News from New Writing North

News from New Writing North: 23 July 2010

Harrogate crime writing festival this weekend
If you’re attending the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate over the weekend, keep an eye out for us – we’ll be at the awards ceremony tonight (Friday), cheering on Northern crime writers, including Whitley Bay’s Danielle Ramsay, who’s shortlisted for the 2010 CWA Debut Dagger award for her novel, Lockdown. If you don’t know about the festival, and are either a reader or a writer of crime novels, take a look at the programme at www.harrogate-festival.org.uk/crime.

This year’s festival includes some of the best crime writers of today with Ian Rankin, Christopher Brookmyre, Jeffery Deaver, Joanne Harris, Peter James and Karin Slaughter all attending. North East favourite Val McDermid will also be speaking and hosting some events. We’re reliably informed that tickets are still available for some events, although there aren’t many, so be quick.

Read Regional 2010
We’re taking Read Regional 2010 to the farmers’ markets, continental markets and festivals of the North East over the summer, and there are three coming up in the next fortnight. At all three you can learn more about the eight Read Regional authors, meet a couple of them, and buy books.

Hexham Farmers’ Market: Saturday 24 July, 9am-1.30pm: Hexham Market Place
Hexham Continental Market: Saturday 31 July, 9am-2pm: Hexham Market Place
Stockton International Riverside Festival: Saturday 31 July, 10am-3pm: behind Stockton Central Library, Church Road, Stockton

For a full schedule and lots more information about Read Regional 2010, see www.readregional.com.

Linda France Newcastle launch
Also on the Read Regional calendar is the Newcastle launch of Linda France’s new poetry collection, You Are Her, published by Arc, at Newcastle City Library on Monday 26 July at 6.15pm. This is a free event, and all are welcome. Linda’s collections include The Simultaneous Dress and The Toast of the Kit Cat Club, a biography in verse of 18th century traveller and writer Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, and the acclaimed Book of Days, for which she set herself the challenge of writing a renga verse every day for 12 months.

More news about Kate Fox News
Don’t forget that poet and comedian Kate Fox’s show about the news and her relationship with it, Kate Fox News, is previewing at Washington Arts Centre on Saturday 31 July, and at ARC Stockton Arts Centre on Monday 2 August, before heading up to the Gilded Balloon for a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 4-30 August. To follow Kate’s Edinburgh experiences and to receive a daily poem about that day’s news, sign up to her facebook page and follow her on twitter at @Katefoxwriter or #katefoxnews.

In the North East

NW venue looking for touring theatre companies
They Eat Culture would like to invite touring theatre companies based in the North East to get in touch if they’re interested in taking their shows to the North West. Based at The Continental, Preston, They Eat Culture is supported by Lancashire County Council and Preston City Council and develops cultural and creative opportunities in Lancashire. They’ve got a great events space, capacity 100 seated, that’s just about to be black boxed, and kitted out with a new lighting rig and sound desk and are, they say, always looking for good shows, including new writing, and family friendly/children’s theatre. Contact shirley@theyeatculture.org or on 01772 499 207. For more information, see www.theyeatculture.org and www.newcontinental.net.

National opportunities

Liverpool Lennon Poet Competition
The Liverpool Lennon Poet 2010 competition is part of the John Lennon Tribute Season, a two-month cultural programme of events in Liverpool, which will mark 70 years since Lennon’s birth and 30 years since his untimely death. Poets from across the world are encouraged to enter unpublished verses in three categories, which celebrate the life of the music legend. For more information, see www.beatlesstory.com. Deadline for entries: Friday 10 September.

Call for submissions for Revival
Revival Poetry Journal is calling for submissions from local, national and international poets for the next issue which will be published in Limerick in October 2010. Deadline for submissions: 31 August. For more information, see www.revivalpress.com.

Workshops and courses

How to write great copy for the web
Journalist Mike Wilson will share what it takes write great copy for the web and other media in a free three-hour afternoon workshop organised by Northern Film & Media. Find out what makes news, what engages audiences and what buttons to press – and make sure you can get your stories the attention they deserve. Delegates are required to prepare and bring on paper story ideas they want to work up, or to bring stories they’ve already sent out and are prepared to share with the group. The workshop will take place on Wednesday 28 July, 2pm-5pm, at NFM’s Newcastle offices. For more information and to book, go to http://houltsession3.eventbrite.com.

Conference on self-publishing
After the success of last year’s publishing conference at Kingston University, this year’s conference, which runs from 3-4 September, is on the highly topical subject of self-publishing. The approach will be objective and practical, discussing the various options and choices involved. To find out more, see www.kingston.ac.uk/publishingconference. There is a range of prices and a discount for those who book before 6 August.

Writers’ retreat in the Scottish Borders
Writing Unlimited is heading up over the border to Dumfries from 13-17 September, to the heart of Rabbie Burns’ country and the glorious setting of Friars Carse Hotel where Burns was inspired to write many of his best-known works. This retreat is for writers looking for the time and space to make progress with their writing. Cost: £380 per person in spacious, comfortable, single occupancy en suite rooms, 4 nights, DB&B and informal lunch. Contact writingunlimited@hotmail.co.uk for more details and to book.

