The network - Gathering publicity opportunities

This week saw the re-launch of the Portsmouth Writers' Hub.  It's part of New Writing South, a regional literature organisation.  The Hub has been in limbo for a year or so since the last organiser had to step down, but now we have a brilliant new literature worker, Tessa, to organise it.

At the meeting on Monday evening there must have been forty plus local writers, all packed into a Portsmouth cafe.  We filled the place to the doors, with standing room only.  The evening consisted of a series of presentations by various local writers' groups and community projects.  I gave a presentation on behalf of the Havant and District Writers' Circle, of which I'm Chairwoman.  

What struck me was the number of connections that were made at the event.  One of the members has run an event called Day of the Dead, set around Halloween, for the last two years.  It's a showcase for local writers to perform a story in the setting of Southsea's historic Square Tower, a great venue for spooky tales.  I've always dismissed this, because I thought they were looking for dark tales and horror.  But listening to their presentation on Monday I realise they're throwing the net much wider.  They're including lighter ghost stories, and I do have a few of those.  I also heard about the chance to submit a story to the Day of the Dead anthology too.  I sent them a story the day after the meeting.  Again, I'd dismissed that as out of hand before, because I didn't realise they'd take lighter stuff.  

I learnt about a presentation skills for writers workshop that is happening in September, and I've booked a place on that.  This will be really useful for later in the year, as I plan to submit a story for the Day of the Dead readings this year.  The people who read have to audition and perform their story, so a presentation skills brush-up would be handy before that.

I came away from that Hub meeting feeling that i was finally interconnected with local writers, and that there were opportunities there for me to raise my profile.  The group promises to be a lifeline for support.  We so rarely get good groups like this that it's worth its weight in gold.

Wendy Metcalfe is the author of Panthera : Death Spiral and Panthera : Death Song and the short story collection Otherlives.  Find out more at wwwwendymetcalfe.com