LOOKING FOR: ADULT FICTION Francesca Riccardi is a literary agent at Kate Nash Literary Agency. She has previously worked in sales roles at HarperCollins, Constable & Robinson, Atlantic Books (where she was recognised as a 2017 Bookseller Rising Star), and most recently was sales and marketing director for Canelo. She has worked with authors including Holly Seddon, Rachel Lynch, Cesca Major, Robert Fabbri, Marion Todd, M C Beaton, Catherine Ryan Howard, and Phil Rickman. Francesca is looking for character-driven popular commercial adult fiction across all genres. She loves books with a strong voice and sense of place, and is particularly interested in stories that are high concept, appealing to a millennial audience, and showcase lesser known experiences and/or female and diverse narratives. Francesca would like you to submit the first 5000 words of your manuscript, a synopsis and your cover letter in that order in one single Word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, Francesca 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 26th August 2025
This course will let you develop the skillsets needed to guide the delivery of value in a Lean enterprise—and learn about the activities, tools, and mechanics used to manage backlogs and programs. Attending the class prepares you to take the exam and become a certified SAFe® 6 Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM). SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager 6 training course is provided under Scaled Agile, Inc. Partner Program Agreement.
LOOKING FOR: ADULT FICTION, NON-FICTION Diana joined the prestigious DHH Literary Agency in June 2024. She started agenting with Rupert Heath Literary Agency in 2011 before moving to UTA and Marjacq in 2017. Before that she was senior commissioning editor at Transworld. Diana was chosen as one of The Bookseller’s Rising Stars of 2012, was a nominee for RNA Agent of the Year 2019, and was shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year 2022 at the British Book Awards. Her list includes a wide range of bestselling and prize-winning authors in the UK and internationally. Diana represents adult fiction and non-fiction. For fiction, she is looking for upmarket women's commercial, with depth and heart, including reading group, historical, saga, uplit and contemporary stories that are irreverent and make her laugh; accessible literary fiction, high-concept crime fiction and thrillers. She has a thing for spy novels and would love to find a great vampire story. On the non-fiction side: memoir, smart, funny feminists, lifestyle, cookery and social justice, and open to anything with a strong, original voice. She also encourages submissions from writers who have been traditionally under-represented. Diana would like you to submit a covering letter, 1 - 2 page synopsis and the first three chapters (a maximum of 5,000 words) of your manuscript in a single word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, Diana is kindly offering one free session for low income/underrepresented 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: Wednesday 17th September 2025
SAFe® for Teams: In-House Training Build the skills needed to become a high-performing team member of an Agile Release Train (ART) and learn how to collaborate effectively with other teams by becoming a SAFe® 5 Practitioner (SP). During this course, you will gain an in-depth understanding of the ART, how it delivers value, and what you can do to effectively perform the role using Scrum, Kanban, and Extreme Programming (XP). You will also learn how to write stories and break down features, plan and execute iterations, and plan Program Increments. Finally, you'll learn about the continuous delivery pipeline and DevOps culture, how to effectively integrate with other teams in the program, and what it takes to continuously improve the train. What you will Learn To perform the role of a SAFe® Practitioner, you should be able to: Apply SAFe® to scale Lean and Agile development in their enterprise Know their team and its role on the Agile Release Train Know all other teams on the train, their roles, and the dependencies between the teams Plan Iterations Execute Iterations and demonstrate value Plan Program Increments Integrate and work with other teams on the train Introducing the Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe®) Building an Agile Team Planning the Iteration Executing the Iteration Executing the Program Increment Practicing SAFe®
LOOKING FOR: YA, ADULT FICTION Laura Bennett developed a love of writing early, attending her first Creative Writing course at college. She then decided to study Writing at Liverpool John Moores University, obtaining a BA before pursuing a career in teaching. She began work at a college for young adults with special needs, and then moved to a vocational college while studying for a post-compulsory PGCE. Laura taught English for a few years, and also ran several Creative Writing courses before returning to LJMU to obtain an MA in Writing. She then worked as a teaching assistant at a local secondary school, before leaving that job to pursue a career at the Liverpool Literary Agency. She has worked as a private tutor, written for tabletop roleplaying games, and is the narrative writer for an Indie video game. She was also the judge for the I Am Writing Science Fiction / Fantasy category in 2025! Laura is looking for adult and YA science fiction and fantasy of all stripes, including steampunk, post-apocalyptic, urban fantasy, supernatural, and dystopian. She loves diverse casts and complicated relationships. Stories that focus on realistic characters with strong voices are a definite hit, no matter how fantastical their worlds. Laura would like you to submit a covering letter, 1 page synopsis and the first 5,000 words of your manuscript in a single word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, Laura 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 16th September 2025
