Scottish BPOC Writers Network provides advocacy, literary events, and development opportunities for BPOC writers based in or from Scotland. You can visit our website for more info, contact us through e-mail, or catch us on Twitter. We also have an online Facebook group for Black and POC writers.
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Don't Miss:
"As a young teenager peering over the deluge of fabric rolls, I know I witnessed a unique time."
Our second guest blog post of 2022 is a powerful and emotional reflection on Govanhill - taking us back in time, to Govanhill Pool, a very special fabric shop, and how important those spaces were for South Asian women. You can read Zamard Zahid's piece here.
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Edinburgh International Book Festival
SBWN: Right Here, Now
Sunday 28 August, 18:15
Five network members will be giving readings at our in-person showcase: Anna Cheung, Etzali Hernandez, Amanda Ajomale, Rachel Kareem, Sean Wai Keung.
Tickets are pay what you can and are available here.
We are also planning an informal social meetup for SBWN members after our EIBF event - we will email you about this by 6th August.
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Some EIBF events are pay what you can, livestreamed, BSL interpreted, captioned.
SBWN writers with EIBF festival events include:
Sat 13 Aug: Jay Gao and Alycia Pirmohamed: History, Memory, Poetry
Sat 13 Aug: Nothing but the Poem with Samuel Tongue: The Poetry of Andrés N Ordorica
Sat 13 Aug: Jazz Money and Andrés N Ordorica: The Language of Protest and Love
Mon 22nd Aug: Shaping Scotland's Stories: New Voices Showcase with Anna Cheung and Trishna Singh OBE
Tues 23 Aug: Young and in Love with Dean Atta (S1-S6, 12-18yrs)
Tues 23 Aug: Black History Walking Tour with Lisa Williams
Thurs 25 Aug: Strictly Come Writing with Maisie Chan
Thurs 25 Aug: Celebrating Inclusion with Jenny Kumar (Literature Alliance Scotland) and Jeda Pearl
Fri 26 Aug: Hannah Lavery: Scotland, You're No' Mine, chaired by Marjorie Lotfi
Sat 27 Aug: Ocean Vuong interviewed by Alycia Pirmohamed
Sat 27 Aug: Dean Atta & Juno Dawson: Love in Scotland
Sun 28 Aug: SBWN: Right Here, Now
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We're very excited to announce award-winning Ugandan fiction writer Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi will join our Scottish Black Writers Group on Thursday 18 August!
The Scottish Black Writers Group is a free writers group facilitated by Titilayo Farukuoye. It is a monthly event open to writers across the UK and Ireland who are Black/from the African diaspora, including people of mixed heritage.
Book here on Eventbrite
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Edinburgh Fringe and Community Happenings
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Shout-outs to more of our members book launches and events!
6th Aug: Writing Yourself and Others - people-centred journalism from two expert writers; Sirin Kale and Katie Goh, Mitchell Library in person, or online.
5th - 12th Aug: Some SBWN members will be at the Book Fringe hosted by Lighthouse Books (free, in person and online)
12th Aug: Chitra Ramaswamy with her new book Homelands at Fringe By The Sea, North Berwick.
16th Aug: Jessica Gaitán Johannesson's first collection of essays The Nerves And Their Endings is out in August, chaired by Alycia Pirmohamed.
20th-25th Sep: WayWORD Festival, Aberdeenshire, including Raymond Antrobus, Monica Ali, and SBWN members Bee Asha, Mae Diansangu and Rachelle Atalla celebrating her debut novel, The Pharmacist.
Re·creation anthology book launch recorded livestream with readings including Jay Gao, Nat Raha, Dean Atta, and Q&A with editors Éadaoín Lynch and Alycia Pirmohamed.
Some of our members who are also playwrights and storytellers are showcasing in the Edinburgh Fringe!
Annie George has a double bill, Resilience, as part of the Made in Scotland showcase: Home is Not the Place (12+), and Twa (12+).
Lubna Kerr is performing her show Tickbox (12+).
Mara Menzies is bringing her book back to the stage in Blood and Gold.
Niall Moorjani has three shows in the Fringe: Mohan: A Partition Story (14+), The Girl and the Dragon (5+), A Fairie Tale (15+).
Fringe of Colour have a database of Fringe and Edinburgh International Book Festival events on their website - you can add your event or view what's on.
Find a Book Festival near you on Literature Alliance Scotland.
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Submissions & Opportunities
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Here are some projects that have reached out to SBWN. Here you'll find places to submit work, as well as various events, like webinars, workshops and mentorships. This is not an exhaustive list. Apologies for what we miss!
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Magma Open Poetry Pamphlet Competition 2022 is open for entries of pamphlets that are 18-20 pages. Fee of £22 to submit, but there are a limited number of free entries for those for whom the entry fee would be unaffordable. More details on that and submission guidelines here.
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Literature Alliance Scotland are hiring a freelance Project Administration Assistant. 6 days p/m @ £120 p/d x 8 months. Full details here.
