What We do
We hold fortnightly meetings on Monday evenings from 7.30 to 9.30 at the White Rock Hotel on Hastings seafront. Our programme includes regular internal competitions, which encourage our members to explore different genres of writing, manuscript evenings, where a small number of members explore their work in depth, and workshops which explore different areas of creative writing. We also hold an Annual General Meeting and Programme Planning event, and an end-of-year Presentation Evening. Full details of our programme can be found on the What’s On page. Hastings Writers’ Group is a member of the National Association of Writers’ Groups (NAWG), which entitles our members to enter their free competitions.
HWG Competitions
All our competitions are currently open to fully paid-up group members only. Full details of rules, entry requirements etc. appear in the Members’ Area.
Writer of the Year
Five varied competitions count towards the Writer of the Year trophy. Guest external judges supply constructive criticism for all pieces submitted, select the top four winners and attend a group meeting to give the results. Winners are allocated points, and at the end of each year points are totted up and the member with the highest total is declared Writer of the Year.
Catherine Cookson Cup
The Catherine Cookson Cup was donated by our first Patron, the world renowned writer Catherine Cookson. Members who have attended at least four prior meetings in the year may enter the competition, which is an open-themed short story competition, with a 3000-word maximum limit.
Membership
We have approximately 40 members at any one time. Subscriptions are currently £80 per year, payable in January. This can be split into two payments of £40 in January and July.
New members are accepted subject to current vacancies and payment of the appropriate fees. They must be over 18. Prospective members are invited to attend a meeting, by arrangement with the Membership Officer, before deciding whether to join. Contact us for details.
Our Patron
Our Patron, Tamara McKinley, is the best-selling author of nine Australian family sagas, including Matilda’s Last Waltz, and two psychological thrillers, plus a series set in England, writing under the name Ellie Dean. Tamara maintains a supportive, keen and active interest in the group.
Our Committee
The Group is managed by a Committee elected by the membership at the Annual General Meeting. We are always interested to hear from any member who is interested in joining. Currently, the Committee is as follows:
Chair: Amanda Giles, Vice-Chair: Kate O’Hearn, Treasurer: Sam Davey, Membership Officer: Neil Carter, Website Manager: Dave Baker, Press Relations Officer: Liz Caluori, Programme Officer: Vicky Armstrong
The Minutes of Committee meetings are available for any member to view and area held here.
