Leave a Comment · Posted on July 21, 2024
Charlie Jolley highly commended in the New Poets Prize 2024
A huge congratulations to Sheffield Young Writer and Hive Poetry Collective member, Charlie Jolley who has been highly commended in the New Poets Prize 2024 for her pamphlet The Dreamers.
Being awarded a New Poets Prize offers Charlie an Arvon residential course of her choice. All four placed – congratulations also to Jayant Kashyap, Cia Mangat, Zelda Cahill-Patten – will receive editorial and mentoring support from The Poetry Business, as well as publication in The North and a launch reading. Judge Holly Hopkins had this to say about Charlie’s work:
“Charlie Jolley’s ‘The Dreamers’ demonstrates a talent for dramatic monologues which directs the reader to consider different moments in history and how they relate politically and emotionally.”
Charlie Jolley is a young poet and fiction writer. She is a top 15 winner of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award (2023). In 2023 she was also the winner of the Waltham Forest Young Poets Prize, the Hexham Young People’s Poetry Competition, and the Poem:99 Poetry Competition, as well as placing second in the East Riding Festival of Words, and the Charles Causley Young Poets Prize. She has been published by The Poetry Society, Zoetic Press, and in Hive anthologies Dear Life and After Hours. She is an alumnus of Sheffield Young Writers and a member of Hive Poetry Collective.
The New Poets Prize is a pamphlet competition for writers between the ages of 17 and 24 (inclusive). The prize was launched in 2015 and runs annually alongside the renowned Poetry Business International Book & Pamphlet Competition, which has now been established for 38 years. Previous judges of the New Poets Prize include Helen Mort, Andrew McMillan, Kayo Chingonyi, Mary Jean Chan, Luke Kennard and Kim Moore. Winners of the New Poets Prize have gone on to publish full-length collections with notable publishers, including Carcanet and Bloodaxe Books, have been appointed as workshop facilitators, editors-in-residence, and competition judges (such as the Forward Prizes), have launched and performed their pamphlets on national radio and at prestigious venues, and have been widely reviewed.
Leave a Comment · Posted on June 27, 2024
Northern Writers Awards 2024
A huge congratulations to Mixing Roots alumnus and Sheffield Young Writer Isabella Merino Garzon, highly commended in the 15-18 category of the Young Northern Writers Award 2024!!
“Being Highly Commended for the Young Northern Writers’ Award has given me confidence in my writing and inspired me to continue to pursue self-expression in this way. I am honoured the judges enjoyed my work and I can’t wait to see where the future of my writing takes me.”
Isabella Merino is a Venezuelan immigrant who explores her identity, culture and heritage through her writing. Taking part in the Mixing Roots Programme with Hive Young Writers allowed her to honour her homeland, explore her thoughts around being away from her family and write in Spanish, her mother tongue. Following the programme, she was published in Dear Life and We Are Everything and performed her poems at the Leadmill. She was runner up in the World Class Schools Essay Competition for her essay on friendship and has won the BBC Young Reporter competition for her article on food waste and inequality. She finds writing a powerful way to express her thoughts on the world and process the distance from her family and the tumultuous state of her home country.
More about the Northern Writers Award
The Northern Writers’ Awards are the largest writing development programme of their kind in England. Through these Awards, we’ve found hundreds of talented, often unpublished, writers – with a focus on supporting new work-in-progress.
We’ve provided writers with thousands of pounds worth of support and career-making opportunities – including help towards publication, mentoring, manuscript assessment, writing placements, retreats, and cash awards to buy time to write.
By supporting writers at an earlier stage than most literary awards – usually before an agent or publisher is involved – winning a Northern Writers’ Award can be life-changing for a writer at a pivotal stage of their career, as well as providing a pipeline of new talent to the publishing and broadcast industries.
The Northern Writers’ Awards are produced by New Writing North and supported by Northumbria University, Arts Council England, and a range of partners. As we celebrate our 25th Awards, we’d like to thank all our fantastic partners and sponsors over the years – none of this would’ve been possible without their help.
All of our current opportunities and an overview of our regular project work is detailed on our website at www.newwritingnorth.com. We publish monthly newsletters for writers, which you can subscribe to via the site.
