Workshops for all would-be writers

These are aimed at anyone who would like to write but never had enough confidence to try, or just wants to see if this is an interest they might want to develop.

From Wednesday February 24 onwards, Polari-on-Sea will hold six two-hour writing workshops, from 2-4pm, on the afternoon of the monthly event, which will be led by local author VG Lee and Polari host Paul Burston.

VG Lee is the author of four novels and a collection of short stories. In 2012, Val was nominated for a Stonewall Award and last year won the Ultimate Planet Award for Best Established Author. She is also a regular contributor to The Lady Magazine and has just completed her fifth novel. Paul is an author who has run Polari since November 2007 and was thrilled with the reaction he found locally.

He said: “The first season far exceeded my expectations. We played to packed houses and the feedback from audiences was really positive. It took me three years to really build an audience for Polari in London, so well done Hastings! I couldn’t have asked for a warmer reception.”

The February event will include Rosie Garland, an award-winning novelist and performer from Manchester, plus East London’s Keith Jarrett whom Paul rates as one of the best spoken word poets around.

Also taking part is local author Nick Maes and Hastings resident Val will of course be there in the mix.

Workshop participants will be able to attend the afternoon session, listen to and meet other writers, then return to The Printworks to see the show in the evening. Each workshop will explore a different aspect of the process and enable you to kick-start your own fiction, non-fiction, prose or poetry. Each workshop will contain an element of reading your work aloud to enable constructive feedback and they will explore ways into writing, character development, flash fiction and poetry, the novel and the short story, memoir and storytelling, and how to move forward.

To reserve a place, email VG Lee at [email protected]. The cost is £5 for each workshop or £25 for all six.