Big shout out to the Southend Writer and Artist Network for helping to compile this resource. Check out the tabs to find information on all things writing!

SOUTHEND WRITERS AND ARTISTS NETWORK (SWAN) 

A friendly facebook group! We are an active group which represents the artistic community of Southend on Sea. Our members comprise of many different creative practices including writers, poets, artists, photographers, designers, singers, actors, directors, producers, editors, arts and crafts, pottery, ceramics, textiles, theatre, education, musicians and many more types of creative work. We chat on a daily basis, share events and inform other of their projects and achievements. FACEBOOK

SOUTHEND POETRY GROUP

Meetings usually take the form of a presentation and discussion of a poet or topic, followed, if time allows, by a brief workshop session when members can read their own work. WEBSITE

LEIGH WRITERS

We are a group of local writers who meet regularly to exchange ideas and helpful comments on their writings. WEBSITE

PAVILION WRITERS GROUP

The group meets at the Cliffs Pavilion every Wednesday evening from 7pm-9pm. The members of the group are led by Vivienne Allen, a successful and talented local writer. The writing styles of the members vary from short plays to poetry and comedy. There are opportunities to share writing and performance. Membership costs £3 a week. WEBSITE |FACEBOOK 

ESTUARY WRITERS

A place for Essex based writers to connect & share. All writers welcome – any genre and level. Frequent events in Southend on Sea. TWITTER

U3A WRITING FOR FUN

This group is open to any U3A member, regardless of previous writing experience. It is not intended to be a tutorial and there is no plan to give any form of writing instruction. It is simply a forum to enable us to enjoy writing and to have fun sharing with others what we have written. We will be meeting regularly on the fourth Thursday of each month. WEBSITE

WINOS (WRITERS IN NEED OF SOMETHING)

Contact: Hellen Riebold on 07738 878825) This group meets on the third Saturday of each month in the upstairs meeting room at Rayleigh Library from 2pm-4pm. A friendly bunch, who take turns to prepare writing challenges. Free to join, and open to all ages.

RAYLEIGH LIBRARY WRITERS GROUP

We are a diverse group from all walks of life. Our passion is to write; to the best of our ability and sometimes beyond. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursday each month, to read and critique our work in friendly, open discussion. However, the Group is not solely about entertaining ourselves. We support THE ESSEX AND HERTS AIR AMBULANCE by producing and selling anthologies of our work.  WEBSITE

CREATE98 WRITING COURSE

If you’re intrigued by the idea of creative writing, full of ideas, but not sure where to start or how to get going, then this four week course is for you. With elements of screen writing, fiction and poetry, you’ll have an intro to storytelling. WEBSITE

SOUTHEND ADULT COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Various Beginners and intermediate 16 week courses twice a year, plus short courses on specific genres such as screen writing, autobiography or non-fiction. WEBSITE

ESSEX WRITERS HOUSE

In partnership with Essex Book Festival, we are bringing you a range of inspiring online and uplifting outdoor events and opportunities to raise the spirits and reconnect through writing and words.  Events for anyone interested in writing – from those who are just starting out, to established authors. Anchored to Metal’s HQ, the grade II listed Chalkwell Hall in Chalkwell Park – Essex Writers’ House is an opportunity to meet new people, share ideas, get inspired and explore the power of creative writing on the road to recovery. WEBSITE

JACKSON DIEGO

Our award winning children’s bookshop is filled with books, stories and oodles of imagination, creativity and wonder for young people from birth to 16 years. Our space brings together everything we do to inspire children and young people through books and stories on their own terms. As Southend’s only independent bookshop, our shelves of both fiction and non-fiction, picture book and chapter, are perfect for a browse and our staff are experts on matching children with the right book and offering specialist advice. We receive new stock daily and – as we can’t fit everything we wish for on our shelves – we can order in any book that is in print for both children and adults alike. WEBSITE

BOOKS ON SEA

We sell second-hand and antiquarian books as well as unique gifts. WEBSITE

Blue Girl by Emma Gracie

The Wartime Nanny by Lizzie Page