Miscellany

Get creative in Andalucia
Earlier this year, NWN director Claire visited Casa Acequia, a retreat centre set in a beautiful old olive grove in Algodonales in Andulucia. Run by Karin and Lasse, the centre currently provides creative writing and other arts opportunities in a wonderfully relaxed setting. As well as eight bedrooms for guests set around a private courtyard, the site also has a fantastic meeting room, not to mention a pool, lots of terraces to lounge about on, an organic vegetable garden, and almost best of all, Karin’s amazing cooking.

Writers looking for a place to buckle down for some work can book a room for individual writing time, or attend one of the courses that Caroline Mitchell – who works at Sunderland University and who now lives in Spain – is developing there. It would be a perfect setting for a writers’ group to spend a week or for a staff retreat. You can find out more at www.casa-acequia.se and if you’d like to join a mailing list to find out what might be coming up, contact Caroline at caroline.mitchell@sunderland.ac.uk. A new site that will detail the courses will be launched soon and we’ll let you know about it when it arrives.

Who do you write like?
Who would you most like to write like? And who do you really write like? If you want to find out whose style yours is most reminiscent of, pop a section of your work into the nifty I Write Like website at http://iwl.me. It threw up some interesting surprises when we played around with it in the office – apparently, NWN’s press releases are in the style of Edgar Allan Poe. That said, we’re not sure we entirely trust it. We just tried it with an expletive-laden paragraph from Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting, only to discover that it was apparently written in the style of JK Rowling, which we’re sure would come as a surprise to both parties.

The case for a new colon
By now, regular readers of this newsletter will know that some of us at New Writing North find endless pleasure in punctuation, so we were delighted to come across this splendid article on the ever-expanding use of the colon in modern English. We have been experimenting with our colon usage all week: find out more at www.themillions.com/2010/07/colonoscopy-it%E2%80%99s-time-to-check-your-colons.html.

Bookshelf Porn
http://bookshelfporn.com is one of those does what it says on the tin sites: a collection of all the best bookshelf photos for people who find bookshelves stimulating. And not a Kindle to be seen.

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 2 August. The next edition of The Listening Post covering September’s literature events will go out in late August. If you have events that you would like to submit for inclusion, you will need to send information by 20 August 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.

The Listening Post: August 2010

Long hot summer
The school summer holidays is either a dreaded or a longed-for time of the year. For those of us without children, it means six weeks of quiet roads to commute on and no schoolkids mucking about on the bus, but for the majority who do have children, it’s six weeks of trying to keep them busy. We at New Writing North thought we’d help you parents and carers out as much as possible – this month’s Listening Post is largely devoted to book-based events to entertain your children while they’re off school. It’s never too early to get them into reading…

Have a great summer.

New Writing North

Events for children in libraries across the region
Throughout August 
Every library across the region is running events for children during the summer break, including creepy-crawly workshops with bug-related books, Charlie & Lola reading parties, and storytelling activities. Pop into your local library or look on your local council’s website for more details.

Finn Family Moomintroll storytelling
Seven Stories: Sunday 1 August, 12.30pm, 1.45pm & 3pm 
Join in the celebrations for the 65th anniversary of the Moomin books, with a fun, interactive event for children aged two-plus. The 45-minute event will include lots of games, songs and activities and end with an interactive telling of Moomin and the Birthday Button, one of a new series of Moomin picture books published by Puffin. Tickets cost £2.50 per person. For more information, email info@sevenstories.org.uk.

Graham Pears: The Myth of Justice
Washington Town Centre Library: Monday 2 August, 5pm 
Graham Pears’ background in the police force gave him the in-depth knowledge to write his first crime novel, The Myth of Justice. Strong on Newcastle atmosphere, the book features a detective, nicknamed Jet, who we follow through a world of organised crime and corruption. Part of Read Regional 2010. For more information, see www.readregional.com.

Laurie King: The God of the Hive
Lit & Phil: Monday 2 August, 7pm 
Laurie R King reads from and discusses her new novel The God of the Hive, the tenth in a series about the world’s greatest detective, and her husband – Sherlock Holmes. Mary Russell and her husband are separated and on the run, wanted by the police, and pursued across the continent by a ruthless enemy with powerful connections. Free event. For more information, see www.litandphil.org.uk.

Summer Story Party
Seven Stories: Tuesday 3 & Wednesday 4 August, 11am-12pm & Friday 6 August, 1pm-2pm 
Enjoy books, songs and rhymes with your children in hands-on activities for under-fives. Tickets: £2.50. For more information, email info@sevenstories.org.uk.

Twiglets: Silly Scarecrows
Bishop Auckland Town Hall: Wednesday 4 August, 10.30am & 1.30pm 
Stories and crafts for the under-fives. Tickets: £1 per session. No need to book, but more information at www.bishopaucklandtownhall.org.uk.

Rebecca Jenkins: The Duke’s Agent
Barnard Castle Farmers’ Market: Saturday 7 August, 11am 
Set during the Regency period, The Duke’s Agent by Rebecca Jenkins is a historical mystery. The hero, Frederick Raphael Jarrett, is a mysterious soldier returning from war. He’s sent to sort out a problem on an estate in the North East but instead gets caught up in a murder. Read Regional stall from 10am, author signing at 11am. For more information, see www.readregional.com.

Gruffalo Week
Seven Stories: 7-13 August, 11-30am & 2pm 
Everyone loves the Gruffalo and he’s back at Seven Stories! Come and find him at 11.30am and 2pm daily, with themed storytimes plus art and craft activities throughout the day. For more information, email info@sevenstories.org.uk.

Mischief and mayhem week
Seven Stories: 21-27 August, 11-30am & 2pm 
Horrid Henry is back to wreak havoc with his mischievous friends, all week long, with messy craft activities and gross storytimes every day at 11.30am and 2pm with appearances from Horrid Henry himself. For more information, email info@sevenstories.org.uk.

Gregory Hughes film writing workshop
Seven Stories: Monday 23 August, 11:30 & 2pm 
Love books and film? Author and script writer Gregory Hughes is passionate about both. Join him in a special film writing workshop for children aged 10+ to develop their script-writing skills. Gregory will be reading from his new book, Unhooking the Moon, and children will then have the chance to create their own film scene based on an extract from the book before acting it out. Tickets: £10. For more information, email info@sevenstories.org.uk.

Dan Smith: Dry Season
Newcastle City Library: Wednesday 25 August, 7.45pm 
Set in Brazil, Dan Smith’s debut novel Dry Season is a tale of friends and enemies. For more information, see www.dansmithsbooks.com. This event is for 16 and overs and is a free event but tickets must be booked by phoning 0191 277 4100, emailing information@newcastle.gov.uk or by asking at your local library.

Emily Gravett in conversation
Seven Stories: Friday 27 August, 1pm 
The Kate Greenaway Award-winning illustrator celebrates her ‘mammoth’ new book, Cave Baby, written by Julia Donaldson, bringing a Stone Age story to life with new illustrations. Followed by book signing. For more information, email info@sevenstories.org.uk.

Deadline for the next newsletter
The next edition of The Listening Post covering September's literature events will go out towards the end of August. If you have events that you would like to submit for inclusion, you will need to send information by 20 August to olivia@newwritingnorth.com. The Listening Post is North East-specific, but from time to time may also highlight interesting writing events nationally. Promoters should also note that they can also submit information on events happening in the Tees Valley area directly to the Lit-Tees website.

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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.

News from New Writing North: 9 July 2010

Kate Fox News news
We are currently busy helping Radio 4’s Saturday Live resident poet Kate Fox take her show, Kate Fox News, to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year. The idea for the project came out of the cultural leadership placement Kate did with us last year. She is drawing on her credentials as performance poet, stand-up and sometime journalist to create her first full length-show. It tells her life story, via the big news events. From the Yorkshire Ripper to the burning of The Satanic Verses in Bradford, through the Blair years to volcanic ash, and the coalition government, she’ll be asking audiences to think about where they were when the news broke. Kate will be at The Gilded Balloon from 4-30 August at 12.15pm. Book your tickets now at http://gildedballoon.co.uk/tickets/performances.php?eventId=14:163.

ARC in Stockton, which is co-producing the show, will host the official regional preview on Monday 2 August. There is also a chance to see an early version at Washington Arts Centre on 31 July at 8pm.

New Northern Talent party
Winners of the Northern Writers’ Awards, award entrants who we felt had potential, and participants of the Fast-Track Fiction Programme, attended New Writing North’s New Northern Talent event in London last week. We were delighted that over 30 agents, scouts and editors attended the event, including representatives from Granta, Orion, Virago and Jonathan Cape. The writers attending had been put through their paces at a pitching workshop the previous week so were primed to make the best of the opportunity. Our fingers are crossed for the writers who attended and we wish them the best of luck with following up the contacts they made on the night.

Funding news and your opportunity to enter the debate
In June New Writing North received notice from Arts Council England that we are to receive a cut to our funding of 0.5% this year. The Government’s autumn spending review will make clearer the level of cuts that DCMS, Arts Council England and, then, their clients will receive next year. The Government’s budget signals seem to indicate that the level of cuts for next year could be somewhere between 10% and 30% (though possibly phased over more than one year).

We have always been conscious of managing costs at NWN and for the last two years have reduced our core management and administration expenditure to enable our budget to balance. Working this way has allowed us to protect what we see as our core services to writers. Like many other organisations and writers we have over the years benefitted from the increased availability of public sector funding in the North East; this too will continue to decrease. But we are optimists at NWN and both the staff and board are working hard to ensure that our services to literature and to writers will be as protected as we can make them in the future.

Also in this vein, the DCMS recently announced a consultation on the return of the lottery shares to their original causes. If agreed by Parliament, this would re-balance the share of the National Lottery, restoring arts, heritage and sport shares to their original 20% each by 2012. As many individual writers, arts organisations and community arts organisations benefit greatly from the Arts Council’s Grants for the arts programme, which is funded via the Lottery, this would be a very positive development. However, it’s vital that the Government hears directly from you about how the distinct benefits of additional lottery funding would help the Arts Council deliver their work on the ground. Details of the consultation can be found on the DCMS website at www.dcms.gov.uk/consultations/7070.aspx. We encourage you to take the time to add your voice to the debate and to lobby for the arts to receive a greater share of the available funds. The consultation closes on 21 August.

People

Whitley Bay writer Danielle Ramsay signs with Harper Collins
Congratulations to Whitley Bay writer Danielle Ramsay, whose novel Broken Silence is to be published on 14 October by Harper Collins. Broken Silence is the first book of a two-book deal with Harper Collins, and the sequel will be out next year. The novel encompasses much of the local landscape, figuratively and literally (Whitley Bay’s legendary Rendezvous Café even features on the cover). Danielle’s clearly on a bit of a winning streak at the moment, as she’s also been shortlisted for the second year running for the 2010 CWA Debut Dagger award for her novel, Lockdown. The award ceremony is being held at the Harrogate Crime Festival on 23 July, so we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed! For more information about Danielle, see www.danielleramsay.com.

