News
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Ali Sparkes
Heard Word is back! We’re thrilled to an announce that our first featured guest is award winning children’s author Ali Sparkes. Join us to meet Ali and find out how to hold the attention of the most demanding, and easily distracted, readers of all: kids. That’s Monday the 6th of October, 2025 from 5-7pm GMT
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Call for Volunteer Readers – Bournemouth Writing Prize and Bournemouth Journal
We’re looking for volunteers with experience, knowledge, or a strong interest in contemporary writing to help assess submissions. As a reader, you’ll support fresh voices, gain insight into the editorial process, and contribute to a respected prize and publication, while ensuring fairness and integrity.
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Notes of aLadin A Raw, Relatable Mirror to the Modern African Hustle
In an era defined by digital façades and curated perfection, my debut novel, Notes of aLadin, breaks through with gripping honesty and comedic grit. Written in journal-style entries that are both heartbreaking and hilarious, Notes of aLadin is a creative chronicle of a young Nigerian man’s survival in an economy that often seems rigged against the everyday dreamer.
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Coming soon: The Dale Hurst Writing Show – Season 5
We’re pleased to announce that The Dale Hurst Writing Show, a writing podcast partnered with The Bournemouth Journal, is returning with its fifth season later this month.
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Zooming into the Writer’s Room
Zoom is such a great way of bringing writers together and I was delighted when Heard Word recently invited me to take part. It’s fun to see how a whole ritual has developed around engaging with each other via this online portal: mikes muted, emojis at the ready, chat column primed and, as each face…
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Q&A with Dominic Wong – Director of the Bournemouth Writing Festival
Dominic Wong is the author of two novels. He’s also Director of The Bournemouth Writing Festival. He talks to The Bournemouth Journal’s Substack Newsletter Editor, Julie Salt, about this year’s event. Q: The festival is now in its third year. Can you tell me, Dominic, what are its main aims? A: The ethos of the…
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David Herring,
Don’t miss our last Heard Word online writing workshop until next October. Our Featured Writer will be poet and publisher DG Herring. If you want to find out how to make your prose more poetic and how to get your poetry in print, DG (AKA David) has invaluable insights to share. That’s Thursday the 3rd
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Across Borders: Reflections from Heard Word and the Journey of Dark Circles Under the Eyes
When I first saw my picture in the Bournemouth Journal as the next Featured Writer, it was a shivering, goosebumps moment that left a long cheerfulness in my spirit for weeks on end. It wasn’t just about being featured—it was the thought that I was going to be listened to and heard by writers from…
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Ted Tremper, 27th of March
Our next Heard Word Featured Writer, Ted Tremper, is easy going, but he’s not afraid to make it awkward, as in really super funny awkward, like, well, this. Please join Ted to talk comedy and amateur woodworking on Thursday the 27th of March, 2025 from 5-7PM GMT on Zoom. To get Ted’s feedback on your
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Bourne Creative – the group for MA Creative Writing and Publishing alumni
As I walk through the café doors, I feel like I am hosting a party and fear I might be the only one going. I scan the tables, looking for familiar faces. In the far corner, I see Brad Gyori, the MA Creative Writing and Publishing Programme Leader, and Nika, a fellow graduate from my…