April 2004 - Writers Magazine

News Review

• Charities set up lucrative second-hand bookshops as books become consumer items.


• As part of a boom, in the UK, the number of universities offering postgraduate degree courses in creative writing has increased from eight to 85.


• Who is the 'unofficial laureate of the sleepover generation', who recently signed books for eight-and-a-half hours in one day for 3,000 children?


• It’s not often that you can say a book may have changed the course of history, but Richard A Clarke's Against all Enemies may have done just that.

Comment

• 'Poetry is an art of translation, a connective strand between unlike individuals, times and cultures.' Adrienne Rich in an interview with Ruth Fainlight in the Independent on Sunday


• 'A life is always a jolly good story, and what else do you want from a book but a jolly good story?' Barbara Schwepke of Haus Publishing


• 'Where publishers have worked successfully to build an author over a number of books, agents shouldn't hold us to ransom every time there is a new contract. ' Martin Neild

Writers' Quotes

'The good thing about writing fiction is that you can get back at people.' John Grisham

Poster

This month's new poster deals with the endlessly amusing subject of computers:

Festivals

Courtesy of Writers' ForumBritish writers' magazine which is highly recommended for all writers. It features wide range of news and articles which help writers to improve their work and get published: www.writers-forum.com magazine, an up-to-date listing and description of of the 2004 book and writers' festivals in the UK.