As part of its programme to develop publishing skills in the Caribbean, CaribLit, in partnership with Commonwealth Writers, with support from the British Council and CODE, will conduct a skills development workshop for emerging fiction editors from 18 to 22 January, 2016. Administered by the Bocas Lit Fest, the workshop will take place in Georgetown, Guyana, with assistance from the Moray House Trust.
Led by Jeremy Poynting, managing editor of Peepal Tree Press, and Johnny Temple, publisher of Akashic Books, the workshop is aimed at emerging editors from the Anglophone Caribbean resident in the region. Focused specifically on editing fiction, including both novels and short stories, for publication in both books and periodicals, the workshop sessions will include areas such as:
- macro-mechanics: structure, plot, character, voice, showing vs. telling
- micro-mechanics: “style”, dialogue
- geographic, social, and market contexts of publishing
- differences/overlaps between literary and genre fiction
- issues of particular relevance to Caribbean fiction, eg. writing in different registers, non-standard English, “dialect”
- special considerations in editing fiction for young adult readers
Prospective participants should have basic general editorial experience of working with Caribbean publishing houses, media, or periodicals. Experience in editing fiction, or an interest in specialised training in this area, is also desirable.
This will be a residential workshop for a maximum of eight participants. Air travel expenses (for participants outside Guyana), accommodation, and a per diem will be provided to successful candidates, who must be able to attend for the full five days of the workshop. (Participants must be available to arrive in Guyana on Sunday 17 January, with departures on Saturday 23.)
To be considered for this workshop, please send us a letter of motivation including the following:
- Name, nationality, place of residence, and gender
- Contact information: email address and telephone number
- Outline of your existing editorial experience (however limited)
- What you find most challenging in your work as an editor
- What you hope to achieve from participating in the workshop and how you expect to put any new skills to immediate use
Please also send a copy of your CV (no more than one page) and a short outline (no more than 200 words) for a proposed fiction anthology, which you would like to discuss during the workshop sessions.
The deadline for submitting application materials is 25 September, 2015, and selected participants will be notified by 2 October. Applications should be submitted via email to [email protected].