8 November 2022, Five Leaves Bookshop, Nottingham: Togara Muzanenhamo, with Becky Cullen, Teresa Forrest and John Oberholzer.
Togara Muzanenhamo, visiting from Zimbabwe, read from his three Carcanet poetry collections: Spirit Brides (2006), Gumiguru (2014), and most recently Virga. Becky Cullen read from her debut collection A Reader’s Guide to Time (Live Canon, 2022). Extra support came from NTU MA Creative Writing student Teresa Forrest, and NTU BA Creative Writing student John Oberholzer, who studied Muzanenhamo’s work last year as part of his BA.
18 May 2022, Five Leaves Bookshop, Nottingham: Kim Slater and Helen Cooper, with Lotty McLean, Rebekah Hemmens and Abigail Cobley.
Award-winning novelists Kim Slater and Helen Cooper, both graduates of NTU’s MA Creative Writing, read with three current students on the same MA: Lotty McLean, Abigail Cobley, and Rebekah Hemmens. The event was followed by a Q&A chaired by NTU Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing, David Belbin, who has taught all of them.
2 March 2022, online: Carrie Etter and Jake Morris-Campbell, with Erika Davies, Sophie Hall and Eve Kilford.
American poet and short fiction writer Carrie Etter read from her new collection, The Weather in Normal (Seren, 2021). Jake Morris-Campbell read from his debut collection, Corrigenda for Costafine Town (Blue Diode, 2021). Support came from Erika Davies, a recent star graduate of NTU’s MA Creative Writing, and Eve Kilford and Sophie Hall, two exceptional NTU BA Creative Writing students. It was chaired by NTU Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing and English, Andrew Taylor who, like Carrie, has been published by Shearsman Books.
16 February 2022, online: Liz John, with Steve Katon and Alessandra Leone.
Birmingham-based playright and screenwriter Liz John (The Archers, Doctors), etc read and discussed her work. Support came from BA students Sarah Stamps and Alessandra Leone, and MA Creative Writing student Steve Katon, and was chaired by Anthony Cropper, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at NTU, who is a playwright and novelist.
10 February 2022, online: Togara Muzanenhamo and Naush Sabah, with Aly Stoneman, Tuesday Shannon, Lucas Parkinson and Josh Short.
Togara Muzanenhamo, author of three collections of poetry with Carcanet (most recently Virga, a Poetry Book Society Recommendation) read alongside Naush Sabah, author of Litanies (Gullemot Press, 2021), and the editor and founder of Poetry Birmingham Literary Journal. Other readers were: Aly Stoneman, a recent graduate of our M4C-funded PhD programme; Tuesday Shannon, a current M4C-funded PhD candidate at NTU, and Lucan Parkinson and Josh Short, two final-year students on our BA Creative Writing. The event was chaired by poet and NTU Associate Professor Rory Waterman who, like Togara, is published by Carcanet Press.
9 February 2022, online: Gwendoline Riley, with Lee Skinner and Alison Goodchild.
Gwendoline Riley, author of six novels and winner of a Somerset Maugham Award and Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize, read from her new novel, My Phantoms, and then took part in an audience-led Q&A. The other readers were Alison Goodchild and Lee Skinner, both second-year part-time students on the NTU MA Creative Writing. The event was chaired by Eve Makis, novelist and NTU Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing.
3 November 2021: Uncertain Truths, with NTU MA Creative Writing.
The launch event for this year’s MA Creative Writing anthology, at Antenna, Nottingham, with readings from several members of the cohort and several guests including alumni, introduced by NTU guest lecturer William Ivory.
31 March 2021: Ashley Hickson-Lovence, with John Lewell.
Ashley, the author of the novel The 392 and featured writer for NTU’s WRAP programme, read with NTU BA Creative Writing student John Lewell. The event was chaired by NTU Lecturer Becky Cullen, and hosted by NTU’s Curated and Created.
24 March 2021, online: Okechukwu Nzelu, with Panya Banjoko and Lauren Morey.
The novelist Okechukwu Nzelu, winner of a New Writing North Award and author of the novel The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney, which won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the Betty Trask Prize, the Desmond Elliott Prize, and the Polari First Book Prize, read with NTU PhD candidate and poet Panya Banjoko and NTU BA Creative Writing student Lauren Morey. The event was followed by a Q&A chaired by Dr Jenni Ramone, Senior Lecturer in Postcolonial Studies at NTU. Video here.
10 March 2021, online: Poetry & Covid-19 collaborations, with Sinéad Morrissey, Jan Wagner, Iain Galbraith, Carol Leeming, Rakhshan Rizwan, David Herd & Sharmistha Mohanty, plus Lauren Terry.
Three international pairings of acclaimed poets recited collaborations written for the AHRC-funded Poetry and Covid project anthology, published by Shearsman Press. The session was chaired by Prof. Anthony Caleshu, of the University of Plymouth (who is working with Rory Waterman on the project), and was followed by a Q&A co-chaired by Rory and Anthony. Video here.
