Now’s the time for aspiring music writers to up their game with the return of The Write Stuff, the new writers initiative held during the London Jazz Festival at the Southbank Centre in November. Now in its eighth year, The Write Stuff is run by the London Jazz Festival in partnership with Jazzwise magazine and gives new writers the opportunity to work with professional journalists to improve their writing skills; develop an understanding of jazz criticism; learn about the history and development of the UK jazz and music press; and receive insights into career paths as well as seeing a stack of concerts!

The Write Stuff will include sessions on feature writing, reviewing and editing by Jazzwise writer and broadcaster Kevin Le Gendre; an insight into the history and development of the UK jazz and music press with Jazzwise editor/publisher Jon Newey; online journalism with Jazzwise and Time Out’s Mike Flynn; and input from other writers and jazz industry figures. Previous participants have been of varying ages and have come to The Write Stuff with a wide variety of different experiences.

Several previous participants have gone on to have pieces published in Jazzwise, The Guardian, and The Wire as well as work within the wider jazz and broadcasting industry. This year’s participants will have their work posted on both jazzwisemagazine.com and the LJF website, and one review will be chosen to be published in a subsequent edition of Jazzwise. Edward Randell, one of last year’s participants, has commented: “The Write Stuff was a fantastic opportunity. It brought us into contact with first-class journalists who shared their thoughts on everything from the history of the craft to the importance of a good accountant. It's fair to say that the course got me thinking more seriously about my aspirations to be a music journalist and gave me the confidence to follow them up.”

If you are interested in participating in The Write Stuff please submit a 300-word review of a gig that you have seen recently; a paragraph explaining what you hope to gain from taking part in The Write Stuff; along with your CV by Monday 6 September to: 'The Write Stuff’, Serious, 51 Kingsway Place, Sans Walk, London, EC1R 0LU or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with ‘The Write Stuff 2010' in the subject line.

Applicants must be 18-years-old or over and be available in London on the following dates: Friday 12 November (evening); Saturday 13 November (daytime); 17-19 November (evening); and 20-21 November (day and evening).