Pen image thanks to @LauraChouette and unsplash
Writing
Virginia is the author of four books, Tourist to the Sun; The Camera Obscure; That Little Voice and Burnt Lungs and Bitter Sweets. She also writes articles for the Felixstowe magazine and Author’s Electric, and has contributed several articles to the National Autistic Society Magazine, Spectrum and Your Autism Magazine produced a feature article written by Virginia in September 2021. Virginia made her publishing debut in The Weird and Whatnot, (July 2019) with her short story, The Rented Room. Since then, having been shortlisted several times and winning some prizes for her work, Virginia can now call herself an ‘Award winning author!’ Her debut novel, Burnt Lungs and Bitter Sweets, a dark tragicomedy published by Urban Pigs Press, is critically acclaimed and popular, with the unusual concept of including a matching playlist as it charts the journey of four punk friends through four decades of friendship, addiction, love and thwarted potential.
Poetry
Virginia has had two full poetry collections published and regularly performs them on stage and radio. Her poem, An Afternoon Walk, was published in the September 2019 volume of Acumen Literary Journal, which has shortlisted more poems of Virginia’s for the future. A poem titled, Tourist to the Sun, was featured in an online journal, Voices in early 2020, and became the titular poem of the collection of the same name. Breath and Shadow, published a memoir, (Gifted) and poem (Forest) in editions of the journal Fall 2020, and Winter 2020.
Two more poems, Echo appeared here in Summer 2021. Furthermore, Minerva Rising featured her poems: Dysmorphic, Stepping out on Derby Day and Natasha. Another poem, Flesh and Glass, was a semi-finalist in Sunspot Literary Journal ‘Inception’ competition and appears in a lockdown anthology, When This Is All Over, (Creative Ink Publishing) in June 2021.
Virginia was shortlisted for The Latin Programme’s inaugural poetry prize with ‘Lost Property,’ which was published on March 4th, and she talked about this poem in conjunction with The Broadway Bookshop Poetry Sharing evening on 17th March 2021, via zoom. In July and September, The poetry Journal, Pure Slush, Lifespans Project, featured Talking About Art (Amsterdam 1995) and Comeback. The Beckindale Poetry Review and From The Heart Poetry Journal featured poetry in March and June 2021.
A poem of Virginia’s, Comeback, appeared in the July 2021 issue of Friendship Lifespan Vol. 3. Acumen and Breath and Shadow published more poems in 2022. Three poems and a story featured in a collection of work from Suffolk published by TSaunders publications at the end of 2022. Virginia published a full poetry collection, Tourist to the Sun in 2022 and another by Anxiety Press, That Little Voice, in Summer 2024. She continues to have work widely published. She is currently working on a second novel, with another short story and poetry collection coming soon in 2025.
Radio and Theatre
Virginia’s work was showcased in an interview aired on BBC Radio Suffolk on 3rd April 2021, a flash fiction on 8th May 2021, an interview with Jon wright on 25th May 2021 and a guest interview on In Conversation with Georgy Jamieson on 2nd June 2021, and interviews and poetry on Radio Norfolk and Essex in June and July, with poems being broadcast on the BBC throughout 2021. Virginia has been a guest on Jon Wright’s fantasy pub throughout 2021. Three Haiku were published on 14th May 2021 in Love The Words Poetry Anthology 2021 for International Dylan Thomas Day: How Time Has Ticked A Heaven Round The Stars (Infinity Books).
Virginia’s debut collection of short stories, The Camera Obscure, was published in 2022 and she completed co-writing a professional theatre production, Lullaby which was performed at the Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich on October 24th, 2021. https://hightide.org.uk/event/community-town-hall-morning/
Virginia is also a member of the Suffolk Poetry Society, performed one of the leads, with Steve Roche, for their 8th Annual Festival in a play in Verse, All Change! written by Peter Sandberg, music by Colin Whyles and directed by Caroline Gay Way. And since then appeared with Neurodelicious and is now a member of Black and White Productions, appearing three times a year in their productions.
As a member of Equity, The Writer’s Guild, The Suffolk Poetry Society, and Suffolk Book League, Virginia continues to develop her writing and theatre work. Since 2020, she has appeared in several professional stage productions, had more stories, articles and poetry published, with a second collection of stories and poetry underway, and exciting stage opportunities are in development. See links below and read the blog for further information.
