Bournemouth Writing Festival

11/09/2026

Here are all the events and activities from the Bournemouth Writing Festival until the end of the year.

Next weekend, our wind phone will be at the Wild and Wiser Festival in Dorset.

On Friday 25th September, pop-in to our free pop-up writing workshops and activities during the Bournemouth Arts by the Sea Festival.

3rd October is our second Romance Writing Festival Bournemouth at the Marsham Court Hotel.

Tim Clague and Danny Stack will be delivering a talk on How to Earn a Living from Screenwriting at the Bournemouth International Film Festival - BIFF taking place at the Hilton Hotel in Bournemouth.

Then on Friday 13th November, we'll be hosting a very special Gothic-themed networking event celebrating our local literary authors.

More details on the website!

10/09/2026

Together with Jessica Toale MP and the Bournemouth Writing Festival, free workshops and drop-in sessions will take place on Friday 25th September.

If you are coming to Bournemouth Town Centre for Arts by the Sea, then pop into our pop-up writing workshops and get involved.

Sessions for complete beginners, poetry and for those that need a bit of help to keep going will take place throughout the day.

Plus, have a go on our wind phone and stick your romantic confessions on our Confessions Board.

Details on the website:
https://www.bournemouthwritingfestival.co.uk/free-writing-workshop

09/09/2026

We are over the moon to be finalists (again!) for Tourism Event/Festival of the Year at the Dorset Tourism Awards by Tourism Awards - South West. For the past two years, we've taken Gold so all of our fingers and toes are crossed we get the hattrick!

Our superstar volunteers Medi and Paul will be attending the ceremony at the Marsham Court Hotel on 22nd October.

Thank you to every writer, author, attendee, supporter, volunteer, cheerleader, business, advertiser and funder who continues to make the Bournemouth Writing Festival what it is - a buzzing, inclusive and welcoming community that brings people to our beautiful coast.

07/09/2026

We've had over 150 submissions from writers, authors and writing professionals pitching to be part of our fifth writing festival in Bournemouth already!

If you have experience and knowledge to share to our writer community, we'd love to hear from you.

We are plotting something special and new for April, so we'd love to hear from people who help writers as they near the finishing line - or have finished their manuscript and are looking to get their words out into the world. That's editors, publishers, book marketers, book cover designers, publicists etc.

So if that's you, please apply using the link on the website. It's under April Festival, then Call For Speakers.

Other than that, we are looking for innovative applications to really help and inspire writers to improve and progress their writing journey.

07/09/2026

It's your 7am wake up call to get your brain whirring for the week ahead!

What's one piece of writing advice you wish you could have told your younger self?

Maybe others on their writing journey may learn from your experience. Pop it in the comments!

It's just for fun!

06/09/2026

Thank you Happiful Magazine for the excellent article about our wind phone!

The wind phone will be at the festival in Dorset on the 19th and 20th September.

05/09/2026

Join us on Friday 13th November for a special evening celebrating our famous, local Gothic authors.

Enjoy an atmospheric evening of live entertainment and networking with your fellow writing peers. Together, we’ll toast to the legendary authors who shaped Gothic literature right here on our coast, including Mary Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, and Oscar Wilde.

The Mysterious Bookcase will be bringing some of the classics for you to purchase during the evening.

There will be a limited number of stalls available for independent, local Gothic writers and authors to sell their books. If you are interested in hiring a stall, then please get in touch.

Soft drinks, tea and coffee will be available with proceeds to the church, with BYO alcohol.

Details and ticket prices to come so save the date for now.... if you dare.

04/09/2026

We are almost ready for the Romance Writing Festival Bournemouth on Saturday 3rd October!

Panels, talks, walks, masterclasses and literary agent 1-2-1s all happening at the award-winning Marsham Court Hotel Bournemouth for our one-day event celebrating the romance genre. Early bird discount now available on tickets, masterclasses and accommodation.

Romance legends Katie Fforde, Sue Moorcroft, Lola Jaye Author , Rhoda Baxter Jeevani Charika , literary agent Nicky Lovick and Suzan Holder Author with be joining a host of other writing professionals to help you with your writing journey and get your words out into the world.

Check out all the details on the Romance Writing Festival website.
https://www.romancewritingfestival.co.uk/

03/09/2026

Attention Screenwriters and Scriptwriters!

Our friends at Lighthouse Poole have a new course to help you on the writing journey. Here's the blurb:

Writing Stories for Stage and Screen - a play/script-writing intensive led by Mike Garley (EMMY nominated writer, lecturer at AUB/Bournemouth University).

Join Mike on a ten-week writing journey designed to help create or refine creative ideas into scripts for stage or the screen.

This developmental course includes sessions devised to breathe life into the written word, looking at format, structure, character, scene, editing and read-throughs to the point of sharing submittable scripts. If price is a barrier for you to attend, please email [email protected]

To book, visit their website.
https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/event/writing-stories-for-stage-and-screen/

Please note we do not receive any commissions or revenue from this post. We thought it would interest our community so passing on :0)

Writing Stories for Stage and Screen - a 10 week play/script-writing intensive led by Mike Garley at Lighthouse.

02/09/2026

Did you know we have six literary agents offering 15-minute 1-2-1s at the Romance Writing Festival in Bournemouth. And two have already sold out!

Here are a selection of photo's from April's 1-2-1 which is the same room as the will be in on 3rd October.

This could be your chance to book in a 1-2-1 with a top literary agent.

You do not need a festival ticket to book in a 1-2-1 but please research the agent to make sure they are right for you.

Here are the agent's coming to Bournemouth:

Nicky Lovick

Nicky is an editor turned agent bringing over twenty years of editing experience to her role as an agent with WGM Atlantic Talent and Literary Group. WGM represents actors, authors, and screenwriters.

Megan Carroll

​Megan graduated from Goldsmiths with a BA in English and American Literature in 2013 and has been at Watson, Little since 2014 – first as an assistant and now as a Literary Agent.

Maddalena Cavaciuti

Maddalena studied English Literature at the University of Bristol and joined David Higham Associates in 2017.

Florence Rees

Florence joined AM Heath in 2016, becoming the first person in the agency’s history to be promoted from assistant to agent. AM Heath represents Katie Fforde.

Saskia Leach has already sold out but will also be leading a masterclass during the festival on Getting Your Submission Pack Sorted which sold out for April's Bournemouth Writing Festival.

Juliet Pickering has also sold out.

Find out more about the agents and what they are looking for on the website here.
https://www.romancewritingfestival.co.uk/literary-agents-publisher-editor-121