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ignitionpress at Oxford Brookes University is establishing a six-month scheme to allow a UK-based emerging editor to develop their skills in their poetry pamphlet press. The editor will receive mentoring and a bursary. Details here.
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Poetry Wales magazine is open for submissions. The next issue theme will be on the Partition of the Indian subcontinent - though writing is not limited to this topic and they welcome submissions on any theme. More info here.
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Scottish Book Trust are seeking applications for School Communities: Programme Manager (8th Aug), Administrators (2 roles, 9th Aug) Co-ordinators (2 roles, 10th Aug), and Manager (15th Aug). Find out more here.
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First year of a New Voices Award from the Wilbur Smith Prize. For unpublished, unagented writers. Support given to five writers to develop their manuscript over eight months and complete a first draft. Entry fee waived on a case by case basis, details all here.
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The Rebecca Swift Foundation's The Women Poets' Prize is open to entries. It's a biennial award given to three UK-based poets and consists of a £1,000 cash prize and 18 months of support. Previous winners include Nina Mingya Powles. Details here.
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Residency opportunity for mid-career/established writers from Scotland or West Africa to take part in a cross-cultural exchange. Successful applicants will spend time at Moniack Mhor and Accra, Ghana, before performing in Lagos, Nigeria. Eligibility criteria and application details here.
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The Berlin Writing Prize is open to international prose entries (both fiction and non-fiction) of up to 3,000 words. Winner receives a three-week residency in Berlin, and others win publication. There's a €10 entry fee, details here.
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Inverclyde Culture Collective are seeking residency applications to support two artists to take up a 2-week research and development plus shared content creation at Galoshans Festival 2022. More info here.
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Applications open for Bloody Scotland's pitch-to-win event, where unpublished crime writers can pitch their novels to a panel of publishing executives. Apply here for the chance to take part.
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Scottish poetry publisher Stewed Rhubarb Press is open for pamphlet submissions. Looking for 20-25 pages of poetry, with a strong spoken word connection that engages with the world. Free to submit, more info on what they're looking for here.
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Paisley Book Festival are seeking applications from mid-career writers for their Writer-In-Residence, who will be paid a set fee of £10,000 for the residency, paid in monthly instalments of £2000 on receipt of invoice over 5 months October to March. Full details here.
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Open Book are seeking new writing. Fee: Up to 12 awards of £175 each for new, previously unpublished piece of fiction or memoir of approximately 1000 words. Full details here.
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Fiction writers, graphic novelists, poets, essayists: Knight Errant Press, which publishes queer books & stories, wants to read your work! Submissions close on 1 Sept. Guidelines here.
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Residency opportunity at the University of Granada. Travel expenses, accommodation and board covered. Writers need to have published at least two books in any genre. More info on how to apply here.
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The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (Canada) invites published writers in any genre to apply for their 2023 Winter Writers Retreat (16-28 January). Please note there is a programme fee and an application fee, although financial assistance is available. More here.
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True & Woke, a magazine for and by women of colour, is seeking submissions centred on women of colour’s lived experiences, the arts, and social impact. These can be blog posts, magazine articles, thought pieces, images, poetry, or short fiction. Guidelines here.
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Rusty Quill are seeking pitches from writers wishing to create short-form audio fiction. Shows can be speculative or non-speculative, between 2 to 8 episodes. Pitches should be for full-cast audio fiction, rather than audiobook or narration only. This is a paid opportunity, with Rusty Quill producing the show for release on its network. Full details (PDF).
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On the hunt for new children's books? Talas Books UK, a new online bookstore opened by Katrina Macapagal, specialises in Philippine children's books in transatlation.
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Harper North is open for direct submissions of fiction manuscripts and non-fiction book proposals - no agent required. Details here. Commissioning editor Daisy Watt is also available to writers of colour to give feedback on an extract & synopsis of work in progress; details here.
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Portobello Literary, a new literary agency, is looking for submissions from fiction and non-fiction writers at any stage of their careers. These categories include anything from speculative fiction, crime novels, niche literary works, food writing, culture, nature writing, popular science, and much more. Find out more here.
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Children's and YA writers: if you have a book released in 2021/2022 and are interested in being featured as a Scottish Book Trust Children's/Young Adult Book of the Month, contact Anna Broomfield (anna.broomfield@scottishbooktrust.com) Sample feature here.
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Creative Scotland's Open Fund is seeking funding applications from freelance or self-employed artists and creative practitioners. Funding amounts range from £500 to £100,000. Details here.
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Love science fiction? Shoreline of Infinity are looking for book reviewers who have a good knowledge of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Reviewers get a copy of the book (if a printed book is reviewed), a copy of the Shoreline of Infinity issue that their review is published in, and 10% off at their online shop. Apply to be a reviewer here.
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We're also on Instagram! If you aren't already, do consider following us on our Instagram platform here where we share the latest about our events, showcase our amazing network members and keep you in the loop. :)
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