Leave a Comment · Posted on May 9, 2021
Canalworks Project
Calling people of Sheffield and nearby with an interest in the stretch of canal between Sheffield and Tinsley – whether you live nearby, like to walk there, love wildlife and water, or are interested in its history – join Sheffield Poet Laureate, Warda Yassin, for a jaunt along the canal and a bit of creative writing and thinking along the way!
Warda will be collecting inspiration for a poem she’s writing to be displayed along the canal later this year. A selection of work from the Canalworks workshops will feature in a blog post by Warda. No experience of writing needed, or knowledge of the canal (but great if you do have any stories or info to bring along and share!)
Open to adults (& 13 to 17s with an adult).
Workshop and walk 2-4pm Sunday 6th June starting from Victoria Quays Sheffield
(There may be another walk so get in touch anyway if you can’t make this date)
Let us know you’re joining us as soon as possible to: wardayassin@hivesouthyorkshire.com
Warda will also be delivering workshops with young women from the Mixing Roots project and Sheffield Young Writers in June.
A partnership between The Poetry Society & The Canal and River Trust
Warda Yassin is an award-winning British born Somali poet and secondary school teacher based in Sheffield. She was a winner of the 2018 New Poets Prize for her debut pamphlet Tea with Cardamom (Poetry Business, published 2019). Her poetry has been published in places like The North, Magma and Oxford Poetry, and anthologised in Verse Matters (Valley Press), Anthology X (Smith|Doorstep), Halfway Smile & Surfing the Twilight (Hive). From October 2020 she will be taking on the role of Sheffield Poet Laureate.
Warda has been commissioned as a poet and delivered poetry workshops. She is currently running the Mixing Roots project for young people of colour with Hive South Yorkshire. She has performed at various festivals and open mic nights including Ilkley Festival, Off the Shelf Festival of Words and Verse Matters, and has read with talents such as Hollie McNish, Jean Binta Breeze and Kayo Chingonyi.
Leave a Comment · Posted on March 14, 2021
Write for TV Opportunity for 18-30s
Calling young creatives 18 to 30 in Rotherham and nearby…
Do you want to try WRITING FOR TV?
Sky Writes is a partnership between Sky Studios and New Writing North to support under-represented writers from Rotherham, and nearby, to develop their ideas and skills in Writing for Television. Hive is helping to signpost this brilliant opportunity of a FREE taster workshop with writer Afshan D’souza-Lodhi for writers 18 to 30.
The workshop will cover some of the basics of writing for TV including plot, character and dialogue, plus how to find your unique voice as a writer and tell the stories YOU want to see on screen. The session will be friendly and relaxed, with no need to have any previous experience of scriptwriting. Just bring yourself – and something to write with!
Attendees will also find out about, and be invited to apply for, the full Sky Writes programme taking place in Summer/Autumn – including free workshops, masterclasses and mentoring to help develop your ideas.
When: Monday 26th April, 6pm – 7.30pm (over Zoom)
Priority will be for young writers from Rotherham but we’re keen to hear from anyone interested living in Doncaster, Barnsley and Sheffield too.
To sign up: fill out this form
This is 1 of 4 taster/introduction workshops from Sky Writes supported by Hive. There is also one specifically for women, with a particular focus on making this a welcoming space for vulnerable or isolated women, women with English as an additional language, and women from the LGBTQIA+ community)
For more information visit the Sky Writers page
If you’d like to ask any questions or have a chat about accessibility requirements, please do get in touch with Stacey Sampson (Programme Producer) on skywritesrotherham@mail.com
Afshan D’souza-Lodhi was born in Dubai and bred in Manchester. She is a writer of plays and poetry, and was recently commissioned to write and direct a short film for Channel 4 (An Act of Terror) and a radio play for BBC Sounds (Chop Chop). Her debut poetry collection ‘re: desire’ (Burning Eye Books) came out in June 2020 during the lockdown. Her most recent play, Santi & Naz, described as “tender yet sharply political” by The Guardian, puts female friendship against the backdrop of the partition of India and Pakistan.
As well as her own writing, afshan is keen to develop other younger and emerging artists and sits on the boards of Manchester Literature Festival and Pie Radio. afshan also sits on the steering committee for Northern Police Monitoring Project, an independent campaigning and advocacy organisation that challenges police harassment and violence. @afshandl www.afshandl.com
Leave a Comment · Posted on March 4, 2021
Writing One-page Wonders
Writing One-page Wonders: Stories in the blink of an eye
Imagine writing a story as tiny as a sparrow. A story that lands on your hand for a few seconds before taking off again — but leaves your skin tingling for ages afterwards. That’s what flash fiction is all about. Flashes are very short stories that often fit only a page, but stay in your head for years.
