Creative Writing Commission: The Corner Shop & Portals into Other Worlds

31 October 2024

THIS OPPORTUNITY HAS NOW CLOSED

Creative Writing Brief

Southampton Forward is commissioning a creative writer to bring the stories of corner shops across Southampton to life. This project, The Corner Shop & Portals into Other Worlds, celebrates the essential role these small shops and their shopkeepers play in the heart of Southampton’s communities. We will be collaborating with seven local corner shops, each with unique stories and cultural roots, run by shopkeepers from diverse backgrounds.

Project Background

Corner shops are much more than convenience stores. They are cultural landmarks and community hubs, each one a portal to the traditions, foods, and stories of faraway places. Through Corner Shop & Portal into Other Worlds, we honour these spaces as more than businesses; they are at times gathering places, lifelines, and symbols of resilience and diversity.

With the help of Southampton Solent University students trained in oral history, we have documented interviews with shopkeepers, capturing their personal stories and reflections on their shop’s place in the community. This collected oral history will be shared with the selected writer to inspire and inform their work.

The final creative writing piece will be part of a printed and digital resource that explores the project in more detail and maps the locations of all seven shops in the series. Along with the creative writing will be images of the shops, affirming messaging creatively designed for the shopfronts and photos of a fashion shoot project by students from Southampton Solent University and Winchester School of Art, which all celebrate the role of these spaces and their place in the social history of the UK.

By way of background research we also recommend looking at The Corner Shop by Babita Sharma.

Brief Overview

We are seeking a creative writer to produce a piece that:

Celebrates the cultural and community significance of corner shops in Southampton.
Centres the unique stories of the participating shops and their role in the community.
Draws on the oral histories provided to highlight the historical, emotional and cultural impact of these shops.

Final writing commission requirements:

Word Count: Please keep the piece between 200 to 300 words. This is essential to ensure it fits on one side of an A5 flyer using accessible 12-point font.
Tone and Style: The piece should be warm, evocative, and community-focused, capturing the spirit and diversity of corner shops as vibrant community anchors.
Format: Submit in a Word document or PDF.

Timeline/Key Dates

Oral history and other information supplied: Monday 11^th November

First draft feedback session: Tuesday 19^th November

Final piece submitted: Wednesday 27^th November

Fee: £650

How to Apply

If you’re interested in applying, please send a copy of your CV (no longer than 2 pages of A4), a brief outline of how you would approach this commission (no more than 500 words) and a short portfolio sample of your writing (max 1 page) by midnight on Wednesday 6^th November. Please send your information in word or pdf format to info@southamptonforward.org.uk

This is an opportunity to celebrate the unsung role of corner shops and share stories that connect us across cultures and generations. We look forward to seeing how you will bring this project to life!