Balsall Heath Second Saturday

The Second Saturday of the Month

Category: Writing

  • MENSTRUATORS – period poverty project

    MENSTRUATORS – period poverty project

    MENSTRUATORS is a period-poverty MA dissertation project Iwriting a poetry/ lyric essay collection about menstruation/ blood (and wider menstruation-related experiences e.g. menopause, pregnancy, PMDD, PMS, early onset menopause) and poverty in the contexts of war, stigma, oppression, religion, homelessness, disability, and neurodivergence. Please feel free to share any thoughts on a post-it note. There will be some prompts to help evoke memories, but share anything you think might be relevant. Response post-its to other people’s responses also encouraged to start conversations.

    Nafeesa (b. Kashmir 1993, bred in Birmingham) is a poet; playwright; educator; performer; and director. When she’s not archiving city council bankruptcy, Nafeesa uses the intersectionality of her identity to inform her multi-disciplinary creative practice. Her poetry collection Besharam (Verve Poetry Press) was highly commended in the Forward Prizes 2019. Nafeesa is published in Forward Poems of the Decade 2011-2020 (Faber Poetry), The Things I Would Tell You: British Muslim Women Write, (Saqi Books). Nafeesa has appeared on BBC Bitesize; BBC Radio 4 Comedy; The Verb; and at literary festivals across the UK, Ireland and Germany. In 2023 she received a scholarship for Writing Poetry MA at Poetry School London, where she continues developing a body of work about corner shop culture, car boots, faith, and divine love.

  • Creative writing workshop with Leila Rasheed & The Emma Press

    Creative writing workshop with Leila Rasheed & The Emma Press

    Creative writing workshop with Leila Rasheed & The Emma Press, 2pm Saturday 11 November

    If you have an idea for a children’s story and are looking for some friendly support and practical encouragement, grab your pen & paper and join author Leila Rasheed and local publisher The Emma Press for a creative writing workshop. Leila will explore the joys and challenges in creating compelling literature for children, share some exercises to help get ideas flowing and offer feedback on opening pages.

    Tickets £5/pay what you can, please book in advance: maximum 12 participants

    Please note this workshop is aimed at adults writing for children. It is not a workshop for children.

    About the workshop leader:

    Leila Rasheed’s first novel for children, Chips, Beans and Limousines was published in 2008 and followed by two sequels which were widely translated. Since then, she has written a wide variety of children’s and YA literature, including the At Somerton trilogy for Disney Hyperion, and biographies of Kamala Harris and Katherine Johnson. Her most recent novel is Empire’s End: A Roman Story (Scholastic), which follows the adventures of a North African girl during the late Roman Empire. In 2015 she set up a pioneering scheme to mentor new children’s writers of colour, called Megaphone, now Megaphone Writers CIC.

    The Emma Press is an independent publisher based in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter specialising in poetry, short fiction and children’s books with a mission of making publishing and literature as welcoming and accessible as possible.

    Register on Eventbrite
  • Writing for Children with Kereen Getten and The Emma Press

    Writing for Children with Kereen Getten and The Emma Press

    Time: 2-3.30pm, Saturday 9th September

    If you have an idea for a children’s story and are looking for some friendly support and practical encouragement, grab your pen & paper and join author Kereen Getten and publisher The Emma Press for a creative writing workshop.

    “One of the things I love about writing, is creating a world that engulfs the reader, not one they view from afar. In this workshop we will master how to create a story so vivid that the reader feels they are part of the world you created. We will learn about atmospheric writing. Creating stories that take readers on a journey where they smell, touch and feel everything in your story. We will use exercises that will help you develop new ways to make your world and your characters come to life.” – Kereen Getten

    Pay what you can/suggested donation £5, please book a space below : maximum 12 participants

    Register on Eventbrite

    NB: This workshop is aimed at adults who are interested in writing children’s literature, it is not for children.

    Venue: Second Saturday

    About Kereen:

    Kereen Getten grew up in Jamaica where she would climb fruit trees in the family garden and eat as much mango, guinep and pear as she could without being caught. She now lives in Birmingham with her family and writes stories about her childhood experiences. Her novels include the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize-shortlisted debut When Life Gives You Mangoes (2020), a mystery novel in which the main character Clara struggles to remember what happened to her during an island storm the previous year, If You Read This (2022) revolving around a poignant treasure hunt that Brie’s late mother has set up around her island home, and The Case of the Lighthouse Intruder (2023) the first in the gripping Di Island Crew series, all published by Pushkin Press.

    About The Emma Press:

    The Emma Press is an independent publisher based in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter specialising in poetry, short fiction and children’s books with a mission of making publishing and literature as welcoming and accessible as possible.

  • Writing for Children with Leila Rasheed and The Emma Press

    Writing for Children with Leila Rasheed and The Emma Press

    Time: 11am-12.30 The Old Print Works

    Please book a ticket via eventbrite below.

    If you have an idea for a children’s story and are looking for some friendly support and practical encouragement, grab your pen & paper and join author Leila Rasheed and local publisher The Emma Press for a creative writing workshop exploring children’s literature. The workshop will last one hour, and we’ll be available to answer questions until 12.30.

    Free, but please book a space via eventbrite : maximum 12 participants

    Venue: Second Saturday

    About Leila:

    Leila Rasheed’s first novel for children, Chips, Beans and Limousines was published in 2008 and followed by two sequels which were widely translated. Since then, she has written a wide variety of children’s and YA literature, including the At Somerton trilogy for Disney Hyperion, and biographies of Kamala Harris and Katherine Johnson. Her most recent novel is Empire’s End: A Roman Story (Scholastic), which follows the adventures of a North African girl during the late Roman Empire. In 2015 she set up a pioneering scheme to mentor new children’s writers of colour, called Megaphone, now Megaphone Writers CIC.

    About The Emma Press:

    The Emma Press is an independent publisher based in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter specialising in poetry, short fiction and children’s books with a mission of making publishing and literature as welcoming and accessible as possible.

    Register on Eventbrite