Pathways into publishing with the Portico Library

Manchester City of Literature Festival of Libraries

12 & 13 June 2021

Join us online for a weekend of celebration as we take part in Manchester City of Literature Festival of Libraries.

This weekend of free online events is aimed at young people aged fourteen and above.

To view all events please visit the programme on 12 and 13 of June respectively. All events will remain to view for a limited period.

At the Portico we are passionate about literature, sharing ideas and growing a love of reading, and writing from a young age. We are excited to be hosting 17 free online events for young people to showcase the pathways into publishing to get you excited about a potential career in publishing, writing, and illustration.

Those who think a career in books might not be for them may discover they are surprised as publishers disclose the range of roles on offer, booksellers highlight the extent of their activities, writers share how they make a living by creating stories, a world-touring comedy duo showcase the secret of 35 years of continued collaboration, and an illustrator reveals how they went from scribbling on bedroom walls to illustrating award winning books. As if that isn’t enough, there are also workshops to help you find your voice and navigate your way.

Take a look below at our programme and explore the infinite possibilities!

If you’d love to see more free events like this along with all our other exciting programming, please donate today.

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SATURDAY 12TH JUNE

Industry Day

9 exciting talks exploring the various roles that make up the book industry, from bookselling to publishing, while offering advice to young people hoping to work in the trade.

*All videos are auto-captioned and they may not always correspond exactly.

Lynne Allan, Chair of the Portico Library welcomes you to Pathways into Publishing with the Portico Library…

Sarah Wenig at Blackwell's.jpg — 1. **Being a Bookseller (45 mins)**

Join Sarah Wenig from Blackwell’s Bookshop, Manchester, and Ayesha Ansari-Choudhury, founder of Mirror Me Write, seller of diverse and inclusive children’s books, as they discuss with Portico Sadie Massey Awards’ judge and theatre critic Mo Ray, why and how they became booksellers. Discover what drives them, what books line their book shelves, and what advice they would give to young people hoping to work in the trade. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
*https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/home* *https://www.mirrormewrite.com/*

Watch here

Wrecking Ball Press.png — **2. Meet Wrecking Ball Press (5 mins)**

Since 1997, Wrecking Ball Press has published high quality, cutting edge literature, building a national reputation that far exceeds its size. This is based on a commitment to connecting the most innovative and accessible novels and poetry with a readership not traditionally associated with literature. Wrecking Ball Press has a strong record of discovering exciting first time writers, many of whom have gone on to have further commercial and critical success with larger publishers.
https://wreckingballpress.com/

Watch here

CHELLIE CARROLL PHOTO-min.jpg — 3. **The Portico Library Young People’s Book Award (10 mins)**

Chellie Carroll, judge of the first Portico Library Young People’s Book Award, introduces the winner and participants of this new award. Marvel in the beautifully handmade books, which include specifically written and illustrated poems and stories by the students taking part.

watch here

4. Meet Comma Press (5 mins)

Comma Press is a not-for-profit publisher specialising in the short story and fiction in translation. It is committed to a spirit of risk-taking, and aims to put the short story at the heart of contemporary narrative culture.

https://commapress.co.uk/

watch here

5. **Children’s Books North (1hr)**

Join Tilda Johnson, co-founder of Children’s Book North, Emma Layfield, Picture Book Development Director North at Hachette Children’s Group, and Liz Scott, freelance children’s publicist, as they discuss their roles in children’s publishing. Hosted by children’s author Marie Basting, these three industry experts will focus on the importance of regional diversity in northern publishing and why they set up the CBN network.
*https://childrensbooksnorth.blogspot.com/*
*https://mariebasting.com/about*

watch here

6. The Society of Young Publishers (45 mins)

The Society of Young Publishers is open to anyone, of any age, interested in publishing or a related trade - or who is hoping to be soon. Join this session to learn more about what they offer and how they can help anyone keen to enter the book publishing business by explaining the various roles that make up the publishing world.

https://thesyp.org.uk/

watch here

7. Debbie Williams: is a career in book publishing for you? (45 mins)

Debbie Williams leads a workshop to help you find out if a career in publishing is right for you. Using her 25 years of experience in the book business, which includes her role as children’s book buyer at Head Office for Waterstones, Debbie will take you through the skills you need, the job options, and discuss how you get a foot on the industry ladder.

Professor Debbie Williams | LinkedIn

watch here

8. **What is the Northern Fiction Alliance? (1hr)**

Founded in 2016, the *Northern Fiction Alliance* is a radical publishing collective devised to showcase the creativity, diversity and spirit of risk-taking that sets publishers in the North of England apart. Together they are reshaping and redefining the UK's literary landscape, commissioning bold new works, and providing alternative platforms for underrepresented authors. Join four of the members of the Alliance, Kevin Duffy (Bluemoose), Becca Parkinson (Comma), Adam Lowe (Peepal Tree), and Rosie Hilton (Saraband), as well as chair Beth Barker, co-host of the Up North Books podcast and writer of a monthly column for NRTH LASS, as the group discuss who they are, what they do, and why.
Great links:
*http://northernfictionalliance.com/* *https://commapress.co.uk*
https://bluemoosebooks.com/ https://commapress.co.uk/ https://www.peepaltreepress.com/ https://saraband.net/
*https://thesyp.org.uk*
*https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-barker-0b4861179*

watch here

9. The lifecycle of a book -

downloadable leaflet

Hachette UK is the UK’s second-largest publishing group and publishes a diverse range of fiction and non-fiction. Using Hachette UK’s publishing toolkit, they will show you what publishing is, what publishers do, and how you can have a rewarding career in publishing, whatever your skills or background. From Editorial, design, Marketing, Finance, Digital, Legal and IT, there are a huge number of roles available in the publishing industry and one of them could be for you!

https://www.hachette.co.uk/

Download

Thank you to everyone who took part in day 1: Industry Day

SUNDAY 13TH JUNE

Creativity Day

Sunday features illustrators and writers, sharing their working processes, and if and how it’s possible to make a living from drawing and writing.

