With Nicola Monaghan

Last year ten aspiring writers proved their mettle by remaining awake all night at our first ever all night writing workshop. This year we have upped the ante, removed the plush surroundings and offer instead the questionable luxury of a 17-seater minibus.

All we know for sure is that we will start and finish in Birmingham city centre. The rest of the details are open to whim. Our journey may or may not include ten stops at potentially inspiring places, and will probably feature a nutritious celebratory breakfast. Bring a notebook, a torch, warm clothing and a sense of adventure. If you like a creative challenge, this is the writing workshop for you.

Nicola Monaghan is the course leader for the National Academy of Writing's new Creative Writing Degree at UCE. She is also the author of The Killing Jar, and an experienced workshop leader with only a moderate need for sleep.

With Philip Monks

Does the daily grind get in the way of your writing? Do you always find something more pressing to do? Is your inspiration whittled away by the commute to work or the day's to-do list? If so, join us before work for an hour of stimulation and inspiration, then take the day to mull over some ideas and join us again on your way home for another hour of writing.

Philip Monks is a Birmingham-based playwright and poet.

Supported by BBC Birmingham

Featuring: Deborah Moggach, Maureen Freely, Catherine O'Flynn and Roger Ellory.

The Festival Readers' Day is a glorious opportunity to meet four fascinating writers and to be part of a wonderful conversation about reading. A combination of talks and discussion sessions, the Readers' Day is for anyone who loves books.

Our guest writers include novelist and screenwriter Deborah Moggach, author of In the Dark and the screenplay for the recent film Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyn. Also participating are Maureen Freely, whose latest novel is Enlightenment, a dark drama set in Istanbul, and Birmingham-based writers Catherine O'Flynn, whose debut novel is What Was Lost, and Roger Ellory, whose latest thriller is A Quiet Belief In Angels.

Supported by Random House, Tindal Street Press and Marion Boyars