The Geneva Writers Group (GWG) has just announced the launch of a new series of free workshops for teenagers, aged 13 to 18. The workshops will be held at Wall Street English on the Rue Michel-Roset in Geneva, and will take place monthly, on a Saturday from 10h to 11h15.
'Where do Ideas Come From?' will be the topic of the first workshop, which will be led by exciting new author, Nicholas Grey. A young adult fiction and fantasy writer, Nicholas has recently published The Wastelanders and The Lightbearer, as well as some short stories, and has a number of works in progress. Visit his website for more information : www.nicholasgrey.org.
Subsequent workshops will be taught by Nicholas and two other authors: Jason Donald, whose debut novel Choke Chain took the literary world by storm in 2009; and young adult writer, Katie Hayoz, whose books explore the paranormal.
GWG Folk Tales Workshop
Asked why they have decided to launch the new workshops for teenagers, GWG committee member, Rosalind Yarde-Jumbe, told knowitall.ch "We want to encourage the next generation of young writers by helping them develop their skills and their belief that they can become great writers."
All workshops are free but participants need to register in advance by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with Teen workshops in the subject line. The following dates have been set: 6 February, 5 March, 9 April, 14 May and 18 June. Other topics will include 'Keeping Secrets', descriptive writing and creating strong characters.
Book reading evening at Payot Bookshop
The free writing workshop is the latest in a long line of interesting new initiatives that the group has launched in the region to encourage and promote English-language creative writing in all its forms. The aim of the group is to create a supportive community ranging from fledgeling writers to published authors with a growing backlist of titles.
Set up by Susan Tiberghien with a group of friends in 1993, the group now holds monthly meetings, from September to June, at the Geneva Press Club, Describing the evolution of the group to knowitall.ch, Susan told us, “We set up the group in order to respond to a growing need for English-language writing workshops in Geneva. I was leading the workshop at the American Women’s Club, but the group was full with a waiting list. I thought it would be good to include also male writers. So I started to teach monthly workshops at the Café du Soleil. We soon outgrew that location and the Geneva Press Club welcomed us. I was teaching also in the States and brought back enough experience to set up our first International Writers Conference in 1998.”
2014 GWG Conference
She continued, “I believe the GWG is unique in its friendly supportive spirit. It is run by a steering committee, all of us writers, all of us volunteers, with the help of a part-time administrative assistant. From the seventeen original members, there are still seven with us today. This gives a foundation of friendship that is very special. And we keep growing, initiatives keep being suggested and implemented. From the original 17 members, we are now close to 250!”
At the time of writing the group is currently involved in the following activities:
- Monthly workshops, with creative writing in the morning, critiquing in the afternoon (click here to see the full program).
- Guest instructor weekends with master classes three times a year.
- Biennial International Geneva Writers Conference. The 10th edition will be held this year on 18 -20 March at Webster University.
- Biennial Meet the Agents weekend, a helpful event for anyone hoping to publish their work.
- Publication of a Biennial Literary Review, called Offshoots, Writing from Geneva. The 13th collection of prose and poetry was published in 2015, and included the work of 54 contributors from some 20 countries.
2014 GWG Literary Prize Winners and Coordinators
- GWG Literary Prizes, judged by internationally acclaimed authors and poets and a great source of encouragement for aspiring writers.
- Mentoring Service, which supports one-to-one coaching of writers by experienced instructors.
- Small Writing Groups of about 6-8 people, which provide useful feedback to writers and help them to establish practical goals for themselves.
- Possibility for members to post writing and publishing news on the GWG website and Facebook page
- Monthly Newsletter, covering events and member news as well as competition and submission opportunities.
- A blog with all kinds of useful tips including finding ways to publish
- Support to International PEN, and the English Language Library in Geneva
- Partnership with the Le Livre Sur les Quais book festival, now in its 6th year and which has growing support for English-language writers, in the form of book stands for authors, talks, readings, round table discussions, and workshops.
- New!: Teenage Writing Workshops
GWG Play and Screen Writing Weekend with Daniel Goldfarb
You can read more information about the group’s activities by clicking here.
GWG is a non-profit association so the fees to join are very modest: For members, it costs Fr. 30.- for morning workshops; Fr. 10.- for the afternoon; and Fr. 35.- for the full day, with a Fr. 10.- reduction for AVS and/or full time students. For non-members, it costs Fr. 40.- for morning workshops; Fr. 20.- for the afternoon; and Fr. 50.- for the full day, with a Fr. 10.- reduction for AVS and/or full time students. Likewise their annual dues are inexpensive: Fr. 40.- for the year, with a Fr. 10.- reduction for AVS and/or full time students.
Susan concluded, “We welcome all those who wish to write. To become a member, we ask only that you first attend one workshop (to see who we are!). We want to share our passion for writing with others. We understand that as writers we take our voices into the world. We want in this way to contribute to making a more peaceful world.”
Geneva Writers Group
www.genevawritersgroup.org
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Free Writing Workshop for Teenagers
Wall Street English
Rue Michel-Roset 2
Geneva
6 February, 5 March, 9 April, 14 May and 18 June 2016
10h to 11h15
Registration: Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and enter “Teens workshop” in the subject line.
Geneva Writers Group Conference
Webster University
Bellevue
Geneva
18 – 20 March 2016-01-13
