No agent? No problem. The 5th Edition of our Indie Press Guide is available to pre-order! With over 750 editors to choose from, there's never been a better time to take control of your writing! mslexia.co.uk/shop/indie-p... #amwriting #amediting #writingcommunity #writers

Explore writing about our relationships with women with Jennifer Lee Tsai on 17 November, 5-7pm via Zoom. We will take inspiration from a range of poets including Isabelle Baafi, Katrina Naomi, Dzifa Benson, Degna Stone, and more! Visit the Salon to register. #amwriting

And I’m here. Leicester’s Local Writers Fair. Come along! 10am-3pm at Leicester Central Library, Bishop St, Leicester LE1 6AA

The W&A Working-Class Writer's Prize 2025 is open for entries NOW! Submit your writing within our one-month window to be in with a chance of winning. Find out more: https://bit.ly/4opAzXS

**ATTENTION WRITERS** This is your ONE MONTH warning. Entires open for the #WelkinWritingPrize 2026 on the 1st Dec. 100 words. Rolling subs. Free entry. Publication for shortlistees. Prizes for top 5.

Look what I found had come in the post when I got home ... this beauty from #DahliaBooks! 🦚 Congrats to the winners of the #LeicesterWrites Short Story Prize! Fantastic stories all round!👏 Thanks also @farhanashaikh.bsky.social for including one of mine in this fab anthology 🥰

T' Curve, Leicester.

Stunning piece by @rosaleenlynch.bsky.social "She can’t take her children in the suitcase. Not the day the suitcase is full of forest fire, screeching firehawks, & trapped animals, hiding their young. Not the day the suitcase is full of an exploding mine..." milkcandyreview.home.blog/2025/10/09/t...

writershq.co.uk/online-writi... I’m hosting today’s retreat. It’s free and we start at 10am! Come and join me… you can wear yr jammies all day and get GOLD STARS for writing a bazillion words! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #perfectsaturday @writershq.bsky.social

Excited to be supporting the W&A Working-Class Writers' Prize 2025 with the lovely people at @writersandartists.bsky.social and @ruppin.bsky.social Find out more here: www.writersandartists.co.uk/about-wa-wor... PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR CONTACTS

📚 @wasafirimag.bsky.social x Tagore’s Salon Join us for Writing Through Pain: On Labour and Literature with writers Dur e Aziz Amna & Farah Ali Oct 15 | 7PM | Brick Lane Bookshop A conversation on illness, survival, and the work of writing. 🎟️ bricklanebookshop.org/product/tago...

🌿Do you want to encourage your young writer(s) to enter the Solstice Prize? 💡Struggling with where to start or how to encourage them? We've created a FREE, downloadable pack full of prompts, writing exercises & an example lesson plan to help you spark their imaginations. bit.ly/WEM_SOLSTICE

My first collection of short stories is out this month (17 October) on @nightjarpress.bsky.social ! Very excited. And nervous. But mostly excited.

In all seriousness, publishers are going to have to figure out how to market books in the post-social-media landscape. That should be an implicit part of their job. What authors/artists can do on their own is increasingly limited and siloed.

Plan a Poetry Retreat Day at the Poetry Pharmacy in Shropshire, with Roz Goddard and Jane Commane guiding you through creative workshops and sharing poems. Be inspired. Book your place for Sunday 2nd November here: t.co/wFoXmZ5kVD @poetrypharmacy.bsky.social

More admin. I've updated the apersonalanthology.com website with Amanthi Harris's pick of and introduction to a dozen favourite short stories, including a pair of triple-decker linked story sets. And featuring the Personal Anthology debut of: Romesh Gunesekera So congrats to him!

Free Greta Thunberg and the rest of the illegally detained flotilla activists.

