Northern Lights Writers’ Conference 2019 at Waterside

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

Book now

Northern Lights Writers' Conference 2019

Waterside, Manchester
21 September 2019

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Artist Dan Berry and writer David Gaffney.
Artist Dan Berry and writer David Gaffney. Photo by Mauricio.
Book now

Go-to writerly launch pad Creative Industries Trafford (CIT) based at Sale’s Waterside Arts has been adding to its creative writing offer this last year, with a number of workshops and events, including a regular short story course led by David Gaffney and featuring guest appearances by the likes of Valerie O’Riordan and Nicholas Royle, the CIT Writers’ Group headed up by poet Amy McCauley, Script School with TV developer Ric Michael and the special FaxFiction live literature showcase commissioned for the Refract:19 festival and featuring six writers including Rosie Garland and Fat Roland. And now the jewel in CIT’s crown is back for a sixth year, with its popular day-long Northern Lights Writers’ Conference.

The programme is packed full of delicious titbits to nourish your inner scribe, whether you’re unpublished or already established with words in print. This year’s professional development event includes workshops, panel discussions, book signings, readings and networking opportunities with award-winning writers and professionals from the publishing and broadcasting industries. Bringing together leading authors, poets, scriptwriters, artists, editors, agents and publishers, the programme focuses on both the craft and the business of writing, combining hands-on creative sessions with industry talks, and encompassing everything from diversity and career development to TV treatments and collaborating on graphic novels.

The all-dayer brings back last year’s tried-and-tested one-to-one advice sessions on writing and submitting short stories, poetry and creative non-fiction, with Tania Hershman, Amy McCauley and Adam Farrer. Plenty of positive noises were heard following these sit-downs in 2018 – you can’t book a slot in advance, so be sure to get your name down early on the day (note that registration starts at 10.30am).

The jewel in CIT’s crown is back for a sixth year, with its popular day-long Northern Lights Writers’ Conference

This year’s keynote speech is given by the prolific author (and editor, scriptwriter, lecturer, teacher and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature since 1994), Jane Rogers, perhaps best known for her novelsThe Voyage Home and Mr Wroe’s Virgins which was adapted for TV and directed by Danny Boyle. She’s calling her talk The Writer As Time-Traveller and she’ll be looking at the whys and hows of setting fiction in other eras, along with the thorny question of genre, from historical fiction to science fiction.

The roster of keynote speakers at the conference, which has been running since 2013, includes Sarah Dunant, Louise Doughty, AL Kennedy, Will Self, Joanne Harris MBE and now Jane Rogers. As well as providing inspiration, insight and advice in her pre-lunch speech, she’ll be going into more depth about her her career and inspirations, and reads from her forthcoming novel, Body Tourists (out with Spectre this November and the first chapter broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June), in the afternoon session Jane Rogers In Conversation.

Jane is joined on the NLWC 2019 line-up by acclaimed writer and artist duo David Gaffney and Dan Berry, whose well-received The Three Rooms in Valerie’s Head came out last year on mega-US publisher Top Shelf and who are now working on their next, Rivers. The Writing & Illustrating Graphic Novels session is followed by Writing for TV with Lisa Holdsworth (Emmerdale, New Tricks, Midsomer Murders, Waterloo Road), who will be giving a guide to getting into writing and pitching your script to television companies. If you don’t manage to pin him down to a one-to-one, be sure to join the Creative NonFiction practical workshop with Adam Farrer of The Real Story, who will be introducing you to the skills and approaches necessary to reveal factually accurate stories using creative techniques in a realm somewhere between journalism and creative writing.

All delegates will also be able to hear from the experts in two panel discussions: the morning session will be investigating Diversity in Publishing – writer and broadcaster Anita Sethi (Common People) and author Peter Kalu (Silent Star) will discuss under-representation of writers of colour within publishing; the afternoon will hear from Route Publishing Editor Ian Daley, who reveals what a publisher looks for when your manuscript is complete, the standard a writer needs to have their work at before submission and how a publisher works with a writer during the publishing process.

The afternoon talk, Support for Writers, features Will Mackie, Senior Programme Manager at New Writing North, and Debbie Taylor of Mslexia magazine, who will explore development opportunities for writers. Where are the best resources, which opportunities should writers look out for and where can writers find essential training at each stage of their careers? Well, starting with a ticket to the Northern Lights Writers’ Conference, we reckon.

What's on at Waterside

Where to go near Northern Lights Writers’ Conference 2019 at Waterside

Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Bean and Brush Art Café

Bean & Brush is a family art café in Sale which serves simple, tasty food with ingredients sourced from local suppliers. The bonus for parents is the arts and crafts studio which keeps the kids busy being creative while they can join in or relax with a coffee.

Manchester
Park
Grosvenor Square

Grosvenor Square is one of the few open spaces along Oxford Road Manchester; on sunny days, students from the nearby Manchester School of Art come out to bask.

Manchester
Park
Walkden Gardens

Walkden Gardens in the Manchester suburbs has all the makings of a fairy tale garden. As a venue, it’s hard to imagine a more magical gateway, a wonderful escape only a short(ish) stroll from the Brooklands Metrolink stop..

Sale
Restaurant
Meze & More

An intimate supper club in Sale, South Manchester, with a specialist focus on Middle Eastern and Greek cuisine.

longford park ben williams
Manchester
Park
Longford Park

Longford Park in Stretford was created in the grounds of Longford Hall, the grand entrance steps of which remain.

Manchester
Park
Wythenshawe Park

With a 17th Century hall set in 109 acres of open parkland, Wythenshawe Park makes a super day out for all ages. Explore the historic woodlands, lush grasslands and meadows; take a stroll around the many themed gardens and check out the sports and leisure facilities on offer.

What's on: Literature

Roy Macfarlane
LiteratureManchester
Roy Macfarlane at Manchester Poetry Library

As part of the Poetry Reading Series at Manchester Poetry Library, Canal Laureate Roy Macfarlane will be in conversation with the series curator and award-winning poet Helen Mort.

Free entry
Luke Samuel Yates
LiteratureLeeds
Chemistry at The Chemic

Leeds live literature regular Chemistry offers an exciting mix of open mic acts and invited poets – this month the headliners are Helen Ivory and Luke Samuel Yates.

Free entry
Tom Branfoot. Photo Eleanor Hall, Museum of the Home
LiteratureWest Yorkshire
Poetry at the Dusty Miller

Poetry at the Dusty Miller is a now regular night with invited readers, organised by Carcanet-published Carola Luther and Judith Willson in the Coiners’ Room in the Mytholmroyd pub.

Free entry

Culture Guides

portrait of Lorsung in a dark shirt with dark hair and dark round glasses
Literature Events in the North

There's a lot of experimentation going on in our Literature guide, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.

Three men sit next to each other. One's head is bandaged, one holds a torch and one wears a sleepmask.
Cinema in the North

Live scores, midnight movies and the latest from Wes Anderson are just some of our upcoming film highlights.

Music in the North

Gigs are coming in hot this spring – from long-awaited returns to one-off happenings you’ll blink and miss if you're not careful.

Experience a unique deep listening art installation inviting audiences to lay down and be bathed in sound and light.
Exhibitions in the North

From city-wide art festivals to open-air sculptural installations, we have exhibitions from all around the North, both indoors and out.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Eclectic as ever. You'll find inventive reworkings, world-class contemporary dance and Greater Manchester's inaugural Improv Festival in our guide.