In this fast-paced, fun and informative workshop, flash fiction writer and poet Dave Swann will use inspiring flash stories and exercises to encourage you to create some great first draft ideas.
Dave will also give you the lowdown on the booming and democratic world of flash fiction and suggest places where you can send your writing out to for publication. And he’ll pass on tips for developing your work so that you can enjoy the process, not only of dreaming up first drafts, but, of making your writing go further, deeper and higher!
Date: Sunday 18th April 11am (two 75 minute sessions with a short dinner break)
Where: Zoom (cameras off after check-in welcome)
Suitable for 15 to 30 years – all experience levels and interests welcome across South Yorkshire & nearby north.
Tickets £3.50 (if cost is an issue, let us know)
Places limited, to reserve a place: info@hivesouthyorkshire.com
David Swann is a short story writer and poet. His collection, The Privilege of Rain (Waterloo Press, 2010) was shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award. Dave started out as a journalist, covering Accrington Stanley’s matches for the local rag. His stories, flashes, and poems have won many awards, including eight successes at the Bridport Prize and two in the National Poetry Competition. David is a Senior Lecturer in English & Creative Writing at the University of Chichester.
Hive Young Writers’ Days & Workshops
Hive Young Writers’ Days & Workshops are a chance for young writers, whatever your interest and ability, to develop your writing with support from professional writers, while meeting other young writers, and getting involved in Hive’s wider young writers’ network.
Leave a Comment · Posted on March 3, 2021
Our Streets: Unmasked
Commission Opportunity
Calling budding fiction writers! We’re excited to offer a fiction writing micro-commission to a small number of young writers (aged 17 to 30) inspired by documenting and exploring the changing faces of the places we live as they take off their masks and wake from their lockdown slumber.
Our streets and neighbourhoods, the places we live in, have personalities and characters, and all of them, over this past year, have been affected– it’s like we’ve been socially distancing from them as much as people, and we don’t quite recognise them anymore. But they’re going to be changing again soon. The smiling shopfronts will soon be welcoming us in; the open arms of our favourite cafes and restaurants will invite us to sit and chat over noodles or cake. Libraries will feel like somewhat exciting places to hang out. Our parks might be just as noisy, if not more, but how we interact in them will change too. As will our high streets and the streets we live on. They will be ours again.
The brief…
We want to commission fiction pieces that reflect the changing faces of a street, shopping hub, or community of your choice, as they ease out of lockdown with us.
You’ll visit your chosen location on three dates and gather inspiration for three short pieces reflecting something of these changes in your narrative/s.
The dates:
- 16th March – we’re still in the silence of lockdown and the streets and shops are lonely
- 12th April – the shops and high streets are open, and our places are talking again
- 20th May – social contact is allowed again! For the first time since before Christmas
Your pieces can be interconnected by characters and themes, or just by place. They might be one story told in three parts, or over three different periods of time. For inspiration, you might take photos, record audio on your smartphone, or chat to a shopkeeper. You might sit in a café, when it’s possible again, and see the you from your first visit walking past the window. The world is your oyster!
Chosen micro-commissions
You’ll receive advice and editorial guidance, a small fee (known when the number of commissions is decided) and, you’ll have your work made into a podcast! This is a great opportunity for fledgling writers, interested in a creative challenge and focus, to get support, and have something great for CVs, and to develop future interests in writing.
Deadline for applications: As soon as possible (cut off 12 midnight 12th March)
Send us… a sample of your fiction writing (up to 800 words) and a brief proposal (200 words max) including where you think you’d like to set your work and why. And how you might tackle the commission and what interests you about it. We are looking for each piece to be around 600 to 1000 words (but this is not set in stone!)
Send to: fiction@hivesouthyorkshire.com with your name, age, the town you live in, whether you’re connected to any writing groups or organisations, and the subject line: Streets unmasked
If you’re outside of South Yorkshire, but in the not too distant north and really want to pitch, go on then, we’d still love to hear from you.
Photos courtesy of Tim Dennell
Leave a Comment · Posted on February 23, 2021
WordHatch Doncaster
Aged 14 to 19 in Doncaster with a creative itch to scratch!? (Newsflash: we still have room for a few more!)
WordHatch is a taster programme of relaxed, fun and free creative writing workshops for young people in Doncaster.
You don’t have to think you’re a great writer to attend. Everyone is welcome from those with a hobby interest in writing or words, to those who dream of being a writer.
