Writers Day: The Business of Writing

About the event

This free Writers' Day is designed to help you take your writing career to the next level. You'll start the day with a hands-on workshop led by Keisha Thompson, who will share her expertise on performance and help you hone your skills.

After a break for lunch, you'll join our panel of experts for a discussion on topics such as establishing your writing identity, making money as a portfolio writer, and building a career that's true to your vision.

Our panelists include Keisha Thompson as well as Isabelle Kenyon (Managing Director of Fly on the Wall Press and Northern Fiction Alliance Coordinator at Comma Press) and Adam Farrer (Award-winning writer of Cold Fish Soup, Saraband and teacher of creative nonfiction). There will be plenty of time for Q&A.

12pm: Workshop with Keisha Thompson

1.30-2 (lunch - bring food!)

2-3.15pm: Panel with Isabelle Kenyon, Keisha Thompson and Adam Farrer

Meet the panel:

Adam Farrer is an award-winning writer, a teacher of creative nonfiction and an editor. Cold Fish Soup, his first book, won the NorthBound Book Award in 2021, and his work has been published in anthologies, journals and newspapers. He edits the creative nonfiction journal The Real Story, as well as lecturing in creative nonfiction writing and teaching workshops. He has performed at literary festivals, spoken word events and open mic nights, including the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Manchester Literature Festival and the Northern Lights Writers Conference, as well as more cabaret-style performance spaces.

Keisha Thompson is a Manchester based writer, performance artist and producer. Keisha is Artistic Director and CEO of Contact theatre, Manchester, Chair of radical arts funding body, Future’s Venture Foundation, an ITC board member and recipient of The Arts Foundation Theatre Makers Award 2021.

In May 2022, she completed a residency with Esplanade Theatre in Singapore. Her focus was on her on-going project, DeCipher. The expansive educational project, looks at mathematical pedagogy and how it can be taught in a creative way in non-educational spaces. She is working to find out how it can be decolonised, democratised and dismantled. The goal is to create interactions that allow for agency, joy and discovery. A maths lesson that feels like a poetry workshop, a dance class or an interaction installation.

In 2020, she finished touring award-winning solo show, Man on the Moon. Her debut book, Lunar, features her poetry and the show script. She has supported artists such as Kae Tempest, Hollie McNish, The Last Poets, Saul Williams, Amiri Baraka and has performed in Brave New Voices festivals 2008 & 2009. Her work has been presented at venues high profile venues and platforms such as Tate Modern, Blue Dot Festival and the British Council Showcase in Edinburgh.

Isabelle Kenyon is the Northern Fiction Alliance and Writer's Days Coordinator for Comma Press. She has managed Fly on the Wall Press, www.flyonthewallpress.co.uk, a political Manchester publisher, since 2018 and has a background in Arts Marketing and PR for theatres and publishers. She works on freelance PR Campaigns for authors and publishers under Kenyon Author Services. She also coordinates the annual Northern Publishers' Fair.