Residence in prison

The Cultural Exchanges Festival comes to Leicester this week. A particular event worth noting is Arts in Prisons: A Writer-in-Residence.

I’m really looking forward to hearing from Alistair Fruish who’s worked as a writer-in-residence in a number of prisons and co-produced work with inmates. 

It will be interesting to hear first-hand information of what a writer-in-residence does and how it benefits inmates. The event is free so it's definitely worth a visit!

Find tickets here, or have a look at Fruish’s website for more information on his work.

Alexandra Kilcran

Don't spare yourself the drama

As a Creative Writing student, one of the worst things about my course is being exposed to new mediums. Not that I dislike discovering new mediums - I just don’t like discovering new mediums, getting excited about them, then hitting the inevitable stumbling block of having no good ideas and no time to do anything anyway.

I knew nothing about radio drama apart from that it existed, until a lecture by BBC radio producer Peter Leslie Wild in November. Little did I know that radio drama is, as Roger Wood described yesterday, “the open door to new writing”, in a presentation that inspired me, as a student with aspirations of writing for a living, that I could enter a field with real opportunities.

Wood’s presentation focused mainly on pitching radio dramas to producers. I’m not planning on pitching any soon, but like anything in life, knowing the details makes it more approachable and real. Especially details like the lowest fee first-time writers can expect from a radio play (around £34 per minute).

Whilst I may never write a radio play of any description, knowing that a high-profile employer such as the BBC is supporting first-time writers through operations like Writers Room is greatly encouraging, not only to me, but to anybody who hopes to make a life out of writing.

Illustration by Red Imlah (2011)

Elliot Speight

Big, bad wolf

Well I can certainly say that I will never read Little Red Riding Hood the same again. Not that I’m complaining of course - it caused more than a few laughs.

I don’t think there was one straight face in the lecture room after the five performers had reeled off their poetry and prose to us during the short hour.

I'm not going to explain the many-faceted comedies involved. I'll just say they involved something wiggling, a phone, a throne, a stalker and a job that involved catering to clients with some very specific demands.

The only disappointment was that time went so fast. I wished I could have rewound the whole presentation and played it again.

To speak plainly, it was simply brilliant.

Sophie Price

That will never be me

When I saw the title 'Postgraduate creative writing', I thought to myself, 'Worth a look, but that's never going to be me.' I didn't really consider how the performances might affect me, or my expectations for the future. I just thought it would be something to enjoy.

The readings kicked off with a tale of a 'trouser ferret.' Laughter rippled across the room creating a great atmosphere for our next readers. We were treated to cleverly worked poems that at the same time felt effortless - I could not help but be envious; provocative, gripping pieces of prose written with such clarity I was left wondering if they were in fact biographical (which I sincerely hoped they were not); humour executed perfectly; lashings of dark wit; and vividly painted imagery.

I left the room knowing which direction I wanted to take with my writing - that direction. In years to come, I want to be like them, crafting work that will make others stop, think, imagine and enjoy. The clear thing about all of those performers was how much they had relished creating those pieces - it poured from their performances. Five very different people, five different lives - and pehaps those writers sat thinking the same things as me years ago.

Since attending their reading I've changed my mind. That could be me.


Terri Baker

A trip into creative minds

Laughter, sarcasm, romance - that was not what I was expecting from the Postgraduate Creative Writing Event in which five writers read out their works of poetry or prose.

The vivid descriptions made it feel like we were transported into the minds of the writers. It was not just a talk - it was a journey.

All the pieces were different: personal experiences, monologues and romance. But they were all as effective as each other, whether they left the audience in tears from laughter or in amazement.

Hearing the work being read aloud gave the pieces more depth and allowed the audience to understand exactly what the writer intended - something which is hard to do when you read in your head.

More, please.



Leonni Secondino

Student convinced to spend money

Now I'll admit, I hadn't really heard a hell of a lot about this playwright before 6 o'clock Tuesday evening. But after just one hour listening to the man talk about his life and career, I can say that David Rudkin may well be one of the most underrated dramatists in post war Britain.

We saw examples of his work dating back to the age of eleven, and the language used combined with the length of the book and the strict editing process taken showed that even at that age it was clear that David Rudkin would go on to great things. These great things were evidenced by the British Library's recent acquisition of David Rudkin's archive - a lifetime of works that took up an entire side of Rudkin's own living room.

The impression made by David Rudkin on me and, I can safely assume many others in the room, was so strong was that it convinced me to part with £19.95 for a signed copy of his book with his two latest plays, Red Sun and Merlin Unchained, as soon as the interview ended.


Alex Thompson

A lifetime's work in Tesco bags

Thousands of pieces of paper, catalogued and waiting in his front room to be taken to the archives in the British museum; this was one of the first photos we were shown during the interview with David Rudkin, as he recounted what can truly be described as a lifetime of work.

I'd never heard of Rudkin before, but I was fascinated by his tales and the vivid images he created. I particularly loved how he described himself at a young age asking his mother how books were held together. When she told him they were sewed, he sat with darning needle and bright red thread, carefully stitching his pages together.

But it’s more than just an endearing story; it shows a dedication and a passion to his craft that is evident throughout his career. It was wonderful to see a writer speak with such high enthusiasm for his profession after so many years - and this is something I hope I will witness again in the future.

Katie Bamford