125 Cultural courses in Cardiff delivered Live Online

LOOKING FOR: YA/NA FANTASY, SFF, HORROR, ADULT FICTION John Baker (he/him) joined the Bell Lomax Moreton agency in 2019, cultivating a list shaped around his passion for science fiction, fantasy, and horror, though has lately also branched out into action/adventure fiction. John focuses on authors writing in the Adult, New Adult, and YA spaces. John leads the wider agency's film & TV desk, is the Secretary of the Association of Author’s Agents, and the co-chair of the AAA’s Bridge Committee. He also serves on the Kingston University MA Publishing Advisory Board. Under the umbrella of speculative fiction, John is looking for fantasy, science fiction, horror, romantasy, or literary speculative fiction. He has built a reputation as a champion of underrepresented voices and stories, be it from creators hailing from the global majority and their diasporas or neurodiverse authors, and naturally gravitates towards this kind of storytelling. In short, if he’s never read a story like yours before, he wants to see it. Adult fantasy: John loves beefy epic fantasy, especially non-Anglo Christian-inspired. Give him an immersive world, a fresh magical or mythic system, and an exciting cast of characters and he’ll be happy. He is a broad church in the genre so loves a political fantasy, swords and sorcery, courtly intrigue, monster hunting and dastardly villains. John is keen to find an urban fantasy that feels fresh and fun and he’s a sucker for a heroic quest narrative. He’s also very open to fantasy that isn’t easily categorised, but it is playing in that world. John is keenly hunting for more historical fantasy, especially inspired by modern history. He’s had fun with mythological retellings in the past, but as ever, let’s make sure it’s shining the spotlight on new stories. He would also love fantasy that centres on types of relationships less celebrated in fantasy, such as established and secure married couples, or siblings. NA/YA fantasy: In this genre, most importantly, John wants to have a good time, whether it’s swoon-worthy kisses in lush ball gowns, or gruesome gore and monsters, so send him pacy, plot-filled adventures. He’d love more books that teenage boys would love: Skullduggery Pleasant forever! Romantasy: The thriving new romantasy genre comes with its own set of challenges, so John wants to know what makes your romantasy different; what will set it out from the (very crowded!) market. Give it completely barmy stakes, cool and unique new settings, or a love story that will make your jaw drop. To be clear, he’s happily sorted for a human person meets a fae creature in the spooky woods. Also, cosmic romance is the genre of the future. Give him romantasy in space. Easy. Horror: John and horror are old friends. He loves horror inspired by myth and folklore, subversive weird horror that leaves your eyebrows in your hairline, historical horror that pulls from ghastly true stories, and anything that you’ll be reading with the light on. He also loves a gothic element and is particularly looking for horror with a strong romantic throughline, fun YA horror, and female & NB horror authors. Science fiction: SF is coming back! And John has been shouting about that. He loves to see an adventurous found-family romp through space or an epic, crunchy space opera. Speculative near-future is fun too, in the vein of Black Mirror’s more uplifting episodes, (e.g. San Junipero). He loves YA science fiction as well; the more creative the better. Literary: John is open to finding more rich magical realism or something character-led yet supernatural and would love a high-concept mystery, in the vein of Stuart Turton. He also loves spec fic that uses the speculative lightly as a way of confronting a deeper truth in society today. Weird stuff: John wants books that will blow people’s minds and defy categorisation. This is hard to describe, but think Gideon The Ninth, The Library At Mount Char, This Is How You Lose The Time War. John loves a pitch that leaves the editors baffled but intrigued. Action/Adventure, Historical Adventure, Espionage: John is branching out into non-speculative adventures, such as John Le Carré, Lee Child, Ian Flemming, and Mick Herron. More as his taste develops, but the hunt is on! Not looking for: military sci-fi or hard SF, or anything with biblical “character wakes up in purgatory/heaven/hell” narratives. The right comedic fantasy has yet to hit his inbox, but please don’t comp Douglas Adams or Sir Terry. John would like you to submit a covering letter, 1-2 page synopsis and the first two chapters of your manuscript in a single word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, John is kindly offering one free session for low income/under-represented writers. Please email agent121@iaminprint.co.uk to apply, outlining your case for this option which is offered at the discretion of I Am In Print).  By booking you understand you need to conduct an internet connection test with I Am In Print prior to the event. You also agree to email your material in one document to reach I Am In Print by the stated submission deadline and note that I Am In Print take no responsibility for the advice received during your agent meeting. The submission deadline is: Tuesday 15th July 2025