SAFe® for Teams: Virtual In-House Training Build the skills needed to become a high-performing team member of an Agile Release Train (ART) and learn how to collaborate effectively with other teams by becoming a SAFe® 5 Practitioner (SP). During this course, you will gain an in-depth understanding of the ART, how it delivers value, and what you can do to effectively perform the role using Scrum, Kanban, and Extreme Programming (XP). You will also learn how to write stories and break down features, plan and execute iterations, and plan Program Increments. Finally, you'll learn about the continuous delivery pipeline and DevOps culture, how to effectively integrate with other teams in the program, and what it takes to continuously improve the train. What you will Learn To perform the role of a SAFe® Practitioner, you should be able to: Apply SAFe® to scale Lean and Agile development in their enterprise Know their team and its role on the Agile Release Train Know all other teams on the train, their roles, and the dependencies between the teams Plan Iterations Execute Iterations and demonstrate value Plan Program Increments Integrate and work with other teams on the train Introducing the Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe®) Building an Agile Team Planning the Iteration Executing the Iteration Executing the Program Increment Practicing SAFe®
LOOKING FOR: ADULT FICTION, NON-FICTION Una is a Rights Agent at Susanna Lea Associates and am starting to build a client list. She grew up in London and graduated from the University of Cambridge with a BA in English in 2021. At university, Una was particularly interested in contemporary West African and South Asian literature. She started as an agent's assistant at SLA London in 2022 and now handles some translation rights and provides support with editorial work and submissions. Una's favourite reads always set her at ease right away and draws her in with impressive and accessible storytelling, memorable characters or an original hook. Una enjoys writing which expands her worldview, makes her laugh out loud or keeps her on her toes with its twists and turns. She welcomes submissions from debut authors and would be keen to read across a wide range of genres and styles. She is looking for literary, upmarket and book club fiction, and is always drawn to stories that explores the challenges and complexities of love and relationships in all its forms —within families, between friends or in romantic relationships. Una loves the way in which familial relationships are dissected in The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright and the impact of the local community in Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson. She is always drawn to novels with a strong sense of community, whether they are unified by geography, culture, or in other unexpected ways. Una has always loved reading international and translated fiction and welcomes submissions from authors writing contemporary fiction that engages with cultures and traditions from around the world, such as in voices of the deities in Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi or the subversive tales of Sayaka Murata. She is not looking for children’s or YA titles, science fiction or high-concept fantasy, but is open to submissions from authors writing in the speculative fiction space, and books with fantastical or otherworldly elements, be that magical realism or supernatural horror, such as Mona Awad's campus novel with a twist, Bunny. Una would also love to read more writing that engages with the natural world and reminds us of the limitations of human understanding. In non-fiction, Una enjoys books that furthers her understanding of wider societal issues — nature and the environment, culture, and little-known history. Her recent non-fiction favourites are Eve by Cat Bohannon, Doppelgänger by Naomi Klein and Unearthed by Claire Ratinon. Una would like you to submit a covering letter, 1 page synopsis and the first three chapters or 5,000 words of your manuscript in a single word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, Una 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: Monday 22nd September 2025
SAFe® Agile Software Engineering: In-House Training The introduction of Lean-Agile and DevOps principles and practices into software engineering has sparked new skills and approaches that help organizations deliver higher-quality, software-centric solutions faster and more predictably. This workshop-oriented course explores foundational principles and practices and how continuous flow of value delivery and built-in quality are enabled by XP technical practices, Behavioral-Driven Development (BDD), and Test-Driven Development (TDD). Attendees will learn proven practices to detail, model, design, implement, verify, and validate stories in the SAFe® Continuous Delivery Pipeline, as well as the practices that build quality into code and designs. Attendees will also explore how software engineering fits into the larger solution context