Dear subscriber,

We hope you are all well and that this spring brings you a variety of new writing experiences and inspiration.

> TLC at the London Book Fair;
> Special TLC 15th Birthday Events;
> March and April Showcases;
> Mentoring Industry Day;
> English PEN Translation Festival;
> Emily Dickinson's Dress;

TLC at the London Book Fair

2011 marks the 40th anniversary of the London Book Fair, which is likely to be busy this year to make up for last year’s volcanic disruptions. TLC has been invited to appear at The Author Lounge at 2:30pm on 11th - 13th April, where Rebecca Swift will give a talk about TLC and the publishing industry, as well as hold an open Q & A session. Fellow Free Word resident, The Arvon Foundation, will also be there along with many other useful writing contacts.  Click here to check out this year's events and to book tickets. 

Special TLC 15th Birthday Events

Tickets are still available for both of our special 15th birthday celebration events but do book now before it is too late.

Masterclass: How the Novel Works

7th May 10.30am - 4.30pm

This is TLC’s first ever Masterclass run by writer, mentor and editor Jacob Ross. What Joseph Campbell did for mythology, Jacob Ross will do for your understanding of the novel. Don't miss out as he delves into the archetypal stuctures that under lie all works of fiction.

Margaret Drabble & Helen Simpson: In Conversation Short Stories – the form of the future?

26th May 6.30pm - 8pm

This is a rare chance to hear two of the best known writers of our day. To mark the publication of Margaret Drabble’s volume of short stories, A Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman (Penguin), she will be in conversation with the UK’s leading exponent of the short story form, Helen Simpson. Together they will consider the short story as a form, its strengths, weaknesses, and future and also read from their own work.

March and April Showcases

“There is a sense that all attempts at literature (to borrow from Petrarch) are Letters to Posterity. Kafka wouldn’t understand, but then look at his author photograph – he certainly wasn’t projecting forward to the time when that shifty stare would grace his biographical note…”

In our March TLC showcase, writer Jude Cook examines the contemporary writing experience in his essay The Kind Mistress: Posterity’s Warm Embrace. Click here to check out his wonderfully witty essay and his showcased short story. You can also let us know what you think on our Facebook page. We would love to hear your comments.

Our April showcase will be Valerie Mason-John and an extract from her novel I Am Memoried.

Mentoring Industry Day

On May 14th we will be joined by Arzu Tahsin, commissioning editor at Weidenfeld, Sam Humphreys editor at Serpent’s Tail and Jo Unwin of Conville & Walsh, Literary Agent of the Year 2010.

The mentoring day is part of the Chapter & Verse mentoring scheme and gives mentees a unique opportunity to mingle with agents and publishing professionals. This is only open to those already embarked upon the mentoring scheme, but we wanted to give you a flavour of the calibre of people engaged with working on it with us. Do check it out if you think it might be for you.

English PEN Translation Festival

Stieg Larrson twisted his dragon tattoos around the world, but what other translated works of fiction are waiting to surprise us?

English PEN is running a festival focusing on translation in April. For more information about this see Free the Word.

Emily Dickinson's Dress

We thoroughly enjoyed our two latest literary events, Dreamscapes with the Tamesis Quartet and writer Richard Skinner, and Emily Dickinson and I: The Journey of a Portrayal, by Edie Campbell and Jack Lynch. The one woman play about Dickinson questioned our relationships with writers, and how we come to understand who they really are. In conjunction with the play, Rebecca Swift celebrated the publication of her new biography of Emily Dickinson by Hesperus Press.

Click here for more information about our events.

We wish you all the best, and are always here if you want a fresh opinion on your writing.

For other up-to-date information about TLC see:-
www.literaryconsultancy.co.uk, or call us on 020 7324 2563.

All best wishes,
The Literary Consultancy