Northern Lights Writers’ Conference 2024 at Waterside
Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor
Northern Lights Writers’ Conference is a full day’s shindig on the craft and business of writing for scribes at all stages of their career, from the unpublished to those already established with words in print.
A roster of world-class guests has featured at the conference since it began in 2013, welcoming the likes of Louise Doughty, Sarah Dunant, Joanne Harris, AL Kennedy, Heather Morris, Kate Mosse, Jane Rogers and Will Self.
Run by Creative Industries Trafford and taking over its sister organisation Waterside Arts Centre in Sale, Northern Lights Writers’ Conference is perfect for picking up tips to take your writing career to the next level as well as giving you a not-to-be-sniffed-at opportunity for making some useful contacts in the publishing world to help you start or continue on the journey.
Now in its ninth year, the day is hosted by script developer Ric Michael and features a mix of inspiring talks from leading writers and authors, experienced publishers and literary agents, along with creative workshops on writing development and one-to-one advice sessions for writers of all disciplines and levels.
Exploring the landscape for writers in 2024 are screenwriter Lisa Holdsworth, poet Oliver Sykes, literary agent Monica MacSwan (Aitken Alexander Agency) and Bluemoose Books publisher Kevin Duffy (the Hebden Bridge-based enterprise that brought us Benjamin Myers’s Gallows Pole), among others. Author and fiction marketer Eleanor Pilcher will look at marketing and developing social media content, while business consultant Phil Birchenall will be delving into how writers can use AI tools to develop new projects.
Experts will also be on hand to answer any burning questions you have on the nuts and bolts of writing or on getting your work published or represented. Sign up for 15-minute drop-in advice sessions on next steps in everything from creativity to career advice. Advisers for these sessions are writer and editor Adam Farrer, children’s author and book editor Liz Flanagan, and literary agent Monica MacSwan.
