Dry Season off to a good start
We were delighted to have over 70 people attend the launch of Dan Smith’s first novel, Dry Season, at Gallery North on Monday. The Brazilian-themed drinks and flags added to the occasion and we were delighted with the book sales. Dan won a Northern Writers’ Award in 2005 so we were particularly pleased to be able to host the book’s launch. You can read a little more about it on the Journal website and of course buy it on Amazon.



Fix This Moment launches at Hexham Book Festival
We are delighted to be launching a new collection of essays by North East writers, Fix This Moment, at Hexham Book Festival this Saturday 1 May at 12pm. The book is edited by Stevie Ronnie and NWN director Claire Malcolm and brings together nine essays by writers from the region who between them reflect on aspects of the recent literary history of the North East. Contributors include Michael Chaplin, Peter Mortimer, Andy Croft, Jackie Litherland, Ellen Phethean, David Almond, Neil Astley and Nolan Dalrymple. The book also contains some great photos from the 1970s from Morden Tower and Colpitts from David James.

So if you want to hear about the history of Colpitts readings, women’s writing in the region, find out why Michael Chaplin is always on the train or read about the ups and downs of running a small literary press, you will enjoy this book. Fix This Moment is available to buy directly from the NWN shop and will shortly be listed on Amazon too. The event in Hexham is free so do come along if you can make it.



Words & Music unite for a unique weekend

Words & Music, which takes place at The Sage Gateshead from 14-17 May, is a festival that celebrates the synergy between music and the spoken and written word. Festival highlights include new work from poets Carolyn Jess-Cooke, Ira Lightman and Amy Mackelden, plus a new commission from Ian McMillan and composer Luke Carver Goss. You can check out the full programme for the festival at www.wordsandmusicnortheast.com.

Alongside the festival we have launched a new reviews website – www.wordsandmusicreview.com – the aim of which is to encourage writers and aspiring writers to get involved with writing about music. The Sage is giving away free tickets for a number of concerts and events if you review the event you attend. Selected reviews will also be featured in The Journal. For more information, see the Words & Music Review site.



David Peace to visit Easington on election day

We have been working with photographer Keith Pattison to help him publish a collection of his evocative photographs of the miners’ strike. To enhance the publication (which will be available this autumn) we invited novelist David Peace to write an introduction to the collection. David has decided to visit Easington on election day to see for himself how the town has changed and what the longer term impact of the strike has been on County Durham. David is the author of the Red Riding trilogy and of course GB84, a novel set during the strike.



The Story Engine next week

If you haven’t yet bought your ticket for the Story Engine screenwriting event, please don’t delay as it takes place next week on 5 & 6 May at the wonderful Tyneside Cinema. The full programme is available at www.thestoryengine.com as well as booking details.



The Galloping Stone rolls on

As you may remember, we recently launched The Galloping Stone, a collection of poems and prose writing from torture survivors who worked with poet Gillian Allnutt during her six-month residency at the Medical Foundation. We’re delighted that Gillian is still volunteering with the organisation, and continuing to work with a lot of the people she met during her residency. We’ve also been pleased to see that the collection is getting some lovely reviews, including from The Morning Star and The Northern Echo. The book is available to buy at www.newwritingnorth.com and will also be sold at a special event organised by Colpitts on 11 June, details of which can be found at www.colpittspoetry.co.uk/programme.php.


People

Double prize coup for Red Squirrel

North East publisher Red Squirrel Press is celebrating this week, as their poet Nalini Paul has been shortlisted for the tenth annual Callum McDonald Memorial Award. Nalini's pamphlet, Skirlags, was launched in October 2009. The CMMA is an award for the both the poet and the publisher. In a second piece of good news, Lesley Mountain has won the first James Kirkup Memorial Poetry Competition. Lesley's pamphlet will be published in October 2010 by Red Squirrel, who run the competition and sponsor the James Kirkup Collection archive. The next competition will be launched on 11 May 2010, and details will be in this newsletter. More details about both writers, as well as what else Red Squirrel is up to, is available at www.redsquirrelpress.com.


Courses and workshops

Rosedene writing retreats: Barnard Castle
Opportunities for individuals or groups of writers wanting to get away from it all and just write or to take part in facilitated workshops midweek or weekends. Accommodation and meals included or self catering available. Prices, fully inclusive, from £150 to £350 per person. For further information, please contact Sue Francis on 07899 692784 or by email at suefrancis.sunny@yahoo.co.uk.


National opportunities

Poetry and Young People Project looking for grant applications

Independent charity Booktrust is running the Poetry and Young People Project, an Arts Council England-funded initiative that seeks to engage more young people in poetry reading, writing and performance and attract new audiences to the art form. Booktrust is inviting organisations to submit proposals for grant funding that will be used to improve poetry provision for young people. A total of up to £100,000 is available for distribution to organisations from June 2010 onwards, funded via Arts Council England’s Thrive! programme – see www.artscouncil.org.uk. Deadline for applications: Friday 14 May, 5pm. More details about the project can be found at www.booktrust.org.uk/show/feature/poetry-and-young-people.



BBC Writers Academy 2010 open to auditions
The Writers Academy is a major initiative aimed at discovering and training the next generation of writers for BBC One’s flagship shows: EastEnders, Casualty, Holby City, and Doctors. The scheme works as an apprenticeship for writers. The first part involves a three-month course taught by controller of drama John Yorke. Writers then complete a broadcast episode of Doctors, and if accepted then complete commissions on Casualty, Holby and EastEnders. Eight writers are selected out of hundreds of applicants to undergo the intensive 15-month programme designed to equip them with all the skills necessary to write successfully for BBC Drama. Deadline for applications: 5 May. For more information, see www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/writing/writers_academy.shtml.


Miscellany

A meeting of literary minds

We at New Writing North love a long-since-dead author speaking from the grave as much as anyone, but this story which came to light this week really knocked us over: Rudyard Kipling, on a trip to the USA from India, seeks out his writing idol, Mark Twain – and interviews him.


Deadline for the next newsletter

If you have news that you would like to submit for inclusion in the newsletter please contact olivia@newwritingnorth.com. The deadline for receipt of information for the next newsletter is 10 May. The next edition of The Listening Post covering June's literature events will go out in late May. If you have events that you would like to submit for inclusion, you will need to send information by 20 May to olivia@newwritingnorth.com.

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While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this newsletter is correct at the time of going to press, things do change, frequently at the last minute and very often without our knowledge.