We’d particularly love to hear from anyone who might be feeling a bit isolated at the moment, or in need of a creative wellbeing boost!
Sessions will be aimed at sparking ideas through fun writing exercises and building confidence, and creative skills and interests, in writing (and not about spelling, punctuation and grammar!)
We also want to encourage more young people from Doncaster into the Hive young writers’ network (we are a lovely bunch!)
And, to top things off, at the end of the project we’ll be publishing a little book from WordHatch with your work in it!
Running the sessions will be writers Vicky Morris (and sometimes Nik Perring). Both have worked for many years with younger writers building skills and confidence, and both have loads of great ideas and ways to get you writing! They’ll also tell you more about opportunities open to young writers aged 14+ in the region and beyond.
We hope the project will feed into a new Doncaster Young Writers group (which has been on hiatus for too long!).
Interested? (go on, you know you want to!)
The programme will have a limited number of places to keep things supportive on Zoom, so do get in touch soon 🙂
Email: info@hivesouthyorkshire.com with your name, age, and writing interests with ‘WordHatch Doncaster’ in the subject
Starts: Saturday March 6th 11.30am to 1.15pm (1.45 hours) and runs for 5 weeks (we might change this to an evening in the week after a chat with the group)
Where: On Zoom! Participants are welcome to turn cameras off after check-in. Safeguarding will be in place and parents will be required to fill in a brief form.
WordHatch is a series of creative writing taster programmes aimed at reducing isolation, and building connections, confidence and wellbeing through the transformative power of words! Kindly supported by South Yorkshire Community Foundation, Well Doncaster, St Leger Homes Doncaster, New College Doncaster & The National Lottery Local Connections Fund.
Leave a Comment · Posted on January 31, 2021
Lauren at Kendal Poetry Festival
We’re delighted that Hive young poet, Lauren Hollingsworth Smith, is reading from her debut upcoming poetry pamphlet, Ugly Bird (The Poetry Business) at the Kendal Poetry Festival on Saturday 28th February alongside fellow New Poet Prize winners Lucy Holt and Gboyega Odubanjo.
The festival will take place on Zoom from Friday 19th to Sunday 28th February 2021. From early morning writing workshops with the festival directors, through to evening events with international poetry stars, every day is packed with readings, talks, open mics, panel discussions, talks, stage shows and more.
Festival directors, Kim Moore and Clare Shaw on the festival:
Though we can’t be together in Kendal this year, our festival retains its local flavour, as our Guerrilla Poetry project brings poetry into the heart of the town centre. And young people are still at the core of our festival – members of Dove Cottage Young Poets will perform alongside our guest poets, and the festival features a Young Poet, Young Musician and Young Blogger in Residence – and in 2021, our first Young Artist in Residence.
These are difficult, distant times, but poetry brings us together. Whether it’s your first time at our festival or whether you’ve been before, whether you’re in Kendal or Canada, Windermere or Wisconsin, we’re happy to have you with us.
Tickets range from £0 to £5 for readings, and £16.50 to £45 for workshops. There are a limited number of £60 festival passes are also available, giving access to all events, excluding workshops.
For everything Kendal Poetry Festival visit www.kendalpoetryfestival.co.uk
Leave a Comment · Posted on January 10, 2021
Hive Online Fiction programme
Hive Fiction programme for writers (17-30s) – take your writing to the next level
Writing can be a lonely and a tricky business to navigate, whether you’re starting out or have been at it a while. It’s difficult to know where to get feedback, or if what you’re writing makes the grade. And then there’s what to do with a story once you’ve finished.
If you’re an aspiring short story writer, or novelist, keen to take your craft to the next level, Hive is running an online fiction starting Tuesday 2nd February 2021, offering an immersive set of six workshops to help, inspire and guide you to getting where you want to be with your writing.
Join prize-winning author, editor, and short story writer, Nik Perring, for all things fiction, and:
- Write – through a range of exercises you’ll generate great ideas leading to great short fiction you will want to polish and send to magazines and journals
- Identify and work towards your writing goals
- Focus on the mechanics of fiction writing such as creating compelling and believable characters, convincing dialogue and description, and strong plots
- Learn how to edit your work to make it publication-ready. The tricks of identifying the small changes that can turn something good into something brilliant
- Receive one-to-one feedback on work and tips and insights into publishing routes and opportunities
Who’s it for?
The programme is for young and emerging fiction writers, aged 17 to 30. Our focus is normally South Yorkshire but, as the programme is on Zoom, we are happy to hear from writers from further afield who would like to take their writing further. We’re always keen to hear from people who feel like they wouldn’t normally access this kind of opportunity too.
