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To Rhyme or not to Rhyme : Poetry Workshop
Hampstead and Highgate Festival
Sunday September 19th
2-4.00pm
I will be running a Poetry Workshop on the Hampstead and Highgate Literary Festival. The workshop will look at using interesting forms in poetry and contrasting these with free form styles. There will be writing exercises and opportunities for feedback. All levels welcome, just bring a pen and notebook!
HIDDEN publication date March 2011
Hayling beach
I have a THREE BOOK contract for my cycle of three teen novels set on Hayling Island which is opposite the Isle of Wight.
Writing my books on Hayling
The first book HIDDEN is about two teenagers who find an illegal immigrant washed up on a beach and they hide him to save him from being deported.
The story is told in the voice of 14 year old Alix, who has never thought much about refugees before. But her friend, Samir, is a refugee from Iraq. He knows that life in England can be tougher than the war he has left behind. They'll deport us if they catch us, worries Alix. Where do they deport English people to? The North Pole?
Pill box where Alix goes to think.
HIDDEN is a fast paced story told in Alix's humorous, ironic voice and focuses on the courage to stand up for what you believe in against the crowd.
HIDDEN will be published, March 2011, by Meadowside Books.
My short story, TOMMO AND THE BIKE TRAIN, in the anthology,
Under the Weather, is now available on Amazon. My story gives children an idea about what they can do to help prevent climate change, rather than scaring them and leaving them feeling helpless. The anthology contains 11 stories about climate change. Recommended by 'The Bookseller.'
June 2009
My poem, The Spade, was shortlisted by Ruth Padel, in the Mslexia National Poetry Competition 2009. Great to be selected out of thousands. Read the poem here.
Writing poetry in the Kerch Youth Club.
I support developing writers through workshops, editorial advice, mentoring and talks.
Look up my Memories Project in Leicester, in partnership with Ros Adam.
Your workshop space was both inspirational and encouraging whilst also being challenging on a practical level. You really got the whole group's creative energies flowing - and gave us the tools to keep them flowing. I loved it Miriam - I use your techniques whenever my brain jams!
Kathryn Evans, SCBWI Writers’ Conference, Winchester 2008
Residency, Brick Lane Gallery Peace Camp
I am a member of the Society of Authors, British SCBWI ,The Scattered Authors' Society, Highgate Poets and Lapidus, creative words for health and well-being. I have been a Writing Mentor for the Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture and I am a member of English PEN, 'mightier than the sword.'
I was a teacher for twenty-five years and I believe that every young person has a future. Reading good fiction can help provide the route map.
5 Comments
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#1
The course you ran at the SCBWI Winchester Conference in Novemeber was absolutley brilliant. I am looking forward to attending the one you are doing on Writing Dialogue on 27th June.
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#2
I recently began having Miriam's input to my writing, and benefited straight away. I put a pin in the Internet, and was lucky that her name floated to the top as interested and available. She is creative, experienced, encouraging, warm, accessible, knowledgeable, inspirational, generous and very professional. I look forward to continuing with her support from now on.
Jilly Garnett -
#3
I have attended Miriam's workshop and benefited enormously
from her encouragement and direction. Miriam was the first person to
tell me to keep the faith as she was sure that sooner or
later i would be published. It has happened. Thank you.
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#4
Dear Miriam,
I found your writing workshop at the 2010 Jewish Book Festival 'Turning Memoirs to Fiction' inspiring and useful. I was impressed by the practical advice you had to offer writers, and delighted to find your comments and examples of technique were accessible to writers of all abilities and experiences. Thank you.
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#5
Having finished my report on www.jewishbookweek.com 2010 for www.joediskorientering.dk I took a look at your site, Miriam, and agree, of course, with Kim's comment above. I was late in submitting a poem to the TLS competition - would you believe they only accept entries on paper? but this is the place and time to tell you that the poem I finished, and am sending somewhere else, is based on the bits of memoir that I wrote in your class of 2009. Shabbat Shalom, to those who see this today!
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