Co-director of Chasing Driftwood Writing Group.

Creative writing tutor at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) and former international journalist.

Transformational coach, inspirational writer and motivational speaker. Author of How To Fall in Love.

Tricuro is owned by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council and provides short and long term high quality care and support to adults, their carers and families.

Founder of Assembled Moments Theatre based in the New Forest.

Publisher, writer and freelance journalist.

Writer, filmmaker and musical theatre performer based in Dorset

Susmita Bhattacharya’s novel, The Normal State of Mind, was long-listed at the Mumbai Film Festival. Table Manners won the Saboteur Award for Best Short-Story Collection and was aired on BBC Radio 4 Extra.

Mystical Poet & Mental Health Advocate and author of Five Collections of Poetry.

Author of Shot in the Dark and Close to the Edge, published by Canelo. Presenter of the Rejected Writers' Club podcast.

Author of 8 mystery novels set in Devon.

Social media exec using TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Author of The Heart Snatcher.

Graduated from Goldsmiths with a BA in English and American Literature in 2013 and has worked at the agency since 2014.

Tim and Danny have written or directed for BBC, ITV, Channel 5 and Paramount+ as well as several independent movies.

Author, poet, playwright and performer.

Published author and illustrator whose day job is plot and character ideation

Peter Cooper has earned his living for fifty years as a playwright

Author of The Twelve Days of Murder and Murder at the Christmas Emporium.

Contributor to over 300 issues of Writing Magazine. Editor of self-published and award-winning/nominated authors from both sides of the Atlantic.

A published literary writer, speaker and versatile teacher and coach

Writer of over 100 short stories, commercial scriptwriter and Audible audiobook producer.

Writer's rights, contracts and Intellectual Property rights.

Working within community wellbeing, blending somatic practices and accessible arts

Former journalist and TV producer in drama, comedy, documentaries and docu-drama.

Published in The Guardian, Vancouver Sun, BBC Radio 4’s PM and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Former national newspaper journalist, now a developmental editor and book coach at The Right Book Company. Author of In Your Own Words, published February 2024.

Programme Leader of the MA in Creative Writing and Publishing at Bournemouth University.

AJ is a multidisciplinary author, poet and storyteller and is fascinated by exploring themes of Belonging and Identity on a community level, running empowering writing workshops and facilitating community projects across the South of England.

Her book ‘Death in the Last Reel’ was shortlisted for the Selfies 2022.

Book designer, author and design lecturer at Arts University Bournemouth.

Founder of Elspells Writing Feedback, a service which provides affordable feedback for new writers

Award-winning librarian and one of the CILIP125 new generation of librarians, information and knowledge management professionals, and has spent the last 15 years helping the people of Poole explore their local and family histories. 

Dr. Ashley Hickson-Lovence is a novelist, poet, literary critic and Lecturer of Creative Writing. He has a wealth of experience working for TV, radio and appearing at festivals. He also regularly reviews books for BBC Radio 4, Notts TV Book Club and The Observer.

Founder of the health and wellness channel 9km By 9am, accredited Sober & Life Coach and author of “Walking back to Happiness - the secret to alcohol-free living & well-being"

Her debut thriller The Sleepers was published by Bloodhound Books in April 2022. Winner of The Yeovil Literary Prize (Short Story), K.M. Kelly lives in Dorset.

Damian Kelly-Basher is the Hampshire Poet 2024-26. He’s performed around the UK (including Royal Albert Hall, Edinburgh Fringe & WOMAD).

Author of two novels published with Orion Publishing. She was short-listed by Penguin Books and highly commended for a short story with the Jane Austen Literary Foundation.

Martin is the Head of Technology and AI at RiskSTOP. His first novel 'Beyond the Stones' was published in August 2024 by SpellBound Books Ltd., whom he has a 3-book contract with.

Saskia is a junior literary agent at Kate Nash Literary Agency

Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Gender Violence at the University of Bristol and part of the Gender and Violence Research Centre. Non-fiction author.

Adriana is the lead vocalist of Brighton-based Afro-Cuban bands Son Guarachando and LOKEBA. 

Best-selling author of the Dorset Crime Series - the first book in that series, The Corfe Castle Murders, won the 2021 Kindle Storyteller Award.

Hattie's walks for the past two festivals have all sold out.

Susannah has taught English and Creative Writing to students across the world. She is currently writing a children’s book about Shakespeare’s fascination with the number zero.

His debut novel, Grow, was longlisted for the 2022 Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award.

Former editor and current romance author for HarperCollins UK.

Timo Peach is a music artist, writer, designer and presenter exploring how we tell stories about our futures.

Abby has hosted the well-established poetry open mic night in Bournemouth called 'The Platform' for five years and regularly performs in the local area.

Published poet, including "In Memory Of Annie" (BBC/Prime Theatre), "The Headless Horseman" (Chase and Chalke) and "Motherhoodlum" (Jawbone).

Wakey Wakey ARTS is an Arts intermediary service based in Bournemouth which uses participatory arts to reduce the negative effects of adverse childhood experiences.

Pauline speaks and writes on approaches to Black feminist historiography, equity and social and environmental themes. She is a member of the Writing Our Legacy CIC - an arts and heritage organisation that enables Black, Asian and ethnically diverse/BPOC people to tell their stories through writing and the creative arts.

Her first novel, The Java Enigma, was shortlisted for the 2020 Epigram Books Fiction Prize.

In their tenure as Bournemouth Poet Laureate, they led writing and development programmes for local writers, schools, and universities with support from Bournemouth Libraries.

Public Speaker and Author of poetry, short fiction and novels, published in both Italian and English.

Mystery, thrillers, and crime author with five published novels, based in Bournemouth.

Tom is also the Director of Operations for Over To The Youth.

Not just a hobby but a career.

46 years enabling and encouraging creative writing in a wide range of community settings and across different genres. Founder of the Hengistbury Head writers group and a member of the Society of Women Writers & Journalists.

Author of The Perfect Daughter and The Other Girlfriend.

After being a director for multiple London based marketing agencies, Alex now tries to help as many self-published authors find their best route to publication as he can.

Laura started at Greene & Heaton as an agent in 2018, having worked at PFD from 2011 after studying Classics at Oxford.

James Woolf is a London-based writer. His debut thriller, Indefensible, was published by Bloodhound Books and became an Amazon best seller.