SHEFFIELD AUTHORS
- Stories "Made in Sheffield"
Beverley Ward writes for adults, children and young people. She also works as a facilitator, coach, consultant and writer in the community. She's based at The Writers Workshop in Orchard Square, Sheffield from where she runs a range of writing workshops for adults and children.
In 2012 she won a Northern Writers Award for her young adult novel, Straight on Till Morning and she is currently working on a romantic novel for adults.
Beverley is the author of the commissioned book, Archie Nolan: Family Detective. Three weeks after the book launch for Archie Nolan, her mother died of cancer and twelve weeks after this, her new partner, Blacksmith Paul died suddenly and traumatically.
As a natural reaction, Beverley turned to writing to support her through the years that followed, posting her poems and reflections on grief on a blog which became Swimming through Clouds. Through writing the blog, Beverley helped herself to come to terms with loss and also found herself helping other people who had experienced bereavement. The blog has been read 150,000 times and has led to the author writing on grief for The Huffington Post. The book of the blog, Dear Blacksmith was published in 2020.
In 2021, exhausted with the frustration of trying to homeschool her 10 year old in the proverbial adverbials, she wrote a book for young writers called Writing Revolution. She intends to start one.
You can find out more about Beverley and the Writers Workshop from her website here: www.beverleywrites.com
Get Writing!
Beverley also facilitates at her much-loved writing Get Writing workshops and running children’s Writing Clubs on a freelance basis whilst supporting other writers as a coach and mentor.
Archie Nolan: Family Detective - A funny, illustrated story for 8-12yr olds.
Science geek Archie Nolan tries to keep a low profile, but when his class are told to research their family tree, he is terrified twin sister and school swot Jemima is going to reveal that they are donor conceived. Archie’s in turmoil. The only person who understands is his donor conceived friend Cameron, but he seems to have unearthed a village vampire…..and Archie's far more interested in investigating that!
Open Archie’s secret diary and join him and his friends on an action-packed adventure to find out what family really means.
Part love story, part grief memoir, Dear Blacksmith recounts the author’s brief and unconventional love affair with 'Blacksmith Paul', a maverick who lived out on the moors in the Peak District – and the heart-rending details of her grief after his sudden death, just eight months into their relationship.
Adapted from the much-loved blog Swimming Through Clouds, the story charts a complex journey from the depths of sorrow to the beginnings of recovery, this book is a work of extraordinary sincerity; and ultimately, a hard-earned testament to the power of love and the resilience of the human spirit.
‘I want to start a writing revolution. I want to tear up the rule book and set imagination free……’ Beverley Ward (writing revolutionary!)
If you too are affronted by adverbials, confounded by clauses and longing to go on an adventure without a story map, Writing Revolution is packed full of ideas, advice, blank pages and inspiration to get you started on your own writing journey.
'This is your book. This is your story. You make the rules. The writing revolution starts NOW!'
‘This book offers emerging young writers (and time-poor teachers) a brilliant set of leaping off points, inspirational creative prompts and tried-and-tested techniques. Beverley’s creative writing workshops have transformed our 12-year-old son’s view of what writing is and can be, and this book offers an entry point into Beverley’s inclusive approach to creative writing.' Anna Kiernan, lecturer and publisher and parent.