Tapiwa poem on Cadaverine
Congratulations to young North East writer Tapiwa Moyo, whose poem My Mother at 5’ 7” Tall has been published on thecadaverine.com. Tapiwa was one of the young writers who took part in the writing project run by Kate Fox which culminated in the publication of The Book of Songs, where My Mother… was first seen. Cadaverine publishes the best new poetry and prose by emerging authors under the age of 25.

Adam Maxwell trails new work on YouTube
North East writer Adam Maxwell has just launched a trailer for his next piece of writing via YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNKPUV71S7Y. The writing to which the trailer relates is a comedy-crime-fiction novella he will be putting out later this month called The Defective Detective: Cat Chaser, which came about after a previous instalment via ebook publisher Feedbooks was downloaded almost 3,000 times since February. To get a taste of what’s to come, see www.feedbooks.com/userbook/10512.

Dick Curran’s Islanders at 24:7 fest
Congratulations to Dick Curran, whose play Islanders is one of 10 chosen for this year’s 24:7 festival in Manchester. An earlier version of the play had a rehearsed reading at Live Theatre but this is its first full-scale production. For more information, see www.247theatrefestival.co.uk/showislanders.html.

In the North East

Simon Armitage on the Pennine Way
Poet Simon Armitage will be walking the Pennine Way from north to south in July in the manner of the old troubadours – reading for his supper. A number of communities in Northumberland National Park are hosting readings and these are listed below. Simon will read for about an hour and then take questions, sign books and pass round the hat. There is more information about the tour on www.simonarmitage.com – click on Pennine Way.

Stockton International Riverside Festival looking for performers
Match Theatre, together with award-winning director James Dacre, is beginning a search for local performers, budding artists and anyone who has ever fancied performing at the Stockton International Riverside Festival. Match will be creating and performing a theatrical extravaganza at the festival with residents of Teesside. The performance will take place on 1 August on the High Street, with rehearsals starting on 13 July. Participants do not need to have any experience of theatre, but should be keen to perform and to get involved in something new. For more information, please contact Jenny at info@matchtheatre.com, or on 07803 058078.

National opportunities

The Terry Pratchett Prize
Sir Terry Pratchett and Transworld Publishers have launched a new award for aspiring debut novelists, The Terry Pratchett Anywhere But Here, Anywhen But Now Prize. Transworld will offer the winning author a publishing contract with a £20,000 advance. The award will be judged by Sir Terry Pratchett, Tony Robinson, Michael Rowley from Waterstone’s and two senior members of the editorial team at Transworld Publishers. Deadline for submissions: 31 December 2010. For further details about the award, and full terms and conditions, see www.terrypratchett.co.uk/news%5Ctermsandconditions.html.

Pentabus: We Are Here play competition
The award-winning Pentabus Theatre company invites playwrights from around the UK to submit a play for its 2012 season. Think you have an unproduced play that they might want to programme? Deadline for submissions: 29 October 2010. For submission guidelines, see www.pentabus.co.uk/index.php/current-programme/we-are-here.

The Listening Post

Linda France
Newcastle City Library: Monday 26 July, 6.15pm
Newcastle launch of Linda France’s new poetry collection, You are Her, published by Arc. Linda’s collections include The Simultaneous Dress and The Toast of the Kit Cat Club, a biography in verse of 18th century traveller and writer Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, and the acclaimed Book of Days, for which she set herself the challenge of writing a renga verse every day for 12 months. Free event, all welcome.

Alfred Corn
Lit & Phil: 28 July, at 7pm
Poetry reading by Alfred Corn. Alfred is the author of nine books of poems, including Stake: Selected Poems, 1972-1992, which appeared in 1999, and, most recently, Contradictions, which appeared with Copper Canyon Press in 2002. For many years he taught in the graduate writing program of the School of the Arts at Columbia in New York City and his book reviews have appeared in The New York Times Book Review and The Nation, Poetry London, and The Wolf.

Workshops and courses

British Haiku Society
Laing Gallery, Newcastle: Sunday 11 July, 2pm
Special meeting of the British Haiku Society NE Group at the ‘Japanese Wave’ exhibition at the Laing. Come along and write a haiku – or two. Guest poets Fred Schofield and Martin Lucas. For further details, email chrisphil79@hotmail.com.

Crafty Bookbinding workshop
The Hearth at Horsely: Saturday 17 July, 10am-4pm
A great opportunity to spend a day making beautiful, original and intriguing books and a great way to discover interesting formats with which to present and display your writing. You’ll work together to create personalised projects with professional results (with step by step take away instructions so you can reproduce the books at home). No previous experience necessary. To book, email chloe@artgoes.com. Cost: £35 for the day including materials, hand-outs and tea and cakes.

Marion Husband creative writing class
Marton Library, Middlesbrough: Monday 26 July, 6pm
This two-hour introduction to creative writing will help you create convincing characters, discover how to write dialogue, explore viewpoints and tips on how you can edit your work effectively. Part of the Middlesbrough Literary Festival. For more details, call 01642 812972 or see www.middlesbrough.gov.uk/litfest.

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 19 July. The next edition of The Listening Post covering August’s literature events will go out in late July. If you have events that you would like to submit for inclusion, you will need to send information by 20 July June 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.

