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May 2021  |   Issue 11

Scottish BAME Writers Network
Newsletter

About SBWN

Scottish BAME Writers Network provides advocacy, literary events, and development opportunities for BAME 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.

 

QTIPOC Writers Group


With Pride Month coming up, we're excited to announce our new QTIPOC Writers Group! This series of free events provides a relaxed, supportive space where queer writers of colour can celebrate the work of other QTIPOC artists while using it to inspire their own creative practice. 

The group will initially run monthly for three sessions and will be hosted by a different QTIPOC creative each month.  In each session, the group will discuss and creatively respond to a short piece of media produced by QTIPOC.

Our inaugural session on Thursday 3rd June, 7pm-8:30pm will be facilitated by Mae Diansangu. Mae is a Black queer spoken word artist, writer and performer from Aberdeen (and is also one of our Programme Managers at SBWN!). She is co-founder of Hysteria, an arts platform that showcases women, non-binary and gender marginalised creatives. Her work has been published by 404 ink Magazine and she has been awarded commissions from the National Library of Scotland and StAnza. Mae is part of a network of Black community activists organising under BLM Scotland, and her work often centres on social justice themes.

Register here for our QTIPOC Writers Group

We can't wait to see you there!
 


Coming Soon


EDI Survey 2021 Report


The findings from our 2021 survey on the perceptions and experiences of writers of colour in Scotland are in! We'll be looking at the analysis of these findings and discussing how they can guide us going forward on our site.

Many thanks to all who took part for sharing your views, thoughts and input.
 


Scottish Black Writers Group


The Scottish Black Writers Group will be getting dramatic this summer!

In association with the National Theatre of Scotland, we'll be featuring a lineup of amazing Black playwrights and scriptwriters from July through September.

Watch this space for more details. We'll also be revealing our guest writers on social media and our site, so look out for that in the coming weeks!

 

Scottish Black Writers Group

Scottish Black Writers Group is a new, free writers group and peer support and social space facilitated by our Co-Director Dean Atta and in association with Scottish PEN. It is a space to meet, chat, network and talk about the writing life - writers both published and unpublished are welcome to join us.


This is a monthly event open to writers across the UK and Ireland who are Black/from the African diaspora, including people of mixed heritage. Please be mindful while booking!

Scottish Black Writers Group (June) with Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Scottish Black Writers Group (in association with Scottish PEN). Guest: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. Thu 17th June, 7-9pm. Online,

In June we'll be joined by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, 22, is a writer from South London who has dreamt of writing books about Black kids saving (or destroying) the world all her life. Her debut novel ACE OF SPADES is an unputdownable thriller that delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism. Billed as ‘Get Out meets Gossip Girl with a shocking twist’, gal-dem has called it ‘one of 2021’s biggest books’. The novel was acquired by Usborne Publishing in 2018 and then pre-empted by Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group US in 2020. ACE OF SPADES will publish simultaneously in the UK and US in June 2021. 

Faridah established and runs a mentorship scheme for unagented writers of colour, helping them on their journey to get published. She has also written for NME, The Bookseller, Reader’s Digest and gal-dem, and currently studies English Literature at a university in the Scottish Highlands.

Book All Events Now

Submission and Job Opportunities

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!

25th May, 5pm BST
Storytellers and performers: the Scottish International Storytelling Festival is looking for proposals for performances based on the theme 'Imagine'. Find out more here.
26th May
Literature Alliance Scotland is looking for 5 writers for their Writers' Advisory Group, which works to guide LAS' activities and programming. This is a paid role at £175 per advisory group session. Details here
28th May, 12 noon BST
Stewed Rhubarb Press is seeking a guest submissions reader for Re-creation, a queer poetry anthology. The role pays £200 for a time commitment of up to 10 hours. More info here
28th May
Are you a woman who writes witty, hilarious, laugh-out-loud fiction? You may be eligible for the Comedy Women in Print Prize! Find out more and enter here.
31st May, 5pm BST
The 2021 Queen Mary Wasafiri Prize is open for submissions! They will be judged by Tishani Doshi (Poetry), Hirsh Sawhney (Fiction), Christie Watson (Life Writing), and Andrew Cowan (Chair). £10 for a single entry, £16 for a double entry. Details here.
31st May
Are you an unpublished children's book writer without an agent? All Stories is a free mentorship programme for children's book authors from underrepresented backgrounds. Learn more and apply here.
4th June
The Scottish Book Trust is seeking experienced Early Years Artists, an Early Years Emerging Artist, and Early Years Music and Story Mentors to facilitate children' and families' engagement with stories, songs, and rhymes. Details here.
7th June
Sustrans is looking to commission public artworks in any form (e.g. sculpture, digital, poetry, performance, etc.) to appear along the National Cycle Network for Black History Month. More info here.
14th June
Creative Dundee is looking for a Digital Engagement Producer. Salary: £25,316 – £27,316 for a 4-day work week. This is an 18-month fixed term role with the possibility of extension. Details here.
25th June
Fantasy and science fiction writers of colour: the Future Worlds Prize is open for entries! The winner will receive £4,000, with second place and runners-up receiving smaller cash prizes. Learn more and enter here.
30th June
Something for the wee ones: BBC Radio Scotland's Climate Tales competition is looking for 500-word pieces on climate change from young writers aged 5-16. Entries can be in the form of a short story, poem, monologue, or rap. Find out more and enter here.
14th July
Applications for the Scottish Book Trust New Writers Awards are now open! Writers of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and/or children's books are eligible. Full details here.
Ongoing
We here at SBWN are collaborating with HarperCollins to give fiction and nonfiction writers of colour an opportunity to have their work published! Together with Nancy Adimora, the Talent & Audience Development Manager at HarperCollins Publishers, we're looking for your submissions and pitches. Full details are here on our site.
No date
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
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. :)

Thanks for reading!

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