Read and discuss this global best-selling satirical & entertaining thriller set in the publishing industry Highlights Join this book club and gain extra motivation to read in English 7 hours of live classes to help you develop fluent speaking in English Read this thriller set in the publishing industry to discuss questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation Be corrected by an expert English teacher to remove errors and mistakes Practise and develop your English online in this 7 week English book club course using Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. Each week you read some chapters, discuss them in class and improve specific areas of vocabulary or grammar while also examining literary aspects of the novel. Personalised feedback improves your grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. The Book Club book Author Athena Liu is a literary phenomenon while her friend June Hayward is a literally nobody, and is jealous. So when Athena dies in a freak accident, June sees nothing too wrong in stealing her unpublished work and publishing it herself under the name Juniper Song. When questions start to be asked, what will June do to protect her new-found success...? Yellowface raises interesting contemporary questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, while being gripping and highly readable. ‘Ingenious, astute, hugely entertaining’ David Nicholls ‘Hard to put down. Harder to forget’ Stephen King Geoff says: "It's funny that this book has been a publishing sensation - given that it satirizes the book publishing industry! It was Amazon book of the year, and the Fiction Book of the Year 2024 at the British Book Awards."

Any successful business manager will tell you that you never get the deal you deserve - you always get the deal you negotiate! This two-day workshop includes recent research and practical techniques from the Harvard Business School Negotiation Project and provides a unique opportunity to learn and practice these skills in a safe environment using up to date materials and life-like practice negotiation case studies. This course will help participants to: Understand the basics of negotiation Develop negotiating skills Increase their business acumen Develop their communication skills Learn the models, techniques and tools for an effective negotiation Identify the barriers to agreements Close the deal 1 What is negotiation? Key skills for negotiation Types of negotiation Win-lose negotiations versus Win-win negotiations Wise agreements and Principled Negotiation 2 Four key negotiating concepts BATNA - Best alternative to negotiated agreement Setting your reservation price ZOPA - Zone of possible agreement Creating and trading value 3 Business acumen Understanding pricing, gross margins and profit Knowing the key points on which to negotiate 4 A Four Phase Model for negotiation Nine steps to successful planning Discussing a deal - creating and claiming value Making and framing proposals Bargaining for the winning deal 5 Effective communication Effective questioning Active listening skills Understanding and interpreting body language Barriers to effective communication 6 Understanding influence and persuasion Influencing strategies Ten proven ways to influence people Six universal methods of persuasion Understanding why people do business with other people 7 Negotiating tactics Tactics for win-lose negotiations Tactics for win-win negotiations Effective team negotiating Understanding and using powerv What do you do when the other side has more power? 8 Barriers to agreement Common barriers to agreement The Negotiators Dilemma Dealing with die-hard negotiators Dealing with lack of trust 9 Potential barriers to cross-border agreements Understanding business methods and practice in other cultures Figuring out who has the power and who makes decisions Recognising and dealing with cultural differences What's OK here might not be OK there 10 Closing the deal Four steps to closing the winning deal

