Our focus is on getting you published and produced this year
It may have been nice to have had a White Christmas for a change, but the snow's starting to lose something of its appeal now. But if you’re starting to feel a bit stir crazy, don’t despair as there are lots of great opportunities for writers coming up from New Writing North this year. Our focus for 2010 is very much on helping new writers to take the next big steps with their careers and on seeking out and creating real commissioning opportunities for more established writers.

Next week we will be launching the 2010 Northern Writers’ Awards and announcing this year’s judges. With £25,000 of prize money up for grabs plus the chance to meet industry contacts and to be supported to develop your fiction, children’s fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction, it’s a chance not to be missed.

Also this month we will be launching the 2010 People’s Play Award, our biennial project for first-time playwrights. With a £2,000 prize to be won and the chance to see your play produced by the theatre this November, this is a wonderful opportunity for writers who aspire to write for the stage.

Scriptwriters will also be interested in our new Development Programme, which we are currently recruiting for until 15 January. Through this scheme, up to four writers will be supported by theatre director Deborah Bruce to complete a full-length play. At the end of the process, we would anticipate that one of the plays will be selected to be fully commissioned, produced and toured by the North East Theatre Consortium, a group of organisations led by New Writing North along with three regional venues: Queen’s Hall in Hexham, The Customs House in South Shields, and Darlington Arts Centre. The consortium has previously produced and toured Pub Quiz by Carina Rodney and Queen Bee by Margaret Wilkinson. Click here to download full details about the scheme and guidelines on how to enter.

Do make sure that you keep us abreast of your news too. We’re always delighted to hear about new books, awards nominations, things you’ve written in the media and any other writing-related news that you’d like to tell us about.

Here’s to us all having a great 2010. Claire


People

Anna Woodford on Crashaw shortlist
Congratulations to Anna Woodford, who runs our Poetry Room Book Group and who’s just been shortlisted for the international Crashaw Poetry Prize. There are 12 on the shortlist from a field of 120 poetry manuscripts by poets from the UK, USA, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. The winners are announced on 26 February and will have their collection published by Salt.

Valerie Laws selected for international residency
Northumberland writer Valerie Laws, whose novel The Rotting Spot was part of our Read Regional 2009 promotion, has been selected for the first international El Gouna Writers’ Residency in Egypt, for the month of February. Four to six writers are invited to enjoy a full month’s stay at a beautiful villa in El Gouna, with opportunities to interact and exchange thoughts with writers from different cultures. Valerie will be working on her new poetry collection based on work with scientists and pathologists from her Wellcome Trust Arts Award-funded project.

New work from Sean Burn
Congratulations to North East writer Sean Burn, whose third collection, Wings Are Giving Out, has just been launched by Skrev Press after having been shortlisted for a DaDaFest 2009 award.


In the North East

Olympians, poets and prize winners at Café Culture this spring
New Writing North is one of the cultural programme partners for Café Culture North East, the popular Monday night talks programme which takes place at Dance City’s Urban Café.

On Monday 18 January, Rebecca Jenkins will be giving a timely talk entitled 'Lessons from Britain’s first Olympics in 1908'. Rebecca is the author of The First London Olympics: 1908 and will explain the impact of the Olympics 100 years ago, including the preparation of a 140 acre site of scrubland in west London which was transformed into White City. What cultural legacies did our first-ever Olympics leave? And what lessons can we learn for our forthcoming 2012 Olympic games? If you’ve not heard Rebecca talk before do come along – she’s really fun and very well informed.

Other events coming up as part of the programme include Mark Robinson and a panel of poets discussing whether poets are still the “unofficial legislators” of our world on Monday 1 March, and author Kate Clanchy talking about her memoir Antigona and Me on Monday 19 April. We’re delighted to have Kate along to the events programme and would like to congratulate her on winning the National Short Story Prize at the end of last year.

All the events start at 7pm prompt and are over by 9pm. Admission is free and there is no need to book, though we do advise turning up early to grab a good seat as events are popular. The ethos of the programme is for people to listen to guest speakers and then engage in a open conversation about the topics and themes of the night in a café-style environment. It’s relaxed, fun and if the evening makes your mind fizz with ideas, all the better. You can find out more about the annual programme of stimulating talks at www.cafeculturenortheast.org.uk.

Mslexia celebrates first decade by winning Women in Publishing’s 2009 Pandora Award
Mslexia, the quarterly magazine for women who write, became the proud recipient of Women in Publishing’s 2009 Pandora Award just before Christmas. The award has been presented since 1981 to an individual or organisation for a significant and valuable contribution to publishing and for promoting positive images of women in publishing, book-selling and related trades. Since 1982, the prize has been an antique writing desk, which is passed from one winner to the next. Mslexia is produced in Newcastle (from an office just downstairs from us at New Writing North, so we'll be down to inspect the desk as soon as it arrives) and is a must-read for writers and readers alike. For more information about Mslexia, including how to subscribe, see www.mslexia.co.uk.
 
 
National opportunities

The Script Factory wants women writers
The Script Factory has announced She Writes! – a new training programme targeted directly at women screenwriters, presented together with their partners at Birds Eye View and supported by the Skillset Film Skills Fund. The programme caters for eight ‘emerging’ women writers who will join The Script Factory over the course of 2010. During the year they will enjoy a residential retreat, attend two specialist workshops in London, meet with mentors, gain a better understanding of how the film industry works, have exclusive access to industry and training events at the Birds Eye View Film Festival and Script Factory preview events and masterclasses, and get the opportunity to workshop their feature screenplay project with actors. If you are a new writer with just one drama credit to your name (a short film or a piece of TV, radio or theatre), this could be the boost you need to take your writing to the next level. To find out more, see www.scriptfactory.co.uk/go/Training/Article_757.html. Deadline for applications is 29 January.


