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Guest Speakers & Adjudicators 2024/25

Over the course of the year, invited Guest Speakers will visit Ayr Writers’ Club to talk about their writing routines, their working methods, and their publications.

There will be an open Question & Answer session in the latter half of the evening, an opportunity to delve a little deeper into a professional writer’s thoughts and working practices.

Many of our Guest Speakers will also adjudicate, and feedback, on entries submitted for the club’s writing competitions related to their specialist field.

11th Sep 2024 – John Binnie- Guest Speaker and Adjudicator (Practical Drama Writing Workshop) 

John Binnie is a playwright and director, who has  worked in theatre since the 1980’s. He set up Glasgow’s Clyde Unity Theatre with friends, and wrote and directed over 30 productions that toured all over Scotland, and beyond. He’s been fortunate to make theatre in America, Germany, Singapore, Africa and India. 

His plays have won three Edinburgh Fringe Firsts, the Independent Theatre award and been broadcast on BBC radio 4. All of his work is rooted in community engagement. He believes everyone has a story to tell, and his drama/writing classes encourage people to find their voice, develop their confidence and creativity, and contribute to community. 

Currently he is an artist in residence for Glasgow Life, and will write and direct a new play A TOAST FAE THE LASSIES at Pitlochry Festival Theatre in 2025.

 

2nd Oct 2024 – Tony Black- Guest Speaker (Getting Crime Right – writing police procedural novels )

Tony Black is an artist and a novelist. His much sought after artwork is sold worldwide. The author of more than 20 books, Tony’s crime novels include his four-book series set in Ayr featuring DI Bob Valentine. His ground breaking Gus Drury series prompted Irvine Welsh to declare ‘Tony Black is my favourite British crime writer.’

Tony’s crime fiction has been nominated for eight CWA Daggers and his novel The Last Tiger was runner up in the Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize in 2014. His ‘Tartan Noir’ novella The Ringer, has been adapted for stage and performed at Ayr’s Gaiety Theatre.

Most recently Tony has published The Lock-in, a thrilling anthology of short stories.

 

16th Oct 2024 – Sarah Smith – Guest Speaker and Adjudicator (Short Stories – Keep the Faith)

Sarah Smith is a family history researcher, creative writing tutor and author. She has an MLitt (Distinction) in Creative Writing from the University of Glasgow, and was awarded the Scottish Book Trust’s New Writer Award in 2019.

Hear No Evil, her debut historical novel published in 2022, is set in Glasgow and Edinburgh in 1817.

As a writing tutor, Sarah delivers workshops. She led a short story writing workshop at Scottish Association of Writers Conference  in March 2024.

Her short stories, poetry and flash fiction have been published in a variety of anthologies and journals, including New Writing Scotland, Flashback Fiction and From Glasgow to Saturn.  

13th Nov 2024 – CJ Cooke  – Guest Speaker and Adjudicator (Author of the Lighthouse Witches – a gothic thriller)

CJ Cooke writes fiction – her work is classed as feminist gothic and/or psychological suspense. She’s published in 23 different languages, has won numerous awards and her work has been optioned for TV and film. 

Her works include The Boy Who Could See Demons and I Know My Name (an iBooks bestseller). CJ Cooke’s 2021 novel, international bestseller,  The Lighthouse Witches, was nominated for an Edgar Award and an ITW Thriller Award. It is soon to be a major TV series produced by StudioCanal and The Picture Company. 

She has also published The Ghost Woods and The Haunting in the Arctic.  CJ’s novel The Book of Witching is due to be launched in October 2024.

22nd Jan 2025 – Catherine Czerkawska- Guest Speaker and Adjudicator  (The Pleasures and Pitfalls of Writing Non-Fiction)

Catherine Czerkawska writes fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays. Born in Yorkshire, of Polish and Irish parentage, she has spent much of her life in Scotland with time spent working in Finland, Poland and the Canaries. Her nine novels include The Physic Garden, set in nineteenth-century Glasgow and The Jewel, about the unsung life of Robert Burns’s wife, Jean Armour. A Proper Person to be Detained and The Last Lancer are intensively researched family stories. She has a degree in English Language and Literature and a Masters in Folk Life Studies. 

Catherine has written more than 100 hours of drama for BBC R4 as well as plays for the stage, and was Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at the University of the West of Scotland for four years.

