A Huddersfield Literature Festival creative writing workshop, limited to 9 participants, book early.
Sign up for the opportunity to take part in a small-group fiction workshop taught by award-winning novelist and creative writing tutor Okechukwu Nzelu.
Pace is one of the most important aspects of a novel. Plot-led novels depend on it particularly, but even those writing character-led novels need to use pace deliberately and thoughtfully. But how do we do that?
Through readings, discussions and exercises, this workshop will explore the importance of pace and how it can be used to the best advantage in prose fiction.
About the author and workshop tutor
Dr OkechukwuNzelu FRSL is a novelist, freelance writer and teacher based in Manchester. In 2015 he won a Northern Writers’ Award from New Writing North. His debut novel, The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney (Dialogue Books, 2019), won a Betty Trask Award; it was also shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Polari First Book Prize, and longlisted for the Portico Prize. In 2021, it was selected for the Kingston University Big Read and distributed to all staff and students at three universities.
His second novel, Here Again Now (Dialogue Books, 2022) was shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature Encore Award, the Polari Prize, the Jhalak Prize and the Diverse Book Awards. In 2024 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
In 2025 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Kingston University, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to literature and reading pleasure. He has made several appearances on national radio, and is a regular contributor to Kinfolk magazine. He is a non-executive director of ALCS and CLA, and Lecturer in Creative Writing at Lancaster University.
Huddersfield Literature Festival presents an evening with Marcia Hutchinson, author of The Mercy Step. Plus a chance to view the Huddersfield Windrush On Tour Tapestry.
Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, The Mercy Step is a sharp-witted and tender portrait of a young girl’s quiet rebellion, and her refusal to be broken. Born into a chaotic household in Bradford in 1962, a precocious Mercy finds solace in books and her imagination. But as the grip of family, faith and fear threatens to close in, Mercy learns she must act if she wants a different future.
“This vivid story of a Caribbean childhood in 1960s Bradford does not stint on accounts of poverty and systemic abuse, yet is pungent with wit and colour.” The Guardian
Marcia will be interviewed by Shazia Azhar MBE.
About the author
Marcia Hutchinson was born in the UK to Windrush generation Jamaican parents. After gaining an MA in Law from Oxford University, she worked as a lawyer before founding the educational publishing company Primary Colours. In 2011, she was awarded an MBE for services to Cultural Diversity. She has since worked as a community activist and was elected as a Labour Councillor in 2012. She is now a full-time writer and an active member of the Black Writers’ Guild.
About the Tapestry
Prior to the event, to mark Black History Month, there will also be the opportunity to view the Huddersfield Windrush On Tour Tapestry. Commissioned by Huddersfield Seventh-day Adventist Church and delivered in partnership with Kirklees Local TV (KLTV), the tapestry brings together decades of African Caribbean history through a unique combination of visual storytelling, photography, oral histories and digital archives. This landmark heritage project celebrates the legacy, resilience and contributions of the Windrush Generation across Kirklees and beyond, marking a major milestone in preserving and celebrating the legacy of the Windrush Generation.
Essential information
Thursday 22 October
5.30pm-6.30pm Windrush Tapestry viewing
6.30pm-7.30pm Marcia Hutchinson author talk followed by a book signing
