Press enquiries & releases

Press enquiries

Steph McKenna, Communications Manager
01603 8771711 steph@nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk

Press releases

2022

National Centre for Writing to receive £131,545 from Arts Council England’s Capital Investment Programme (May 2022)

Bengali community shares stories of life in Norwich for project celebrating migrant history (March 2022)

Young Norfolk Writing Competition 2022 is open for submissions (March 2022)

Digital anthology from National Centre for Writing and Norwich Research Park ‘brings to life’ science through creative writing (January 2022)

Derek Owusu to chair 2022 Desmond Elliott Prize, joined by Symeon Brown and Lyndsey Fineran (January 2022)

2021

NCW and British Council award over £50k in funding to UK and international collaborative literature projects (October 2021)

East Anglian Book Awards 2021 shortlist revealed (October 2021)

NCW supports a new cohort of emerging literary translators through its prestigious mentoring programme (September 2021)

Abbott, Peace and Cha to headline Noirwich Crime Writing Festival (August 2021)

Writer development scheme seeks East of England voices missing from bookshelves (July 2021)

Category judges announced for the East Anglian Book Awards 2021 (July 2021)

Winners announced for the region’s largest creative writing competition for young people (July 2021)

A.K. Blakemore wins Desmond Elliott Prize 2021 with ‘stunning’ debut The Manningtree Witches (July 2021)

The search is on for the best books from the East of England (June 2021)

Desmond Elliott Prize shortlist characterised by ‘invention, playfulness and above all, joy’ (June 2021)

Cultural hub grows at the National Centre for Writing as award-winning rural arts company moves in to Dragon Hall (April 2021)

Debuts from independent presses celebrated on Desmond Elliott Prize longlist 2021 (April 2021)

Call for participants working in the cultural industries in Norfolk and Suffolk (April 2021)

NCW commissions writers, artists, musicians and scientists, to explore new ways of connecting with audiences, and reflections on the pandemic (March 2021)

National Centre for Writing & Strangers Press in new partnership to bring fresh Japanese voices to English-language readership (February 2021)

Lisa McInerney to chair Desmond Elliott Prize, joined by Chitra Ramaswamy and Simon Savidge (February 2021)

Young Norfolk Writing Competition 2021 is open for submissions (January 2021)

Top publisher, podcast host and touring poet headline a day of free virtual events created by Norfolk teenagers (January 2021)

2020

Children’s writer from Suffolk wins Book of the Year at the East Anglian Book Awards 2020 (November 2020)

Submissions open for two literary prizes supporting early career fiction writers (November 2021)

National Centre for Writing launches ‘Open Doors’ a new programme of commissions and open submissions (November 2020)

Category winners for the 2020 East Anglian Book Awards revealed (October 2020)

The search is on for a writer to tell the story of Great Yarmouth’s high street (October 2020)

Attica Locke to deliver 2020 Noirwich Lecture (July 2020)

Winners announced for Norfolk’s largest creative writing competition for young people (July 2020)

Derek Owusu wins 2020 Desmond Elliott Prize with ‘groundbreaking’ debut That Reminds Me (July 2020)

Trio of ‘striking, intimate’ coming-of-age stories make Desmond Elliott Prize shortlist (June 2020)

The search is on for the best books from the East of England: East Anglian Book Awards submissions open July 2020 (May 2020)

City of Literature 2020 launches with a series of conversations, reflections and connections across one week in May (May 2020)

National Centre for Writing teams up with drug and alcohol recovery service to publish a new book of poems (March 2020)

Preti Taneja to chair Desmond Elliott Prize, joined by Sonia Sodha and Sinéad Gleeson (February 2020)

Young Norfolk Writing Competition 2020 is open for submissions (January 2020)

2019

National Centre for Writing launches two new awards for early career writers 25.12.19 (November 2019)

Talent development scheme seeks underrepresented voices from the East of England 15.11.19 (November 2019)

East Anglian Book Awards winners revealed 23.11.18 (November 2019)

Professional development scheme gives young people in Norfolk a behind-the-scenes look at the world of books in Norwich (October 2019)

National Centre for Writing supports next generation of emerging literary translators (October 2019)

New horizons for Desmond Elliott Prize as flagship for Early Career Awards at National Centre for Writing (September 2019)

Noirwich line up 2019 (July 2019)

