Photo by LeftLion.

Aly Stoneman’s contract as coordinator of the Nottingham Writers’ Studio sadly came to an end at the beginning of August after 18 months in the role. In that time she has been responsible for many achievements that I won’t list here but instead focus on one aspect in particular; building connections. This was largely achieved through the events put on at the studio whereby a guest speaker or member would give an hour or so talk on their particular line of work.

When she asked me to come along to one of these I was a bit sceptical as I couldn’t imagine anything duller than a bunch of scribes in one room with no access to a laptop. How wrong I was. I learnt more about writing in Nottingham in those eighteen months than I’d known all my life and also discovered that writers don’t wear cravats and that they can be easily bought with cheap wine and peanuts. Always good to know if you need a quick quote.

After each talk, members would ask questions and then share information about similar projects they were working on or recommend people who may be able to help. All of this networking was done in a really relaxed manner. There was no one-upmanship and card sharing through illicit handshakes, instead a genuinely supportive network with a wealth of experience between them. The talks were varied and covered everything from magazine writing to blogging but my two particular highlights were an agent and arguably the most appropriate publisher for our region, Tindal Street Press. You wouldn’t get such intimate access to these people usually and so this was more than worth the yearly membership cost of £50.

Having attended lots of writing events with Aly I’ve seen firsthand the hard work and effort that goes in to sweet talking busy people to come up and speak for BFH. It’s a job that well exceeded the 20hours per week she was contracted for and something I suspect members were not aware of. I’ve found myself like the proverbial nagging wife on such occasions, pulling faces and trying to drag her away because we’re the last ones in the building and I want to go home and put my feet up. I’m certain that the subgroups that have emerged from these social events ( journalism and fiction) are a result of these socials as it broke down boundaries and gave members a commonality.

Aly’s post came to an end because the studio needed to create a new position with a greater funding emphasis. This was pragmatic, particularly given the harsh backlash the arts is feeling as a result of government cuts. However, will a role with such emphasis on funding mean that the development of writers will become secondary or will it lead to a hierarchy whereby established writers find more work and those starting out are left with nothing? If this happens it will no longer be about writer development but writer establishment. I guess this will be answered in time and is a dilemma that similar arts organisations will be facing.

The big question for Aly, other than worrying about bills and rent, is what to do next. In an incredibly competitive industry will she be able to find a similarly challenging role or will this city become too small for her? I hope we don’t lose her. I hope I don’t lose her. The queues heading south on the M1 are congested enough as it is with Anthony Cartwright the most recent departure. As is the infliction of my ilk, all I can do is rationalise this with words. Maybe I should just let down her tyres…

To say hello to Aly pop down for her latest spoken-word event Shindig! v LeftLion, Jam Cafe, 19th Sept