Upcoming Events
2nd December – Members’ Christmas Social
Calling all members! We’ll be enjoying an evening of literary cheer as we gather to celebrate another year of creativity, community, and storytelling. Whether you’re polishing a manuscript, dabbling in poetry, or simply enjoying the written word, this is your chance to unwind among fellow writers in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. It’s
3rd February 2026 – Rosie Pierce (Curtis Brown)
We are delighted to welcome Rosie Pierce from top literary agent Curtis Brown! More details to follow nearer the time…
Our monthly writers’ events are held at: Hartington Grove Meeting House.
91-93 Hartington Grove
Cambridge
CB1 7UB
Non-members are welcome to attend most events, at a charge of £3. Please contact our chairman Harry Goode if you would like to come along.
If members have any suggestions for speakers you would like to hear at our writers’ events, please contact our events officer.
Recent Events
2nd November 2021 – Sophie Hannah
Sophie Hannah is a Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling writer of crime fiction, published in forty-nine languages and fifty-one territories. Her books have sold millions of copies worldwide. In 2014, with the blessing of Agatha Christie’s family and estate, Sophie published a new Poirot novel, The Monogram Murders, which was a bestseller in more than fifteen countries. She has since
5th October 2021 – Rosie Sykes
Rosie Sykes is a food writer and chef, living in London and Cambridge who was, at one time, Head Chef at Fitzbillies. She has cooked in the kitchens of some of Britain’s most celebrated chefs, including Joyce Molyneux, Shaun Hill and Alastair Little. Her critically acclaimed gastropub, The Sutton Arms in Smithfields, London, established her as one of the most
6th September 2021 – Professor Andrew Cowan
Andrew Cowan studied at the University of East Anglia, where he is now Director of Creative Writing and teaches on the Creative Writing MA. Since his acclaimed and prize winning first novel, Pig (1994), he wrote another four novels which depict people in provincial worlds; there is an interest in the domestic, in the mechanics of relationships when the blood-rush
1st June 2021 – Flash Fiction Competition
Competitors bring a printed copy of their anonymous entry to the meeting, word limit 250
4th May 2021 – Workshop
How do I blindside my reader without completely cheating them? How do I lay a trail of clues without my plot becoming predictable? This workshop is designed to help you answer those questions and more. We will be covering the five different types of foreshadowing, including Chekhov’s gun, prophecy, flashback, symbolic foreshadowing, and red herring, discussing examples in literature and
25th February 2021 – Short Story Competition Judging Event
*** Note that the date for this meeting has changed *** Our competition Rosemary Hayes is an author and creative writing tutor. She came to writing from a background in advertising, marketing and publishing. Working intermittently for Cambridge University Press from 1986-2001, one of her jobs was to run a national children’s writing competition, The Cambridge Young Writers’ Award, which
1st September 2020 – Andy McDonnell
Andrew McDonnell is the course leader for the English Literature and Creative Writing degrees at University Centre Peterborough where he undertakes research in Literary Theory, English Literature and Creative Writing. His debut poetry collection, The Somnambulist Cookbook was published by Salt in June 2019. It is a series of poems that examine the quality of disappearance, how memory interferes with
30th April 2020 – Flash Fiction Competition
* Due to the coronavirus this competition is held as an online event * Note that this event has been brought forward. It is a members only competition. Here are the rules: One piece of fiction per member, which must not exceed 250 words. It must have a title of not more than 10 words. This is not
3rd March 2020 – Annual General Meeting
There will be reports on the past year's activities, All existing officers are willing to stand again, but if you fancied a turn at a post, this would be welcomed. Following the practice started last year, the meeting will choose the theme for then 2021 Short Story Competition. After the formal business Hannah Hooton, our Publicity Officer, has devised a
4th February 2020 – Short Story Competition Judging Event
The annual Short Story Competition is judged this year by Una McCormack who has given us a presentation in September, 2018. Una teaches Creative Writing at Anglia Ruskin University. She is an expert on Science Fiction and Fantasy, author of a number of tie-in novels to Star Trek and Dr Who.