I'll be at Birmingham Literature Festival on 11th October with some great names, brilliant writing workshops, events for children and much more. Come if you can! Link here www.birminghamliteraturefestival.org

‘Motherhood penalty’ costs women an average £65,618 in pay by time first child turns five. This is followed by gender pay gap, pension gap, health gap; slow career progression, harassment and violence, unpaid carer work, retirement insecurity. All women deserve justice.

I've just updated the apersonalanthology.com website with Deborah Tomkins @tomkinsdeb.bsky.social's selection of a dozen favourite short stories. Featuring the Personal Anthology debut of: Cath Barton @cathbwriter.bsky.social Peter Hobbs Mark Ralph-Bowman So congrats to them!

Was very happy to make the cut for the Leicester Writes anthology. Many thanks to @farhanashaikh.bsky.social and congratulations to all.

#Writers, the Hilary Mantel Prize offers an exceptional new opportunity. The late author, who twice won the #WalterScottPrize, was committed to championing emerging talent, and the winner receives a cash award plus mentoring. Submissions are open through 31 December. See https://loom.ly/NFsTZjE#Writers

The Bloomsbury Mentorship Programme is open for applications until Friday 10th October! 📚 📚 Bloomsbury are looking for unpublished fiction writers from underrepresented backgrounds who want to develop their craft. Find out more: https://bit.ly/3VKsoIW

CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR WRITER MENTORING 👉 bit.ly/WEMMENTOR You've got one week to send in your extract, synopsis and answers for the chance to be one of eight mentees on our free writer development programme. Got some last-minute Q's? Make sure to get in touch via [email protected] ✉️

If you're looking for a writing challenge to kick-start the month, look no further #womenwriters Sign up with @samblakebooks.bsky.social & @mariamchale.bsky.social in a very supportive #writingcommunity www.writing.ie/news/join-ou...

Okay…*deep breath and sorry for awkward promotion things….*, my new flash fiction chapbook ‘Light Chemical Sea’ is coming Fall 2026 with Bull City Press. ✨⚗️🌊 Sign up for a one time email notification that will let you know when the book is released! forms.gle/yJPmMGThEiDW...

#LAUNCHEDTODAY in honour of the 3rd anniversary of her death, #OTD 22 September 2022. The #HilaryMantel #Prize for #DebutAuthors is open for submissions of #adultfiction until 31 December 2025. amheath.com/hilary-mante... #Writing #amwriting #Books #Fiction #WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity

Had the best weekend, surrounded by exceptional writers. Bravo to this year's Leicester Writes longlist. Keep writing and sending out your stories in the world. Their readings were fantastic, and a particular highlight of the day ✨️

EAST MIDS WRITERS, APPLY HERE 👉 bit.ly/WEMMENTOR For one year of FREE one-to-one mentoring from an established writer, masterclasses, peer networking meetings, tickets to The Writers' Conference 2027 and more. Deadline: 9th October 2025 at 11.59 pm. It's time to launch your writing career!

Not sure where to start with your academic book idea? 📚 The Bloomsbury Academic Writing Fellowship offers a year of expert guidance to help you shape your work and prepare for publication. Applications are now open, for the UK only. 🔗 https://bit.ly/4eb5r8F @writersandartists.bsky.social

A lovely day at the Dahlia Books / Leicester Writes event for Short Story September. Great to meet publisher, writer and short story powerhouse Farhana Shaikh, and to catch up with writer Laura Besley.

Thrilled to announce the Short Story September Festival returns next month. Join us for a jam-packed weekend of talks and workshops on mastering short stories. Book your early bird ticket by 26/8. Check out the programme: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/short-stor...

#SailFest is BACK for 2025 with a wonderful array of speakers! Open to all, including publishers, educators, children’s literature scholars and librarians as well as creators. #kidlituk #uklidlit More here: www.sailfest.org.uk/sailfest-blo...

