The Wigtown Poetry Competition is the largest in Scotland with a first prize of £2,500, runner up prize of £750, eight additional prizes of £50 each and a Gaelic prize of £500. The winning poem and runner up will also be published in the Scotsman, or its sister paper Scotland on Sunday and will be invited to appear at the Stena Line Wigtown Book Festival 2010. The closing date of the competition is 5pm Friday 12th February 2010, and winners will be notified by Wednesday 5th April. The prize-giving will take place on Saturday 1st May.

There is more information about the Wigtown Poetry Competition online, including previous winners and judges for this year’s prize.

Hundreds of people entered this year, of all ages and from across the UK, there were even two entries from abroad. They came from writing groups, schools and individuals.

Brian Wake, Head of Sefton Arts Development said:

As the judges, we whittled the hundreds down to tens, we read them quietly to ourselves, we then read them out, we read them upside down and inside out, got ten down to seven or so in each of the three categories and then after much, as they say, deliberation, we began to comb through the seven pieces of work.. We began to ask what the work did in terms of emotion, in terms of the language itself and then we allowed our personal taste to help us decide.

Keep an eye on the Sefton Arts website for more Sefton Celebrates Writing events throughout the year.

The winners and runners up of this year’s Sefton Writing Competition are:

Writing (including poems) by young people

First Prize: Child Soldier by Philip Meakin (12years) Birkdale, Southport.

Runners-up: Past or Present by Katy Heron (12years) Southport; The Lift Off by Harry Draper (12years) Formby; Journey Home by Sarah Cutler (14years) Netherton; Snowflake’s Journey by Katy Louise Minko (12years) Formby.

Poetry

First Prize: Fetch by  Margaret Gleave, Ainsdale, Southport;

Runners-up: Cuckoo Spit by Nicholas Hancock, Liverpool; In Vino Memoriam by Celia Gentles, West Kirby, Wirral; Journey’s End by Michael O’Leary, Formby; The Cataraque by David Costello, Wallasey.

Other Writing

First Prize: Travelling Light  by Glenys Adams, Waterloo L22.

Runners-up:  Persona Non Grata by Kay Frame,  Maghull; Trudge of the Valyries  by Andrew Highton,  Waterloo L22; Holiday Journey by Alison Rutherford, Cardiff; Aliens Welcome by Frank Conlan, Maghull;

For more information on next years Sefton Writing Competition please contact Netherton Arts Centre on 0151 525 0417 or email: Philip.Wroe@leisure.sefton.gov.uk

Now in its third year, the festival aims to give people the chance to see some of the UK’s best known authors, and offers FREE workshops and writing surgeries across libraries in Sefton.

Amongst the array of Autumnal delights available this year…

… Crosby Civic Hall plays host to An Audience with Alexei Sayle. As well as discussing his highly successful career as a TV writer-come-performer (The Young Ones), journalist (The Independent, The Observer, Time Out…) and author (The Dog Cathcher, Mister Roberts to name just two), he’ll be waxing lyrical about his love for his hometown and taking questions from the audience. A book signing will follow the event…

… Stick Man- Live on Stage, is a wonderful adaptation of the book by the team of writer and illustrator that created The Gruffalo. It is a charming tale of a Stick Man who, whisked away from his family in an incident involving a dog, travels far and wide, used as both pillar and post (or rather, flag mast and cricket bat). Will he ever make it home again? Three actors and a one-man-band combine with a host of colourful characters and animals (and a certain portly gentleman dressed in red and white) in this magical production…

… The classic Animal Farm is given a modern sinister relevance by Gary Shelford’s breathtaking solo performance of George Orwell’s masterwork. The farm yard is created all around you in 110 minutes of utterly compelling theatre, using nothing but a wooden box, amazing sound effects and brilliant physical and vocal dexterity…

… Closing the 2009 Sefton Celebrates Writing Festival, four of Merseyside’s leading female poets, Gladys Mary Cole, Mandy Coe, Pauline Rowe and Rebecca Goss, take to the stage to read from some of their publications and take about their work.

For details and tickets see http://www.seftonarts.co.uk or call the box office on 01704 540011 / 0151 928 1919

A Poet In New York……………………… Tues 10 November, 8pm

Let The Right One In ……………………..Tues 10 Nov, 7.45pm

Roger McGough …………………………… Wed 11 Nov, 7.30pm  (SOLD OUT!)

