Writers in the Isle of Man will have the opportunity to hone their craft during Manx Litfest, including the chance to enter the festival’s first ever Short Story Slam and take part in the annual Writers’ Day at King William’s College.

The Short Story Slam has been devised following the great success of the Manx Litfest Open Mic Poetry Slam, which has gone from strength to strength in the last three years.

This year’s Poetry Slam takes place on the second night of Litfest, Wednesday, September 23, with the Short Story Slam bringing the curtain down on the festival on the Sunday night (September 27). Both Slams take place at Noa Bakehouse in Douglas and are free events for the audience, and there is no charge for entering poems or stories.

Festival Director John Quirk explained: ‘The Short Story Slam will see writers given a time limit of six minutes to read their story, in front of a panel of judges and the audience. The judges will mark each story, deducting points for overrunning the allocated time, and the winner will be announced at the end of the night. We don’t need the stories in advance of the event, but we do need writers to register an interest in entering a story. Given time constraints, there will be a limit on the number of stories we can accept.’

This year’s Manx Litfest Writers’ Day takes place on Saturday, September 26 (9.00am-4.15pm) Once again it has been made possible by the kind support of PokerStars. The day will see many writers - both published and unpublished - gather for a series of talks by authors and panel discussions, with the pitch slots being hosted by Bryony Woods, of London-based Diamond Kahn Woods Literary Agency.

Among the authors giving talks on Writers’ Day are Joanne Harris MBE, author of Chocolat and The Gospel of Loki, editor and writer Andy Miller (The Year of Reading Dangerously), author Jamie Mollart (The Zoo) and Zeba Clarke, Head of English at King William’s College, whose novel Dream Guy will be published by Finch Books later this year.

John added: ‘Writers’ Day is one of the most important aspects of what we are trying to do with Manx Litfest. We set out to create a platform for Island-based writers to develop their craft and learn more about the publishing industry, and that applies equally to those who are just starting out and those who may have completed manuscripts, or indeed books already published. Some writers come just for the talks and discussions, while others, who have a manuscript polished and ready, also get the chance to pitch to the agent.

‘King William’s College has staged the event for the last two years and we’re thrilled that they have agreed to host us again. A special word of thanks must go to PokerStars, which is also in its third year of supporting the Writers’ Day. From the outset the company wanted to be involved with an element of Litfest that helped writers develop and we are incredibly grateful for the support.’

It’s not just writers that can develop their skills at this year’s Litfest – children’s author and illustrator Viviane Schwarz is holding an illustration for adults workshop on Friday, September 25. It runs from 10.00am-2.00pm at The Crofts in Cregneash. John Quirk said: ‘Viviane is mainly a children’s writer and illustrator, and this workshop is for anyone looking to learn or develop illustration skills, particularly for those who may be looking to write and illustrate their own children’s stories. It’s not just for adults, though - it would be suitable for high school or college students with a keen interest in illustration.’

Tickets for Writers’ Day cost ?25, with the agent slots costing an additional ?25, while a place on the illustration workshop is ?40. For these events, please email bookings@manxlitfest.com to reserve a place or for more details.

To register your interest in submitting a story for the Short Story Slam, please email manxlitfest@gmail.com. 

Any poets interested in entering the Poetry Slam should contact bridgetcarterpoetry@mcb.net. 

Manx Litfest is a registered charity (#1100), supported by Isle of Man Arts Council, Culture Vannin and numerous corporate and individual sponsors.

For the latest news on this year's festival, visit the website www.manxlitfest.com or follow at www.twitter.com/manxlitfest and www.facebook.com/manxlitfest. 

The team can be contacted at manxlitfest@gmail.com. 

Photo-  Jamie Mollart.