I'm very much looking forward to being on this panel and discussing Developing Short Story Craft. There are still tickets available, some with discounts, so follow the link below for details! @farhanashaikh.bsky.social #shortstorysept #shortstories #festival #amwriting #writingcommunity

✨ 25% discount on Weekend Ticket ✨ Book by 15th Sept. ✨ Code: DAHLIA25 Join us for a fun-filled weekend of workshops, panels & interviews - all focused on the glorious form of the #shortstory #festival #amwriting #writingcommunity @farhanashaikh.bsky.social www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/short-stor...

If you are in the UK and love diverse #books, don't miss this amazing event organised by the very talented @farhanashaikh.bsky.social 😮 #Booksky #bookslover  #booklove #bookishworms #bookishperson #readingforpleasurenotwork #readersgonnaread #readingaddicts #readingiswonderful #readingbooks

£10 off places to the Short Story Festival next weekend! If you can't make it to Leicester, there is also an online day of inspiring workshops on the Sunday! This will be brilliant for anyone wanting to gain insight into small presses, pitching their collections and meeting short story writers

Join us for a jam-packed programme of events and classes on writing and publishing short stories. £10 off when you book your place today. There are also bursary places for those on a low income. Email me for more info. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/short-stor...

I'm absolutely thrilled to have placed 3rd in the #LeicesterWrites #shortstory prize! Congratulations the other winners 🎉 Huge thanks to the readers, judges & @farhanashaikh.bsky.social for all their hard work. #amwriting #writingcommunity leicesterwrites.co.uk/2025/08/26/2...

@farhanashaikh.bsky.social is one of the most inspiring women in writing. She has helped over 150 writers achieve their dreams and is the founder of The Asian Writer and Dahlia Books. Don't believe me? Listen to my podcast (S3, E4) and decide for yourself: youtu.be/JTv7Yo9mJ9g

I'm looking forward to heading to Leicester this month for Short Story September Festival, organised by my brilliant publisher @farhanashaikh.bsky.social of Dahlia Books ✍️📚🤩 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1559822764879/?discount=DAHLIA25

I reviewed COLD TOAST by @kazbarwrites.bsky.social, a book I very much admire! bendinggenres.com/review-of-co...

Wow! Unbelievably grateful to @sfreligh.bsky.social and @rgvaughan.bsky.social for this terrific review of Cold Toast in Bending Genres!! I'm blown away!

The UK government will evacuate nine of the 40+ students in Gaza with scholarship at UK universities. My PhD student Shaimaa isn't included. We must now make sure they help the other students - email your MP today. www.theguardian.com/education/20...

There's one month left enter our 2025 Fiction Competitions! ⏰ Send us your flash fiction, short stories & novels! Competition closes: 22 September 2025 For all the details and how to enter: mslexia.co.uk/competitions... #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

I'm hosting this event, on Sunday 26th Oct 2025 @ 1-2pm, at The Auditorium in The Forum, Norwich. 'KEON WEST: THE SCIENCE OF RACISM' norwichbookfestival.co.uk/whats-on/keo... Ground-breaking science cuts through rhetoric, debate and stereotypes to reveal shocking and tragic truths about racism.

🚨 The latest round of the Talking Travel Writing mentoring scheme is now open for applications. I’m delighted to be part of a panel of 11 mentors. 🗓️ The scheme is free & the closing date is 14 Sept. @travmedia.bsky.social @travwriters.bsky.social travelwriting.substack.com/p/2025-trave...

Almost THREE WEEKS until our Meet the Agents Day: Here's a refresher! ▶️▶️▶️ 📖 Panel & workshop 🤔 Davinia Andrew-Lynch, Amandeep Singh, Kadija George & Cara Thompson 📍 Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage 🗓️ 13/09/25, 1 - 4 pm BOOK HERE ➡️ bit.ly/MEETAGENTS

Cannot wait for this short story festival in Leicester! Check out the brilliant programme and book before it sells out! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/short-stor...

Stunned and mightily honoured that Cold Toast has been selected as Book of the Month by the Republic of Consciousness Prize in partnership with Queen Mary University London!! 🥂 It's winging its way to their subscribers today!