Thinking of those in Southport
& Meet Marian Keyes in Liverpool | Cymera Prize | True Crime awards | Amnesty Media awards | Reuters podcast on future of news
My dear wordsmiths,
There’s a harder hitting theme to today’s newsletter - although I don’t share detail here - but if you find distressing news triggering please scroll down. News, reads, opportunities and events - both writing and journalism - are in the final section.
As most of you know I’m not just a querying writer but a journalism leader working across English cities - but based in Lancashire, England. I am writing this newsletter in a week which has seen all of the emotions in the Lancashire town of Southport as an expected six- week trial became a guilty plea. This afternoon (Thursday) Axel Rudakubana was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 52 years.
Rudakubana, 17-years-old at the time, carried out a frenzied knife attack during a Taylor Swift-themed children's holiday club class at the Hart Space on July 29, 2024, killing Alice Da Silva Aguiar, 9, Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7. He pleaded guilty to their murders on Monday, alongside the attempted murders of eight other children and attempted murder of dance instructor Leanne Lucas and local businessman John Hayes. Full story via Lancashire Post
This incident was so shocking and so close to home for many here. I have family who live in the town including young girls who go to school there and who attend clubs there. Normally a sleepy seaside town town known for it’s retirement community and Southport Pleasureland, it’s biggest events are the annual flower show and air show - nothing much normally happens. Southport is a lovely town with a remarkable community.
It’s of course on patch for some of our North West titles - in my day job at National World - with Lancashire Post & Liverpool World. But amid the relief that families devastated by tragedy do not have to be subjected to the trauma of the six week trial - as the killer pleaded guilty - there is the fear that the void of detailed information will be filled by misinformation, harmful narratives and continued attempts to weaponise fear into prejudice.
Today (Thursday) - as Rudakubana’s sentencing hearing went ahead -some distressing detail was shared and his crimes described as ‘sadistic’. Meanwhile, the Government has called a public inquiry because as the Home Secretary says: “families need answers.”
Lessons from Southport
In response to this case I’ve been on a multi-agency working group in the background, discussing media literacy, fact checking, combating racism and many more key subjects - it’s a Chatham House Rules discussion for now (off record) - but we hope to shape some real world actions and share very soon. Watch this space.
Meanwhile, the situation this week was summed up very well by Andrew Brown, editor of community website Stand up for Southport, who wrote this for us, speaking about the families of those lost. It is they we should be thinking of right now.
“I don’t imagine they will ever be able to recover from this tragedy. How could they? All our thoughts; all our love; all our compassion in Southport is with those who lost those three young girls at such a tragically young age; to those who are still recovering from their horrific injuries; and to those who are recovering from the huge mental trauma of being at the scene. The Southport community has been through so much.
“So many local people have been magnificent. All those working at the local schools where children were killed or injured. The emergency services heroes who were at the scene so quickly and saved lives, with so many of them subsequently hospitalised in the public disorder soon afterwards. All the local people who rushed to the Sussex Road area and rebuilt walls, businesses and homes after the damage caused by the riot. All those who have led and supported fundraising appeals to support the families. The volunteers who tended the flowers and the tributes at Hart Street and in the Town Hall Gardens. We are all proud of how Southport came together after all that has happened.” Andrew Brown, Stand up for Southport
News, reads, events and opportunities:
Books & Writing
Marian Keyes in Liverpool: Superstar novelist Marian Keyes comes to Liverpool next month for a very special event at St George’s Hall. The much-loved Irish author will appear at the Lime Street landmark on Monday, February 17, in an ‘evening with’ to celebrate the paperback release of her latest book, the heart-warming and hilarious Sunday Times number one bestseller My Favourite Mistake. All tickets include a signed copy of the paperback.
Marian Keyes is one of the most successful Irish novelists of all time, and author of some of the most widely loved, genre-defying novels of the last 30 years including Rachel’s Holiday, Anybody Out There and Grown Ups. Her books have been translated into 36 languages to date, and over the past 15 years here in the UK she has spent 153 weeks in The Sunday Times top 10 – 26 of those at number one.
Chicken Coop writing group: Meets on the last Tuesday of the month from 6-8.30 pm for an evening of writing at Lost in Leith Bar 82 Commercial Street Leith EH6 6LX) with Leith-based writer Naomi Head. Writers of all levels and genres are welcome at this monthly group. Naomi will guide you through open-ended, multi-disciplinary writing exercises and exciting and supportive sharing sessions. From short story writing or poetry to creative non-fiction or copywriting (plus everything in between), you'll find something to spark your creativity at the Coop. To keep these events accessible, they offer pay-what-you-can tickets with a minimum suggested donation of £5.
The Cymera Prize for Speculative Short Fiction: The Cymera Prize for Speculative Short Fiction is open to any writer living in Scotland or Scottish by birth or inclination, aged at least 14 years. Submissions are open (from Monday January 13) 2025 until 8pm GMT on Sunday March 30, 2025. The winning writer will be awarded £150. CYMERA is Scotland's Festival of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Writing.
Journalism
EXTENDED DEADLINE CLOSES IN DAYS! True Crime awards: Celebrating excellence in the portrayal and investigation of true crime stories, the awards recognize outstanding achievements across various categories, including documentary films, podcasts, books, and journalism. Whether you are a seasoned investigator, a meticulous researcher, or a passionate storyteller, there is a category for you to showcase your work.
2025 Amnesty International Media Awards: The Amnesty International Media Awards celebrate excellence in human rights journalism and applaud the courage and determination of journalists and editors who put their lives on the line to tell important human rights stories. Entries must have been published or broadcast for the first time between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024. Entries will close Friday 31 January, 2025.
Reuters podcast - What should we expect from journalism in 2025?: "We talk a lot about what newsrooms are doing, but fundamentally the thing that's going to change consumer behaviour is what the big platforms are doing," says Nic Newman in this podcast. Two authors of Reuters’ yearly Trends and Predictions report, based on survey data of over 300 news leaders in 51 countries, break down what's keeping news leaders awake at night, what areas they plan to prioritise this year and what may happen to journalism in 2025. They look at generative AI, reader revenue, news influencers, product innovation and a lot more.
Thanks for reading as always, hold those loved ones tight. Nicola x