Leave a Comment · Posted on May 21, 2024
Poetry workshop for new & emerging young women writers of colour (aged 15-30)
In partnership with Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University, and to tie in with our current anthology submission window, we invite young women writers of colour (aged 15-30) to join poet Warda Yassin for a free Zoom poetry writing workshop on Sunday 16th or 23rd June 2024.
The workshop is for new, aspiring and emerging young woman writers of colour or mixed heritage, aged 15 to 30, from/based, or with a term address in the North or Midlands (as defined in this map) Warda will offer tips, talk about submitting your work and get you writing in a warm and supportive space.
ZOOM WORKSHOPS:
Sunday 16th June 4pm to 6.30pm or
Sunday 23rd June 4pm to 6.30pm
Interested? Email [email protected] with your full name, if there is a date you can’t do, date of birth, and address & telephone as soon as possible. (We will endeavour to fit people into a suitable workshop date).
Deadline for print anthology submissions of poetry and poetic flash fiction: 10th July 2024
For more information about the open call submission window for the Mixing Roots anthology in print (poetry and poetic flash fiction), and to submit, please visit: this link
About Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University
Based in the heart of Manchester, a UNESCO City of Literature, we are developing an extensive collection of contemporary poetry from books to recordings, in multiple languages. We aim to create an exceptional poetry research centre, a space where poetry belongs to everyone, and can be enjoyed and celebrated. At the heart of what we do is the recognition of the value and impact of poetry on individuals and communities. Visit us here.
Warda Yassin is a British Somali poet and English teacher based in Sheffield. She was a winner of the 2018 New Poets Prize for her debut pamphlet Tea with Cardamom (Poetry Business 2019). Her poems have appeared widely in journals including Poetry Birmingham, Magma, Poetry Wales, The North and Oxford Poetry. She’s been anthologised in collections such as Verse Matters (Valley Press), Anthology X (Smith|Doorstep), More Fiyah (Cannongate) & after hours (Hive). Warda’s recent pamphlet collaboration with poets Danae Wellington and Sile Sibanda, Split Out the Myth, was published by Smith Doorstep in 2023. She was a recipient of the Women Poet’s Prize 2020 and Sheffield Poet Laureate 2020-2022. Warda, as a founding member of Hive Poetry Collective, recognises from her own experience, how writing networks can support young writers to reach their potential.
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Also, if you’re interested in online poetry workshops in general as a young woman of colour based in the north of England, please also drop us a line at: [email protected] with your name, age, date of birth and location.
Leave a Comment · Posted on May 21, 2024
Call for submissions – Mixing Roots Anthology
Showcasing the voices of emerging young women writers of colour
In partnership with Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University, we are open for submissions of poetry and poetic flash fiction before 11th July 2024 – from new, aspiring and emerging young women writers of colour (aged 15 to 30), for our first full-length Mixing Roots anthology.
Edited by Mixing Roots founder and Sheffield Poet Laureate 2020-22, Warda Yassin, the anthology will showcase the work of young writers from previous Mixing Roots programmes alongside work from this open call. Warda will read and select from all submissions.
Who can submit?
We welcome submissions from new, aspiring and emerging young woman writers of colour or mixed heritage, aged 15 to 30, from/based, or with a term address in the North or Midlands (as defined on this map)
To submit
Email your poetry and/or poetic flash fiction (up to 3 pieces in total) anytime before 11th July 2024. Poems can be up to 50 lines each, and poetic flash fiction pieces up to 300 words each. Work can be previously published, but please state. Send your submission/s in one Word or rich text (rtf) document (only), adding, at the top of the first page: full name | age | date of birth | address | email | telephone | educational institute (if relevant) | & details of previous publication if relevant. Subject line ‘submission’ to: [email protected]
Your submission:
There are no themes or styles favoured, we’re just looking for great, original writing and authentic voices. We understand that, for some, this might be your first time submitting to a print anthology. Don’t worry, have a go! Our best tip is to take your time getting your work the best it can be. Also…
Free poetry writing workshops & other inspiration: If you’re looking for inspiration, Warda is running two free Zoom poetry writing workshops on Sunday 16th and 23rd June. You can sign up here. You’ll also find some writing prompts, tips and resources over on our competition page. And for inspiring examples of great writing, there are tons of resources and websites online such as some great flash fiction websites here, and an extensive archive of wonderful poems at andotherpoems.com
About Mixing Roots
The Mixing Roots project was set up in 2019 by poet Warda Yassin with the support of Hive. It exists to encourage and support the creative development of new, aspiring and emerging young women writers of colour. Over the last few years, four Mixing Roots programmes have been delivered and several pamphlet publications produced. This Mixing Roots anthology will be the first book-length anthology from the project celebrating a wide range of voices of colour from across the north.
About Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University
Based in the heart of Manchester, a UNESCO City of Literature, we are developing an extensive collection of contemporary poetry from books to recordings, in multiple languages. We aim to create an exceptional poetry research centre, a space where poetry belongs to everyone, and can be enjoyed and celebrated. At the heart of what we do is the recognition of the value and impact of poetry on individuals and communities. Visit us here.
Warda Yassin is a British Somali poet and English teacher based in Sheffield. She was a winner of the 2018 New Poets Prize for her debut pamphlet Tea with Cardamom (Poetry Business 2019). Her poems have appeared widely in journals including Poetry Birmingham, Magma, Poetry Wales, The North and Oxford Poetry. She’s been anthologised in collections such as Verse Matters (Valley Press), Anthology X (Smith|Doorstep), More Fiyah (Cannongate) & after hours (Hive). Warda’s recent pamphlet collaboration with poets Danae Wellington and Sile Sibanda, Split Out the Myth, was published by Smith Doorstep in 2023. She was a recipient of the Women Poet’s Prize 2020 and Sheffield Poet Laureate 2020-2022. Warda, as a founding member of Hive Poetry Collective, recognises from her own experience, how writing networks can support young writers to reach their potential.
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Also, if you’re interested in online poetry workshops in general as a young woman of colour based in the north of England, please also drop us a line at: [email protected] with your name, age, date of birth and location.
Leave a Comment · Posted on April 15, 2024
Writing the Gallery
A creative writing and publication project
(currently looking to work with schools for Y10s and Y12s)
We are looking for several Rotherham and Sheffield secondary schools interested in this exciting project that will offer students the chance to work with professional writers writing pieces inspired by artworks while exploring creative writing tips and techniques.
The outcome will be a publication that showcases a range of the writing produced alongside cultural and historical information. The project will respond to the creative writing potential of visual art as a way of honouring the legacy of JP Graves, and the impact he’s had particularly in Sheffield (Graves Gallery and Graves Park are named after him).
All levels and interests welcome, and you don’t have to think you’re a great writer to attend!
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Schools get in touch asap. School workshops are FREE but limited.
Leave a Comment · Posted on March 18, 2024
Uni slam Poetry Collectives Showcase 2024
On Sunday 17th March, members of Hive Poetry Collective – Fae Horsley, Luke Worthy & Lalla Waddington, performed at the mighty Uni Slam 2024 as part of the National Poetry Collectives Showcase in the run up to the Uni Slam finals. It was such a lovely day of workshops and networking and so great for the three to get the opportunity to perform alongside the Barbican Young Poets, Hippodrome Collective, Roundhouse Poetry Collective, Southbank New Poets, Speak Easy (Writing East Midlands), Young Identity, Young Poets Collective (The Poetry Society)
Many thanks to all involved and particular thanks to Toby Campion for inviting us and Arji Manuelpillai for being a stellar host!
Leave a Comment · Posted on February 19, 2024
Kaleidoscopic Minds anthology launch
To mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2024, Sheffield’s Juno Books invites you to celebrate the launch of Kaleidoscopic Minds, an anthology of poetry written by neurodivergent women, with an evening of spoken word poetry. The event is hosted by Kate Jenkinson and Ashley Edge, from the Prickly Pear online open mic for disabled poets, and features Hive young poets.
Event: 21st March, Showroom Cinema, Paternoster Row Sheffield City Centre S1 2BX | 6.30 to 8.30pm
Eventbrite tickets can be purchased here.
