Ipswich Writers' Group

27/04/2026

The Bicycle Shop in Norwich has shared this great-looking event with us:

"On Wednesday 6th May, The Bicycle Shop Norwich is hosting a Poetry Workshop & Performance evening.

We'll be starting with a creative workshop in the Old Piano Shop Gallery, focused on generating ideas and drafting pieces - followed by a performance showcase at The Bicycle Shop.

We are excited to have award-winning writer and creative James Mc Dermott hosting - bringing his expertise, insight and humour to the evening - as well as performing his own work.

It's open to all ages and abilities, and combined or performance-only tickets are available.

Event: Word for Word poetry workshop + performance
Location: Old Piano Shop + The Bicycle Shop, St Benedicts St, Norwich
Date: Weds 6th May
Find out more and buy tickets from £10: https://dice.fm/event/l8dy6p-word-for-word-poetry-with-james-mc-dermott-6th-may-the-bicycle-shop-norwich-tickets

13/04/2026

Love our local independent bookshop!

Ipswich Independents - Dial Lane Books - Dial Lane

In our run through a number of our independent retailers in the Town centre, Dial Lane Books is the only independent bookshop in Ipswich!

After a successful launch party on the 28th February 2020, the shop opened for its first day of trading on the 3rd March but had to close again shortly afterwards for lockdown. At the end of lockdown, the shop reopened and is a firm favourite amongst Ipswich people today adding yet another string in the bow of the varied Ipswich Independents.

The bookshop has been a lifelong dream for owner Andrew Marsh. He wanted to offer an alternative to the bigger chain bookstores and sell books by lesser known writers and publishers. This gives new and upcoming authors a platform and a way to give all authors a chance to shine.

Dial Lane Books is a Lonely Planet Guide stockist and there is a section of Lonely Planet travel guides. The store has a wide variety of books on different subjects including art, architecture, photography, classic novels, contemporary novels, cooking and many more.

The photograph shows Andrew Marsh in his trade mark orange beanie outside his shop in Dial Lane back in 2024 holding up a copy of the new children's book "The Mystery of the Forever Weekend" by Lisa Thompson which had been published that day.

Our Ipswich Society publication about the Ancient House, can be found in store!


Support our work by joining at: https://www.ipswichsociety.org.uk/subscribe

08/04/2026

The Bridport Prize Novel Award closes 31 May...

23/03/2026

Great news for Ipswich!

Ipswich has been named on the longlist for UK City of Culture 2029, joining eight other towns and cities in the running for a title that has delivered transformational economic and cultural growth to previous winners. The town now has £60,000 to develop its full bid – and a shot at a £10 million prize.

09/03/2026

We're looking forward to the second Ipswich Book Festival !

28/02/2026

95 days to go until deadline day.

Whether you’re writing at the kitchen table, in a café, or capturing ideas between errands — stories begin anywhere.

Send us your poetry, flash fiction, short story or novel (novels don’t need to be finished) by 31 May.

£20,000 total prize fund.
Enter now → bridportprize.org.uk

28/02/2026

International unpublished for unpublished novels run by
Closing date March 31st 2026

Submit the first 5,000 words of your work in progress for a chance to win our $50,000 writing prize or one of our $5,000 shortlisted awards.

24/02/2026

Tonight at the Dove!

Storytelling with Bards Aloud are looking forward to seeing our old and new friends once again on Tuesday 24th February from 7.45pm.
For the best of stories and poetry/spoken word with lovely people 👏

24/02/2026

A reminder of The Bridport Prize short story competition...

The Bridport Prize is an international creative writing competition and one of the most prestigious awards in the literary world.

16/02/2026

Here's a competition for anyone with a cat-based story!

Cats Protection Cat Tales is a brand-new short story competition where we’re inviting aspiring writers to share their most imaginative stories with us.

09/02/2026

All the latest courses and events from the National Centre for Writing in Norwich.

Coming up this spring! 🌼

We've lined-up a jam-packed programme of live events, courses, workshops, and development opportunities to see you through spring and towards sunnier days.

Download a digital copy of our season brochure and take a sneak peek of some of our highlights. Dive in, explore, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

https://buff.ly/MvJvBpA