commissioning editors and published authors giving nineteen talks, eighteen workshops and over 800 one-to-one appointments to give supportive feedback on writing submissions.
Literary agents and commissioning editors from Northbank Talent Management, Penguin Randomhouse, Curtis Brown, Macmillan Children’s Books, Greene and Heaton, The Bright Agency, Bookouture, Skylark Literary, Bell Lomax Moreton, Watson Little, Jo Fletcher Books and more, are keen to see new writing. And published authors, including Chitra Soundar, Phoebe Morgan, Susmita Bhattacharya, Claire Fuller and Patrice Lawrence will share their knowledge with the aim of helping writers to reach their writing goals.
Keynotes given by best-selling authors Eoin Colfer and Lissa Evans will be followed by audience Q&A. There will also be two panels; Author/Agent/Publisher panel and Pitching Panel, plus author readings by Jasper Fforde, Nick Barlay and debut author Kate Bradley. Attendees can engage with other writers, literary agents and published authors in workshops, virtual Braindate knowledge-sharing small-group or one-to-one conversations, and receive peer feedback in peer-to-peer Writing Circles. There will be open mics on both Friday and Saturday night where writers can read to an international audience.
Jericho Writers Summer Festival of Writing, 1 June-5 September
Every year since 2010, over 300 writers have travelled to York, England to attend Jericho Writers' Festival of Writing. This year, they're going digital. Bringing you their biggest and best festival yet, live in your living room.
Running all summer, from 1 June to 5 September, the Summer Festival of Writing will be completely digital, featuring 60+ online events, 100+ hours of workshops, talks and advice from bestselling authors, big 5 and indie publishers, top agents and editors. Guest speakers include Neil Gaiman, Sophie Hannah, Chris Riddell, Clare Mackintosh and Adam Croft, and representatives of Amazon, Harper Collins, Bookouture, Galley Beggar and Picador.
Not to mention Friday Night Live - a career launching event. Sixteen writers will be chosen to present their work to literary agents live, joining the ranks of Friday Night Live alumni Joanna Cannon and Shelley Harris.
The festival is also offering thirty bursaries for under-represented authors.
So whether you’re just starting to write or have a manuscript ready for submission, the Summer Festival of Writing could be life-changing.