Duration 1 Days 6 CPD hours This course is intended for This course is intended for individuals who desire to become more skilled at handling difficult customers. Overview Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to deal with difficult customers in a way that increases productivity and customer service, and decreases unhappy customers. In this course, students will gain a valuable skill set to deal with difficult customers in various situations. 1 - GETTING STARTED Housekeeping Items Pre-Assignment Review Workshop Objectives The Parking Lot Action Plan 2 - THE RIGHT ATTITUDE STARTS WITH YOU Be Grateful Keep Your Body Healthy Focus on Positive Thoughts Invoke Inner Peace Case Study 3 - INTERNAL STRESS MANAGEMENT Irritability Unhappiness with Your Job Feeling Underappreciated Not Well-Rested Case Study 4 - EXTERNAL STRESS MANAGEMENT Office Furniture Not Ergonomically Sound High Noise Volume in the Office Rift with Co-Workers Demanding Supervisor Case Study 5 - TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS What is Transactional Analysis? Parent Adult Child Case Study 6 - WHY ARE SOME CUSTOMERS DIFFICULT? They Have Truly Had a Bad Experience and Want to Vent They Have Truly Had a Bad Experience and Want Someone to be Held Accountable They Have Truly Had a Bad Experience and Want Resolution They Are Generally Unhappy Case Study 7 - DEALING WITH THE CUSTOMER OVER THE PHONE Listen to the Customer?s Complaint Build Rapport Do Not Respond with Negative Words or Emotion Offer a Verbal Solution to Customer Case Study 8 - DEALING WITH THE CUSTOMER IN PERSON Listen to the Customer?s Complaint Build Rapport Responding with Positive Words and Body Language Besides Words, What to Look For? Case Study 9 - SENSITIVITY IN DEALING WITH CUSTOMERS Who are Angry Who Are Rude With Different Cultural Values Who Cannot Be Satisfied Case Study 10 - SCENARIOS OF DEALING WITH A DIFFICULT CUSTOMER Angry Customer Rude Customer Culturally Diverse Customer Impossible to Please Customer Case Study 11 - CUSTOMER ONCE YOU HAVE ADDRESSED THEIR COMPLAINT Call the Customer Send the Customer an Email Mail the Customer a Small Token Handwritten or Typed Letter Case Study 12 - WRAPPING UP Words From The Wise Review Of The Parking Lot Lessons Learned Recommended Reading Completion Of Action Plans And Evaluations

Beginners Italian; Intermediate Italian; advanced Italian; A1 Italian; A2 Italian, B1 Italian, B2 Italian. Citizenship.

This is a customised private course designed to suit your field of specialisation. The duration of this course depends exclusively on your schedule. Just inform us about when you wish to start and we will plan each lesson according to your needs. You can sign up for this course regardless of your level of Greek, as it is offered not only to beginners but also to intermediate and advanced learners. The course is supported by readers, work books, audios and videos.

This workshop is being run jointly by LMI UK and LMI Ireland and offers a framework and toolkit for setting and achieving personal goals in all all areas of your life.

Agile project management, already widely used for software development, is increasingly recognised as having much more general application. Continuous improvement programmes, business change projects, new technology development, research and development and a variety of other scenarios characterised by rapid change and high uncertainty can all benefit from an Agile approach. This programme presents the concepts and methods of Agile project management, and shows how to apply them to a range of project and change management situations. Participants will learn: how Agile project management can help with project and change management the 4 values and 12 principles of the Agile 'manifesto' and the range of Agile methodologies how to apply Agile project management methods and techniques in a range of project scenarios alternative Agile project management methods and how they can be applied and adapted what makes Agile project teams succeed the key roles and responsibilities needed to enable Agile project teams to work effectively how to encourage an Agile mindset within their organisation and how to move toward an Agile approach to managing projects 1 Introduction to Agile project management Overview of 'classical' project management and methodologies The link between project success and management performance Limitations of classical approaches and the need for Agile methods The 4 values and 12 principles of the Agile manifesto explained Agile project management values:Individuals and interactions over processes and toolsWorking outputs over comprehensive documentationCustomer collaboration over contract negotiationResponding to change over following a plan The cultural challenges of using Agile project management Choosing when and how to adopt Agile project management 2 Initiating a project using Agile project management Some key Agile methodologies explained: SCRUM, XP, Crystal Identifying and engaging project stakeholders; defining roles and responsibilities Setting the project vision and goals; defining project scope The Agile approach to requirements capture and elicitation of needs Tools and techniques for capturing and characterising requirements The role of documentation, reporting and process management 3 The Agile approach to definition and planning Understanding Agile planning; the 'planning onion' concept Developing the culture needed for collaborative involvement and iterative planning Defining project deliverables; the 'product backlog' concept Tools and techniques for defining and prioritising requirements in Agile projects Understanding and applying Agile estimating techniques Dealing with uncertainty and managing risks 4 The Agile approach to execution and delivery The results orientated, fast adapting culture of Agile teams The monthly 'Sprint' process for project planning and review The disciplines needed for effective daily SCRUM meetings Reviewing progress, managing change and project reporting Testing, completing and handing over of work packages Managing the interface between the project team and the business 5 Leadership and teamwork in Agile project teams Why Agile teams are different: the importance of individuals and interactions The skills and attributes needed to lead an Agile project team The challenges faced and skills needed by Agile team members Recognising team development needs; adopting the right leadership style Making the transition from project manager to Agile coach Key coaching skills explored: mentoring, facilitating, managing conflict

