New Writing North is taking a break over Christmas and New Year, and from the time you get this newsletter until 4 January, the office will be closed.

We’ve had a busy, exhausting, but brilliant 2009, with some wonderful projects, and worked with some truly inspirational people. We’re working on our 2010 programme at the moment, and will of course let you know about it as soon as we can.



We hope you all have a good break, and look forward to seeing you all in 2010.

Best wishes

Claire, Anna, Cath, Catriona and Liv

People

Peter Bennet scoops Bunting Award second spot
Congratulations to Northumberland poet Peter Bennet, who has taken second prize in the inaugural Basil Bunting Award for his poem, The Tower. First prize went to DH Maitreyabandhu for The Coat Cupboard. A total of 914 poems were received from around the world, with the winners announced at an awards ceremony at Culture Lab, Newcastle University, on 10 December. You can read Peter’s poem, as well as those of the other prize-winners, at www.basilbuntingaward.co.uk.



Join Janet MacLeod Trotter on the hippy trail
Janet MacLeod Trotter was just 18 when in 1976 she set off on the hippy trail to Kathmandu. And now you can follow in her footsteps as she publishes her diaries of her overland adventures at http://janmacleodtrotter.blogspot.com.
 
Courses and workshops

Burning the Midnight Oil: creative writing course in Newcastle
The Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) is celebrating its centenary in 2010 and will be holding special events around the North East. Their creative writing workshops will be focusing on writing about the stories, poems, sketches and lyrics you see in any of the 'Pitman' paintings, which were themselves created at a WEA art course in Ashington and made famous by Lee Hall’s play The Pitman Painters. Two 10-week courses begin on Saturday 23 January from 10am to 12pm at the Nunsmoor Centre, opposite the BBC studios, Studley Terrace, Fenham and at the WEA, 21 Portland Terrace, Jesmond, from Wednesday 13 January. For more information, contact the Nunsmoor Centre on 0191 226 1006 or the tutor on 0191 274 7803, email gordonfrankphillips@hotmail.com.



Creative writing course in Whitley Bay
Enrolment is now open for a Whitley Bay-based writing course called Creative Writing: Writing Dialogue, which will run for ten weeks from 13 January. The dialogue-focused classes are being targeted at people who are over 18, and who do not have a first degree, or equivalent, but are looking to expand their writing skills. Creative Writing: Writing Dialogue will run from 7pm-9pm on Wednesday evenings at Culture Quarter in Marine Avenue, Whitley Bay. For more information, contact Phil Dixon on 0191 253 0466 or at phil@culturequarter.org.

National opportunities

The Fielding Programme for writers: spring 2010
The Fielding Programme is a specialist residency programme for new and early career writers. In spring and autumn each year, it offers the opportunity to develop professionally in spectacular and inspiring surroundings and to receive one-to-one mentoring. You receive individual support from an accomplished writer who can share experience and ideas on everything from the details of technique to the direction your writing career might take. You also benefit from each other’s experience with informal workshops. Only six writers are resident at one time so places are very limited. You can get more details and apply at www.fieldingprogramme.com.
 
Miscellany

Last chance for a Mslexia Writers’ Diary
If you're thinking about one of these for a present, then you may be cutting it a bit fine, but if you haven’t sorted out your 2010 diary yet, look no further: once again, Mslexia, the magazine for women who write, has come up with the perfect writer’s diary. They still have a few left, so if you want one, hurry to www.mslexia.co.uk/shop/diary_buy.html and they'll post it out to you for the start of 2010.



Take the David Foster Wallace grammar challenge
It goes without saying that we're sticklers here for grammar and spelling and all that sort of business, but quite clearly David Foster Wallace was in a league of his own. If you're up for a challenge, head to http://htmlgiant.com/craft-notes/grammar-challenge and try your luck at a grammar test he set his class of non-fiction students. And while you're there, the rest of the site – http://htmlgiant.com – is worth looking at too.
 
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 4 January.
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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.