For writers, by writers.
The Bournemouth Writing Festival inspires writers to write with practical and hands-on events, workshops, talks, writing activities and networking opportunities.
A carefully curated selection of self-published, published and writing professionals impart their knowledge and advice to writers of all ages and genres, regardless of where they are on their writing journey.
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Taking place over a three-day weekend on the last weekend in April in Bournemouth, Dorset, on the sunny south coast of England.
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The festival is run and organised by Dominic Wong.
In the inaugural 2023 Bournemouth Writing Festival, over 75 innovative events and activities were put on over three days in six iconic venues. Award-winning, best-selling authors, BAFTA-winning screenwriters, journalists, poets, editors, publishers, marketing experts and even a contracts lawyer, all gave talks and workshops to over 600 writers to help them on their writing journey.
Working with our partners, a range of ‘fringe’ events were put on, including a poetry hunt to get people exploring local cafes and shops, a sculpture trail, wild writing walks, genre breakfast meet-ups, yoga and writing on the beach.
Our festival was inclusive for a wide audience, including adults with additional needs, teenagers, primary schools, home-educated children and those sidelined from society.
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The 2024 Writing Festival is now being curated, and we welcome ideas and suggestions from all writers and practitioners to submit event and activities to feature in the festival.
Format
Our Festival takes place with several locations within Bournemouth Town Centre, categorised into three sections:
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Formal talks, panels, workshops and masterclasses led by writing professionals. These are led by those that write (authors, poets, journalists, screenwriters) and those that support writers to get their work into the world (editors, publishers, agents, book marketing gurus, publicists and even a contracts lawyer!)
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Activities to provide stimulus to write and to connect writers together. These included writing on the beach, networking events, literary walks and a poetry hunt.
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Events to encourage children to write. These included author readings and activities, creative writing workshops for teenagers, a sculpture trail and a schools writing competition with AFC Bournemouth.
Festival Director
Dominic Wong
The Bournemouth Writing Festival is led by Dominic Wong - an award-winning entrepreneur and author of two novels.
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Dominic is a globally-recognised marketing professional with a diverse background in promoting tourism destinations and visitor attractions. With a passion for creating innovative tourism experiences, Dominic has successfully marketed various iconic locations worldwide. Notably, he was the first marketing director of the Harry Potter Studio Tour - overseeing the build, launch and Royal inauguration.
Photo credit: Solid Imagery
Advisory Panel
Curating the Festival Programme and advising the Festival Director on strategy and content is our four-person advisory board.