Duration 2 Days 12 CPD hours This course is intended for #NAME? Overview The learning objectives for CDA include a practical understanding of: Goals, history, terminology, and pipeline The importance, practices, and transformation of a DevOps collaborative culture Design practices, such as modular design and microservices Continuous Integration (Cl), such as version control, builds, and remediation Tenets and best practices of Continuous Testing (CT) Continuous Delivery and Deployment (CD): packaging, containers, and release Continuous Monitoring (CM): monitoring and analysis infrastructure, process, and apps Infrastructure and tools: frameworks, tools, and infrastructure as code Security Assurance: DevSecOps The opportunity to hear and share real-life scenarios This course is designed for participants who are engaged in the design, implementation, and management of DevOps deployment pipelines and toolchains that support Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery, Continuous Testing and potentially Continuous Deployment. The course highlights underpinning processes, metrics, APls and cultural considerations with Continuous Delivery. Key benefits of Continuous Delivery will be covered including increased velocity to assist organizations to respond to market changes rapidly, thus being able to outmaneuver competition, reduce risk and lower costs while releasing higher quality solutions. Increased productivity and employee morale by having more activities performed by pipelines instead of humans so teams can focus on vision while pipelines do the execution.This course prepares you for the Continuous Delivery Ecosystem Foundation(CDEF) certification. Course Introduction Course goals Course agenda CDA Concepts Continuous delivery (CD) definition Architecting for continuous delivery Continuous delivery and DevOps Relationships between CD, Waterfall, Agile, ITIL, and DevOps Benefits of continuous delivery CDA Culture Importance of culture to the CD Architect What a CD Architect can do about culture How to maintain culture Assignment: DevOps culture and practices to create flow Design Practices for Continuous Delivery Why design is important to continuous delivery CD Architect?s role in design Key design principles CD best practices Microservices and containers Continuous Integration Continuous integration (CI) defined CD Architect?s role in CI Importance of CI Benefits of CI CI best practices Assignment: Optimizing CI workflows Continuous Testing Continuous testing (CT) defined Importance of CT Benefits of CT CD Architect?s role in CT Five tenets of CT CT best practices Assignment: Handling environment inconsistencies Continuous Delivery and Deployment Continuous delivery defined Continuous deployment defined Benefits of continuous delivery and deployment CD Architect?s role in continuous delivery and deployment Continuous delivery and deployment best practices Assignment: Distinguishing continuous delivery and deployment Continuous Monitoring Continuous monitoring defined Importance of continuous monitoring CD Architect?s role in continuous monitoring Continuous monitoring best practices Assignment: Monitoring build progress Infrastructure and Tools Importance of infrastructure and tools CD Architect?s role in infrastructure and tools Building a DevOps toolchain Infrastructure/tools best practices Assignment: identifying common infrastructure/tool components Security Assurance Importance of security assurance DevSecOps and Rugged DevOps defined CD Architect?s role in security Security best practices Assignment: Applying security practices Capstone exercise Identifying toolchain and workflow improvements Summary Additional Sources of Information Exam Preparations Exam requirements Sample exam review

