The Winter Faculty and Student Reading is Back in 2023!

Remember the good old days when, every winter, the International Writers’ Collective would organize a student reading? It was a beloved tradition when students and faculty would come together as a community to be inspired by each other’s work. And, as at every Collective event, we would close off the evening with drinks and bites and fun.

COVID-19 threw a bit of a wrench in those works but this winter we’ll be back, bigger and better than ever. We’re still working out the details but we couldn’t wait any longer to share the news with you!

How it works

If you were a student in one of our 2022 spring, summer or autumn workshops OR are a current participant in one of our winter 2023 core workshops, you are eligible to submit a piece of writing to this contest.

On the basis of this submission, two students from each Level (I, II, III and IV) will be selected to read for our community. Different word count limits will apply to each level. For example, Level I submissions will be capped at two pages, the same as an exercise. Current students will receive the submission guidelines from their respective instructors. Former students can contact us here.

To be eligible for selection to read at our event, you must be able to attend the student reading in person. For online students unable to travel to Amsterdam for this event, you may designate a local reader.

Exact dates and details on how to submit to be announced in 2023!

The judge

Our judge for the 2023 Student Reading is Lisa Schantl, editor-in-chief of the international literary magazine Tint Journal. She will be reading all submissions “blind”, that is to say, without knowing the name of the author.

Lisa is a pro at reading submissions through her work at Tint and her own writing practice. You can read more about how Lisa selects prose and poetry for Tint in her interview with teacher Karen Kao here.

The reading

The reading will take place on Sunday, 23 April 2023 from 20:00-21:30 at Boekhandel van Rossum in Amsterdam, with drinks and bites to follow. We welcome all students (former, current, and prospective) to attend this reading, cheer on their fellow writers, and revel in this moment of community.

Watch out for our January newsletter for more news. Meanwhile, start polishing those manuscripts!