NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Creative Writing Workshop series

Writing for Young People with Laura Atkins.
7 pm – 9 pm. Tuesdays 23rd October - 25th November.
Brighton Writers Centre.

Price £75 or £65 Concessionary Rates and Friends of THE SOUTH
Book before 31st August for the Early Bird Discount rate: £65

This course (extended from four to six weeks) is for anyone who wants to study writing for young readers. We will cover topics such as defining the boundaries of books for children, developing a strong plot, using language effectively, creating memorable characters, and tips on trying to get published. With a combination of group discussion, writing exercises and a chance to have your work critiqued (if you wish), we will cover picture books, early chapter books and writing for teens. Whether you are already an experienced writer for children or have always felt it was something you wanted to try, this could be the perfect way to develop your writing aspirations.

About the Workshop Leader

Laura Atkins has been a children’s book editor, a judge for the London Writer’s Competition, and has taught at both the undergraduate and MA level, as well as running children’s literature conferences and events. The Artistic Director for the Brighton Children's Book Festival, she holds an MA in Children’s Literature.

You can read more about the workshop on my website or on THE SOUTH's website.

I also have a limited number of spaces available in the two monthly writing support groups that I run on the first and third Wednesday of each month. This is a great way to get feedback and support from a group of passionate people all working on children's books. Email me for more information.

British IBBY/NCRCL MA Conference, 15th November 2008

The 2008 IBBY/NCRCL Conference, "Deep into Nature: Ecology, Environment and Children's Literature", will be held on Saturday 15 November at Froebel College, Roehampton University. The programme is included below, and the booking form is available on the NCRCL website.

Global warming is a dominant narrative of our time, and we are surrounded by stories of a doomed future of environmental catastrophe. But landscape and our relationship with nature have long preoccupied children’s literature in the UK and internationally. For their 2008 conference, the British Section of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) and the NCRCL (National Centre for Research in Children’s Literature) want to look at how the environment, and the human/child relationship with the natural world are treated in books for young readers. We will also examine how children’s publishing can respond to issues of consumption and sustainability.

Draft Programme for British IBBY/NCRCL MA conference, November 15th 2008

If you have enquiries or would like to be added to the mailing list, write to me:
Laura Atkins, Conference Manager, NCRCL, L.Atkins@roehampton.ac.uk.

Manuscript critiquing - Testimonials

I've had some very kind comments from people whose manuscripts I have critiqued. To find out more about this service, please see my website.

"Laura Atkins is a superb editor! She not only has a knack for discovering the underlying flaws in a story, but is extremely helpful in creating plausible remedies to fix those flaws. She also is very detailed in her critiques and can discover minor but important mistakes that other editors miss. Her critiques are always performed in a constructive manner so her clients can not only fix errors but can also recognize the unique strengths of their own storytelling. I recommend Laura highly as an editor and will definitely use her services in my next writing project."
—Sandra Padmanabhan, Ph.D.

"Laura's feedback has been invaluable. Her comments are thoughtful and concise, and I have been able to move forward with my story with a renewed sense of excitement. She's a fantastic person to work with, with an amazing amount of enthusiasm for my project."
—Rachael Errington, Artist Insite website developer

You can find now find me as a part of the team at urbanflo, creative consultancy:

urbanflo is a socially engaged collective of arts professionals who share a vision of equity and excellence in the cultural sector. We specialise in participatory and inclusive initiatives, offering expert advice and creative support to individuals, groups and organisations.

We are Brighton-based associates with regional, national and international partners and networks, encompassing the wide range of creative disciplines associated with performing arts, visual arts, music and film. We also have a strong representation of expertise in leadership and organisational development with partners from the cultural, commercial and voluntary sectors. Together we collaborate to produce, programme and promote creative work - developing artists, audiences and cultural agencies.

Please see the urbanflo website for more details.

I have also been providing freelance editorial advice to Cassava Republic, a publisher based in Nigeria. Here's more about their work:

Cassava Republic Press is a new literary press based in Abuja, Nigeria. Our core objective is to make quality contemporary literature available to the West African market at an affordable price.

We will provide Nigerians and other West Africans access to the best diasporic writing, as well as to discover, encourage, promote and publish new writing on the continent. Beyond unearthing new talent, there is a pedagogical component to our work. As well as organising writing tours for our authors, we also offer writer’s workshops and retreats in schools.

In addition to fiction and non-fiction, we will also be publishing a range of books for children. We are highly aware of the lack of material with an African focus that is of good quality. We believe that seeing oneself and one’s own culture and society reflected in beautifully made children’s books is a vital component in instilling confidence and self-belief in our children.

Brighton Children's Book Festival: Leaping from the Page
April 19-20th 2008, University of Brighton

We've got a fantastic line-up, including young actress Dakota Blue Richards (from The Golden Compass Film), award-winning author David Almond (Skellig, Clay), director Kitty Taylor (Charlie and Lola for CBeebies), acclaimed manga creator Kiriko Kubo, producer Peter Tabern (who also wrote the screenplay for the TV adaptation of Clay which will be screened at the festival), Michael Cowan (co-director of Spice Factory talking about the upcoming film adaptation of The Little White Horse to star Dakota Blue Richards), author and actress Michelle Magorian (Goodnight Mr Tom), and more.

Aimed at young people and adults, this year’s Brighton Children’s Book Festival celebrates the way children’s books ‘leap from the page’ into film, theatre, radio, TV, digital media and much more. With a weekend of talks, hands-on workshops, storytelling, performances and screenings, everyone is invited to join in the fun. There will also be a panel discussion with publishers and agents on how to get published. Find full details and buy tickets on the website: www.bcbf.org.uk

This is happening tomorrow - should be a laugh, and a chance to read your own work during the open mic.