 

5th Feb 2025 – Maria Cairnie – Guest Speaker and Adjudicator (Writing Picture Books for Children)

Maria Cairnie is a teacher, drama specialist, Lecturer, Community Education Tutor, storyteller and the author of picture books for young children. 

She has performed at nurseries, schools, events and festivals across Scotland and worldwide.

In 2008 Maria established and founded The Starmusa Community which serves the creative education, experiences and engagement of young people and children across Scotland through her work as author and creator of The Blitzy Boy Collection, The Marveloso Minibeast Maloo, Asphuttel and The Hazel Tree.  She has also published the vibrantly illustrated The Clever Clog Frog series.

12th Mar 2025 – Alison Chisholm -Guest Speaker and Adjudicator (Poetry of the Night)

Alison Chisholm has been involved with poetry for most of her life, teaching spoken poetry skills for 40 years, and writing poems which have appeared on radio and TV and been published in magazines, anthologies and fourteen collections.  She has written seven books on the craft of writing poetry, and has taught poetry writing in adult education for rather longer than she wishes to remember.  She has edited poetry anthologies, given readings, workshops, talks and courses in Britain and overseas, adjudicates competitions and writes columns for Writing Magazine.  

 

Guest Adjudicators:

Allison Symes – Flash Fiction

Allison Symes mainly writes short stories and flash fiction. She has two published volumes of flash fiction – From Light to Dark and Back Again and Tripping the Flash Fantastic- and her work has been included in several anthologies including The Best of CafeLit. Allison is a prodigious blogger for several magazines. As well as being a writer, Allison works as a freelance editor, adjudicates writing competitions, gives author talks and runs writing workshops. 

SAW Council  – Women’s Magazine Story

The Scottish Association of Writers Council will allocate a panel of three experienced Council members to adjudicate. 

Sheila Grant – Book Review

An acceptance from Twinkle Comic! And a cheque for £8! I was a published writer! And all from a story I made up when my children were dragging their feet on a very long walk!
Bursting with my success I attended  closing night of the season at Ayr Writers. Prize winning entries were read out while I sat cringing at my audacity. The standards was so high! I was not going back!
But come September with posh notebook and pen, I was persuaded to join. I attended the Vice President’s class on writing Articles. She set a competition on the subject of Spring which to my surprise I won and submitted to a magazine. It has been published.  My most successful article, published to date three times. Fairies and little owls no more,  I now fancied myself as a freelance journalist! 
I am so grateful to Ayr Writers’ Club without whose help and advice I would never have had the joy of seeing my name in print. 
Where did I get my ideas? 
My Grannie’s recipe book had items of interest  while memorials along remote roads in the Highland glens, photographed then researched at home,  uncovered obscure and long forgotten historic events.  
A  bookaholic,  I was delighted to join the staff of New Books magazine, as a reviewer, nicknamed Book Diva.  It was a privilege, reviewing first editions, and occasionally interviewing the authors online.
I know it is harder for you all to find outlets for your work but never give up. Ideas and themes can be discovered in the strangest of places and events.
I miss this superb club, forever grateful for all advice received and the enjoyment and modest success I have gained.
The Flower Club was never as much fun as the Writers’ Club!
Good luck to all. Never give up and keep on writing,
 
Guest Adjudicators :
 

Ann Burnett – Scottish Article 

I joined Ayr Writers’ Club in 1979 and everything I know about writing I learned there. I wrote Postman Pat stories, BBC children’s radio and TV scripts and short stories, articles and a few novels.

I wrote online articles for Buckettripper, Suite 101, and Demand and had articles published in Healthy Way, the Herald, Scottish Field, The Highlander, My Weekly and Scottish Memories. I tutored article writing at Glasgow University.

My memoir, A Last Journey, is being published in the autumn

Fiona Atchison & a staff member from Waterstones, Ayr – Drabble Competition 

Fiona Atchison is a long-term member of AWC. She has won and been placed in many Scottish Association of Writers competitions across various genres including her 1st prize, trophy-winning Dramatic Monologue. Fiona is an active member of LiterEight, a group of eight women, who publish anthologies of short stories, poetry and flash fiction. With LiterEight she regularly performs her work at events throughout Ayrshire.