Elizabeth Diamond

Author of books for adults, Poet

Available for:
Interview
Talk
Workshop
After dinner speaking
Commission


Contact: elizabethdiamondme.com
01626778033
07772728017

Awards:
Ver Poets Open Competition
Barnet Open Poetry Competition
Blue Nose Poet of the Year
New Writing Ventures

Audiences:
Adults, 14-16 (Key stage 4), 6th Form and college


Details

After twenty years of working as a teacher, Elizabeth Diamond's life changed quite dramatically when a chance entry in a writer's development award scheme, won her a place on a year's mentoring course and arts council funding.  She took time out from supply teaching and started working on her first novel 'just to see if she could'.  The result was An Accidental Light, which was taken up by an agent straight away and sold immediately to Picador - her 'dream' publisher - for a substantial sum. She gave up 'the day job' and started working on her second novel, Underwater, which came out in hardback with Picador in May, 2009.  An Accidental Light has also been published in the US and in translation in Germany.  She has just finished her third novel, and now seeks time out from the solitary life of sitting in front of the laptop to share her skills and experiences with others. 

Elizabeth is also an experienced poet and before writing novels wrote poetry almost exclusively and won a number of awards.  She worked on Windfalls Weighing Down The Heart, an anthology of poetry which was successfully submitted for an MA in Creative Writing.  The anthology has since been published.  She has considerable experience of running workshops for various poetry groups, and has worked as a creative writing tutor for several 'distance learning'  Writing Schools and for the WEA. 

She is available to run workshops in either the writing of poetry or prose.  Her workshop techniques are unique and stimulating.  They focus on facillitating and supporting students in their own writing process, helping them to delve into the treasures of their own unconcious and find their own voice, and regularly use 'found objects,' music, painting and photographs for stimulus triggers.   In working with school-age students, she is aware of the need to sometimes fit in with the requirements of the curriculum and to link in with other themes.  Her extensive teaching experiences make her an ideal author to work with students and groups in all kinds of settings, but the 'adult' category of her work makes her more suitable to engaging with adults or key stage 4 students. 

She is also available to give talks and readings, and would be happy to do so in a range of settings and venues, from the more academic environment of University undergraduate groups, through to both semi-professional and amateur writers who attend writers' groups and events, to the more informal setting of amateur-interest groups.  She has a warm and engaging style and has the ability to vary the subject matter and style of her talks and presentation to cater for the needs of her audience.

Please contact Elizabeth Diamond either by phone or email.  She will respond promptly to your enquiries.  All fees are open to negotiation.

	An Accidental Light (isbn:9780330453523) On a quiet road just outside London, in the blue half-light of dusk, a car accident will change the lives of two families for ever. A heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting debut novel. View in Amazon
	Underwater (isbn:9780330453691) Jane is plagued by childhood memories and strange underwater dreams about her beloved brother, Paul, who went missing as a teenager. He seems to be urging her to remember her long-buried past. View in Amazon

Organisations:
The Society of Authors.