Arundel Literary Festival : March 6th – March 8th 2025
A 3 day celebration of all things literary
Daytime sessions 11am – 6pm
Thursday daytime sessions 11am – 6pm in the Red Room – full details here
Friday daytime sessions 11am – 6pm in the Red Room – full details here
Saturday daytime sessions 11am – 6pm in the Red Room – full details here
Evening events 7:30pm – 10pm
Thursday evening 7:30pm film in the Red Room – full details here
Friday evening 7:30pm Poetry, Music & Art – full details here
Saturday evening festival finale concert 7:30pm in the Red Room – full details here
Children’s Literary Fringe
Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th mornings at Arundel Museum – full details here
Competitions
Poetry Competition
Adjudicated by Patrick Osada
Patrick Osada was for many years Reviews Editor for SOUTH Poetry Magazine, and has published eight poetry collections, the most recent The Warfield Poems, in July 2024. He has been published widely in poetry magazines and anthologies and his work has been broadcast on national and local radio. www.poetry-patrickosada.co.uk
Original, unpublished poems on any theme, up to 40 lines
1st prize £200
2nd prize £100
Closing date 9 February 2025
Flash Fiction Competition
Adjudicated by Simon Brett
Simon Brett, West Sussex based author of detective fiction and radio plays, having had a long career as producer-writer for television and radio. A widely published author, best known for his mystery series featuring Charles Paris ( 20 books) Mrs Pargeter ( over 9 books), Fethering, ( 21 books) and Blotto & Twinks ( 13 books).
Original, unpublished work of fiction of up to 500 words
1st prize £200
2nd prize £100
Closing date 9 February 2025
How to enter
Closing date for both competitions is February 9th. Winners will be notified by the end of February and invited to read their work, should they wish to, at the final evening event of the Literary Festival on March 8th in the Victoria Institute.
1. Submit £5 entry fee below (per poem or piece of fiction)
2. Email your entry to events@thevictoriainstitute.com – note: don’t include your name on the poem or piece of fiction itself.
Please use events@thevictoriainstitute.com email address rather than info@thevictoriainstitute.com or we may not receive your entry.
3. Include in your email:
– Your name
– Your contact phone number
– Your entry fee payment reference number that you receive by email when you submit your payment
Once the closing date is reached, all entries will be presented anonymously to the judges.
For both competitions, judges decisions are final. Copyright remains with the authors. Minimum age for entering either competition is 16 years. Must be a UK (including Channel Islands) resident.
Writing Workshops
Thursday 6th
2:00 – 4:30
Poetry workshop with Robyn Bolam
Writing poems that will stand out.
This workshop will explore ways to write distinctive poems by surprising your reader with language, form or subject approach. It will use prompts and examples to open doors in your imagination.
Robyn Bolam is an award-winning poet and former Hampshire Poet Laureate. She has published four poetry collections with Bloodaxe and her other publications include an anthology of 500 years of women’s poetry. www.robynbolam.com
Suitable for beginners to experienced writers
Maximum of 10 participants, please book in advance.
Saturday 8th
10:00 – 12:30
Rhetoric and Oratory workshop with Alan Finlayson
Anyone and everyone has the capacity to write and deliver a speech about something they care about and want the rest of us to care about too. In this workshop you will learn how to do just that. Professor Alan Finlayson has been researching and teaching political rhetoric and speechmaking for decades and has taught hundreds of people to make their own speeches. You will learn the secrets of great rhetoric: how to formulate your thoughts, how to turn them into arguments and how to structure them so that people can understand and agree with them. You will finish by delivering your own powerful, persuasive and passionate speech.
Suitable for everyone
Maximum of 10 participants, please book in advance.
Workshop places are priced at £20 each. Places are limited to 10 for each workshop.
Click below to reserve your place on a workshop.