You might lack direction, sticking power, or confidence. You might have a project you want to get stuck into, or want to sharpen your skills, or focus on honing your work, or just having a regular reason to write. All levels, genres and interests welcome.
Intro session Tuesday 2nd February 6.30 to 8.30pm – Then weekly sessions on Tuesdays or Thursdays (depending on group interest)
Cost: £30 for six sessions, a one-to-one tutorial, and feedback. If cost is a barrier, please let us know in your application. Places are limited.
Why so cheap? The programme is subsidised as a way to reach new people at this difficult time, and remove barriers to developing as a writer.
To Apply: Send up to to 4xA4 pages of work (but no pressure if you don’t have much to send), and up to 300 words saying what your interests are, where you are with your writing, and how you’d like the programme to help (also include your age, date of birth, town you live in and postcode) – by midnight 27th Jan 2021 to fiction@hivesouthyorkshire.com
Nik Perring is a short story writer and the author of five books. His work has appeared in many fine places all over the world including Smokelong, Word Riot, 3 :AM Magazine, Across the Margin, and Short Fiction Journal. It’s also been read on the radio, performed on the stage, printed on fliers and appeared, with Dave Eggars’, on a High School Distance Learning course in the US.
Nik is also an editor, mentor, and a teacher of writing, working with both adults and young people, everywhere from primary schools and high schools to universities and the BBC. He’s a key facilitator for Hive South Yorkshire and was Writer in Residence for Sheffield Libraries’ year of Reading 2020.
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Leave a Comment · Posted on January 8, 2021
Hive & Sheffield Year of Reading 2020
One of things we love to do the most at Hive is reach out and work with great partners. THrough 2020 Hive’s own Nik Perring has been enjoying the role of Writer-in-Residence for Sheffield Libraries’ Year of Reading.
We had many activities planned to work with young people in Sheffield for this exciting programme of events but, like for everyone else, we’ve had to adapt what we’ve been able to deliver. Sometimes that’s meant rescheduling things, other times we’ve been able to move into something digital. While that was a little scary and unknown, it’s something we’ve embraced and something that’s been very fruitful. It’s certainly shown us that we’ll definitely be doing more online delivery in future.
Digitally, Nik ran many workshops for young people, from schools to community groups – including masterclasses; writing for competitions; adventuring into writing for the libraries’ Adventure Festival, and looking at how to be a professional writer. There was reflection and roleplay, rules and rebellion.
We’re also worked on two publications with the Children in Care Council, The Can in Can’t, and an end of year intergenerational project, Dear 2021, in association with the BBC’s Novels that Changed the World.
Nik says, ‘The coolest thing about these workshops was the opportunity to work with young writers new to the network. It’s great showing them what they can do with the talents they already have, as well as what the Library Service and Hive can offer them.’
We were thrilled with how the sessions and projects went and it was wonderful to see so many new faces who were able to attend including those living a little further afield.
Stay tuned to see what’s coming up, and visit the Sheffield Libraries’ page here
“I genuinely enjoyed how there was different exercises to look at different things and I also liked how I was introduced to new pieces of writing. I also never thought about using images as inspiration which is something I will be doing from now on.”
“I really enjoyed the variety of different prompts in this workshop and the feedback given was great.”
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Hive have been delighted to support Sheffield Library’s Year of Reading 2020 as part of its young people’s strand of activity including the Hive New Writer Prize – for 14-19 years and part of the Love Sheffield Writing competition.
Sheffield Year of Reading 2020 is a 12 month, citywide celebration of creativity and the written word. Reading is the key that unlocks the door to life’s riches. It helps us feel better, discover more, and unleash our individual creativity.
This year people from across our city came together in libraries, schools, museums, parks, and then a lot of living rooms and bedrooms, to share the simple joy of words. It was literary and silly, it was big and small, it was on the page and in our computer speakers.
More on Sheffield Year of Reading
Leave a Comment · Posted on January 5, 2021
Using Philosophical Enquiry to Spark Creative Writing
How can philosophical enquiry lead to creativity, and particularly, new writing ideas and approaches?
Join us for a practical workshop with writer and facilitator, Rosie Carnall, who will encourage you to try out philosophical techniques, sparked by creative writing, to open up new channels for your own writing.
If you like writing and know nothing about philosophy but are curious, this is a workshop for you!
FREE
When: Wed 20th Jan 5 to 7pm | Zoom
Who for: aged 14 to 19 & we also hope to do something for 19-30s at a later date so do get in touch if that’s you!