3 March 2021, online: Lynda Clark, reading with Victoria Zoë Callus and Josh Short.
NTU MA Creative Writing and PhD graduate Lynda Clark, the author of the novel Beyond Kidding and winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize, read alongside NTU Midlands4Cities-funded PhD student Victoria Zoë Callus and BA Creative Writing student Josh Short. The event was chaired by Sarah Jackson. Video here.
18 February 2021, online: Calling Across Borders.
A short animation celebrating the voices of young refugees living in the UK. A collaboration between NTU’s AHRC-funded Crossed Lines project and Compass Collective. The event was hosted by Compass associate artists Massi and Ali G, and chaired by Sarah Jackson.
17 February 2021, online: William Ivory, with Cappo (Paul Adey), Jade Curley, Teya Dancer and Lesley Walker.
Multi-award-winning screenwriter William Ivory performed a monologue. NTU Midlands4Cities-funded PhD student Paul Adey (AKA Cappo) performed three pieces and three MA Creative Writing students read monologues in support. The event was chaired by BA Media Production student and Hub Research Assistant Zachary Omitowoju, who was on work placement with the NTU ‘Humanities at Work’ module. The event was followed by a broad audience-led discussion. All 100 audience places were taken. Video here.
20 January 2020, online: Alan Jenkins reading with Aly Stoneman and Tuesday Shannon.
Forward Prize-winning poet and editor Alan Jenkins read alongside NTU Midlands4Cities-funded PhD students Aly Stoneman and Tuesday Shannon, then answered audience questions about writing. Video here.
2 December 2020, online: Pete Paphides with Hannah Cooper-Smithson.
Former chief rock critic at The Times, freelance music broadcaster and journalist for the Guardian, Mojo and Q, and author of the critically-acclaimed memoir Broken Greek, Pete Pahides discussed his memoir, music, the writing life and his upbringing in Birmingham with immigrant parents. The event was chaired by MA Creative Writing lecturer and Writer in Residence for the Postcolonial Studies Centre, Eve Makis, and supported by NTU Midlands4Cities-funded PhD student Hannah Cooper-Smithson, a poet.
25 November 2020, online: Dial-a-Poem, with Raquel Lanseros, Andrew McMillan, Rishi Dastidar and Chrissy Williams, with Rose Brennan and John Rogers.
Four internationally-acclaimed poets commissioned for the Dial-a-Poem app – Raquel Lanseros, Andrew McMillan, Rishi Dastidar and Chrissy Williams – were joined by the Dial-a-Poem competition winners, Rose Brennan and NTU MA Creative Writing alumnus John Rogers, for reading and discussion around the theme of writing and the telephone. The link is available here.
23-4 May 2020, online: Nottstopping Festival.
Nottingham Creative Writing Hub members, including staff and students, presented an online event as part of Nottstopping 2020. The link is available here.
25 March 2020, online: Geoff Nicholson with Victoria Zoe Callus.
The Sheffield-born author Geoff Nicholson, until recently a resident of Los Angeles, talked to David Belbin about his seventeen idiosyncratically satirical novels. He was supported by first-year Midlands4Cities NTU PhD student Victoria Zoe Callus. The event was moved online due to coronavirus, and the link is available here (for Geoff) and here (for Victoria).
4 December 2019, Five Leaves Bookshop, Nottingham: Carcanet at 50.
Carcanet Press is one of the UK’s leading publishers of poetry, and is now in its fiftieth year. We celebrated with readings by four Nottingham-based poets with Carcanet connections, three of whom are closely related to NTU: Rory Waterman, Gregory Woods, Rebecca Cullen and Matthew Welton. The event was introduced by Carcanet editor in chief Michael Schmidt. A free limited-edition pamphlet containing work by each of the four poets was available to attendees on the night.
30 October 2019, Antenna, Nottingham: And What Do They Call you? student-led MA anthology launch.
This year’s NTU MA Creative Writing anthology launch was superb, featuring readings from our 2018-19 cohort of MA Creative Writing students, and guest speaker (and NTU Midlands4Cities PhD student) Paul Stephen Adey, AKA Cappo.
23 October 2019, University Hall, Nottingham Trent University: Celebrating 25 Years of the MA Creative Writing.
This special event celebrated 25 years of the MA Creative Writing, and lauched the new anthology 25, with readings from 10 of the contributors. The evening was chaired by the two most recent course leaders, Rory Waterman and David Belbin, and was introduced by our Vice-Chancellor, Edward Peck. Here’s to the last 25 years, and to the next quarter-century of successes!
1 October 2019, Five Leaves Bookshop, Nottingham: Helen Tookey supported by Panya Banjoko, Hannah Cooper-Smithson, Lauren Terry.
Helen read from her two poetry collections: Missel-Child (Carcanet, 2014), shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney First Collection Prize in 2015, and City of Departures (Carcanet, 2019), shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection 2019. Support came from three PGR NCWH members, all of whom read new work.
NOTTINGHAM CREATIVE WRITING HUB 