Links to work and awards:
Published writing: ‘Getting to the Heart of the Head’ Spectrum Magazine 2019 https://www.autism.org.uk/thespectrum
‘The Rented Room’ The Weird and the Whatnot print book, Kindle and E-zine 2019. http://theweirdandwhatnot.com
‘A Horde of inaccuracy and Fearmongering’ Spectrum Magazine July 2019 https://www.autism.org.uk
‘An Afternoon Walk’ https://www.acumen-poetry.co.uk/virginia-betts/ Acumen Literary Journal 95 September 2019 issue. Print and online.
https://www.abilitymaine.org/bs2020summer/%22gifted%22
https://www.abilitymaine.org/bs2020fall/%22forest%22
https://www.thelatinprogramme.co.uk/poetryprize2020
Numerous appearances on BBC Radio 2020-2022 – poetry and stories on air
https://pureslush.com/store/lifespan/ poetry published in this series.
https://hightide.org.uk/event/community-town-hall-morning/ Playwright for theatre and play also aired on radio January 2022.
https://www.wolseytheatre.co.uk/shows/wolsey-writers-late-night-cafe/#prices performance of poetry Wolsey Theatre 2022.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR7ZDs9veu4 All change! Acting in play for Suffolk Poetry Society, May 2022.
The Camera Obscure. A Collection of Short Stories by Virginia Betts, published June 2022. (Austin Macauley Publishing) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Camera-Obscure-Virginia-Betts/dp/1398423513/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1658596557&sr=8-2
Tourist to the Sun – a poetry Collection by Virginia Betts published July 2022. (Tim Saunder Publishing https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tourist-Sun-collection-Virginia-Betts-ebook/dp/B0B5LNWY2N/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2G27HX80VAESI&keywords=virginia+betts&qid=1657197404&sprefix=%2Caps%2C62&sr=8-2
Felixstowe Book Festival 2022:
https://felixstowebookfestival.co.uk/emerging-writers-short-story-competition-2022 Runner up prize
Urban Pigs Press – 2023:
A Thin Slice of Anxiety magazine – Anxiety Press 2023
http://www.athinsliceofanxiety.com/2023/07/poetry-selections-from-virginia-betts.html
Bristol Noir magazine 2023
Yorick Radio, Perth.
GenX Radio – Various Appearances 2023
BBC Radio – Various appearances 2023
Primadonna Festival: Main Stage performance of poetry 2023
The Felixstowe Magazine: Various articles on going and poem for the coronation:https://www.thefelixstoweapp.com/blog/c/0/i/72638759/mother-s-gift-her-son
Freelance tutor of poetry in performance and writing workshops
Suffolk Poetry Society https://suffolkpoetrysociety.org/event-tickets/poetry-and-performance-workshop-with-virginia-betts/
Recent Professional Theatre:
Hightide and Wolsey Theatre: Lullaby (co-writer) 2021
Angry Ghosts poetry by Mai Black Performances in 2022 and 2023
Neurodelicious Launch Pad performing at the Cambridge Junction, Colchester Mercury and Colchester Arts Centre 2022. (Colchester Fringe 2022)
The Dead Poets Theatre Company: Poetry and spoken word in Performance. Cambridge Tall Trees https://www.talltreesmusicvenue.com/whats-on/the-dead-poets-present-a-ghostly-evening
Black and White Productions: (full time member)
The Rise and Fall of Thomas Wolsey (Mary Boleyn and Elizbeth Barton (April 2023 and October 2023 Touring productions) and screen version of this. (October project Lottery funded for Wolsey 550 ) https://www.stpetersbythewaterfront.com/whats-on/thomas-wolsey-rise-fall
Harry’s Bar: A Touch of the Blarney (Maud Gonne) July 2023 Two Sisters Arts Centre (and film)
http://twosistersarts.co.uk/2023/05/29/harrys-bar-a-touch-of-the-blarney-preview-performance/
Reviews:
The Camera Obscure
Tourist to the Sun
Theatre:
Virginia Betts 