The Listening Post: July 2010

Read Regional 2010
There’s a full programme of events from all our eight Read Regional authors running throughout July, with writers reading and talking about their work all over the North East, including special events at South Shields Amphitheatre, Hexham Farmers’ Market and the Stockton International Riverside Festival. Read Regional authors are also in the spotlight at the Middlesbrough Literary Festival, which runs throughout the month and features all manner of events, including prize-winning novelists such as Sarah Waters and Jill Dawson. For a full schedule and lots more information about Read Regional 2010, see www.readregional.com.

Salley Vickers: Life, Death, Love and Art
Darlington Arts Centre, Vane Terrace, Darlington: Thursday 1 July, 8pm
Salley Vickers is the author of several highly-acclaimed novels including Miss Garnet’s Angel, Mr Golightly’s Holiday and Dancing Backwards. Hear her read from her novels followed by a Q&A session. Tickets £10.50. For more details or to book, contact the box office on 01325 486 555 or go to www.darlingtonarts.co.uk.

Keith Pattison and David Peace: No Redemption book launch
Easington Social Welfare Centre: Saturday 3 July, 7.30pm
Join us for the launch for the photography collection, No Redemption: The 1984-85 Miner’s Strike in the Durham Coalfields, with photographs by Keith Pattison and words by David Peace. The evening also includes performed readings by Libby Davidson, Trevor Fox and David Peace, as well as music by Frankie & The Heartstrings. Tickets £3 from Easington Welfare Centre (tel: 0191 527 0635).

Oxfam Bookfest 2010
The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle: Sunday 4 July, 1pm-11pm
A whole day of page-turning, word-changing, book-loving celebrations as part of the national Oxfam Bookfest 2010. Including performances by local authors Catherine Graham and Rod Glenn, children’s storytelling, book stalls, and creative writing workshops. Tickets from free to £5. To book and for more information, see www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/content/books.

Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India
The Sage, Gateshead, Hall Two: Monday 5 July, 8pm
William Dalrymple’s latest book, Nine Lives, explores how faith and ritual are clinging on – and changing – in the face of India’s commercial boom. The concert will include readings from the book by the author and showcase one of the less well-known musical traditions of South Asia: Bengal’s wandering minstrels. Tickets: £13. Special offer: quote ‘New Writing North’ when you book and get £2 off. To book, call 0191 443 4661 or go to www.thesagegateshead.org.

Mushira live poetry
Westgate Community College, Newcastle: Sunday 11 July, 7.30pm
One of the Pakistan Cultural Society’s most popular live poetry events organised annually for over a decade. A great opportunity to meet, listen and be mesmerised by the series of romantic, patriotic and humorous poetries written and recited by well-known poets from the UK, Pakistan, India, USA, Canada and many other countries. Admission free. For more information, see www.pakistanculturalsociety.co.uk.

The All Comers Lyrical Slam
The Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle: Monday 12 July, 8pm (doors 7.30pm)
A new kind of slam: instead of poetry, use song lyrics performed as a spoken-word piece. No singing, no instruments, just you and your voice. The judges will vote on the performance and originality of the delivery. If you want to take part all you need are the lyrics from five songs, any songs, by anybody. Admission: £4 on the door. Slammers should email jeffprice@btopenworld.com to book their place in the line-up.

SJ Litherland and Andrew Forster book launches
The Lit & Phil, Newcastle: Wednesday 14 July, 7pm
SJ Litherland launches her sixth poetry collection, The Absolute Bonus of Rain, and Cumbrian poet Andrew Forster launches his second, Territory. Free entry, no need to book. For more information, see www.litandphil.org.uk.

Roz Southey: Putting the Mystery into History
Bishop Auckland Town Hall: Wednesday 14 July 7.30pm
Launch of Sword and Song, the fourth Charles Patterson murder mystery novel, and talk by author and musicologist Roz Southey. Charles Patterson is a determined but impoverished musician in 18th century Newcastle upon Tyne, who, together with some idiosyncratic – not to say outrageous – friends, solves mysteries he finds himself involved in. Free event, entry by ticket. To book and for more information, see www.bishopaucklandtownhall.org.uk.

Val McLane and Asit Maitra
Newcastle City Library: Thursday 22 July, 6.30pm
The anthology Xhosa Women’s Voices, edited by Val McLane, describes life during the Apartheid regime and afterwards, in the new, post-1994 South Africa. Asit Maitra’s poetry collection, Knife on the Edge, describes a journey from the young boy in Kolkata, full of dreams, through the experience of training to be a surgeon in Britain. Tickets: free from any Newcastle library, or by phone on 0191 277 4100. For more information, email information@newcastle.gov.uk.

Middlesbrough Literary Festival
Throughout July
A festival designed to celebrate the word in all its forms: written, spoken, sung and created. Festival highlights include prize-winning novelists Sarah Waters, Richard Milward and Jill Dawson, as well as local poets Bob Beagrie and Andy Willoughby. There will be writing workshops, literary performances of work by Jane Eyre and the fashions of the 1950s, an open mic event and a musical workshop. The festival is co-ordinated and delivered by Middlesbrough Libraries & Information Service and events are hosted in libraries throughout the borough. See www.middlesbrough.gov.uk/litfest for further details.

Deadline for the next newsletter
The next edition of The Listening Post covering August’s literature events will go out towards the end of July. If you have events that you would like to submit for inclusion, you will need to send information by 20 July to olivia@newwritingnorth.com. The Listening Post is North East-specific, but from time to time may also highlight interesting writing events nationally. Promoters should also note that they can also submit information on events happening in the Tees Valley area directly to the Lit-Tees website.

