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Thanks to ongoing support from the National Lottery through Arts Council England, Culture in Common, New Forest District Council and other partners, Play on Words returns this autumn from 22-28 October bringing together writers, readers and lovers of words for a lively festival programme for all ages in the New Forest.

Ahead of a full programme announcement, there are a couple of ways for local people to get involved.

The Local Writer Showcase at St Barbe in Lymington takes place on 24th October from 7pm - 9.30pm. This event offers the chance for writers from the New Forest and surrounding areas to meet others locally and to discuss, share and sell their work.

We're particularly interested in hearing stories and experiences related to festival themes around the power of what people can achieve by coming together, but writers working in any form or genre are welcome.

If you'd like to talk about and share some of your writing, please click here to register an interest. Slots are approximately 5 minutes long and the evening will be curated to engage as many people as possible and represent a range of styles and levels of experience.

If you'd like to get involved in other ways during the festival, please click here to find out more about volunteering opportunities.

Festival programme updates will follow.

Opportunities are available for individual artists and creatives looking for support for developing their work and experimenting with new ideas.

Hampshire Cultural Trust's Creative Ground Open Commissions are specifically for artists making work that clearly connects to place in New Forest, Gosport and Rushmoor, with up to £3,000 available per artist. Applications close on the 18 July: for more information click here.

The Hugo Burge Foundation is inviting applications for the Creative Individuals grant which can go towards multiple stages of a project including research and development, testing, and delivery. This year's fund closes on the 31 July and more information can be found here.

If arts admin/life admin feels overwhelming, Hampshire Cultural Trust are offering a free workshop titled Staying Steady: Practical tools for managing anxiety, overwhelm and burnout as a creative. The workshop takes place on Wednesday 15 July 6pm- 8pm at Totton Creative Hub. To find out more, please click here.

Ventnor Exchange Creative Writing Group  - Writing Group | 12 July | 7:00pm | Ventnor Exchange 11 Church Street, Isle of Wight 

Write a Note - Open Mic | 13 July | 7:45pm | Mayflower Studios, 142, 144 Above Bar Street, Southampton SO14 7DU 

October Books Poetry Open Mic Night - Open Mic | 17 July | 7:00pm - 9:00pm | October Books, Portswood Road, SO17 2NF

Play on Words Open Mic - Open Mic | 20 July | 8:00pm | Forest Arts Centre, Old Milton Road, New Milton, BH25 6DS

Placeholder Poetry - Live Poetry | 23 July |  7:00pm | The Bookshop Alehouse 21 Portswood Road, Southampton SO17 2ES

New SaRhyme - Open Mic | 28 July | 7:30pm | Upstairs at the Pheasant Inn, 19 Salt Lane, Salisbury SP1 1DT 

And There It Was...For the Curious - Free monthly creative writing group | 2nd Wednesday of the month | 7:30pm - 8:45pm | InFocus Network Eagle Lab, Portland Terrace, Southampton SO14 7SJ

Winchester Poetry Prize - Prize | Submissions close Friday 31 July 

Hive Family Festival | Family Festival | 8 August |  Fairthorne Manor, Southampton, Hampshire

Bournemouth Writing Prize  - Prize | Submissions close 15 August 

World Poetry Day: A Celebration of Wonder | Event | 4 October | 12pm-3:30pm | Tickets £7.50 | God's House Tower, Town Quay, Road, Southampton SO14 2NY

BSK - Open Mic | First Thursday of the month | 7:00pm | The Bounty Inn, Basingstoke, RG21 2BZ | No booking required