Crime writing initiatives to run again
The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) has announced that next year it will again run two highly successful initiatives introduced this year.
National Crime Writing Week, formerly National Crime Fiction Week, will run between June 13 and 19, 2011. The name change is designed to increase the emphasis on non-fiction as well as fiction. A nationwide celebration of crime writing, the week will also see the culmination of the successful CWA Young Crime Writers’ Competition.
Both the week and competition ran for the first time this year and CWA Chair Tom Harper said: “We were delighted with the way both initiatives went. Our idea was to raise the profile of crime writing with all age groups and the success of both the dedicated crime writing week and the competition achieved just that. Our gallery of words and pictures shows some of the Crime Fiction Week events held in 2010.
“Crime Writing Week is an opportunity for writers to arrange events under the umbrella of a week dedicated to celebrating crime books in all their forms. It is an excellent showcase for writers.”
During the week, members of the CWA will take part in readings, discussions, readers’ group events and workshops all over the country. If you have a Crime Writing Week event in mind, you will be able to log the details on a national map of events on this web site.
Stars of the Future
A key part of the build up to National Crime Writing Week will be the Young Crime Writers' Competition, again organised by the CWA in partnership with library authorities nationwide. The 2011 competition will run from January 10 - 18 Feb, 2011. Stories will again be judged by members of the CWA. More information will be released later in the year.
The winner of the 2010 competition, chosen by outgoing CWA Chair, Margaret Murphy, and Laura Wilson, Guardian reviewer and winner of the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Award, is Nicole Hendry, age 15, of Sutton Coldfield, with The Demolition of Lives. The judges praised her story as ‘daring and effective - a convincing emotional journey with a sympathetic protagonist, good motivation and a clever plot.’ Read The Demolition of Lives on this web site.The highly commended writer is Lara Denaro, age 16, of Teddington, London, with The Phone Box. See our ‘2010 Competition’ page for more details and all the shortlisted entrants.
