PRESS RELEASE - New writing competition
challenges Berkhamsted residents to get into print!
A new competition to write a short story of just 500 words is being launched
in the Berkhamsted branch of Waterstone’s on 30th April 2008. It challenges
anyone in the community to enter, as often as they like, to compete for a
series of attractive prizes, and the chance to have their story printed in The
Berkhamsted and Tring Gazette.
The competition has been put together by a group of people interested in
reading and writing, and is based on a highly successful competition run
along similar lines in Kingston-upon-Thames. The partners involved in the
Berkhamsted Competition are:
Waterstone’s Bookshop, who are hosting the launch, providing prizes and
acting as the dropping off point for all entries
Hertfordshire Libraries who are distributing the materials throughout the
area and promoting the competition
The Hospice of St Francis, based in Berkhamsted, which will receive the
funds raised by competition entry fees
The Berkhamsted and Tring Gazette who will keep everyone up-to-date
on the competition’s progress, and print the winning short story
Publishers A&C Black who publish resources for writers, have offered
books as prizes and paid for the leaflets advertising the competition
Kingston University who run courses in Creative Writing and Publishing and
have helped to get this competition off the ground
Literary Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted is an ideal location for a writing competition, as there is so
much reading and writing going on in the area. Long famous as the
birthplace of Graham Greene, today there are a variety of other well known
writers who also live in the town: Sophie Kinsella, Catherine Alliott, Lloyd
Clark, Adrian Gilbert, Sophie King and Marjorie Eccles. The competition was
suggested by Alison Baverstock, who writes about how to get published and
teaches at Kingston, but grew up in the town, and another judge is romance
writer Louise Allen whose family have lived in Berkhamsted since the 16th
century!
In addition to the lively bookshop and busy libraries, the area hosts a very
high number of reading circles – just within Berkhamsted there are over 30
that are connected to the local library.
So, we are hoping for great things from the Berkhamsted competition. Entry
forms can be picked up from Waterstone’s, local libraries and branches of the
hospice shops and the closing date is 8th September 2008. For more
information about the competition contact a.baverstock@kingston.ac.uk or
manager@waterstones.berkhamsted.co.uk