The Young Writers' Hub

"My aim was to find young writers, publish them, get them to come to events, and turn them into proper writers," said Wes Brown, founding editor of Leeds-based online magazine the Cadaverine.

The Cadaverine publishes the best new poetry and prose from writers under the age of 25.

"I saw with the Writing Squad (an Arts Council-funded programme for emerging new writers in Yorkshire and the Humber) that there are lots of young writers, but no young writers' magazines," said Wes. "Or the ones that did exist looked like the attempts of a 40-year-old trying to appeal to a 14-year-old."

Wes applied for funding from the Arts Council, and received just under £5,000 to create the Cadaverine. He said:

"I wanted very high aesthetic values. If you make it look serious and professional, an online magazine can be equal to its published counterparts."

As well as publishing writers online, the Cadaverine has published an anthology – with funding from the Writing Squad – and holds monthly open mic nights, where poets and writers can showcase their work.

With an editorial team of six, the site publishes poetry, prose, reviews and opinion pieces, hoping generate interest not only from the publishing industry but from the wider public too.

"I wanted to have a proper readership, that was the core thing," Wes said.

The Cadaverine has received over 30,000 hits in the three years it has been live and its reputation within the writing industry is constantly growing.

Wes said:

"Publishers across the country pass young writers to us for guidance. We have a huge talent pool, and are well known on the circuit. We've even had people who have never written before coming to us with their work."

Wes is pleased with the work he has been able to showcase through the Cadaverine.

"We've got a generation of writers who will go on to big things. People have met through us and gone on to do new projects," he said. "Readers will read the work in the e-zine then follow that writer on Twitter or read their blog. A writing community can be built around that."

Wes recently stepped down as general editor to take time to write his novel Shark (itax), due to be published by Fruit Bruise press in October. He added:
"I thought that I had done a few years and it was good, but you want to carry on doing other things."

Jo Brandon is now general editor, and Wes feels confident that his magazine is in safe hands. "She's really stepped up to the role," he said, "She's dedicated and talented."

Jo now managed the magazine – overseeing the editorial team and organising events and links with publishers.

"Writing is an extremely hard industry to get into," she said. "I think publications like the Cadaverine are really important. It's very easy to feel isolated as a young writer so I think the key thing is to creative a supportive network."

Jo submitted her own work to the site before becoming general editor, so knows first hand what the Cadaverine can offer. She said:

"I continue to benefit from the Cadaverine as a young writer. We offer feedback and editorial support on work prior to publication, advice on developing drafts, and we have a large and diverse readership."

This formula has proven successful – submissions are coming in from the US and across Europe, and Jo has big plans to expand the site.

"We're going to begin publishing e-books (digital books viewed online) shortly so that will be something new for us and we'd like to publish our second print anthology," she said. "We also want to participate in more national arts events."

Since handing over the Cadaverine, Wes has continued his work with young writers on a wider scale, as the National Association of Writing in Education's (NAWE) young writers coordinator for Yorkshire.

As part of the Yorkshire's Young Creative Writers project, his role is to coordinate a new online hub so that young writers across the region can collaborate, promote their work, and connect with literary communities not only in Yorkshire but across the UK.

The hub will be a resource for existing young writers to develop their work, for new writers looking for guidance and for teachers and educators to offer opportunities for their students.

"It will be run by and for young people," Wes said. "I want to expose writers in Yorkshire - I act as an advocate for them."

Plans include author profiles, podcasts, and a listing service for young writers' blogs, e-zines and writing websites. There are also plans for writers to be able to apply for grants to help develop their work.

Wes said:

"Whatever the reason or ability level, the aims or the aspirations of young writers, as coordinator I can act as a point of contact for the latest news, keep up to date with grass-root developments – the success, the achievements and the difficulties."

Source: The Guardian