NAWE Virtual Conference 2021

Friday 12 & Saturday 13 March

In response to the ever changing COVID-19 situation in 2020, we moved our November 2020 conference, planned to take place in Bristol, back to March 2021 and took it online. Our very first virtual conference, which was sponsored by York St John University and supported by Arts Council England, proved a resounding success.

Special guests included Daljit Nagra, Kate Clanchy, Kit de Waal and Romalyn Ante. Other highlights included a UK Arts Councils Literature Panel discussing the landscape, challenges and opportunities facing our sector Sarah Crown (ACE National), Damian Smyth (ACE NI) Lleucu Siencyn (Literature Wales) Harriet MacMillan (Creative Scotland); Mairi Kidd, new Chief Executive of Seven Stories, Richard Russell, Chief Operating Officer of Arts Council England and NAWE’s chair Jonathan Davidson considering where we are and what next for our sector; and the UK Poetry Network in Conversation: Poetry's Not for You - Poetry's for Everyone with Dr Martin Kratz (Chair), Asif Khan (Director, Scottish Poetry Library), Jenny Kinnear, Senior Librarian: Children & Young People, Northumberland County Council (Northern Poetry Library), Chris McCabe (National Poetry Librarian, National Poetry Library) and Becky Swain (Director, Manchester Poetry Library).

Special events included WRITE & SHINE Early morning writing workshops with Gemma Seltzer,Breakfast Poems with The Poetry Business, a Funding for Writers workshop with with Jonathan Davidson, and the Zoom House Party with Silent Adventures.

Issue Vol 83 of Writing in Education featured extensive conference contributions and reflections.