Polarization, or the “polarized mind,” is a fixation on one view, causing widespread destructiveness. It needs presence and love to address. We aim to explore the lived experiences on irregular perceptions of reality with an open mind. Each Saturday includes: a live dialogue between Prof. Ernesto Spinelli and an International Existential Therapist; a moment to share your thoughts and feelings with the teachers; and a final integration facilitated by Bárbara Godoy. This series of ten dialogues set out to explore the multifaceted dimentions and complexities associated with Existential Therapies. It attempts to engage with various interpretations of insanity through the lens of patients often painful, confounding, and deeply unsettling life experiences. Polarisation - between Prof. Ernesto Spinelli and Prof. Kirk Schneider “I view polarization or that which I call the “polarized mind” as the fixation on a single point of view to the utter exclusion of competing points of view, and I see it as a core dimension of human destructiveness both individually and collectively. Arguably, polarization or the polarized mind is responsible for more devaluation and abuse than any other general psychological dimension, and it crosses cultures, parties, disciplines and so-called diagnosed and undiagnosed populations. In fact it is the undiagnosed populations—polarized cultural, political, and religious leaders and their followers–who have arguably caused the most human destructiveness by far, over those whom we conventionally termed the diagnosed The polarized mind may be partly dispositional but appears to be largely fear-driven and requires abiding presence and love to address it. We are in a race against time to avail people to these “nutrients.” Prof. Kirk Schneider. Prof. Kirk J. Schneider, Ph.D. is a leading spokesperson for contemporary existential-humanistic and existential-integrative psychology. Dr Schneider was a 2022 Candidate for President of the American Psychological Association (APA), a co-founder and current president of the Existential-Humanistic Institute (an award-winning psychotherapy training center), and a two-term Member of the Council of Representatives of the APA. He is also past president (2015-2016) of the Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32) of the APA, recent past editor of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology (2005-2012), a founder and frequent presenter/facilitator of the bridge-building dialogue approach the Experiential Democracy Dialogue and a trained moderator for the conflict mediation group Braver Angels. Dr Schneider is also an adjunct faculty member at Saybrook University and Teachers College, Columbia University and an Honorary Member of the Society for Existential Analysis of the UK and the East European Association for Existential Therapy. He received the Rollo May Award for “outstanding and independent contributions” to the field of humanistic psychology from the Society for Humanistic Psychology, APA and is a Fellow of seven Divisions of the APA (5, 9, 32, 42, 12, 29, and 24). His work on existential-integrative psychotherapy has been featured in a special issue of the Journal of Psychotherapy Integration (March 2016), as well as The Wiley World Handbook of Existential Therapy and the APA’s forthcoming Handbook of Psychotherapy. Dr Schneider has published over 200 articles, interviews and chapters and has authored or edited 14 books including The Paradoxical Self, Horror and the Holy, Rediscovery of Awe, Awakening to Awe, The Spirituality of Awe, The Polarized Mind, The Handbook of Humanistic Psychology, Existential-Humanistic therapy, Existential-Integrative Psychotherapy, The Wiley World Handbook of Existential Therapy, The Depolarizing of America: A Guidebook for Social Healing and his latest volume (February, 2023) Life-Enhancing Anxiety: Key to a Sane World. Dr. Schneider’s work has been featured in Scientific American, the New York Times, USA Today, The Guardian, Vanity Fair, Forbes Health, Psychology Today, BBC World News and many other health and psychology outlets. Prof. Ernesto Spinelli was Chair of the Society for Existential Analysis between 1993 and 1999 and is a Life Member of the Society. His writings, lectures and seminars focus on the application of existential phenomenology to the arenas of therapy, supervision, psychology, and executive coaching. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS) as well as an APECS accredited executive coach and coaching supervisor. In 2000, he was the Recipient of BPS Division of Counselling Psychology Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession. And in 2019, Ernesto received the BPS Award for Distinguished Contribution to Practice. His most recent book, Practising Existential Therapy: The Relational World 2nd edition (Sage, 2015) has been widely praised as a major contribution to the advancement of existential theory and practice. Living up to the existential dictum that life is absurd, Ernesto is also the author of an on-going series of Private Eye novels. Date and Time: Saturday 12 April from 2 pm to 3 pm – (UK time) Individual Dialogue Fee: £70 Venue: Online Zoom FULL PROGRAMME 2025: 25 January “Knots” with Prof. Ernesto Spinelli and Bárbara Godoy 22 February “Healing” with Dr. Michael Guy Thompson and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 22 March “Difference” with Prof. Tod DuBose and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 12 April “Polarisation” with Prof. Kirk Schneider and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 3 May “Character” with Prof. Robert Romanyshyn and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 21 June “Opening” with Dr. Yaqui Martinez and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 19 July “Meaning” with Dr. Jan Resnick and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 25 October “Invention” with Dr. Betty Cannon and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 15 November “Hallucination” with Prof. Simon du Plock and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 13 December “Hysteria” with Bárbara Godoy and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli Read the full programme here > Course Organised by: