Inside Literature

Routes into performance poetry

Apples and Snakes run performance poetry events, like open mic nights. Photo: Jack Goffe

Apples and Snakes is a leading organisation for performance poetry. They run events around the country, including schools, where they put a poet in a school every day of the year.

Angelina Ballerina illustrator

Children's illustrator and author Helen Craig, known for her 'Angelina Ballerina' drawings, discusses her mid-life move to illustration and learning skills to improve her writing.

The struggle to get published

Keith Gray is an award-winning writer of books for teenagers and the Scottish Book Trust's first Virtual Writer-in-Residence. Keith shared some useful hints for aspiring authors.

Training for published authors

Justin Somper is the author of the best-selling 'Vampirates' books. He spoke about the challenges for published authors, and how Author Profile offers training and support for the business of writing.

Writing historical biographies

Sarah Gristwood is an acclaimed biographer whose books include Arbella: England’s Lost Queen, Bird of Paradise: the Colourful Career of the First Mrs Robinson; and Elizabeth and Leicester.