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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.

News from New Writing North: 25 June 2010

Northern Writers’ Awards 2010: Ten North East writers win a share of £25,000 prize fund
A bumper crop of writing talent has been rewarded today at the annual Northern Writers’ Awards ceremony. The awards were announced at a special event at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal, where the ten winning writers received their share of the £25,000 prize pot. The awards are made possible by sponsorship from the Leighton Group and support from Arts Council England.

Crime writers in particular were noticed this year by adult prose judge Madeleine Buston, of Darley Anderson Agency, with Andrew Dawson, from South Africa but living in Gateshead for several years, and Mari Hannah, from Northumberland, both winning prizes for their crime novels. A third promising young crime writer, Rebecca Muddiman from Redcar, was also a winner.

Three poets were awarded this year by poetry judge Daljit Nagra: Stevie Ronnie, from Ryton; Degna Stone, from Newcastle; and Sophie Baker, also from Newcastle, who this year is named as winner of the Andrew Waterhouse Award, which is named in memory of poet Andrew Waterhouse, who died in 2001. The award aims to give special support to a poet whose work shows great promise.

2010 also saw a children’s fiction agent judging the children’s entries for the first time. Julia Churchill, of The Greenhouse Agency, which specialises in children’s fiction, singled out Elizabeth Lawson, from Bedlington, and Beda Higgins, from Newcastle, for their works-in-progress.

The final award was given to Jane Thomas, who this year wins the Andrea Badenoch Award for Fiction. This annual award was established by the family and friends of Andrea Badenoch, a gifted novelist who died of breast cancer at the height of her literary career.

Photos of the awards event and more information on the winners this year will soon be available at www.newwritingnorth.com.

Fiona Veitch Smith wins 2010 People’s Play award
Fiona Veitch Smith has been announced as the winner of the People’s Play 2010 for her play Pig Stew. Fiona was one of over 40 new playwrights from across the region to enter this biennial playwriting competition, run as a partnership between New Writing North and the People’s Theatre, Heaton.

Fiona was born in Northumberland but raised in South Africa, where she worked as a journalist. Since returning to the UK in 2002 she has worked as a freelance journalist, editor and ghost-writer and completed an MA in creative writing at Northumbria University. She has had children’s fiction published and also writes for the screen. Her short film, Enemy Lines, has been screened at festivals around the world and she’s currently working on a documentary. She has previously written for amateur theatre and was shortlisted for the People’s Play Award in 2006.

Pig Stew will be premiered at the People’s Theatre between 16 and 20 November 2010, and more details will be on its website soon at www.ptag.org.uk.

Special offer for NWN newsletter readers: Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India
The Sage, Gateshead, Hall Two: Monday 5 July, 8pm
British writer William Dalrymple’s latest book, Nine Lives, explores how faith and ritual are evolving in the face of India’s commercial boom. To find these stories, Dalrymple criss-crossed India and Pakistan visiting the shrines, temples, remote villages and vast megacities where individuals are still keeping these traditions alive. To celebrate this journey, performers including a group of ganja-smoking tantric Baul singers from rural Bengal, and British Tamil virtuoso Susheela Raman join Dalrymple to bring his book to life and create one of the wildest collaborations in world music history. Special offer: quote ‘New Writing North’ when you book and get £2 off (normal price £13). To book, phone 0191 443 4661 or go to www.thesagegateshead.org.

People

Dan Smith shortlisted for Brit writers award
Congratulations to Newcastle writer Dan Smith, whose first novel, Dry Season, has been shortlisted for the Brit Writers Published Author of the Year Award. Dan is a Northern Writers’ Award winner and a graduate of the MA in creative writing at Northumbria University. The award is decided by public vote, and if you’d like to offer him your support, all you have to do is email ‘Dry Season’ to leah@britwriters.co.uk or text ‘Dry Season’ to 07772 311901.

A Doggerel Bard: BBC Radio 4, Tuesday 29 June, 11.30am
Comic poet Elvis McGonagall explores the world of satirical verse and discusses the craft of writing it, with guests including the bard of Salford, John Cooper Clarke, and North East poets Tony Harrison and Kate Fox. You can listen live, or if you miss the show, catch it on iPlayer at www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00stsjf.

Tynemouth Grand Hotel residency
Whitley Bay poet Keith Armstrong and graphic artist Peter Dixon of North Shields begin an arts residency at Tynemouth’s Grand Hotel towards the end of June. They will be documenting the hotel in words and images and the results of their residency will be launched in a brochure and special display on Thursday 9 September as part of North Tyneside’s Heritage Open Days programme. For more information, call Northern Voices on 0191 252 9531.

In the North East

Writers’ Block North East opens its doors: launch event Friday 2 July
Writers’ Block North East – a service bringing creative people together in the North East region – finally has a home at 95-97 Albert Road (the pink ‘We are open’ shop unit) and the team would like you to come and celebrate with them on Friday 2 July. The launch event will open at 1pm and should finish around 5.30pm. Confirmed guests include BBC writersroom North, NFM and Live Theatre. To book a ticket, go to http://writersblocklaunch.eventbrite.com. Following the event, there will then be a launch party at Blu Bar, near the new Writers’ Block North East venue. No tickets necessary, just come along. For more information about Writers’ Block, see www.facebook.com/writersblockne or email laura@writersblockne.com.

