Genre Writing Roadshow

New Writing North is delighted to host an online Genre Writing Roadshow in partnership with Johnson & Alcock literary agency and the Future Worlds Prize.

The speakers will offer insight and guidance for new and emerging writers of genre fiction who may be considering applying for the Great Northern Read Award and/or the Future Worlds Prize for Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers of Colour. They will also share broader advice on writing gripping and compelling fiction, and discuss how to navigate the writing industries as a genre writer.

Speakers will be:

– R.J. Barker (fantasy writer of the Wounded Kingdom trilogy and judge of the Great Northern Read Award)

– Anna Power (Managing Director of Johnson & Alcock literary agency, partner and judge of the Great Northern Read Award)

– Sarah Shaffi (literary journalist, editor and co-director of the Future Worlds Prize)

The event will be chaired by Sarah France, Research and Programme Manager at New Writing North. The event will include a Q&A section where you can pose your questions to the panel. You can also send your questions in advance when you register for the event.

This event will be of interest to new and emerging writers across a range of genres who are looking to develop their knowledge of the industry and their writing practice.

More about the awards

The Great Northern Read Award was devised by Johnson & Alcock to offer a fresh and exciting opportunity for emerging writers of gripping, page-turning fiction across all genres who are looking to take the next step towards publication. The award is open to unagented and unpublished writers who are currently living in the North of England. It is open from 25 November 2025 to 5 February 2026. The Great Northern Read Award is part of the Northern Writers’ Awards. Find out more here: https://newwritingnorth.com/northern-writers-awards/awards/

The Future Worlds Prize for Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers of Colour looks for great works of science fiction and fantasy by unpublished writers. The annual prize is open to everything from space operas and dystopias to books set in magical worlds and more. The prize was founded in 2019 and is supported by author Ben Aaronovitch and actor Adjoa Andoh. Previous winners are Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, M. H. Ayinde, Mahmud El Sayed, Ese Erheriene and Harmony Knight. Find out more here: https://www.futureworldsprize.co.uk/

The Northern Writers’ Awards are the largest writing development programme of their kind in England. They are free to enter, with support, mentoring, placements, publication, and cash awards on offer to new and established writers. Submissions open throughout the year, with awards for poetry, fiction, children’s and YA fiction, narrative non-fiction, short stories and writing for television. They are produced by New Writing North and supported by Northumbria University, Arts Council England, and a range of partners. Find out more here: https://newwritingnorth.com/northern-writers-awards/