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Pen to Print June 2025 Newsletter

Welcome to the latest edition of the Pen to Print e-newsletter.

We are home and dry from the Hay Festival!

It has been another successful Pen to Print Writers Retreat with students and adult writers immersing themselves in this wonderful experience! Barking & Dagenham’s Trewern Outdoor Education Centre have been wonderful hosts and being a short walk from Hay-on-Wye Town Centre, it came in very handy staying there! You can also book to visit Trewern too, we would highly recommend them as a great place to stay!

June is our Adventure Writing Month and in partnership with The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation, we will be featuring two online events and a writing competition for our adventurous writers. Who reads historical fiction? And who writes it? On 17 June, Authors C.E. McGill and Francesca de Tores will share their take on today’s historical fiction. On 26 June, real-life adventure explorer Dwayne Fields, will be in conversation with Georgina Brown to share stories of his expeditions, the extreme climates and the dangers he’s faced and how he makes life as a 21st century explorer possible. Keep scrolling to find out more about our NEW Adventurous Voices competition!

If you are looking for paid opportunities with Pen to Print, we are seeking applications for the delivery of our Creative Writing, Poetry and Writing for Performance classes. The deadline to submit your application is Thursday 31 July, 12pm. Click here for more details and how to apply!

In other news, we are finalising ReadFest 2025. We will be releasing our programme shortly. The annual literary festival will take place between Saturday 13 September and Saturday 20 September, including an Independent Author Book Fair! More details soon, watch this space!

Lastly, if you entered our Poetry, Short Story or Audio Play Competition, we will be contacting the finalists in the next couple of weeks. Do look out for our emails, you could be this year's winner! Our annual Awards Evening will take place on Thursday 24 July, 7pm at Barking Learning Centre, more details in the next edition!

In the meantime, to see some of things we have in store for you in June, please do read on...

Write On! Together

If you would like to get involved, either to be a part of our talented Write On! team, partner with us as an advertiser or sponsor an issue, uncover a host of opportunities in our Write On! Together booklet.

For more information email: pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk

Write On! Issue 24

Sponsored by Hay Festival, this issue features bestselling author John Marrs, who shares how his determination to bring stories to life, led him from self-publishing to becoming a multi-million-copy bestselling author.

Pick up a free copy in libraries and selected venues or read it free online.

Submit your poetry, flash fiction, short stories & artwork: pentoprint.org/get-involved/submit-to-write-on

Write On! Audio, Podcast

From writing tips to author interviews, our podcast has something for everyone in the writing community and book lovers.

Write On! Audio is available on every major podcast platform, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Simply search ‘Pen to Print’ or ‘Write On Audio’ to discover a world of literary inspiration.

If you want to explore podcasting and get involved with Write On! Audio, we are always open to submissions! For more details on what we’re looking for and to submit, visit: pentoprint.org/submit-to-write-on

The Digital Storytelling Trail

The Pen to Print Digital Storytelling Trail is an ongoing project to record and share stories about Barking and Dagenham. We are now working with our new partner Bloomberg Connects to bring you a re-developed Digital Storytelling Trail coming soon!

We are using new technology to help read, watch or listen to stories new and old. You can send us photos, drawings, audio recordings, video, poems and stories fact or fiction about anywhere in Barking and Dagenham and add to the trails now!

Click here for more details and how to submit

Bloomberg Connects: Offers access to exhibitions, collections and renowned artists at over 800 museums and other cultural organisations. Connects you to arts and culture at any time, from anywhere. Free to download and use with no limits on how many digital guides you can explore.

Scan the QR Code to download Bloomberg Connects

June Events

Historical Adventure - Is It a Man’s Game?
Tuesday 17 June, 1pm to 2pm (Online)

Tickets: £1.99

Please note this is an online event only

Authors C.E. McGill and Francesca de Tores will share their take on today’s historical fiction.

Together, we’ll discuss gender identity and queer love stories, placing them in the context of historical fiction. We will discuss whether the traditional expectations of gender influence characters, and whether Francesca and Charlie’s novels would work if their ‘Marys’ gender identities were different.

We’ll talk stereotypes within historical fiction, whether it’s important for characters to exist with today’s cultural understandings, and if these authors are subverting the expectations of historical adventure with their novels? After the main discussion there will be a chance for you to ask Francesca and Charlie your questions.

Real-Life Adventure: In Conversation with Explorer Dwayne Fields
Thursday 26 June, 6.30pm to 7.30pm (Online)

Tickets: £1.99

Please note this is an online event only

Dwayne Fields will share stories of his expeditions, the extreme climates and the dangers he’s faced, and how he makes life as a 21st century explorer possible. He will be in conversation with Georgina Brown, Director of The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation.

Dwayne doesn’t just undertake these adventures, many of them are filmed for broadcast. We’ll talk about what it takes to get them on our TVs, how it changes things when you know you’re being filmed, and how to ensure you will have a story when you come back. Dwayne will discuss moments of things gone wrong, the kindness of strangers, and whether adventure is a team game.

Come prepared to be inspired and to think about how even the tiniest adventures can make you think differently about your life. After the main discussion there will be a chance for you to ask Dwayne your questions.

FREE Competition

The Adventurous Voices Writing Competition
in partnership with
Oddizzi and The Wilbur and Niso Smith Foundation

What We’re Looking For

To celebrate our Adventure Month theme we are looking for flash fiction of 500 - 1,000 words in response to this soundscape and included prompt below:

View and Listen to the Soundscape

Here is the prompt:

You take a step into the rainforest... and everything feels different. You look up and the tall trees in the sky form a green roof over your head. The air is warm and damp. Sunlight streams through the gaps in the trees making golden spots on the forest floor. You hear the insects calling, the monkeys chatting in the trees and the birds singing. This is the beating heart of the rainforest. Suddenly a voice comes from nowhere, “Welcome to the rainforest, I have been waiting for you.”

What happens next, who or what is waiting for you deeper in the forest?

Adventurous Voices is open to writers in three categories:

1 - Primary School
and
2 - Secondary School/College/Sixth Form

Winner’s Prizes for each category:

• A class set of adventure books
• A £50 book token for the author
• A trophy presented at the Pen to Print Awards
• The piece made into a recording for audio and featured on the Write On! Audio podcast.
• Whole school 12-month subscription to Oddizzi

Two Runner-up prizes of a £20 book token.

3 - Adults 18+

Winner’s Prize:

• A 6-book bundle of the books shortlisted for the 2025 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize
• Free 12-month access to Pen to Print online events
• £50 book token
• A trophy presented at the Pen to Print Awards
• The piece made into a recording for audio and featured on the Write On! Audio podcast.

Two Runner-up prizes of a £20 book token.

Writers must submit their works as a Word .doc or .docx attached to an email, sent to pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk.

You must complete and attach a Pen to Print Competition Entry form for each entry submitted and use the given subject line: Subject: Adventurous Voices Submission

Competition closes on Monday 23 June 2025, 12pm (noon).

The Pen to Print Awards will be held on Thursday 24 July 2025, 7pm -9pm
at Barking Learning Centre.
Please read the full T&Cs for the entry form and details of how to enter.

Regular Classes

Creative Writing Class with Ian Ayris

Saturday 7 June, 10am to 12pm at Barking Learning Centre & Online

(Next month Saturday 5 July, 10am to 12pm)

In-Person Attendance Tickets: FREE     Online Attendance Tickets: £1.99

Please note this event can be joined either online or in-person at Barking Learning Centre

Session Ten: How to write a Query Letter

If you are a beginner to writing and would like to learn how to write that book you always knew was inside you, or a more experienced writer who wants to reacquaint yourself with the fundamentals of writing, this is for you.

Over eleven two-hour monthly sessions, our tutor will take you through every aspect of creative writing - from structure to dialogue, description, point of view and everything in between - all the way through to writing a synopsis and the process of submission.

Poetry Class with Mab Jones

Saturday 7 June, 1.30pm to 3.30pm at Barking Learning Centre & Online

(Next month Saturday 5 July, 1.30pm to 3.30pm)

In-Person Attendance Tickets: FREE     Online Attendance Tickets: £1.99

Please note this event can be joined either online or in-person at Barking Learning Centre

Session Ten: Poetry as a gateway to the world - Voice, Tone, and Persona

If you are just starting to write poetry and need to build up your skills and confidence, this is for you.

Get the basics and have the opportunity to obtain guidance on your initial approach to writing and developing your ideas. Whether you want to write for pleasure or prepare your work for entering poetry competitions.

Writing for Performance Class with Kelly Jones

Saturday 21 June, 10am to 12pm at Barking Learning Centre & Online

(Next month Saturday 19 July, 10am to 12pm)

In-Person Attendance Tickets: FREE     Online Attendance Tickets: £1.99

Please note this event can be joined either online or in-person at Barking Learning Centre

Session Ten: Writing for Audio Mediums

An 11-month course of unique, fun workshops exploring scriptwriting for Stage and Audio, designed for participants to join at any point during the course

Writing for Performance is defined as making scripts for theatre, radio drama, or text for performance art podcasts, digital platforms, or stand-up comedy.