November 2005
Chichester Writing Festival
Greg and I are directing a writing festival next 7-9 April. It will be based at West Dean College, just north of Chichester, in the Lavant valley in the West Sussex Downs.
Chichester Writing Festival is special:
- it is a comprehensive, intensive programme of eleven talks, classes and discussions looking at all aspects of contemporary publishing and authors' and potential authors' desire for self-expression
- the Festival is open to a maximum of 40 Residents, staying in private rooms at West Dean House, the centre of Edward James' extraordinary estate
- it includes major headline events open to the public in West Dean College's newly refurbished Sussex Barn (authors Andrea Levy, Minette Walters) and at Cass Sculpture Foundation (sculptor Peter Randall-Page).
Among the writers at the first Chichester Writing Festival will be:
- Minette Walters (The Sculptress, The Ice House, The Devil's Feather …)
- Andrea Levy (Small Island – Orange and Whitbread Prize winner)
- Anthony Horowitz (Alex Ryder, Foyle's War, Raven's Gate)
- Kate Mosse (Labyrinth, Eskimo Kissing, Crucifix Lane …)
- Louise Doughty (Crazy Paving, Dance with Me, Honey-Dew …)
- Simon Brett (The Stabbing in the Stables, The Witness at the Wedding …)
- Louise Welsh (The Cutting Room, Tamburlaine Must Die …)
- Edward Kemp (5/11, The Master and Margarita, Nathan the Wise …)
- Tom Holland (Persian Fire, The Bone Hunter, The Vampyre …)
- C C Humphreys (The French Executioner, The Blooding of Jack Absolute …)
We will also welcome successful editors, agents and teachers of creative writing, including:
- Maria Rejt (Pan Macmillan, dedicated editor on Richard & Judy's How to get published; Colin Dexter, Minette Walters, Kathy Reichs, C J Sansom and Scott Turow. Her most recent discovery was Daniel Mason's début The Piano Tuner which has sold more than 250,000 copies.)
- Jane Gregory (Gregory & Company Authors' Agents, adult fiction and general non-fiction, representing some of the most successful authors of outstanding crime novels and thrillers and the best of commercial, literary and historical fiction and travel writing)
- Nicki Kennedy (Intercontinental Literary Agency, with knowledge of publishing markets from all parts of the globe)
- Anne McNeil (publishing director Fiction and Picture Books at Hodder, including books for children and young adults)
- Rebecca Swift (co-founder of The Literary Consultancy, providing expert, market-informed editorial advice to writers at any level writing in English)
- Debbie Taylor (editor of Mslexia, the magazine that tells you all you need to know about exploring your creativity and getting into print)
- Zoe Strachan (author and creative writing teacher)
- Greg Mosse (author and creative writing teacher)
As we go to (virtual) press, the draft program includes*:
Friday 7 April
GETTING PUBLISHED & GETTING SOLD
DYNAMIC PLOTS
AN AUDIENCE WITH … Andrea Levy
Saturday 8 April
GENRES AND FASHIONS
CHILDREN'S WRITING
THE CONTEMPORARY NOVELIST
ADAPTATIONS
AN AUDIENCE WITH … Minette Walters
Sunday 9 April
CASS SCULPTURE FOUNDATION / CREATIVITY & COLLABORATION
with sculptor Peter Randall-Page
WRITING HISTORY – FACT AND FICTION
AN AUDIENCE WITH … Anthony Horowitz
This is a unique opportunity. The first Chichester Writing Festival will provide a rich and rewarding combination of practical advice, creative assistance and useful inspiration. It will give premium access to the highest-quality practitioners, allowing participants to explore their own self-expression and acquire a deep understanding of the identity of the creative artist as revealed through their work.
Come inside the Labyrinth!
