WHERE TO WRITE IN BELFAST
Imagine a walkable city with a nearby international airport, several performance venues, cinemas, multiple universities, and a robust economy supporting a variety of cafes, bookstores, pubs, restaurants, and live music venues. You can wander town and find various poetry readings, free seminars from leading academics, writers showcases, book launches – you name it. A cosmopolitan influx from around the world means you have your choice of authentic ethnic cuisine and shops. And all of that without the London rent prices or the Dublin price gouging on a night out.
Welcome to Belfast. It's the city of writers but – shh! We don't want the secret out. Or maybe we do, but we're shy about it. It's only Belfast, sure. Perhaps because of this modesty, there isn't an official “Writers' Guide to Belfast” – so I suppose it's up to us to create one.
Whether you're a Creative Writing student at uni, recent graduate, long time professional, or emerging writer, this city has much to offer. For it's size, Belfast punches above its weight when it comes to the arts (in spite of funding cuts) and has a relatively welcoming, inclusive vibe that other cities struggle to replicate.
OUR STAFF RECOMMENDS:
QUEEN'S FILM THEATRE (QFT) BAR & LOUNGE
An essential for writers is having a comfortable, affordable place to write that's not just at home. Art happens where life happens. There are many hidden gems around the city for writers looking to spend an afternoon out, scribing away at their novel, poetry collection, or screenplay.
Our staff visited QFT's lounge twice this week, on Tuesday about 13:00 and Friday about 14:30, and we decided to recommend it to our readers.
Queen's Film Theatre lounge is open to the public and all ages, no need to buy a theatre ticket. It's located across from Queen's University campus. If you're looking for an alternative to the corporate coffee shops or want to escape the madding crowd of freshmen students at start-of-term, this is a hidden gem worth checking out.
Location: 20 University Square, across from the Graduate School at Queen's University Belfast
Opening times: 8:30AM Monday-Friday. The box office and bar opens 30 min before the first screening of the day.
THE BEST BITS:
The Space: Clean, modern, welcoming, intimate. A definite “cool factor” in the cinephile decor, vintage posters, stand-ups of Agnes Varda and Mads Mikkelsen, cinema inspired murals, and quotes from famous filmmakers on the tables. No windows for distraction, but a couple screens playing current film trailers (no sound) if your eye needs to wander.
The Seating: Variety of sofas, tables and chairs. A bonus nook in a corner with sofas, magazine and book display, and smaller screen playing trailers (no sound).
The Lighting: Subdued but bright enough to get work done without feeling like you're in the spotlight.
Noise Levels: Moderate to low crowd noise (day time). There's an ebb and flow of folks in the lounge around movie showtimes. Bonus: soundproofing fixtures in the ceiling mean the crowd noise never quite 'peaks' the way it does in cafes. Overheard conversation is more likely to be about film (bonus for film lovers). The ambient music is kept to a low-moderate volume.
Crowd proximity: A crowded lounge here is equivalent to Caffe Nero at lunchtime, but it thins out dramatically once everyone goes into their cinema. Closer to showtimes you might be sharing space with strangers, but it's only temporary.
The Menu: Choice of coffees, wine, beer, soft drinks, light snacks.
The Prices: Reduced prices available with free QFT membership card. Price for a latte (with membership) £2.70 compared to £3.99+ (Caffe Nero, Students' Union).
Payment options: This is a cash-free facility. Credit/debit cards required.
Access to Wifi: Free Wifi offered through QUB.
Restroom: Plentiful restrooms for customers located near lounge.
Accessibility: Wheelchair ramp access one door down, at 21 University Square. Automatic door push buttons. Disabled toilets. Ask the friendly staff for further assistance into the cinemas.
Parking: see website FAQs (queensfilmtheatre.com) for details on times/locations and disabled access.
Public Transit access: Botanic Station (train); Botanic Avenue – College Green (bus); University Road – Queen's University (bus).
Bonus: Memberships and discounts (see their website for details). Plus, you're in a cinema! You can reward yourself for a hard day's writing by seeing a film afterwards.
THE DRAWBACKS:
-Two screens (one large, one small) playing trailers for current films. No distracting sounds, but flashing lights possible - which might affect those easily distracted.
-Crowds and noise levels can increase after 17:00, or if there's an event.
-Foot traffic through the lounge varies but can increase dramatically (that's the nature of cinemas) If you can handle writing in a city centre cafe, you'll have no troubles here. But if you need sepulchral quiet for the muse to reach you, that's not the vibe here.
-The bar opens 30 minutes before the first showtime of the day. So depending on start times, you might have to wait a bit for your first coffee of the day.
Overall, we were very pleased with our afternoon writing sessions here. If you're like us and feeling a bit 'meh' about going to the usual place to write, this is the perfect change of pace. Why not soak up some cinema vibes and find new creative inspiration? For screenwriters, it could be your film trailer playing on the screens one day - so, bonus motivation points! Plus, whatever money you spend goes toward supporting local, independent cinema - and the feel good factor is priceless.
What's not to like? We'll definitely be back for more!
Note: this is not a paid endorsement, just an honest review. Other visitors' experiences may vary.
INTERESTED IN CONTRIBUTING TO THE WRITERS GUIDE?
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