A LITERATURE festival is now well underway with its preparations for its popular 2021 event and is proud to launch its second project: New Writing North West.

Designed to support talented new and emerging North West-based writers, this series of free online workshops is led by four acclaimed writers, Yvonne Battle-Felton, Fiction, Kim Moore, Poetry, Karen Lloyd, Nature and Environment writing and Daniel Hahn, Translation.

Writers will have the chance to immerse themselves in this creative experience, by

submitting and discussing pieces of their own work with the workshop leader and other

participants of the workshops.

The writers will take part in writing exercises and reading challenges and discuss the things which have inspired them to write.

The workshops aim to help overcome the challenges that writers face and to signpost them to different pathways on their continuing literary journey.

Lancaster Literature Festival will offer publication of work produced via its Litfest website and social media channels.

To apply for one of the eight places in each workshop, writers are asked to send in, depending on the chosen genre, either 500-700 words of fiction, or 500-700 words of nature and environment writing, or six complete poems, or 500 words of translated fiction. Submissions should be sent to Bill Swainson at info@litfest.org before the deadline on March 5.

Successful applicants will be notified by March 9.

Anyone and everyone interested is invited to apply for a place, but because space is limited, participants are asked to commit to the full course and must be over 18 years old.

The course is free of charge, and workshops will take place via Zoom on selected evenings in March and April.

For full details of dates and times, information on how to apply, and terms and conditions please see: www.litfest.org/nwnw