Young Norfolk Writing Competition (July 2019)

Norwich and Nottingham host UNESCO Cities of Literature first meeting in England (May 2019)

Festival take-over by Norfolk teenagers (May 2019)

Elif Shafak reveals her selection of some of the most exciting women writers working in the UK today (March 2019)

Iconic literary magazine celebrates 60th year with specially curated ‘Ambit Day’ at the National Centre for Writing (January 2019)

Young Norfolk Writing Competition 2019 launches today (January 2019)

Winners of the coveted Escalator fiction writing programme announced (January 2019)

2018

Founder of Norfolk Children’s Book Centre honoured with Exceptional Contribution Award (November 2018)

National Centre for Writing announces first Associate Artists and a new international residency programme (October 2018)

Norwich charity nominated for national corporate philanthropy award (October 2018)

Young poets wanted for care home project (October 2018)

A literature festival – by young people for young people (September 2018)

Seeking exciting new voices in fiction writing from the East of England (September 2018)

National Centre for Writing and Tilted Axis Press partner to diversify literary translation in UK (August 2018)

2018 Young Norfolk Laureate announced (July 2018)

Biggest names in crime writing will headline city-wide festival (July 2018)

National Centre for Writing launches in Norwich (June 2018)

Young Norfolk Writing Competition 2018 launches today (January 2018)

Norfolk children celebrate 400-year legacy of iconic Norwich figure (January 2018)

2017

Booker shortlisted Ali Smith backs new National Centre for Writing in England’s first UNESCO City of Literature (October 2017)

Winners of the Emerging Translator Mentorships Programme 2018 (October 2017)

First Young Norfolk Laureate Announced (July 2017)

Emerging Translator Mentorships 2018 Call for Entries (July 2017)

Writers’ Centre Norwich receives funding boost from Arts Council England (June 2017)

Writers’ Centre Norwich receives funding boost from Arts Council England (June 2017)

Netflix screenwriter, cosmology graduate and TV and film journalist feature on list of successful writers to win a place on the coveted Escalator fiction writing scheme (June 2017)

Noirwich Crime Writing Festival announcement (April 2017)

‘Writing scheme seeks next generation of successful fiction writers from the East of England’ (March 2017)

‘Words and Ways’ project transforms Norwich students into travel writers (February 2017)

Norfolk folk tales come alive in schools across the county (February 2017)

Young Norfolk Writing Competition 2017 launches in schools across the county (January 2017)

2016

Writers’ Centre Norwich gets green light to develop the city’s historic Dragon Hall into the National Centre for Writing (December 2016)

East Anglian Book Awards winners revealed (November 2016)

Writers’ Centre Norwich announces winners of the 2016 Emerging Translator Mentoring Programme (October 2016)

Artistic partnerships flourish between UK and Korea in Norwich UNESCO City of Literature (October 2016)

Lord Mayor hails crime festival as a huge success (September 2016)

Norwich set for most exciting international crime festival yet (September 2016)

Line-up revealed for Noirwich Crime Writing Festival 2016 (July 2016)

International Literature Showcase launches at London Book Fair (April 2016)

Norwich to be home to a National Centre for Writing (January 2016)

2015

Norwich welcomes Nottingham as a UNESCO City of Literature (December 2015)

Mayor hands keys to Dragon Hall to Writers’ Centre Norwich (October 2015)

Noirwich Crime Writing Festival (September 2015)

Norwich hosts UK’s premier gathering of international writers (June 2015)

International Literature Showcase in Norwich (May 2015)

Writers’ Centre Norwich moves to Dragon Hall (April 2015)

2014

WCN to develop a National Centre for Writing in historic Dragon Hall (December 2014)

UEA and WCN launch new international creative writing programme (October 2014)

IdeasTap Inspires: WCN Writing Competition (April 2014)

2012

Norwich celebrates being a UNESCO City of Literature (October 2012)

WCN receives £240,000 from Arts Council England (May 2012)

2011

Searching for the next generation of novelists: Escalator opens (October 2011)

Worlds’ Literature Festival (June 2011)

2010

Ian McEwan celebrates the hand over of Norwich’s UNESCO City of Literature status bid (May 2010)

An evening with international poets Les Murray and Andrew Motion (April 2010)

2009

Norwich announces bid to become a UNESCO City of Literature (June 2009)

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