November is National Novel Writing Month – and also when Nottingham’s Festival of Literature brings writing to the front of the cultural calendar.
The event runs from November 8 to 13 at venues across the city and includes workshops, talks and seminars.
Jon McGregor, a professor of creative writing at the University of Nottingham, with a portfolio of short stories and successful novels to his name, appears on the festival programme on Thursday.
With self-publishing online at all-time high, we asked him for his best advice to aspiring writers.
Video: Jon McGregor’s advice on getting round to that first novel
This is the first Festival of Literature of its kind to take place since Nottingham was awarded the prestigious UNESCO City of Literature status.
Mathew Welton, Chairman of the Festival of Literature stresses there is a great marriage between the two organisations: “It’s a really exciting that we are tying in with Nottingham getting the status of the UNESCO City of Literature.
“I think in some ways it’s a more ambitious thing – we all love that in Nottingham the bin lorries drive around with the Council’s slogan ‘ambitious for the people of Nottingham’. We’re also ambitious for the people of Nottingham.”
Video: Tackling the ‘solitary business’ of being a writer
Catch Jenn Ashworth and Jon McGregor In Conversation at St Mary’s Church on Thursday, November 10 at 7pm. Tickets available here.
