Unthank School of Writing

Write your way into the New Year

Local writers, both new and experienced, will have a chance to polish their words when a new branch of the Unthank School of Writing (USoW) opens its doors soon in Hastings. The course tutor, Sharon Zink, explains more.

Following its success in delivering courses in Norwich and online, USoW will be opening a branch  here, beginning with an Introduction to Prose Fiction which starts Tuesday 14 January and will run for ten weeks. Based in the Old Town and starting at 7pm, the course will be facilitated by award-winning local writer, Dr Sharon Zink, an experienced tutor and editor, whose first novel, Welcome to Sharonville, is being published by Unthank Books – the publisher behind the Writing School – in 2014.

“Unthank” is a rather ungrateful name for a writing school, and I had to ask Sharon why the school had such a strange name – was it to do with ‘un-thinking’, and writing straight from the sub-conscious mind? She laughed and said “It’s the name of a road in Norwich, the home of Unthank Books. The name was chosen because the books that are published are very UNusual. The kind of manuscripts that are too UNcoventional for mainstream publishers’ tastes. It’s all about the ‘UN’!”

Signing up to the course would be the perfect New Year’s resolution for those secret scribes who have a stack of stories they only tell to the cat, an ancient novel shoved in a sock drawer or who just have always wanted to have a go at writing but never dared. Offering an introduction to the key elements of literary craft or just the chance to refresh writing skills after a time away, the course will using a mixture of practical exercises, reading and discussion to bring out the best tales from the participants.

Sharon Zink

The course tutor, Sharon Zink, is keen to stress the supportive and fun nature of the course as she sees it. “I’ve always believed that encouragement and enjoyment are the best things for creativity as the artistic part of us is pretty much a child who wants to play. I believe all of us are creative by nature – it just comes out in different forms – but that side of us is often lost in the crush of work and other adult responsibilities. I like to think of these sessions as a chance for people to have some time for themselves, so I often use unusual and even silly prompts from photos and videos to music and other literary forms to stir the imagination and a bit of laughter. However, I’m also aware that our creative side often needs a sense of safety before it will show itself. Because of that, I try to emphasise to the group how they are cheerleaders for each other, as – whether we’re beginners or famous novelists – the fear of laying our writing before other people is still the same. It’s wonderful to watch people’s confidence grow as the group responds to their work – I’ve seen a lot of lasting friendships formed that way too.”

Sharon also believes that Hastings is the right town for the USoW to expand to. “Hastings and St Leonards are such creative places. There’s plenty of stuff going on for artists and musicians, but I really wanted to see more literary events here, so I was more than happy to agree to facilitating these courses for the Unthank School of Writing. I think this is a good opportunity for local people to show just how talented this town is. Unthank Books are putting together an anthology of the best work produced by those doing the USoW courses and I would love Hastings writers to be showcased in it.”

Those who are interested in the course should contact registration@unthankschool.com
or call (01424) 437191 for an informal chat with the tutor.
The fee will be £200 for ten two hour sessions.
Places are limited, so early booking is recommended.

About the Unthank School of Writing

Founded in Norwich by Unthank Books and taught by tutors who originally worked on the celebrated Creative Writing programmes at UEA, USoW is now delivering courses for both beginning and experienced writers online and in Hastings and other destinations. All workshops are delivered by a team of professional writers and skilled tutors with solid experience in their area of teaching, courses ranging from the Introduction to Prose Fiction to Novel Writing and Writing for the Internet.

About Sharon Zink

A former literature academic with years of teaching and editing experience, Dr Sharon Zink’s first poetry collection, Rain in the Upper Floor Café was published when she received the title of Shell Young Poet of the Year at the age of seventeen. She has also been named as Writers Inc. Writer of the Year and shortlisted for the Raymond Carver Prize and in The New Writer short story competition four times running (including being named as Editor’s Choice). Her fiction has appeared in anthologies and journals in the UK, US and in translation in Mexico and a production of her work at Edinburgh Festival received an award from The Scotsman. Her first novel, Welcome to Sharonville, is being published by Unthank Books in 2014. You can find more at www.sharonzink.com.

To learn more about this event, please contact:

Sharon Zink: sharonzink@hotmail.com or 01424 437191

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