Workshops and courses

Factory Night @ Dunston Staithes, Gateshead: Friday 2 July, 12pm-2pm
Factory Nights is a series of inspiring working sessions for visual artists, photographers, writers, poets, musicians, filmmakers and any other creatives to come together in an interesting venue and supportive environment to make work or initiate ideas. Built by the North Eastern Railway in 1890, the staithes at Dunston were used to load coal arriving via train from the North Durham coalfields onto ships. They were used until the 1970s and were finally closed in the 80s. Today, the staithes are reputed to be the largest surviving structure of this type in Europe, and are protected as a Listed Building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Places are limited to 25 so please RSVP to info@rednile.org. Due to high demand, only one space may be offered per email. For more information, see www.rednile.org/factorynights_09-10.htm.

Hall Garth Poets summer school: 26-30 July
The annual summer school will take place at Chop Gate village hall, Stokesley, from 26-30 July, 10am-4pm and will be led once again by Mandy Sutter. Cost for the week to include sandwich lunch is £85 but it’s also open to single day attendance, at £25 per day. Contact Jo Briggs on jo.heather@bilsdale.org for further details and to book, or phone 01439 798320.

National opportunities

Aldeburgh First Collection Prize 2010 open for entries
The prestigious Aldeburgh First Collection Prize is now open for entries. Established in 1989, this is one of the most important and long-established poetry prizes in the UK, and the only one to offer a cash prize as well as significant professional development. The winner receives £3,000, plus a week’s writing time and a fee-paying invitation to read at the 2011 Aldeburgh Poetry Festival. Deadline for entries: 31 July 2010. Full competition details are at www.thepoetrytrust.org/aldeburgh-first-collection-prize/2010_prize.

Final call for entries for The John Betjeman Young People’s Poetry Competition
Time is running out for entrants for the John Betjeman Young People’s Poetry Competition, which closes for entries on 31 July. The competition is open to all 11- to 14 year-olds. Entrants are limited to one poem each about their local surroundings or any aspect thereof, whether it be a house, a street, a garden, or a city. The first prize is £1,000 (£500 to the winner and £500 to the English department of her/his school). The first prize winner, runner-up and highly commended entrants will also each win £50 of book tokens, while commended winners will receive books. For more information, see www.betjemanpoetrycompetition.com/pages/2010-competition/submit-entry.asp.

Miscellany

Extraordinary Measures: Belsay Hall, 1 May-26 September
Beautiful Belsay Hall in Northumberland has been transformed this summer into a playground of perspectives – sculptures by contemporary artists including Ron Mueck, street artist Slinkachu and one-time Young British Artist Mat Collishaw flip your normal expectations of size and scale upside down. New Writing North has been given a VIP pass for the exhibition to give away as part of Read Regional 2010 (details coming soon) but normal ticket prices start from only £4 (English Heritage members free). You can see more about the exhibition at www.extraordinarymeasures.co.uk.

Folkworks/Folkwords Adult Summer School
The Folkworks Adult Summer School at The Sage Gateshead runs from 9-14 August and is open to participants aged 20 and over. This year, organisers are offering a new element: a new timetable option of Folkwords. This is for the morning only, exploring the written and spoken word, including story-telling, creative writing and working from existing texts. The class is led by Mike Tickell, who we recently commissioned to create a new mixed media piece with poet Carolyn Jess-Cooke as part of the Words & Music Festival at The Sage. Prices for the week range from £255 to £520, depending on accommodation/catering requirements. For more information, see www.thesagegateshead.org or email folkworks@thesagegateshead.org.

Oxford Editors literary consultancy: special offer for New Writing North newsletter subscribers
The Oxford Editors is an international literary consultancy and agency, providing editorial and assessment services to writers, agents and publishers. Their editors are published authors, successful screenwriters, world-class ghost-writers, copy editors or proofreaders. Manuscript assessments depend on the word count, and start from £160; editing and proofreading fees depend on the content and the state of the manuscript. To learn more visit their website at www.theoxfordeditors.co.uk or contact info@theoxfordeditors.co.uk. As a special offer, the Oxford Editors are offering a 10% discount on their fees to members of New Writing North – Just quote ‘New Writing North’ when contacting them.

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 5 July. The next edition of The Listening Post covering August’s literature events will go out in late July. If you have events that you would like to submit for inclusion, you will need to send information by 20 July June 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.

News from New Writing North: 11 June 2010

Tyneside Cinema book commission
We are delighted to announce that writer Michael Chaplin was awarded our recent commission to produce a collection of essays based on stories from the history of the Tyneside Cinema. As well as having a significant track record of writing for television, radio and theatre, Michael is also a prose writer and was one of the contributors to Fix This Moment, our recent book about North East literary history. Many writers applied for the position and New Writing North and staff at the Tyneside were very touched by the enthusiasm and warm feelings that many of the writers who applied had for the cinema and we’d like to thank everyone who made an application for doing so.

Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India
British writer William Dalrymple’s latest book, Nine Lives, explores how faith and ritual are clinging on – and changing – in the face of India’s commercial boom. Nine Lives explores this process through nine personal stories — a Sufi, a possession dancer, a Buddhist monk, a Jain nun, a tantric, and a Bengali Baul singer, among others. To celebrate this journey, 21 performers join Dalrymple in a world tour across the UK, US and Australia – bringing his book to life and creating one of the wildest collaborations in world music history courtesy of a group of ganja-smoking tantric Baul singers, and Susheela Raman, an award-winning British Tamilian virtuoso who has helped to foster an ancient but dying sacred song tradition from the temples of southern India. Join them at The Sage Gateshead on Monday 5 July 2010 at 8pm. To book, call 0191 4434661 or see the Sage website.

