An update
long overdue :)
Hello writers
As the season shifts along with our creative rhythms, we wanted to share a brief update on what’s been unfolding across Dialect. From new commissions to community gatherings, meaningful connections are being forged and quiet momentum building!
Our offering of courses on fiction, life writing and small group poetry mentoring have kicked off online and in-person, plus a wonderful workshop inspired by blacksmithing. What people are saying about these sessions…
‘Three hours flew by! Loved it.’
‘Many thanks to you for the interesting prompts - they have kept me going all day. Thank you to everyone for comments.’
‘I love it, 😻 it is really helping me to create my novella’
‘I put forward my life writing to be workshopped in the course session today, which was nerve-wracking but turned out a really good experience and I got some brilliantly helpful feedback.’
We held our first ever Regional Writers’ Meet Up at Stroud Library and we’re pleased to say it was a great success! Living and writing creatively was our theme and discussed the kin, community, practices and books that inspire us and keep us going. We hope to hold these meetings quarterly around the region, with the next one planned for January in Gloucester (date tbc). A WhatsApp group is tentatively getting off the ground to connect West Country writers so do hit reply to this email if you’d like to join.
Kilver Court in Shepton Mallet was the venue for our September day retreat, an old silk mill with the home of Babycham next door! Thanks to all the writers who came with us to get words down and connect with others. Our open mic at the end was a reminder (if we needed one) of *just* how much creative talent is fizzing away in rural places. Those readings are still hanging with us. Thank you again to Distil Co-Working for hosting us, the first time but certainly not the last.
‘It was such a glorious day, with wonderful inspiring writers and artists in a gorgeous location. Thank you.’
A couple of weeks ago we hosted our first ever Poetry Salon for the Indie Press Network, welcoming poets from Broken Sleep Books and Arachne, Emma, Black Cat and Garlic Presses. Our readers were Catherine Balaq, Barry Hollow, Hannah Hull, Iris Anne Lewis, Des Mannay, Mary Mulholland, Philip Rush and Rachel Spence, while Emily Lucas entertained us with a game of enjambments. We were so grateful to a packed audience for turning up and offering a warm west country welcome and to the Museum for so generously hosting us. New connections and friendships were most definitely made and we hope to do it again sometime.
Our Crowdfunder to support Dialect Press has kicked off this October, with 15 generous souls supporting us so far. Having failed to obtain institutional funding to support print and production, we are now turning to our community for help to secure the next round of publications which feature collaborative work by some incredible writers. We have raised 29% of our target to date and, with 40 days to go, would be very grateful for any support you can offer, however small. Here’s a link.
While you’re here…. coming up
Poetry Reading Group: TS Eliot Prize Shortlist just a couple of spots left, starts 24 October, in-person
The Time is Now, facilitated by Dialect and shot by Emilie Sandy, is a unique heritage project capturing for the historical record the volunteers and community workers in Gloucester, who have worked so hard to support others in recent years. More on this amazing project very soon! Opens 25 October at Museum of Gloucester.
Dialect Christmas Party at The Ale House in Stroud, Saturday 6th December 4pm. Free. All welcome! Save the date.
Winter Solstice Writing Workshop 16 December, online
