Writers from Bristol

During the 1950’s a lot of black people came to England as immigrants. They were invited by the queen, to come and work/live in their ‘motherland’. A lot of people responded to this invitation, and from everywhere over the world people came to England, inhabitants from Jamaica, Barbados, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis.
When these ‘foreign people’ came to Britain, the brought a lot of culture along with them. With that culture ( and art ) they made their own , new art in England. One of these art groups is PortCities, a black artists group.

On of the parts of this group is the Bristol Black Writers Group. Bristol Black Writers Group, based at Kuumba Project, in St Pauls, is a group for black writers in the Bristol area. The group publishes a monthly newsletter and holds performance groups and workshops. Members from the group, such as Bertel Martin and Edson Burton perform in various venues around Bristol.
The founder of the Bristol Black Writers Group was the playwright and actor Alfred Fagon. He was born in 1937 on the Caribbean island of Jamaica. He came to Britain, and spent some years in Bristol. Sadly, Fagon died of a heart attack aged only 49 in 1986. He was in the prime of his career, having written and acted for the theatre, radio and television. Fagon wrote the plays, 11 Josephine House, The Death of a Blackman, Four Hundred Pounds, Lonely Cowboy. One play Shakespeare Country was produced by BBC2. There is now a bronze statue to Fagon's memory, sculpted by David G. Mutasa and commissioned by the Friends of Fagon Committee. It stands on the green at the junction of Ashley Road and Grosvenor Road in the St Pauls area of Bristol. There is also an Alfred Fagon Award, funded by the Peggy Ramsay Foundation, set up in his honour. Applications are invited by writers from the Caribbean or with Caribbean antecedents for the best new play (which need not have been produced) for the theatre in English. The first Alfred Fagon Award was presented in 1997 and is given annually. Previous winners have been: Roy Williams, Shenagh Cameron, Sheila White, Grant Buchanan-Marshall, Adeshegun Ikoli, Linda Brogan and Penny Marshall.

Southwest  Writers

This group was founded in 1994. Southwest Scriptwriters tries to encourage, develop and promote new scripts, drama writing for all media; stage, screen, radio and television. They mostly work around Bristol area, just as the name says.

Southwest Writers have several goals/terms, which they follow:

1) create a supportive network for the taking care of new drama writing.
2) help members develop scripts by giving them tips,
3) help members to become more professional, by promoting
4) gather and share information about new developments in drama writing
5)would like to work with other organizations and individuals, who are already in the ‘drama-world
6) trying to create an audience for new drama writing

The group is organized by a sort of government, which contains a chairperson, artistic director, secretary and treasurer. These people are drawing on other members’ skills and experierence. Every September a new ‘government’ is formed.

Everybody older than 18 years old can join this group. When you join this group, you have to do a modest annual payment to the group’s treasurer. Normal meetings are open to anyone, doesn’t matter if you are a member or not.
Every time, at the end of a year, when the treasurer finds out that there is money left, that they didn’t spend it all, this money will be donated to the Writers Guild of Great Britain.

Southwest Scriptwriters; the name speaks for itself. This particular group is the first/leading group for writers who write drama for stage, screen, radio and television. Six times a year, on a Tuesday evening, between September and June, they’ll meet up at the Bristol Old Vic, to discuss the new products. They’ll read each other’s works, and give comments or compliments on each other. Sometimes visitor writers will give a lection about their work in drama production for all media. When their meeting will take place, the people from Bristol will know this through their newsletter.

When you are a writer, the other members will try to give you friendly and supportive feedback, and will try to help you develop your script, that you might gain more chances to become a professional writer, of that your script can become a professional production.
The group works on the principle that 'scripts are not written, they are rewritten' and they aim to inspire and encourage the ‘new writer ‘through the rewriting process. You’re your script has been read, by the Southwest Scriptwriters, you’ll get an idea of how it will come in across in performance. When you’re alone, you probably wouldn’t know that, when working alone, that would be very hard to judge.

Actors can contact this organization. When they’re members, they can sort of use this organization to help them through their career. Southwest Scriptwriters can give you unusual audition pieces, and could get you in at the start of possible productions

For both writers and actors, Southwest Scriptwriters is an opportunity to socialise with others committed to the creation of new drama. After every meeting all of the members usually go to a bar nearby. There they can talk to each other in a friendlier, less formal way. This creates a better bond within the group.

A very good partner of The Southwest Scriptwriters is Tim Massey. He is a very well known author, and of course a scriptwriter.
If you would like to read more about him, visit his website:

http://www.timmassey.co.uk/

Bristol area knows a lot of writers, but the biggest part wasn't born their, so it is sort of import. If you would like to read more about those authors visit the site of Bristol. ( you'll find the link at Links )