Leave a Comment · Posted on February 6, 2024
Prophetic Poetry: From sci-fi to sci-fact
Prophetic Poetry: From sci-fi to sci-fact
A Hive Young Writers Poetry Day with Suzannah Evans
Sunday 24th MARCH 10.30am to 4/4.30pm (with refreshments & lunch break)
Open to young writers (aged 15 to 30) from across South Yorkshire & the nearby north
The poetic brain is an excellent doom and dystopia simulator, so whether it’s exploring the perils of superintelligent robots, space colonisation, or the repercussions of swelling climate change (or all three) this is a day of inventive workshops to help you put your apocalypse anxieties to good use!
Join award-winning poet, Suzannah Evans, for this relaxed and playful poetry-writing day, open to young writers at all levels, full of weird and wonderful prompts designed to get you thinking (and writing) out of our current reality and into the possibilities of science fiction and science fact.
Suzannah knows a thing or two about writing the prophetic – her work has been described as ‘doom-pop-poetry with an apocalyptic edge’. She’ll also read from her own work and give tips and tricks on what’s helped her develop as a poet. Expect a fun and insightful writing day, and emerge into a fresh reality with exciting new drafts and your imagination bouncing through the stratosphere!
Cost: £8 | Concessions £4 | Booking: [email protected]
Where: Cantor Building, Arundel Street, Sheffield (4 minutes from the train station) Stree view here.
Supported by Sheffield Hallam University
Suzannah Evans is an award-winning poet and writer based in Sheffield. She has published two collections of poetry, Near Future and Space Baby, with Nine Arches Press. Her first chapbook was a winner in the Poetry Business Competition 2012, and she has a second, ‘Green’, forthcoming with Bad Betty Press in June 2024. Suzannah was a Gladstone Library writer in residence in 2019, and in 2021 she received a Northern Writers’ Award for poetry. Her work asks difficult questions about the Earth, its beings, and what lies ahead for them; how do we look to the future on a planet that’s burning? How do we come to terms with our grief, and what can we believe in?
Leave a Comment · Posted on January 24, 2024
Congrats Ez & Jack: Self Portrait Challange commended
Congratulations to Sheffield Young Writer Ez Heller and Rotherham Young Writer Jack Turner, both commended in the Self Portrait Young Poets Network Challenge. Their brilliant poems can be read here.
Winning and commended poets are published on Young Poets Network and sent an exclusive Young Poets Network notebook, as well as poetry goodies including books and posters.
Young Poets Network is The Poetry Society’s online platform for young poets up to the age of 25. Here you’ll find features about poets and poetry, challenges and competitions to inspire your own writing, new writing from young poets, and advice and guidance from the rising and established stars of the poetry scene. We also bring you the latest news and ideas from the writing world, and a list of competitions, magazines and writing groups that particularly welcome young writers.
Young Poets Network is for everyone interested in poets and poetry – whether you’ve just started out, or you’re a seasoned reader or writer. Teachers and parents might find it a useful resource, too.
More info here
Leave a Comment · Posted on January 15, 2024
Open Mic
Young Writers Open Mic – as part of Barnsley Book Festival
Wednesday 20 March 5pm | at: Library @ the Lightbox
Calling all young people aged 14 -25 from across Barnsley! In partnership with The Civic Barnsley, we are hosting an open mic featuring spoken word performances from members of Barnsley Young Writers and Next Big Thing. This event is also open to both new and experienced young writers. If you write poems, tell stories, compose lyrics, spit bars, or have anything else to say out loud to a supportive audience, this is an evening to celebrate your words in a warm atmosphere. Contact [email protected] to reserve a definite reading slot or put your name down on the evening.
We’ll also be launching ‘The Little Zine of Sorrys’ written by Barnsley Young Writers, students from Netherwood Academy and young writers from the Hive Network. For more information, click here.
If you’re a young person aged 14 to 19 in Barnsley interested in creative writing, why not join Barnsley Young Writers? Details here
In partnership with Barnsley Civic and Hive South Yorkshire
Full the full programme of events as part of Barnsley Book Festival, visit here.