Writers in U3A For those who may not know of it, the University of the Third Age is not a University in the accepted sense, but a self-help organisation for people no longer in full-time employment, providing educational, creative and leisure opportunities in a friendly environment. Founded in 1973 by Prof. Pierre Vellasin at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Toulouse, it came to England in the early 80s. There are no exams nor curriculum, the ethos is one of collaborative discovery where ’the learners teach and the teachers learn’ so that, while some group leaders are experts in their own field, this is not essential. There are over 750 branches in the UK with almost a quarter of a million members, with creative writing a very popular subject. (Find out more, including where to find your nearest U3A at www.u3a.org.uk) There are many forms of U3A Writers groups covering fiction, especially short stories, poetry, articles, travel writing, plays, autobiography and memoirs and many group members have recently published novels. They mostly meet fortnightly and many publish anthologies of their work. I co-ordinate a Network of more than 250 groups, with more regularly added after a Summer School or Study Day. Individual members who are not part of a U3A Writing Group are very welcome. The Network is held together by a Newsletter published three times a year, with material provided mainly by members plus news of competitions and events like the National Short Story Week. U3A writers write for pleasure, for self-development, for publication, to leave a record of our existence for posterity or for our families. Some have written all their lives; others, as part of their jobs, produced articles, papers, textbooks and see U3A Groups as an opportunity to use their creativity. Still others insist they have never written anything other than letters. One member group still writes only letters and has profited from publication! Several of our groups – mine in South East London included – will be reading and writing in our local libraries during National Short Story week. If you would like to know more email me at:magu3a@talktalk.net Maggie Smith, U3A National Network Coordinator, Creative Writing http://www.u3a.org.uk/
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