Animal Farm ………………………………. Thurs 12 Nov, 1.30pm & 7.30pm

Austen’s Women ………………………….. Fri 13 Nov, 7.30pm

Stick Man ……………………………………… Sat 14 Nov, 12pm & 4pm

Alexei Sayle ………………………………….. Sat 14 Nov, 8pm

Four Merseyside Female Poets ……..  Sun 15 Nov, 7.30pm

With a diverse range of events including performances from Vic Reeves, Michael Rosen and Ross Sutherland, readings by Sarah Hall, Christopher Brookmyre and Sally Vickers, a talk by Suzi Feay, in-conversation events with Brian Keenan and Abdel Bari Atwan, the second Chapter & Verse Literature festival at the Bluecoat promises to be a far reaching and eclectic programme.

The festival offers 30 events over five days from today (Wednesday October 14) until Sunday October 18 with a special focus on ‘revolution’ to coincide with a range of anniversaries occurring in 2009, including the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. As well as politics, music and culture the overarching theme will also cover revolutionary moments in football, Web 2.0, gaming and global markets.

Combining Liverpool’s active literature scene and a national take on the literary zeitgeist, the range of readings, talks and workshops will offer visitors a chance to hear directly from writers whilst mingling with fellow book-lovers and fans of spoken word. The festival derives its uniqueness from partnerships that include The Reader Organisation, Literature North West, News From Nowhere, The Poetry School and Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival among others.

Full info is available via www.chapterverse.org.uk

Tickets on sale now, to book call Tickets and Information on 0151 702 5324 at the Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool, L1 3BX or visit www.thebluecoat.org.uk.

(Here’s what we’re doing as part of Chapter and Verse – got your tickets yet?!)

The events are free but you will need to book tickets. Tickets are available from the Bluecoat (0151 702 5324 – or drop in to the box office) so do please book yours soon to ensure you and your book get a space!

Speed Date a Book

7.30-8.30pm, Thursday 15th October, in the bar at the Bluecoat – free!

For this event, The Reader Organisation is asking you to come along with your favourite book or poem and all the reasons why you love it to see if you can find your perfect reading match. We’re acting as the matchmaker, hosting ‘Speed Date a Book’ to bring together literary lovers to share their favourite reads, meet fellow readers and perhaps find that all important perfect partner, be it in text or human form.

Are you able to be there with your favourite read?

Join us in the bar at the Bluecoat from 7.30pm, armed with your favourite read (be it poem or novel) and get ready to tell people why it’s so great (and hopefully find a perfect match).

The Reading Cure: Chapter and Verse

7.30-8.30pm, Sunday 18th October, at the Bluecoat – free!

Join staff from The Reader Organisation for this free clinic, to solve your problems with the help of some of our greatest writers.

Are you worried about your job? Are you always getting into relationships with ‘that man’ who’s just no good for you? Are you desperate to share something joyful?

Come along to The Reading Cure clinic and discover how fiction really can help reality…

It is a free two day festival of sport, music, art and education which works to encourage racial harmony and better community relations. There will be workshops promoting social and life skills, football tournaments, art workshops, music and dance performances, plus much more!

For more information on the Festival, please visit the Anthony Walker Foundation Website, where you can also view the Festival brochure.

If you would like tickets for the AWF Carnival at Alma De Cuba, please email: info@anthonywalkerfoundation.com

Set in the same dystopian world as her previous novel Oryx and Crake, it tells the story of God’s Gardeners – a religion devoted to the preservation of all species. The Gardeners have long predicted the Waterless Flood, which arrives in the form of a global pandemic obliterating most of human life. The survivors are left to battle over an existence amongst themselves and the other gene-spliced life forms now running amok – will the human race make it, and more to the point, should it?

The event, a unique literary performance with music, is part of a selective UK tour to support the work of the RSPB & BirdLife International, and to raise awareness of species decline.

The event will take place at Manchester Cathedral on Tuesday 1st September at 7.30pm. Tickets priced £8/£6 concessions are now on sale and can be booked through the box office on 0870 428 0785 or online, following this link.

The festival focuses largely, but not exclusively, on issues relating to gender equality and active citizenship, with particular attention paid to how they affect young people. As well as working with schools and civic groups, the festival has invited a variety of different artists to share their expertise in using their tools to examine and challenge what they perceive as inequities.

Kayd is an organisation promoting the freedom of expression through art and culture in the Somali territories, and aims to encourage the tolerance and appreciation of the diverse Somali culture.

If you would like any more information, here’s a link back to a previous post about HIBF.

Events are being held at Sale Waterside Arts Centre and surrounding libraries, as well as many other venues across the borough. Although many events are free, booking is essential.

You can find specific details of events, plus information on how to get tickets, by following this link to the festival homepage.

This announcement follows the publication of Duffy’s first official poem as Laureate: ‘Politics’, which sees her join the government expenses row. You can view the poem here, or for more information on reactions to ‘Politics’ follow this link to the Guardian article.

The Festival brochure will be distributed across Merseyside and Lancashire from Monday 22nd June. More details will be available shortly, but for now visit the official website for more information.