The Listening Post

Poetry from Sheree Mack and Catherine Graham
Bewick Hall, Newcastle City Library: Wednesday 13 January, 6.30pm-7.45pm
Free tickets available by telephoning the library on 0191 277 4100.

Meet the Author: Jasper Fforde
City Library, Newcastle: Thursday 21 January, 2.30pm & 6pm
Newcastle Library’s Meet the Author events continue with two events with the eclectic Jasper Fforde, who will be visiting Newcastle for the day to talk about his new book, Shade of Grey. For more information, tel 0191 277 4100. Admission free.

Julia Blackburn & Blake Morrison
Culture Lab, Newcastle University: Thursday 21 January, 7pm
Julia Blackburn is the author of four books of non-fiction and two novels, The Book of Colour and The Leper’s Companions, both of which were shortlisted for the Orange Prize. Her memoir of her troubled relationship with her parents, The Three of Us, was published to great acclaim in 2008. Blake Morrison is a novelist, playwright, memoirist, journalist and critic. And When Did You Last See Your Father? (1993), a chronicle of his relationship with his father was produced as a feature film in 2004. For more information, see www.ncl.ac.uk/ncla.

Ten by Ten
The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle: Thursday 21 January, 7.30pm
Andy Willoughby reads extracts from his new work, SAMPO: Heading Further North, while Kate Fox will be giving us an inside view of her new show, Fox News. Plus Kathleen Kenny, Barry Fox, Stephen Baines, Nikki Hawkins, Scott Tyrrell, Nick Montgomery, Keith Parker and Alfie Crow. Admission: £3 on the door.

BHS North East Haiku Poetry Group Workshop
Morden Tower, Newcastle: 24 January, 1.30pm-4.30pm
No previous experience of writing haiku is necessary. Refreshments provided. Admission: £3/£2. For more information and to reserve a place, email chrisphil79@hotmail.com.

Northern Voices Annual Poetry Award event
Bridge Hotel, Newcastle: Sunday 24 January, 7.30pm
Featuring Bob Beagrie, Andy Willoughby and Robert Lonsdale from Teesside; Stephen Murray and Brendan Murphy from Ireland; Geraldine Green from Cumbria and Catherine Graham, Dave Alton and Gordon Phillips from Tyneside. Plus the presentation of the Northern Voices Poetry Award 2010. Admission: £5. For more information, call 0191 252 9531.

Lee Hall: Six Necessary Ingredients for a Successful Play
Curtis Auditorium, Newcastle University: Tuesday 26 January, 5.30pm
Lecture by the writer of Billy Elliot and The Pitmen Painters, Lee Hall. Free event.

Articulate
ARC, Stockton on Tees: Wednesday 27 January, 7.45pm
An evening of live literature inspired by film. From the fleapit to the art-house, a diverse line-up of poets and storytellers present an eclectic mic of comic work. For more information, tel 01642 525199. Admission: £3.

Murder in the Cathedral: a special event with Ann Cleeves
St Nicholas Cathedral, Newcastle: 28 January, 7pm
An interactive murder mystery for lovers of traditional detective stories with crime writer Ann Cleeves and CSI Helen Pepper. A fundraiser for St Nicholas Cathedral choristers. Tickets: £7.50/£5, to include wine and nibbles from the cathedral chapter office. For more information, tel 0191 232 1939.

National Storytelling Week launch
Old Fulling Mill Museum of Archaeology, Durham: Saturday 30 January
National Storytelling Week begins. For more information, tel 0191 334 1823 or see www.durham.ac.uk/fulling.mill.


Writing workshops for new writers coming up in March

The Blank Page with Linda France
Saturday 20 February, 10am-4pm: Holy Jesus Hospital, Newcastle & Saturday 27 March: Clayport Library, Durham
Join poet Linda France for a day of creative writing. In the morning the workshop will focus on creative journal writing – how to write about real life and capture real events and experiences. In the afternoon you will be taken through the process of how to write a poem.

Starting to Write with Ellen Phethean
Saturday 27 February, Holy Jesus Hospital, Newcastle & Saturday 20 March: Clayport Library, Durham
If you’ve always wanted to write creatively but have never devoted any serious time to trying to do so, this workshop is for you. Aimed at beginners who would like to learn how to develop their work, this workshop will give you great ideas for starting to write and help you plan to develop and improve your writing.

Both workshops are produced by New Writing North in association with Women into the Network as part of the Learning Transformation programme Arts for Art's Sake. If you're a member of WIN there is no charge; if you are not, each event costs £15 plus VAT. You can find out how to book on the WIN website.


Miscellany

A Journey Round My Skull
The owner of blog A Journey Round My Skull describes the site as "Unhealthy book fetishism from a reader, collector, and amateur historian of forgotten literature." The blog has in the past featured beautiful and fascinating books of all sorts, but, the author notes, current obsessions are illustration and graphic design. One particular highlight recently has been a collection of images from Soviet children's books from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, although so much of the material is so extraordinary, it's easy to lose hours at a time just browsing.

New editorial consultancy based in Edinburgh
The Fine Line is a new editorial consultancy, who got in touch to ask whether we could put their details out to our mailing list. Their fees for a reader’s report are modest at just £50, as are their fees for a full edit of completed manuscripts. Even if you’re just starting out as a writer, their website has lots of blogs and insights from more established writers which you might find inspiring or interesting. For more information, see www.editorial-consultancy.co.uk.


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 18 January. The edition of The Listening Post covering February's literature events will go out in late January. If you have events that you would like to submit for inclusion, you will need to send information by 20 January 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.