Cornwall Writers

05/12/2025

If improving your mental health, gaining stronger cognitive function, and enhancing your communication skills are on your New Year's list, then diving into the world of poetry could be your saviour.

Mordardh the poetry of surfing, curated by Ella Walsworth-Bell is the perfect panacea for a busy Christmas and soothes with the calming energy of the sea. From the creators of Morvoren: the poetry of sea swimming, invigorating poetry anthology, explores surfing and what it means to surfers living in Cornwall. It's words are written by women for whom waves form the sometimes roaring, sometimes gentle, rhythm of their lives, and is torally inspiring.

https://hermitagepress.co.uk/products/mordardh-surf-poetry

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04/12/2025

04/12/2025

📢 You can now apply to be part of our online talent development programme, Word Space, for 2026-27. Word Space will support a group of writers from across the South West to develop their work through mentoring from established writers, peer support, industry insight, advice sessions with Literature Works staff, and access to a growing network of writers.

Submissions are open throughout December and January, closing at midday on Saturday 31st January 2026.

You can find out more on the Literature Works website, and why not join us for one of the free online open briefings (on Zoom), to ask any questions you may have about the programme?

https://literatureworks.org.uk/applications-for-word-space-2026-27-are-now-open/

Over the next couple of months, we'll be sharing more about some of the groundbreaking literature organisations we are pleased to partner with for Word Space.

04/12/2025

If Romance with a sprinkling of comedy is your partners favourite genre, then you can't go wrong with - Mentoring Mr Singleman, by Kim Sancreed.

This funny, feel-good, Cornish Romance, which is the perfect holiday read, could also make a fantastic Secret Santa book at just £10!

Dave Singleman - surf-dude and moderately conscientious school teacher - has been pursuing an easygoing life in his converted engine house above a Cornish beach. But now he's turning thirty and he knows something's missing.

New colleague Kate on the other hand knows exactly where she's heading and when she moves into the other half of Dave's clifftop hideaway the inevitable questions arise. Will opposites attract? Do Kate's career ambitions leave room for romance? Is Dave willing to change his laid-back ways? And what on earth do their students make of it all?

https://hermitagepress.co.uk/products/mentoring-mr-singleman

And if this book goes down well, we have another great title for you to read by the same author - The unbinding of Edward Tremenhere: A Cornish complication - a wryly observed, funny, standalone adventure.

https://hermitagepress.co.uk/products/the-unbinding-of-edward-tremenhere

04/12/2025

*HODDER AND STOUGHTON OPEN SUBMISSION INBOX is OPEN!*

The Hodder and Stoughton team are excited to share that the digital team is launching an open submissions inbox for the first time.
The inbox will be open at different windows throughout the year, the first one being the 1st-7th December 2025.
Reflecting our commitment to Changing the Story, we welcome submissions from all authors, with no prior publishing experience required.
Submissions should be sent directly to [email protected] – more information on guidelines can be found here: https://www.hodder.co.uk/landing-page/hodder-stoughton-open-submissions/
Commissioning Editor Audrey Linton is leading the open submissions initiative, to bring new authors and emerging talent to the growing list.
Audrey and team are especially excited to see submissions in the following genres: crime and thriller, psychological thriller, cosy crime, historical fiction, as well as romance and rom com.
They are not currently accepting manuscripts of non-fiction, science fiction, YA, children’s books, literary fiction, poetry or short stories.
Please check their website for more information on future openings.

03/12/2025

Our third choice in our Bookshop Countdown to Christmas is the very popular -Cornish Short Stories: A Collection of Contemporary Cornish Writing

Ghosts walk in the open and infidelities are conducted in plain sight.
Two teenagers walk along a perfect beach in anticipation of a first kiss.
Time stops for nothing – not even for death. Sometimes time cracks, disrupting a fragile equilibrium.

The stories within are peopled with locals and incomers, sailors and land dwellers; a diver searches the deep for what she has lost, and forbidden lovers meet in secret places. Throughout, the writers’ words reveal a love of the incomparable Cornish landscape. This bold and striking new anthology showcases Cornwall’s finest contemporary writers, combining established and new voices, including Philipa Aldous, Cathy Galvin, Anastasia Gammon, Tim Hannigan, Clare Howdle, Adrian Markle, Tim Martindale, Candy Neubert, Felicity Notley, Sarah Perry, S. Reid, Alan Robinson, Rob Magnuson Smith, Katherine Stansfield, Emma Staughton, Sarah Thomas, Emma Timpany, Tom Vowler, Elaine Ruth White.

Edited by Emma Timpany and Felicity Notley this gorgeous anthology contains contemporary stories by some of the most respected currentCornish Short Story Writers.

A bargain at just £12...

https://hermitagepress.co.uk/products/cornish-short-stories

01/12/2025

This Sunday!!🙌🏻

✨🎄 A Festive Escape for Writers… at The Elm Tree! 🎄✨

If you’re dreaming of a day filled with creativity, calm, and a sprinkle of Christmas magic, my Write-Only Festive Writing Retreat is just around the corner!

📅 Sunday 7th December
⏰ 10am – 4pm
📍 The Elm Tree, Truro

Whether you’re polishing a project, starting something new, or simply craving a peaceful space to write, this retreat is designed to wrap you in stillness, stories, and seasonal comfort.

You can join us for either:
✨ Half day – £25 (includes a hot drink + festive treat)
✨ Full day – £50 (includes the above + a warming soup lunch + all the cosy goodness)

Expect twinkling lights, gentle prompts, nourishing quiet, and a space where your creativity can breathe.

If the video gave you that ‘curl-up-with-a-notebook’ feeling… this day is absolutely for you. 📖✨

Tickets are now available — I’d love to save you a seat by the tree.

Book Now:
https://lamorna-academy.co.uk/adult-learning/

01/12/2025

We have listed a new contest on Writing Competitions!
https://writingcompetitions.net/ ❤️🖋

🌟 2026 Bristol Short Story Prize 🌟

The competition is open to all published and unpublished writers. Entrants must be over 16 years old.Stories can be on any theme or subject. The maximum length of submissions is 4,000 words.The entry fee is £14.• 1st prize is £1,000• 2nd prize is £500• 3rd prize is £250Deadline: 31 January 2026

01/12/2025

We kick off our Bookshop Countdown to Christmas with the gorgeous novella -Travelling in the Dark, by Emma Timpany, (one of Cornwall's best short story writers!)

Winner of the Hall and Woodhouse DLF Writing Prize 2019
Long-listed for Not the Booker Prize 2018
A Big Issue Summer Read 2018

This heartfelt novella documents a familiar journey, traveling back to a hometown after a considerable time away. Set in the wild, beautiful, and unreliable landscape of southern New Zealand, this novella is an evocative story of a woman coming to terms with her past and the events that have shaped her present.

A fabulous present for just £10 and easy to pop in the post!

https://hermitagepress.co.uk/products/travelling-in-the-dark

30/11/2025

30/11/2025

🌟We're hiring!🌟
If you're an author or creative writing teacher, we'd love to hear from you. We're looking for three tutors to join our fabulous team - one for our Ultimate Novel Writing Programme and two for brand new courses we'll be launching in 2026!
Visit our website to find out more and apply before 5 December: https://zurl.co/RItsK