| Welcome to this newsletter in which I’ll share free (or very cheap) opportunities I’ve found for nature writers, recommend nature writing blogs and books, suggest nature-writing tips/prompts, and more… |
This month’s updates:
- Open for submissions. Spelt Magazine is inviting submissions for its summer issue until 1st May. Submission guidelines are here.
- new It looks like BBC Countryfile Magazine are about to launch their New Nature Writer of the Year competition for 2022, although, at the mo, this link on their competition page leads to the 2021 winning entries…
- new The 2022 Moth Nature Writing Prize (entry 15 euros) is open for entries until 15th September 2022.
- weekly Five Words International Poetry Competition (entry 5 euros) might be worth considering if you’re inspired by writing under pressure. Five new words are posted each week to include and some of the combinations (eg. speck spill lover over silver) could definitely inspire nature themes.
- ongoing No list of writing competitions can be entirely comprehensive but I like to keep an eye on this one – compiled by Neon Books.
- I’ve just launched a set of five flexibly-priced online nature-writing workshops, the Nature-Writing Hours. Each one takes place on a Friday evening and is then repeated the following morning. You can buy tickets using the links below.
| Friday evening – 7pm to 8pm | Saturday morning – 11am to 12pm |
| 6th May – The beauty of nature writing | 7th May – The beauty of nature writing |
| 27th May – Nature writing and you | 28th May – Nature writing and you |
| 17th Jun – Voices for nature | 18th Jun – Voices for nature |
| 8th Jul – Nature diaries with pizzazz | 9th Jul – Nature diaries with pizzazz |
| 29th Jul – Perfecting pitches | 30th Jul – Perfecting pitches |
This month’s Who to Read or Follow recommendations:
- This month I’m reading Wendell Berry’s The World-ending Fire. A thought-provoking if not always comfortable read, which sets its sights on big business agriculture.
- Hey Twitter users, I’d recommend following author and conservationist Simon Barnes. I love his writing, he always has interesting and engaging things to say about nature and doesn’t take himself too seriously.
This month’s Nature-writing tips and prompts:
Stuck for nature-writing inspiration? Plan a mini nature adventure, like visiting a new green space you’ve always meant to go to, or map a journey around an urban or rural area with nature-watching in mind.
Add to your knowledge of the nature around you… it’s so exciting watching bees which make an appearance at this time of year, like the Hairy-footed Flower Bee and the Ashy Mining Bee. Is it time to get to grips with the magical group of insects?
And… please send me anything you’d like to be included in next month’s newsletter.
| Recordings of writing workshops I’ve led can be found here on my Youtube channel and you can read anthologies from my nature-writing residency partnered with the London Wildlife Trust here on their blog. My book Thumbnail Nature Journal will be available to buy very soon… |
[This month’s pic is Cuckoo-flower, one of my springtime favourites!]
Freelance Nature Writer 