@farhanashaikh.bsky.social
✍️ Writer #Discoveries2023 📖 Publisher @DahliaBooks Editor @theasianwriter Writes, reads, eats 📚 Mainly posting #MondayBlues 📫
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.
04.10.2025 12:07 — 👍 22 🔁 6 💬 1 📌 2In 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.
02.10.2025 20:14 — 👍 2146 🔁 403 💬 56 📌 59
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.
04.10.2025 22:12 — 👍 23705 🔁 7942 💬 449 📌 232
Photo of Birmingham Literature Festival audience, young people, middle aged people and older people sitting in seats listening to an event.
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!
I was so pleased to include your story in the longlist, Victoria.
04.10.2025 14:09 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
The cover of the Leicester Writes Short Story Prize anthology 2025 - gold text on a background of peacock feathers.
Opening snippet of my story, ‘Experience’: When the Deputy Chief Constable, or Commissioner, or whoever he was, his uniform jacket heavy with medals, loops of braid at one shoulder, when he was reading his statement about the ‘incident’, a man in a dark grey suit and a pale lilac shirt briefly stepped into shot behind him, then stepped out again.
Was very happy to make the cut for the Leicester Writes anthology. Many thanks to @farhanashaikh.bsky.social and congratulations to all.
02.10.2025 11:07 — 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
#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
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 info@writingeastmidlands.co.uk ✉️
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...
Thank you! I'm nearly there. I need to read it through it and make a few last edits. I'm pitching it as a retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in 1960s India.
01.10.2025 06:23 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0Good luck! My goal is to finish my first novel and submit to beta readers for feedback.
30.09.2025 06:30 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
#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 ✨️
22.09.2025 15:43 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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
It was so lovely to meet you, Vicky. Looking forward to reading more of your work.
20.09.2025 21:05 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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.
20.09.2025 19:29 — 👍 6 🔁 1 💬 2 📌 0
Blue background. Text introduces the Short Story September Festival which take place on 20-21 September.
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...
Graphic for SailFest on 27th September 2025 at the Clore auditorium Tate Britain
#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
