Upcoming Events
7th May – Mike Levy
We are delighted to welcome Mike Levy, a former teacher and journalist who helps run history-based projects with a strong arts element thrown in. He is a Holocaust educator and regular theatre and music reviewer for www.thecambridgecritique.com. Now pursuing a PhD at Anglia Ruskin on the Cambridge Refugee Committees 1938-48. He enjoys
4th June – Flash Fiction Competition 2024 Results Night
Our flash fiction competition is judged on the night, in person. Simply bring a printed copy of your story, with title but WITHOUT your name on it, to the meeting on 4th June. The word limit is pretty tight, at 250, which does not include the title. When penning your story, make
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 you have any suggestions for speakers you would like to hear at our writers’ events, please contact our programme secretary, Karin Milner.
Recent Events
1st May 2018 – Writing for Competitions
Ingrid Jendrzejewski received a BFA in Creative Writing and a BA in English literature and then switched tracks to study physics. She returned to creative writing in 2014 and has since won 11 writing competitions, judged three short-story contests, had around 100 pieces published, and been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Vestal’s VERA Award, and twice for Best Small Fictions.
6th March 2018 – Annual General Meeting
Don’t be scared – all existing officers are willing to go on serving. However, if you fancy a turn at an office, do step forward. The formal business will be followed by a Twitter Competition – telling a story in 280 characters, which includes spaces and punctuation. Box of chocolates for the winner.
6th February 2018 – Short Story Competition Judging Event
The annual Short Story Competition is judged this year by literary agent Julian Friedmann who is a longstanding partner in the Blake-Friedmann literary agency and who has given us a presentation in April 2017.
5th December 2017 – Workshop by Tim Love
Hemingway said "If you can throw away stuff that would make a high point of interest in somebody else’s story, you know you’re going good." In this workshop-based evening, Tim Love will look at how to edit your texts – adding as well as throwing away – starting at the word level then working all the way up to shifting
7th November 2017 – Creative Writing Course with Cambridge Writers
Jane Phillips completed a two year MA course at City University, London – Creative Writing, Novels (Crime), in October 2016. Was it expensive – yes she says, was it worth it – yes again. What did I learn? I'll tell you in November she promises – with some handouts from the course. Les Brookes attended a couple of Arvon courses
3rd October 2017 – Emotional Resonance and the Short Story
Helen will give part talk, part workshop about the "Emotional Resonance and the Short Story". Sheis a Lecturer of Creative Writing and Publishing at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, England. Her first collection of fiction Hair Side, Flesh Side won the Sydney J Bounds Award in 2013, and Gifts for the One Who Comes After, her second collection, won the
5th September 2017 – Alexander Masters
Alexander Masters is an author, screenwriter, and worker with the homeless and lives in Cambridge. He is the writer and illustrator of "Stuart: A Life Backwards", the biography of Stuart Shorter. It explores how a young boy, somewhat disabled from birth, became mentally unstable, criminal and violent, living homeless on the streets of Cambridge. The book won many prizes and
1st July 2017 – Summer Social
5.00 – 8.30 pm at 22a Riverbank, Littleport Our member Siobhan Carew and her husband have kindly made their farm available for this event. There will be a charge of £5 per head, and members are welcome to bring guests. You must also bring a dish (sweet or savoury) and some drink (whether alcoholic or not) to share. The farm
6th June 2017 – Flash Fiction Competition
This is a members-only competition. Bring along a printed story of not more that 250 words. It must have a title, although this is not part of the word count. Stories will be read aloud anonymously by a single reader to ensure a uniformity of delivery. Members will then cast votes to determine the winner. The prize is a box
2nd May 2017 – The novel ‘The Words in my Hand’
Guinevere is a former member of Cambridge Writers whom we are pleased to welcome back to talk about her successful debut novel. It tells the true story of Helena Jans, an illiterate serving girl in 17th century Holland. A lodger is the famous philosopher and mathematician René Descartes. At first he helps her learn to write, and they then commence
4th April 2017 – Julian Friedmann
Julian is a longstanding partner in the Blake-Friedmann literary agency. He will talk on the current state, and likely future direction, of both literary agencies and publishing in general. The explosion in those writing, or trying to write, together with self-publishing as e-books, have undermined old certainties. Where do we go from here? You can watch his presentation "The
7th March 2017 – Annual General Meeting
An AGM may not be anyone's idea of a great night out. Yet this is actually our general forum and opportunity to have a say in how things are run. The Committee is, after all, made up of its own members, we consider ourselves forward-thinking and open to new ideas, so please come along and let us hear from you.