Booking: info@hivesouthyorkshire.com
Rosie Carnall is a creative facilitator, based in Sheffield, who uses Philosophy for Communities with people of all ages to get them thinking, talking and writing creatively. Rosie has an MA in Creative Writing from Sheffield Hallam University and a novel in progress. She’s also a Creative Mentor with children’s literary charity, Grimm & Co.
Leave a Comment · Posted on December 17, 2020
Putting together a poetry pamphlet masterclass
Young Poets Masterclass: Putting together a poetry pamphlet for submission
Sunday 31st Jan – 11.00 to 3/3.30pm on Zoom.
Application deadline: Midnight saturday 16th January 2021
Are you a young poet between the ages of 17 and 30? Do you have a number of strong poems that you’d like to shape into a pamphlet submission for the New Poets Prize Poetry Business pamphlet competition, or another submission, but feel unsure how to go about it?
Hive have teamed up again with purveyors of fine contemporary poetry, The Poetry Business, to offer an intensive writing and editing masterclass for young poets in the north at a stage where they would like to take their poetry further.
This is an exciting opportunity to look at shaping a body of work and gain advice and guidance from poet and New Poets Prize editor, Suzannah Evans. Vicky Morris, who’s mentored several New Poets winners from Hive, will also be there to give tips and answer questions.
The intensive two-part workshop (with a break) will involve some warm-up writing exercises, looking at existing pamphlets and discussing the editing and ordering of poems. You’ll consider how you can strengthening and building on a potential pamphlet submission, wherever you’re thinking of submitting to.
In the run-up to the masterclass, participants will be posted out a Poetry Business Pamphlet, which they will be asked to read, and feedback on as part of the session’s activities. Expect a fast paced, supportive and easy-going atmosphere.
For more about the New Poets Award (deadline 1st March 2021), click here.
Who can apply?
Priority will be given to poets aged 17 to 24 years of age on 1st March 2020 (the deadline for the New Poets Prize), and living, or with a home address, in Yorkshire or the nearby north (inc. Derbyshire, NW Lincolnshire & Manchester). If that’s not you, but you are interested in this opportunity, do drop us a line anyway in case there is still room or we can signpost you to further opportunities in future). We’re also happy to hear from poets 25 to 30 (again subject to space).
If you are unsure whether you’re at a stage where you’re ready to apply, drop Vicky a line to discuss at: vicky@hivesouthyorkshire.com
Cost: The Masterclass costs just £10 and includes a Poetry Business Pamphlet worth £5/£7.50. Places limited. (We can reduce this for a number of places if it’s in any way a barrier so do let us know) We are always keen to hear from young writers from diverse backgrounds, and those who feel they wouldn’t normally access this kind of opportunity.
To apply: Send 5 to 7 of your best poems of any length (in one word document), each starting a new page, with a statement of interest on the first page – no longer than 400 words, to include: why you would like to be considered for this opportunity, your experience of poetry so far, any writing aspirations you’d like to share, and anything else you’re like us to know. Also include your date of birth and where you reside in the north.
Send your application to poetrypamphlet@hivesouthyorkshire.com by midnight the evening of 16th January 2021
The New Poets Prize is a pamphlet competition for writers between the ages of 17 and 24 (inclusive). This prize runs alongside the renowned International Book & Pamphlet Competition organized by The Poetry Business, which has now been established for 35 years. Previous winners of the New Poets Prize have included several South Yorkshire young poets including Warda Yassin, Georgie Woodhead and Lauren Hollingsworth Smith.
The Poetry Business publishes books, pamphlets and audio under the Smith/Doorstop imprint, and new imprint The New Poets List. They also publish literary magazine The North, and run Writing Days, the Writing School, and the International Book and Pamphlet Competition.
Suzannah Evans lives in Sheffield. Her pamphlet Confusion Species was a winner in the 2012 Poetry Business Book and Pamphlet Competition and her debut collection Near Future was published by Nine Arches Press in 2018. She works as assistant editor for the Poetry Business. Suzannah was the winner of a Gladstone’s Library residency in October 2019 for Near Future, and her poem ‘Helpline’ was Poem of the Week on The Guardian. Her second poetry collection is forthcoming in 2022.
Vicky Morris is a poet, mentor and editor based in Sheffield. She’s been published in places like The Rialto, The Interpreter’s House, The North and Under the Radar. She won first place in the Prole Laureate Competition 2019 and the Aurora Poetry Prize 2020, and was one of ten shortlisted in the Magma Pamphlet Competition 2020. Vicky has built young writers’ provision in South Yorkshire for many years, founding Hive in 2016. She won a Northern Writers Award in 2014 and is currently a contributing editor at Poetry Wales.
