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Hastings Writers' Group is an organisation for published and aspiring writers based in
Hastings
Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...
,
East Sussex
East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...
. It was established in 1947, and is one of the longest-running writers' groups in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
Catherine Cookson
Dame Catherine Ann Cookson (''née'' McMullen; 20 June 1906 – 11 June 1998), was a British writer. She is in the top 20 of the most widely read British novelists, with sales topping 100 million, while she retained a relatively low profile in ...
was a founder member and was patron for many years. A more recent patron was
David Gemmell
David Andrew Gemmell (; 1 August 1948 – 28 July 2006) was a British author of heroic fantasy, best known for his debut novel, ''Legend''. A former journalist and newspaper editor, Gemmell had his first work of fiction published in 1984. H ...
, a best-selling author of
heroic fantasy
Sword and sorcery (S&S), or heroic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of ...
.
The group runs a national short story competition, the Legend Writing Award, and also produces an annual anthology, ''Strandline''. ''Strandline'' won two national awards: Volume 3 won the David St John Thomas Charitable Trust anthology award and Volume 4 won the National Association of Writers' Groups' Denise Robertson Trophy for the best group anthology.
Meetings are held fortnightly on Monday evenings and the programme includes manuscript evenings with constructive criticism, guest speakers, workshops, and competitions with judges from the field of professional writing.