News
Jerwood/Arvon writers announced
Arvon is delighted to announce that nine writers have been selected for the Jerwood/Arvon Mentoring Scheme. The poets, fiction writers and playwrights were chosen from over 200 applicants, and will be guided for one year by established writers Patience Agbabi, Nikita Lalwani and Amy Rosenthal.
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The Gillian Hush Award
Arvon has launched The Gillian Hush Award for writers of radio drama. The winner of the award will receive a free place on Arvon's Writing for Radio residential writing course at Lumb Bank, 26-31 August. The award is given in honour of the late Gillian Hush, one of the BBC's most distinguished and appreciated radio producers and a generous supporter of Arvon.
Made Up Words
English PEN and Arvon have teamed up to give you a chance to win a place on an Arvon creative writing week (including travel). All you need to do is write a poem or a piece of flash fiction with a title that is a made-up word.
2013 programme
We are delighted to be able to share our 2013 programme with the world! You can now browse and book over 60 inspiring creative writing weeks. Choose from Starting to Write, Fiction, Poetry, Theatre, Creative Non-Fiction, Writing for Children and many more.
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100 Hours of Solitude
Author David Varela will be writing live online in front of a webcam for 100 hours, whilst taking a vow of silence, in order to raise money for Arvon. The project, called 100 Hours of Solitude, will take place at our Lumb Bank centre from midnight on Monday 17 December until 4am on Saturday 22 December. David will be taking writing requests in return for donations.
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Winter Warmer Courses January - February 2013
Our Winter Warmer series returns in the New Year with a hand-picked selection of our best loved creative writing courses. Whether your interest is poetry, prose, non-fiction or children’s writing, spend an inspiring week in one of our beautiful houses and start the year writing. Join us by the fireside and unlock your imagination for 2013, with the help of expert tuition from professional authors.
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Arvon Gift Vouchers
If you have a friend or family member who has a flair for writing and just needs a friendly push, how about an Arvon Gift Voucher as a present this festive period? You can buy a gift voucher for any value, whether it's a contribution towards an Arvon week or a voucher for the whole amount. We can send the Gift Voucher pack to you to give to the lucky recipient, or we can send it to the recipient directly - in time for the special occasion.
Jerwood/Arvon Mentoring Scheme open
Arvon is delighted to announce that the Jerwood/Arvon Mentoring Scheme is now open for applications from writers who attended an Arvon course in 2012. The mentees will have a unique opportunity to be guided for one year by three successful and established writers -Poet Patience Agbabi, Novelist Nikita Lalwani and Playwright Amy Rosenthal.
Launch of The Hurst Campaign
Arvon has developed exciting plans to renovate our centre in Shropshire - The Hurst, former home of playwright John Osborne. At present we are only able to use a small amount of the centre’s facilities, working primarily in converted outbuildings. Renovation will bring the site into full use as learning facilities and rescue the Manor House, the Osbornes’ former home, from falling into dereliction.
Titian 2012: Arvon poetry course at the National Gallery
Arvon is collaborating with The National Gallery to offer a one day poetry workshop, tutored by George Szirtes and Frances Leviston, as part of Metamorphosis: Titian 2012.
Gillian Hush remembered
Arvon is most saddened to hear of the death of Gillian Hush, Trustee of Arvon between 2003 and 2009. Gillian Hush was one of the BBC's most distinguished and appreciated network producers. As well as being a Trustee, Gillian also chaired its Lumb Bank Committee.
David Pease wins Benson Medal
David Pease, former Director of Arvon, has been awarded the prestigious Benson Medal by the Royal Society of Literature.
The Benson Medal honours those who have done conspicuous service to literature. Past recipients include E.M.Forster, J.R.R.Tolkein, Wole Soyinka and Nadine Gordimer. The award celebrates his achievement as Director of Arvon between 1973 and 2000, when he grew the organisation from a small charity with one centre, to a national literature organisation with four centres and an international reputation.
The Gist: A Celebration of the Imagination
This summer, Arvon is excited to be co-publishing The Gist: A Celebration of the Imagination, a collection of essays, poems and reflections on the act of writing, and the nature of inspiration.
Binned, the 2011 Jerwood/Arvon Mentoring Scheme Anthology
Last week at Free Word Centre, Arvon launched Binned, the anthology of work produced by the writers who took part in this year's Scheme.
The Hollick Arvon Caribbean Writers Prize
A new annual literature prize has been announced for emerging Caribbean writers. The Hollick Arvon Caribbean Writers Prize is an open competition for emerging writers living in the Anglophone region of the Caribbean and writing in English.
Report on language diversity and attainment in English schools
Pupils who speak English as a second language are actually achieving less well relative to English first language pupils in all English regions except Inner London, a new report commissioned by Arvon finds.
Amelia Crouch wins Arvon's Word Art Competition
Artist Amelia Crouch has won Arvon's Word Art Competition with 'Concourse Quartet' - a photograph of a billboard public artwork in Leeds Railway Station. The wiinning entry and highly commended entries can be seen on Pinterest
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Paul Abbott is latest addition to Writing for Television course at Lumb Bank
Arvon is delighted to announce that Paul Abbott, creator of Shamless, has been added as a guest on the Writing for Television course at Lumb Bank.
A new film about Arvon
Arvon is delighted to launch a new film about Arvon, featuring Mark Haddon, Andrew Motion, Bernardine Evaristo, Nell Leyshon, Katie Green, Willy Russell and Nick Stimson.
The London Children's BookSwap comes to Islington
Arvon is teaming up with Booktrust, Little Angel Theatre, The Reading Agency and others for a day of free family activities at Arvon National's home Free Word Centre in London. Meet Axel Schleffler, illustrator of the Gruffalo and pick up new books for free.
The 2012 programme of courses is now open for booking
We present 99 writing courses open to all - from our popular Starting to Write courses, to courses in Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-Fiction, Writing for Children and specialist courses in many other genres.
New conference about writing in the digital age
Arvon is partnering with The Literary Consultancy in a new cutting-edge conference programme. Hari Kunzru and Kate Mosse join leading agents, publishers and developers in the UK’s first digital conference aimed directly at writers.
Success for Arvon tutors in 2011 Costa Book Awards
Congratulations to Arvon tutors Andrew Miller, Matthew Hollis and Arvon Patron Carol Ann Duffy for their success in the 2011 Costa Book Awards.
Arvon students shortlisted in the First Graphic Novel Competition
Paula Knight and Thom Ferrier, who both attended Graphic Novel courses at The Hurst, Shropshire, have been shortlisted in Myriad Editions’ First Graphic Novel Competition.
