The Creative Word Shop writing school opens in Newcastle

A new writing school has opened in Newcastle offering classes for adults and children, as well as manuscript and mentoring services.

The Creative Word Shop, which is the first of its kind in Newcastle, is run by teacher, freelance editor and manuscript assessor Wendy James and teacher, author and Puncher & Wattmann commissioning fiction editor Ed Wright. 

Wright told Books+Publishing that there is ‘an excellent and diverse writers’ scene in Newcastle’ that the school is hoping to tap into, citing University of Newcastle’s creative writing program, the Newcastle Writers Festival and National Young Writers Festival, and independent bookshop Macleans. 

‘Many of Wendy’s former students have gone on to have very successful writing careers—from bestselling romance novelists to prize-winning memoirists, poets and short story writers—and she’s looking forward to seeing her Newcastle students’ work getting the attention it deserves,’ said Wright.

Wright added: ‘Wendy is one of the organisers of Partners in Words, a Newcastle writing group that meets to talk about the business of writing, rather than just the practice. Their regular dinners attract not just writers, but publishers, sellers, reps, librarians, etc. It’s even started a Sydney chapter, a case of Newcastle taking it to Sydney, rather than the other way around.’

For more information about The Creative Word Shop, visit the website here.