and understand their role in collaborating on intentional architecture and DevOps. What you will Learn To perform the role of a SAFe® Agile Software Engineer, you should be able to: Define Agile Software Engineering and the underlying values, principles, and practices Apply the Test-First principle to create alignment between tests and requirements Create shared understanding with Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) Communicate with Agile modeling Design from context for testability Build applications with code and design quality Utilize the test infrastructure for automated testing Collaborate on intentional architecture and emergent design Apply Lean-Agile principles to optimize the flow of value Create an Agile Software Engineering plan Introduction to Agile Software Engineering Connecting Principles and Practices to Built-in Quality Accelerating Flow Applying Intentional Architecture Thinking Test-First Discovering Story Details Creating a Shared Understanding with Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) Communicating with Models Building Systems with Code Quality Building Systems with Design Quality Implementing with Quality
SAFe® Agile Software Engineering: Virtual In-House Training The introduction of Lean-Agile and DevOps principles and practices into software engineering has sparked new skills and approaches that help organizations deliver higher-quality, software-centric solutions faster and more predictably. This workshop-oriented course explores foundational principles and practices and how continuous flow of value delivery and built-in quality are enabled by XP technical practices, Behavioral-Driven Development (BDD), and Test-Driven Development (TDD). Attendees will learn proven practices to detail, model, design, implement, verify, and validate stories in the SAFe® Continuous Delivery Pipeline, as well as the practices that build quality into code and designs. Attendees will also explore how software engineering fits into the larger solution context and understand their role in collaborating on intentional architecture and DevOps. What you will Learn To perform the role of a SAFe® Agile Software Engineer, you should be able to: Define Agile Software Engineering and the underlying values, principles, and practices Apply the Test-First principle to create alignment between tests and requirements Create shared understanding with Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) Communicate with Agile modeling Design from context for testability Build applications with code and design quality Utilize the test infrastructure for automated testing Collaborate on intentional architecture and emergent design Apply Lean-Agile principles to optimize the flow of value Create an Agile Software Engineering plan Introduction to Agile Software Engineering Connecting Principles and Practices to Built-in Quality Accelerating Flow Applying Intentional Architecture Thinking Test-First Discovering Story Details Creating a Shared Understanding with Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) Communicating with Models Building Systems with Code Quality Building Systems with Design Quality Implementing with Quality
Click to read more about this training, in which we demonstrate a live problem solving approach which is based on the active participation of family members. Course Category Inclusion Parents and Carers Behaviour and relationships Problem Solving Description In this training we demonstrate a live problem solving approach which is based on the active participation of family members. ‘Family Circles’ is an evolving new approach to problem solving with families and is based on our years of family work and the development and use of the Circle of Adults process. Inspired by our own Parent Solutions work and the Circle of Adults process as well as Family Group Conferencing and other Restorative Interventions we bring you Family Circles. Essentially the approach involves gathering a family together for a process that is facilitated but majors on the family members offering each other their wisdom and ideas. The approach is capacity focused, person centred approach to working with families rather than the dominant deficit oriented and ‘medical model’ of viewing and planning for or doing things to families. This training can be modelled with a group of professionals or better still with a family. In our work with families we develop the importance of naming stories or theories and seeking linkages and synthesis between what is found out and explored about the family situation and its history. We like participants to sit with the uncertainty, to reflect on the question ‘why’ but without judgement of each other. Deeper reflections may span a whole range of perspectives from ‘within person’ considerations, to situational or systemic possibilities. Health or emotional issues can be reflected on alongside organisational or transactional aspects of what is going on for the family. The better the shared understanding the better the strategy or actions which emerge from these meetings. Quality hypotheses with a close fit to reality lead to more effective implementation in the real world. We encourage ‘loose’ thinking, a search for connections, deeper listening, an ‘open mind’, speculation and exploration without moral judgements. From this stance self-reflection as well as reflection on the situation can produce remarkable insights. The quality of theories or new stories generated is directly influenced by