*All videos are auto-captioned and they may not always correspond exactly.

Lynne Allan, Chair of the Portico Library welcomes you to Day 2 of Pathways into Publishing with the Portico Library…

Jack Nicholls.jpg — 11. **Meet the poet - Jack Nicholls (30 mins)**

Jack just received third prize in the National Poetry Competition 2020. In this talk he will share some of his poems, try and explain how they came together, offer ideas and jumping-off points to write your own, talk about how he ended up being a writer, and give some advice as to how you can try and make a living making stuff up and writing it down.
Jack will also announce the winner of the Poetry Competition!
Follow Jack at: @fakenicholls

watch here

Lip Service.jpg — 12. **LipService – A Life of Laughter (45 mins)**

Award winning comedy duo Maggie Fox & Sue Ryding have been making audiences laugh for 35 years. Here they reminisce about starting out in the male dominated world of comedy, taking themselves seriously as writers, and evolving into a unique comedy partnership with a distinctly female voice. During this talk, Maggie and Sue will discuss their writing process, their creative relationship, and their forays into Theatre, TV, Radio, film and animation.
*https://www.lipservicetheatre.co.uk/company/*
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LipServiceTheatre
Twitter @lipservicetour.

watch here

13. **Meet the writer - Catherine Johnson (30 mins)**

Children’s novelist and film, television and radio writer, Catherine Johnson chats to theatre critic and Portico Sadie Massey Awards' judge Mo Ray, about her award winning books, why she writes historical fiction for young people, and her personal writer's journey. Most recently, Catherine has worked on the video game *I Am Dead,* released in 2020 and available across all platforms and is currently working on an adaptation of Miranda Kaufmann's *Black Tudors* for Silverprint Pictures. Catherine will also be answering a range of questions posed by students from Standish High School, Lancashire and Altrincham Grammar School for Girls.
*https://www.catherinejohnson.co.uk/*

watch here

Melvin Burgess - Three Bullets.jpg — 14. **Three books by three authors on one theme – authors panel (1 hr 15 mins)**

Three authors and friends, Melvin Burgess, Pete Kalu, and Tariq Mehmood have each written a separate YA book set in the same fictional world, a dystopian UK where they imagine that what is happening right now to Syria, is happening here. A triptych of novels: *One Drop* by Pete, *Second Coming* by Tariq and *Three Bullets* by Melvin. Each author will discuss the idea behind the books, their journeys as writers, and why they write what they write.
http://ruledbritannia.net/
http://melvinburgess.net/about-me/
http://www.peterkalu.com/cvbio/
https://www.peepaltreepress.com/authors/tariq-mehmood
The British Film Institute will be showing the film *Ultraviolence 2021* the sequel to *Injustice,* 26 June 2021.

watch here

Hallie Fletcher photo.jpeg — 15. **The Power of Mentorships (30 mins)**

Ten years ago, aged 15, Hallie Fletcher entered the Portico Prize for Young Writers. As her mentor, Lucinda Nettleton encouraged a fledgling writer to become the powerful writer she is today. Hallie and Lucinda share their experience, the highs and lows, crises of confidence, and successes. This relaxed conversation highlights the joys of being a mentee and mentor and the journey that it took both of them on. Hallie is now a published poet and performer. Lucinda runs successful tuition services with mentorships a crucial factor.
@halliefletcherpoetry and @LuciLuNett

watch here

Pet Kalue photo 2.jpg — 16. **How to write Place Poems with Pete Kalu (30 mins)**

Celebrated poet, playwright, and fiction writer Pete Kalu will deliver a poetry writing workshop on place. ‘When the familiar becomes unfamiliar, different perspectives give a poem a different voice, and words finding their rightful home. Above all, having fun.’ A workshop not to be missed.
*http://www.peterkalu.com/cvbio/*

watch here

17. A celebration of the Portico Sadie Massey Awards (30 mins)

This special event includes an introduction to the Awards from Portico Library Chair, Lynne Allan. Writing judges Anna Mainwaring and Okechukwu Nzelu and Reading judges Ayesha Ansari-Choudhury and Mo Ray offer their congratulations and speak about the judging process. Individual readings from short story and book review winners plus closing words from special guest A M Dassu, author of Boy, Everywhere.

Anna Mainwaring: https://annamainwaringauthor.wordpress.com/

Okechukwu Nzelu: https://www.nzelu.org/

Ayesha Ansari-Choudhury: https://www.mirrormewrite.com/

Mo Ray: https://www.withinmylocket.co.uk/

A M Dassu https://amdassu.com/

watch here

Thank you to everyone who took part in Pathways into Publishing. Hear the closing remarks from Lynne Allan, Chair of the Portico Library

We hope that you enjoy all the events, let us know on social media and share with your friends.

Thank you to all of you who entered our poetry competition!

Judged by the Poetry Society’s third place winner in the National Poetry Competition 2020 and author of Meat Songs – Jack Nicholls.
The Winner:
St Ives café
Chris Campbell
Where scones, jam and cream,
sit proudly on the counter above
today’s catch: sea bream.
The waitress in her overalls–all
white but with a stain,
where chocolate cake and lemon
slice slipped after serving mains.
And beside the café’s tables,
where tourists escape the rain,
is the art of local residents
to show why they remain.