Wigtown Writers gathering - line up announced

Wigtown Book Festival has announced the line-up for their second Writers’ Gathering. After the success of the inaugural event in 2013, the event is expected to attract an even wider range of writing enthusiasts at all levels of their career and from various genre; from journalists to poets, fiction to non-fiction and all that is in-between. Last year saw nearly 40 people gather to network, be inspired and get practical advice around writing and publishing.

Anne Barclay, Wigtown Book Festival Manager says:"We are thrilled to announce this year’s line-up of industry professionals joining us for the Writers’ Gathering which takes place in the County Buildings from 9.30am-4.30pm on Friday 2nd May. It offers a unique opportunity for writers to gain expert advice and meet with fellow writers from Dumfries and Galloway and beyond. We look forward to welcoming you.”

Robert Twigger at Wigtown Book Festival 2012

• Cost: £12 (Including VAT; sandwich lunch). Book at: Box office: 01988 403222
or online http://www.wigtownbookfestival.com/programme

• Debbie Williams is Head of UCLan Publishing and Lectures in Publishing at the University of Central Lancashire. She has over ten years’ experience of working in the book and publishing trade. She was a buyer for Waterstone’s head office and was responsible for project managing the Harry Potter events across the country. http://mediainnovationstudio.org/team/debbie-williams

• Cynthia Rogerson has been a director at Moniack Mhor since 2004 and is currently responsible for programming. She has had two novels published, shortlisted for the Saltire Prize and Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year. Her short stories have appeared in many anthologies and broadcast on BBC Radio 4. In 2008 she won the V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize. http://www.moniackmhor.org.uk

• Helen Bleck has been in the publishing industry for over 20 years, and during that time she has worked in-house and freelance for several publishers and organisations. Her experience is mainly in project management, editing and copyediting, and proofreading. She now mentors ‘beginning writers’, helping them improve their writing and prepare it for submission to publishers or for self-publishing. http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/helen-bleck/a/856/564

• Zoe Strachan has published 3 novels to great acclaim. She also writes short stories, libretti, plays, essays and journalism. She teaches on the Creative Writing Programme at the University of Glasgow, is on the Board of Directors of Glasgow Women’s Library, and is a Patron of the Imprint Festival in East Ayrshire, and a supporter of Scottish PEN. http://zoestrachan.com/

• Robert Twigger has written poetry, plays, prose, film scripts, novels, and non-fiction. His books have been published by Penguin, Harper Collins, Picador and Hachette. He has won writing awards such as the Somerset Maugham and the William Hill sports book of the year. http://www.roberttwigger.com/

• Helena Nelson created and runs HappenStance Poetry Press, specialising in poetry pamphlets. HappenStance has no public funding. The press mainly publishes first collections from UK poets and is based in Scotland. http://www.happenstancepress.com/
www.happenstancepress.com/