WRITE CLUB
Read. Write. Fight.
Thursday April 10
The Quadrant, Air Street.
Right by the clock tower in central Brighton.
7.30 for 8pm. £3. Free for Friends of THE SOUTH.

CHILDREN'S BOOKS
NO HARM DONE?
With acclaimed writer Nicky Singer (Feather Boy, GemX, The Innocent's Story, Doll) in discussion with children's literature expert and Director of Brighton Children's Book Festival, Laura Atkins. Moderated by Nick Tucker.
Four open mic slots for writers with work aimed at young people.
In anticipation of Brighton Children's Book Festival: 'Leaping from the page' April 19-20, University of Brighton

Children’s Publishing around the World
12.30 pm, Marlborough Rooms, London Book Fair, Earls Court, Tuesday 15 April 2008
London Book Fair Seminar hosted by Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies

Angus Phillips (Chair), Director, Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies
Laura Atkins, Children’s Literature specialist
Eirin Hagen, Founder of the Hagen Agency, the first independent literary agency in Norway
Anja Mund, Head of Rights and Licensing, Patmos Verlag, Düsseldorf
Claire Squires, Senior Lecturer in Publishing, Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies

Tuesdays, 17th June - 8th July (4 weeks)
Writing for children and young people with Laura Atkins
7 - 9 pm at Brighton Writers' Centre
£44/£40 concs, Friends of THE SOUTH £40/£36 concs
Have you ever thought about writing for children or teens, or started to write a picture book or novel but felt you needed more direction or help? This series of workshops will offer a great deal of group work and support, with focused themes, writing exercises, and sharing of books and strategies. Whether you are already an experienced writer for children, or have always felt it was something you wanted to try, this could be the perfect way to develop your writing aspirations. You can read more about it on my site or on THE SOUTH's website.

I also have a limited number of spaces available in the two monthly writing support groups that I run. One runs on the first Thursday of the month, and the other on the third Wednesday of the month. This is a great way to get feedback and support from a group of passionate people all working on children's books. Email me for more information.

I have been contacted by FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance, a disaster relief charity, to help to edit a primary and secondary curriculum that they are developing to help teach people about what to do in cases of disaster (such as earthquake, flooding and fire). I am helping to look at language used and age appropriateness, as well as offering general editorial advice.

I had the great pleasure of working with Youth Music and a large team of people who put together the Music Start pack. I offered editorial consultation on the book, written by Miriam Moss and illustrated by Emil Dacanay and Sian Rance. They have received funding to create 100,000 free packs for children in the UK - and in each pack there will be a picture book, a CD with narration and music, and a collection of instruments. I'll update a link when there's more information on the Youth Music website.

I am teaching a four week creative writing for young people workshop at the Brighton Writer's Centre starting on October 31st. It is sold-out with thirteen people attending, though I will add people to a waiting list for future classes. You can read more about it on my site, or on The South's website.

I am working with The South to put together an all-day children's book event. You can book your ticket now on the festival website. Here are full details and a programme:

THE SOUTH in partnership with Laura Atkins & the University of Brighton presents
The Brighton Children’s Book Festival
Children of the South

Sponsored by The Salariya Book Company

Saturday April 21 2007 
10am - 7pm
Sallis Benney Theatre,
University of Brighton,
Grand Parade, Brighton BN2 0JY

Full price £25. Concessions  & Friends of THE SOUTH £20.
Friends of THE SOUTH concessions £18.
Young people aged 10-16 (accompanied by an adult) £10.

A day of events and activities, including keynote speeches, workshops, readings and displays to celebrate and showcase the creation of children’s books in Brighton and the south of England.

Box office & further information:
www.thesouth.org.uk or 01273 571700.
You can also buy tickets at Bags of Books in Lewes, the official festival bookseller.

This is a draft programme and is subject to change

I've created a collection interpretation pack as part of the 70th anniversary of the Carnegie and 50th anniversary of the Greenaway awards. The theme is Outsiderness/Otherness/Diversity, and I look at a variety of award-winners over the last 70 years. You can download this very nicely-designed pack from the fantastic CILIP awards website. It's called Collection Interpretation Pack 1.

I am very pleased to have been hired to teach a third year undergraduate course, Introduction to Children's Literature, at this stunning university in the spring of 2007. Housed in the Herstmoneux Castle in East Sussex, this is a wonderful study abroad programme with small classes and field study built-into the programme. You can see the website here.

You can now listen to a podcast and see the Powerpoint presentation from my lecture entitled ‘Editorial Reflections: Cultural Expression and Children’s Publishing’. This was held at the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies on Tuesday, October 10th. Here is a brief description of what the lecture covered:

'With immigration and multiculturalism dominating national debate, it is important to consider the implications of cultural diversity for the children’s publishing industry. By 2010, one in five school children in the UK will be from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) backgrounds, a reality not reflected in the books currently produced. Publishing is a notoriously white, middle class profession, which inevitably affects the acquisition and editorial process for stories written by authors from outside of the dominant culture. In this talk, Laura Atkins will reflect on her experiences editing multicultural picture books, and discuss her research on how the publication process has affected children’s books written by non-white authors in the UK.'

You can get more details, dowload the podcast, and see the Powerpoint presentation on the Oxford Brookes website.

Creative Writing Workshop (Oct. 19 - Nov. 30, 2006) and Blog:

I am teaching a six week creative writing for young people workshop at the Brighton Writer's Centre starting on October 19th. It is sold-out with eleven people attending, though I will add people to a waiting list for future classes. You can read more about it on my site, or on The South's website.

I have also developed a blog to accompany the class. While only those taking the class are able to post unique entries, anyone can read and comment. There are permanent links to resources for children's book writers, and each entry highlights a new resource or tip.