We are beyond thrilled to announce a partnership with Storyhouse that will see a Women’s Prize Day at Chester Literature Festival this November!

We have a special day of events planned celebrating women and the written word. Tickets can be purchased at Storyhouse or a livestream ticket for the inaugural Women’s Prize Book Club with Susanna Clarke can be purchased here.

Women’s Prize Day will consist of a series of panels, talks and workshops on Sunday 10 November. You can find all event details below.

What Makes a Good Plot?: Women’s Prize Creative Writing workshop
Garret Theatre
12noon – 1.30pm
Tickets £20 /Storyhouse Members £18

Have you ever questioned what makes a good plot? How to make sure your novel follows a narrative structure? Perhaps you have a clear vision of where you want your characters to end up, but aren’t sure how to get them there? Or, you may have an array of brilliant ideas for your novel, but struggle to see how they connect?

Crafting a cohesive narrative plot can sometimes feel overwhelming when you start writing – but award-winning author Ayisha Malik can help! Join her for this intimate, unmissable introduction to narrative plot.

The award-winning London-born author and writing mentor worked as a publicist for Penguin Random House before she wrote her debut book, the heartwarming romantic comedy Sofia Khan is Not Obliged. Her other critically acclaimed novels include The Other Half of Happiness, This Green and Pleasant Land and The Movement. Ayisha was a judge for the Women’s Prize’s Discoveries talent development programme in 2022.

Please bring a pen and paper or digital device to write with. You will have the opportunity to share your work, but will not be obligated to.

Capacity is limited to 20 places so please book as soon as possible.

Women’s Prize Discoveries: Demystifying Publishing
Garret Theatre
2 – 3pm
Tickets £12 /Storyhouse Members £10.80

Are you an aspiring writer? Or wondered how your favourite author started out? Join us for this exciting panel to help demystify the publishing industry, and offer top tips and practical guidance on how to get your foot in the door.

Discoveries is the Women’s Prize Trust’s writer development programme and prize for unagented and unpublished women writers working on a novel for adults, run in partnership with Audible, Curtis Brown Literary Agency, and the Curtis Brown Creative writing school.

The panel will feature two alumni of the Discoveries programme, Olivia Ford, longlisted for Discoveries in 2021 for her debut novel, Mrs Quinn’s Rise to Fame, and Paige Cowan-Hall, winner of Discoveries 2023 and author of the Audible original, The Shouts Beneath. They will be joined by Harriet Hirshman, publishing manager at Dead Ink Books. The event will be chaired by writer Ayisha Malik, who judged Discoveries in 2022.

For more information about Discoveries, which is currently open for submissions until January 2025, visit: www.womensprize.com/discoveries

Celebrating 30 Years of the Women’s Prize with Louise Minchin and Irenosen Okojie
Main Theatre
4 – 5pm
Tickets £15 /Storyhouse Members £13.50

The book world is dominated by women – writers, readers, publishers, booksellers, and so on – yet the gender pay gap for women writers sits at 37% in comparison to the national average of 11%. Along with this, only 26.5% of non-fiction reviews in national newspapers were allocated to books by female writers, and only 35.5% of books awarded a non-fiction prize over the past ten years were by a female writer, across seven UK non-fiction prizes.

In this engaging conversation, Louise Minchin and Irenosen Okojie will discuss the range of issues that women writers still face within the publishing industry, including remuneration, consumer visibility and the perception of their writing, with Claire Shanahan, Executive Director of the Women’s Prize Trust. Ahead of celebrating its 30th anniversary, this conversation will explore the continuing importance of the Women’s Prize Trust, as a charity that enriches society by creating equitable opportunities for women in the world of books, and will highlight the role of books and creativity in striving towards gender equity.

They’ll also discuss their own recent writing and work. Broadcaster, writer and triathlete Louise Minchin chaired the Women’s Prize for Fiction judging panel in 2023. Formerly one of the main presenters on BBC Breakfast for a decade, she recently published her debut novel, the gripping crime thriller Isolation Island. Louise will be joined by award-winning author and director and founder of Black to the Future festival, Irenosen Okojie. Irenosen sat alongside Louise on the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction judging panel. Her new novel, Curandera, is a multi-dimensional exploration of desire, betrayal and friendship across centuries. Vice Chair of the Royal Society of Literature, she was awarded an MBE For Services to Literature in 2021.

Women’s Prize Book Club: Susanna Clarke in conversation with Simon and Louise Savidge
Main Theatre
6 – 7pm
Tickets £20 /Storyhouse Members £18

The Women’s Prize Trust is partnering with Storyhouse to bring you a series of book club events like no other. Each event will feature an author from the Women’s Prize Library or a Women’s Prize Judge in conversation with Simon and Louise Savidge. Marking the 30th anniversary of the renowned Women’s Prize for Fiction, these events will leave you with a TBR brimming with the very best in fiction by women.

Launching the Women’s Prize book club is Women’s Prize-winning author Susanna Clarke.

Susanna Clarke, whose debut novel was the acclaimed, multi-award-winning Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell now celebrating its 20th anniversary, will discuss her Women’s Prize-winning novel Piranesi, and speak about her latest book, the enchanting seasonal novella The Wood at Midwinter, which is due to be published later this month.

Susanna will then recommend a book from the Women’s Prize library to the book group, so join us for a lively discussion on fantastic fiction.
If you aren’t able to join us in person, livestream tickets are available here.