January Newsletter: Act 2

27 January 2026

News and Opportunities for Solent Writers and Writing

Call for Submissions

Solent-based writers are invited to submit their work for inclusion in Litfest26: Acts of Resistance - a festival special edition of the free literary handbill Brevity. Copies of the handbill will be available throughout the festival.

Submission must be 500 words or less with titles, on the theme of 'Acts of Resistance'. All literary forms are welcome.

If you'd like to submit your work, please fill out the submission form below by 10 February. Selected writers will be confirmed by 20 February. Submission form

Brevity is based on the Isle of Wight. It features compelling, idiosyncratic, lyrical, weird, and wonderful submissions. To find out more, please click here.

LitFest26: Acts of Resistance is a 3 day literary festival featuring keynote talks, workshops, showcases, panel discussions, and readings, exploring the kind of world your heart knows is possible through written and spoken word. To find out more about Litfest26 please click here

LitFest26: Writing Workshops
with Ellora Sutton and Louise Fazackerley

LitFest26: Day 2 - Saturday 14 March

Voice as Resistance with Louise Fazackerley Workshop | 9:30am – 11am | Mayflower Studios

A creative writing workshop celebrating the power of women’s words, as a tool for truth-telling and transformation. As a group, we’ll listen deeply, write bravely, and share the stories, ideas and hopes that deserve to be heard. This workshop is open to all.

Imagine Better: Poems for Possibility with Ellora Sutton Workshop | 11:45am – 1:15pm | Mayflower Studios

Two things are needed to change the world: imagination and hope. It just so happens that these are two key ingredients of poetry. In this workshop, particpants will explore how to play a way into a better reality, via cocktail bars and the stars.

About the facilitators:

Louise Fazackerley went viral with her poem ‘I Want My Country Back’ in 2025. Her work is rooted in word-witchery and the working class. Louise explores the synergy between poetry and movement in a way that makes the ugly beautiful and the mundane fantastical.

Ellora Sutton is a poet and PhD student based in Hampshire. Ellora was the Poetry Book Society Spring 2023 Pamphlet Choice with Antonyms for Burial (Fourteen Poems); her most recent pamphlet, Artisanal Slush, was published by VERVE.

No prior writing experience is needed for either workshop. To find out more or to buy a ticket, please click here

What Women Write
Celebrating Jane Austen 250

What Women Write is a Southampton-based series of free writing workshops celebrating women's voices to mark Jane Austen's 250th birthday with one final workshop taking place this February.

For mothers with babies aged 0-12 months
A gentle invitation for mothers to connect with aspects of self, exploring quick, expressive ways to write and find inspiration in the small, beautiful mundanities that combine to make the story of a day. Mothers are welcome to attend with or without their baby. Led by Adeola Sheehy and Liz Garland.

11:00 am - 3:00 pm, Tuesday 5 February at Lordshill Library

To find out more about this event or to get a ticket, please click here

SHED
Mayflower Studios, Tuesday 10 February 7:30 - 8:30

A Man. A Shed. A lifetime of keepsakes.

As the sea presses in and crows keep watch, Jack tells his story of love, loss, and all the small lies that keep us going. Fantasy and reality blur as he offers up the small downfall of his life in its final hour, recounting the loss of his father and his bold young evacuee French wife Charlotte in World War Two. SHED is theatre of solace. A piece about memory at the edge of the world.

Tuesday 10 February 7:30 - 8:30 pm. To book a ticket, please click here

Spring Term
Writing for Wellbeing & Writing as Spiritual Practice

Writing for Wellbeing - Join Joanna Barnard and a community of writers, gathered to share the feel-good factor of creating together | Alternate Thursdays | Online b ook here

Solent Mind: Writing for Wellbeing - Thanks to new funding from National Lottery Awards for All, ArtfulScribe now offers weekly in-person sessions in Hythe & New Milton. Removing price barriers, these sessions are pay-as-you-feel.
2:00 - 4:00 pm | Mondays | The Hollies, New Milton | In Person b ook here
2:00 - 4:00 pm | Thursdays | Marcella House, Hythe | In Person b ook here

Writing as a Spiritual Practice - Join a group of fellow travellers on journeys into the unknown and the unknowable via creative writing prompts and discussions.
3 February | 10:00 am - 12:00 pm | Alternate Tuesdays | October Books | In person b ook here

News from the Solent Region & Beyond
Events and Opportunities

Vex: Spoken Word Collective - Poetry Workshop - 5 February | 7:00 - 7:45pm | Collective Meeting | 7:45 - 9:30 pm | Ventnor Exchange, 1 Church St, Ventnor PO38 1SW

Play on Words - Open Mic - 9 February | 7:30 pm | Forest Arts Centre, Old Milton Rd, New Milton, BH25 6DS

Write a Note - Open Mic - 16 February | 7:45 pm | Mayflower Studios, 142, 144 Above Bar St, Southampton SO14 7DU

October Books Poetry Open Mic Night - Open Mic - 20 February | 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm | October Books, Portswood Road, SO17 2NF

Lit & Twisted - Live Performance & Open Mic - 20 February | 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm | Hunter Gatherer 249 Albert Rd, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea PO4 0JR

Exploded Moments with Sean Bennett - Hampshire Writers Society Workshop - 21 February | 10:30 am - 12:30 pm | The Arc, Winchester, SO23 8SB

Pipeline Rapid Response - Performance | 20 May | 8:00 pm | Shearling Studio, Lighthouse Poole, 21 Kingland Rd, Poole BH15 1UG - Paid opportunity If you would like to participate in this event, contact: dorsetscriptwriters@gmail.com

PLEASE SUPPORT US BY DONATING
ArtfulScribe C.I.C. is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company, working with people from primary years to life's later stages. Help us to help others make the most of life's opportunities by contributing to our cause to improve literacy levels in the Solent region. Thank you.

DONATE

If you'd like your events or opportunities for writers in the region to feature in our newsletter or social media, please drop a line to admin@artfulscribe.co.uk

Newsletter May 2025

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the New Forest

ArtfulScribe Newsletter - JULY 2023

Writer/Facilitator Wanted: Writing for Performance 15-18

Writer/Facilitator Wanted: Mayflower Young Writers & Mayflower Junior Writers

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January Newsletter: Act 2

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