A Writer's Guide to Loughborough

Loughborough Library is Leicestershire County Council's town library, in the centre of Loughborough. Members who complete a short Smart Library induction can use it before and after staffed hours, and all day Wednesday. Volunteers answer local studies enquiries in a reference room on set weekday mornings and afternoons. It closes on Sundays.

The Pilkington Library, the university's main library, is open to visitors over 18 for reference free of charge. Show photo ID, such as a passport or driving licence, at the reception desk when you arrive. Residents of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland can apply for a free borrowing ticket, and staff and students of other universities in the SCONUL Access scheme can apply online to borrow. Visitor access may be limited in January and from mid-May to mid-June.

The University Archive holds the papers of John Lucas, the poet, critic and literary historian who was Professor of English and Drama here from 1977 to 1996, with his manuscript poems and plays and letters he received from poets and authors. It also keeps the records of the university and its predecessor colleges, among them the College of Art and Design. Visits are by appointment only. Email archives@lboro.ac.uk first, and bring photo ID; consultation slots usually fall on Tuesday to Thursday mornings.

The county record office is at Wigston Magna, on the southern edge of Leicester. Besides the archive catalogues, it has a local studies library and family history resources. Read the Admission and Tickets page before your first visit. The searchroom is closed on Fridays and Sundays.

Five Leaves Bookshop is a completely independent radical bookshop in Nottingham city centre, and it grew out of Five Leaves Publications. Poetry and politics are among its strongest sections, and its stock leans towards independent presses. The shop holds at least one event a week, from readings to book groups. It is open daily.

Page 45 is a comics shop on Market Street in Nottingham. Its shelves run from manga and humour to small press and non-fiction comics, and some editions come signed or sketched in. It opens seven days a week.

Kibworth Books is an award-winning independent bookshop at The Barn on the High Street in Kibworth Beauchamp, south of Leicester. It sells new books and has a secondhand, rare and antiquarian section. The shop hosts author signings and a book club at The Barn.

One More Chapter, in the village of Radcliffe-on-Trent east of Nottingham, stocks books for adults, young adults and children. It runs author events and book clubs. The shop opens Tuesday to Saturday.

Bromley House is an independent lending library in central Nottingham, founded in 1816. It occupies three upper floors and is open to members, and it hosts author talks and guided tours. It opens late on Wednesdays. There is no lift, so contact the library about access.

Phoenix, Leicester's independent cinema and art centre, describes its café bar as a place to spend time catching up on work or meeting clients. It serves brunch through dinner with vegetarian and vegan options, and there is a rooftop bar called The Nest. Exhibitions and talks in the building are free. There is no food service on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.

Olivia's is the café at Charnwood Museum, on the same street as Loughborough Library, with seating indoors and on a terrace in Queen's Park. The museum is in the former Victorian swimming baths and covers the history and geology of Charnwood. From October to March it opens Wednesday to Saturday. The café is open daily.

Blend is the café at Nottingham Contemporary, an art centre in Nottingham's Lace Market with free entry and community and family workshops. It opens daily. On Mondays the galleries and the kitchen close, but drinks and cakes are still served.

LU Arts, the university's arts programme, runs a 10-week creative writing evening class each semester that is open to the general public. It also funds and supports the Loughborough University Literary Festival, which students on the MA in Creative Writing and Contemporary Literature organise. The festival is free and open to the public. Its readings, workshop and publishing panel take place on campus and in the town centre.

Writing East Midlands is the region's writing charity and literary development agency, based in Nottingham and funded by Arts Council England. It mentors emerging, mid-career and established writers and holds a Writers' Conference every year. It also publishes Pulse Magazine and keeps a writers' directory.

Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature is the charity that holds the city's UNESCO Creative City of Literature designation. It runs Big City Reads, a citywide reading programme, and its newsletter lists literary jobs and events.

Loughborough's interdisciplinary Institute of Advanced Studies brings international scholars to the university as visiting IAS Fellows. It runs Research Summits and a Spotlight Series, along with festivals and roundtables.

The Research Repository is the university's open access archive of its research, from journal articles and book chapters to datasets and theses. Examined PhD theses go online here unless they are embargoed or confidential.

The University of Nottingham's archive, rare book and manuscript service has its reading room on King's Meadow Campus in Nottingham. Search the online catalogue and the digital gallery of archive images before you go. The service is also home to the Museum of Archaeology.

Five Leaves Publications is a small independent publisher in Nottingham. Its list runs from poetry and social history to crime fiction and short stories, with books on Romani and Catalan subjects as well. Imprints include Five Leaves New Poetry and Crime Express. The press also runs Five Leaves Bookshop at the same address.

Dahlia Books is an independent press in Leicester that publishes contemporary fiction, with a focus on the short story and on regional and diverse voices. Its list includes short story anthologies and a poetry anthology. It also runs Short Story September and The Asian Writer.

Anarchist Studies is an international, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal of anarchism research. It publishes work on the history, theory, culture and practice of anarchism, including studies of literature and art. Its co-editors, Ruth Kinna and Matthew S. Adams, are in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at Loughborough University. Preparing an article for Anarchist Studies

Arts Council England's Developing Your Creative Practice fund supports individual creative and cultural practitioners to learn, innovate and take creative risks. It runs in rounds.

National Lottery Project Grants is Arts Council England's open-access programme for arts, libraries and museums projects in England. Individual practitioners can apply, as can community and cultural organisations.

Writing East Midlands runs the Aurora Prize each year with the Society of Authors, for short fiction and for poetry. Any writer can enter. Winners receive feedback from a literary agent or editor, along with Society of Authors membership.

The Royal Literary Fund helps professional writers facing hardship from illness, disability, age or lost income. It also employs writers as paid Fellows in UK universities, where they help students with academic writing.

Editors For Students gathers grants and writing resources for Loughborough University students on one page.

Leicester Print Workshop is a fine-art print workshop in Leicester's Cultural Quarter, with a large open-access studio staffed by technicians. Members use the studio after an induction, for letterpress and etching as well as screenprinting and lithography. Its short courses have included an introduction to letterpress.

Mail Boxes Etc. on Hanley Street in Nottingham prints and binds theses and dissertations, and it prints books and booklets. It is closed at weekends.