family members’ experiences and the models of learning, behaviour and emotion, systems, educational development, change and so on that they have been exposed to. Learning Objectives To provide opportunities for: Shared problem solving in a safe exploratory climate in which the family will find its own solutions. Individuals to reflect on their own actions and strategies An exploration of whole-family processes and their impact Emotional support and shared understandings of issues at a child, parent, family, school and community level. Feed back to each other on issues, ideas and strategies that are agreed to be worth sharing with them. Who Is It For? Anyone interested in working with families in a way that builds and makes use of their capacities rather than focus on their challenges and difficulties. Social Care teams School staff Community organisers Educational Psychologists Course Content True family empowerment Deepening shared stories and understandings Facilitating groups Problem solving process Handling family group communication Allowing direct feedback and challenge between participants in a safe way Building relationships Process: Family members are welcomed: Introductions are carried out, ground rules and aims clarified whilst coffee is drunk. A recap from the last session is carried out: To follow up developments and reflections after the last meeting. One issue is selected for the main focus Issue presentation: The family member who raised the concern is asked questions to tell the ‘story’ of the issue or problem. Additional questions/information from the group about the problem are gathered: Ground rules may need to be observed carefully here. Individual participants need to be kept focused and prevented from leaping to premature conclusions or to making ‘helpful’ suggestions about strategy. Relationship aspects to the problem are explored. Metaphors and analogies are invited. How would a fly on the wall see your relationship? If you were alone together on a desert island, what would it be like? Impact of previous relationships/spillage from one relationship to another are explored. Eg what situation they are reminded of? For instance, does this situation remind you of any of those angry but helpless feelings you had with your other son when he was an adolescent? This provides opportunities to reflect on how emotions rub off on other people. The parent feels really frustrated, and on reflection we can see that so does the child System/Organisation factors (Family system/school and community systems and so on): What aspects help or hinder the problem? For instance, does the pastoral system of the local school provide space, or time and skilled personnel able to counsel this young person and work actively with their parents? Synthesis. At this stage the Graphic facilitator summarises what they have heard. They then go on to describe linkages and patterns in what they have heard. This can be very powerful. The person doing the graphic work has been able to listen throughout the presentation process and will have been struck by strong messages, emotions and images as they have arisen. The story and meaning of what is happening in the situation may become a little clearer at this point. Typical links may be ‘mirrored emotions’ strong themes such as loss and separation issues, or repeated processes such as actions triggering rejection. This step provides an excellent grounding for the next process of deepening understanding. What alternative strategies/interventions are open to be used? Brainstormed and recorded. ’Either/ors’ need to be avoided at this time also. This needs to be a shared session in which the family member who is presenting the concern contributes as much as anyone. Care is needed to ensure that this person is not overloaded with other people’s strategies. The final selection of strategy or strategies from the brainstormed list is the problem presenter’s choice. Strategies might include: a special time for the young person, a meeting with the child’s parents to explore how she is being managed at home and to share tactics, a home-school diary, counselling, or an agreed action plan that all are aware of, agreed sanctions and rewards and so forth. Strategies may productively involve processes of restitution and restoration, when ‘sorry’ is not enough. Making it right, rather than punishments or rewards, may then becomes the focus. First Steps. The problem presenter is finally asked to agree one or two first steps which they can carry out over the next 3-7 days. It can help to assign a ‘coach’ who will check in with them to ensure they have carried out the action they have named. This is a time to be very specific. Steps should be small and achievable. The person is just ‘making a start’. A phone call, or making an agreement with a key other person not present at the meeting would be ideal examples. Final reflections. Sometimes referred to as a ‘round of words’ help with closure for all involved. Reflections are on the process not the problem. In large families this is best done standing in a circle. In smaller groups all can remain sitting. Passing around a ‘listening stick’ or something similar such as a stone or light heighten the significance of the process ending and improve listening. Finally the problem presenter is handed the ‘Graphic’ this is their record of the meeting and can be rolled and presented ceremoniously by the facilitators for maximum effect! If you liked this course you may well like: Parent Solutions