Writing Groups in Norwich and East Anglia
HighTide Theatre
HighTide is an supportive, inclusive theatre company and writing community based in the East of England. With a strong focus on climate and social justice, HighTide offers a welcoming space for playwrights across East Anglia. They host a variety of free events designed to nurture and grow the local playwriting community including:
- Online workshops
- Playwright gatherings
- Live talks with established playwrights
- Playwrights’ Writing Group – A mentoring programme for emerging playwrights
HighTide is dedicated to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, can take part in the joy and power of theatre. Their warm and welcoming community makes them a wonderful place for writers in the region to grow and connect.
Shut Up & Write – Norwich
A Meetup group that gathers every Saturday morning and Sunday lunchtime in Norwich.
The Saturday morning session is held at the Cactus Cafe on Magdalen street at 10 a.m. The Sunday session is held at 12.00 p.m at 68K. This cafe is also on Magdalen Street, but futher towards the city.
The aim of the group is exactly as the name implies. The group grab a coffee. Then everyone briefly says what they will be working on throughout the hour. After that, everyone ‘shuts up’ and writes for an hour. Then at the end shares how they got on. There is no reading out of work. Any writing is welcome as it is purely up to you what you want to work on. It is just an hour of time to set aside and focus.
Some members stop and chat afterwards, others go on their way. It is a lovely little Norwich writing community but spaces are tight. The cafe only has room for 12 writers at a time so you need to book your place quickly for the Saturday session. The Sunday session are (currently) less busy.
National Centre for Writing
Based in the beautiful Dragon Hall in Norwich, the National Centre for Writing runs workshops for writers, residencies, drop-in writing sessions, showcases, debates and podcasts.
The building is open to the public with free entry from Sunday through until Wednesday from 10 a.m until 3 p.m. Grab a coffee in the Butterfly cafe across the street and relax with a book in the Dragon Hall garden.
The Writer’s Room
The National Centre for Writing now has a Writer’s Room at Dragon Hall where any writer can book in advance in a three hour block to in a quiet, calm space. You can book a single desk or sit in another room in the co-working space.
The writing sessions run Thursdays and Fridays.
Morning sessions: 09.30 a.m to 12.30 p.m
Afternoon sessions: 13.30 p.m to 16:30 p.m
Norwich Writers’ Circle
A writing group that meets both in Norwich and online. Wecome to everyone from any skill level. Norwich Writer’s Circle meet twice a month, on the first and third Tuesdays from September through July, at Chantry Hall in Norwich. There are also Zoom writing and editing sessions for those who prefer to attend online.
They run writing competitions throughout the year for both members and non-members.
Read Write Chat Meetups
(not sure if these are still happening)
An open, friendly and supportive writing group that regularly meets up in public spaces in Norwich to write and share together.
Local Research and Ideas
Norfolk Heritage Centre
Brilliant local resources containing books, newspapers, maps, photographs, postcards, and records – including trials, local government docs, religious documents, access to census data etc etc
WiseArchive
Wonderful stories of real, local people living and working in the region are gathered by personal interviews, then published online, free for anyone to access.
Runs regular free monthly writing socials. Opportunity for us writers to come out of our scribbling places and chat face to face, to share celebrations, successes and frustrations.
Literary Norfolk
A website dedicated to literary Norfolk, full of fascinating information about places, people, creative works, facts, dialects, quotes, photographs and more.
Events
The Book Hive
An independent book shop, that also runs after-hours events for writers and readers within the intimate space of the bookshop. Runs the weekly reading group Page Against the Machine every Wednesday.
Resources
