AWARD-winning writers and two university graduates will join the annual Winchester Reading Series this year, which runs until March 22.

Offering free talks to emerging writers, the Winchester Reading Series welcomes critically-acclaimed authors, literary agents and editors to discuss their work and answer questions about the publishing world.

The first talk took place on Tuesday when young adult novelist Tanya Landman – winner of the Carnegie Medal 2015 for her novel Buffalo Soldier – read from her work and discussed aspects of her craft, including writing historical fiction and finding the right narrative voice.

On February 16, Winchester University will welcome back Rebecca Alexander, who is the author of The Secrets of Life and Death and The Secrets of Blood and Bone. She talks about writing urban fantasy and finding the right publisher for her novels.

While in the last talk of the series on March 22, 2014 graduate and debut novelist Harry Gallon discusses his innovative crowd-funding route to publication, and reads from his first book The Shapes of Dogs’ Eyes.

The Winchester Reading Series is hosted by the university’s established MA writing for children and MA creative and critical writing programmes.

Additional events in the series include literary agent Jenny Savill, of Andrew Nurnberg, who represents writers of adult and children’s fiction, talking about the submission process on February 9, writer May-Lan Tan, author of Things to Make and Break, which was shortlisted for the 2014 Guardian First Book Award, talking about publishing short stories and performing in front of a live audience on February 23, award-winning poet, short story writer and Forward Prize nominee Dr Luke Kennard reading from his latest collection, Like Cain (Penned in the Margins), and discussing the submissions process on March 8, and children’s agent Gill McLay, director of the Bath Children’s Festival, discussing strategies for debut authors to become market aware on March 15.

All events are open to the public and will be held between 6pm and 7.30pm on Tuesday evenings in room 001 of the university’s St Alphege Building on Sparkford Road.