How often do you want your writing news?
Don’t forget that you can also follow NWN news and opportunity updates on Facebook and Twitter. We now post info on competitions, awards and activities on these sites on a daily basis so do sign up if you’d like to keep in closer contact with us. You can also view these pages if you aren’t fully signed up to the sites in question at www.facebook.com/newwritingnorth?ref=ts and http://twitter.com/NewWritingNorth.

Read Regional: events coming up in June
The first few author events in libraries have gone really well, with some lovely audiences asking the authors all sorts of questions – including a few they really weren’t prepared for! Throughout the summer, the Read Regional authors will be doing free events, reading from their work and taking questions from readers, in libraries all over Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, County Durham and Teesside. You can get all the details about Read Regional and see some photos from our launch event on the Metro last week at www.readregional.com but here’s what’s coming up in June: You can follow the events on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ReadRegional.

Linda France: You Are Her
Hartlepool Central Library: Friday 18 June, 6.30pm

Cynthia Fuller: Background Music
Tynemouth Library: Thursday 24 June, 2pm
(The Read Regional stall will be at Longsands Beach, Tynemouth, next to Crusoes Café, from 10am that day)

Graham Pears: The Myth of Justice
Blackwell Bookshop, Newcastle: Wed 30 June, 6pm

People

Read Regional 2009 author Valerie Laws shortlisted for McKitterick Prize
The Rotting Spot by Valerie Laws (published by Red Squirrel Press, and one of our selected books for Read Regional 2009) has been shortlisted for the McKitterick Prize. Judges Russell Celyn Jones, Lindsey Davis and Frances Fyfield have shortlisted six books for the £4,000 award which will be awarded on 15 June at the Society of Author’s Wards. Fingers crossed for Valerie!

New play for People’s Play winner
Former People’s Play winner Noreen Rees has written a new play, Signs and Miracles, which is being performed in Whitley Bay next week. The production will feature actors from Dreamcoat, a community arts group working with both deaf and hearing performers, encouraging both groups to perform together collaboratively in the same production and will be signed by BSL/English interpreters. Performances are at St John’s Church, Whitley Bay, and St Mary’s Church, Whitley Bay, from 17-26 June. For further information, email noreenrees@hotmail.com or call St Mary’s Church on 0191 251 4216.

In the North East

Tyneside Cinema book club: The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson
The prolific Michael Winterbottom, adapter of Thomas Hardy and Laurence Sterne, turns his hand to a classic of American crime fiction, Jim Thompson’s 1952 novel The Killer Inside Me. Come to the Tyneside Cinema Book Club at the Tyneside Bar after the 2pm screening on Sunday 13 June and discuss this remarkable adaptation with Dr Andrew Shail and Dr Stacy Gillis from Newcastle University. For more information, see www.tynecine.org.

Music magazine looking for writers and reviewers on Teesside
Music magazine NARC, which many of you will have seen in the hip and happening bars and shops around the North East, are looking for more contributors on Teesside. They’re looking for people interested in writing for the magazine, contributing reviews of music, and other music- and culture-related stuff going on in the Tees Valley. If you’d like to get involved, email info@narcmedia.com with some information about yourself, what music you’re into, and what writing you do.

Networking and support event for unusual workers
North East company Space on Tap has organised two ‘Colleagues on Tap’ days for people who usually work from home or in a small team, or outside of the usual 9 to 5, while they’re setting up or running a business. The one-day co-working events provide the opportunity to combine a day’s work with the chance to make new contacts. The workshop days offer dedicated workspace with free wi-fi and relaxation areas, so participants can get their head down for as long as they like, then take a break to talk through business ideas and issues with their colleagues for the day, or just have a chat over coffee. As many writers work from home and have flexible working hours, it may be that some of you would benefit from attending one of the days. The first event is in Benton on 16 June, the second in Shiremoor on 26 June (with childcare facilities on the latter day). You can get more information and book at http://colleaguesontap.eventbrite.com or by emailing info@spaceontap.com.

National opportunities

John Whiting Award
This year’s John Whiting Award is now open for submissions. Awarded annually to the new play which best demonstrates an original and distinctive development in dramatic writing, The Whiting Award, worth £6,000, has been instrumental in the development of the careers of some of the best-known British dramatists in the last 45 years. Deadline for entries: 20 August 2010. For more information, see http://twp2009.wordpress.com/projects/whiting-award.

BBC National Short Story Award 2010
The BBC National Short Story Award is one of the most prestigious for a single short story, with the winning author receiving £15,000. The runner-up receives £3,000 and three further shortlisted authors get £500 each. Deadline for entries: 18 June 2010. For more information, see www.booktrust.org.uk/Prizes-and-awards/BBC-National-Short-Story-Award.

Picador Poetry Prize
The Picador Poetry Prize will recognise and publish the best new, previously unpublished poetry in the UK. It will be awarded for a representative selection of a poet’s work, rather than a single poem. The prize is a much-coveted publishing deal with Picador, and a £1,000 advance. Deadline for entries: 1 September 2010. For more information, see www.picador.com/Poetry/prize/picadorpoetryprize.aspx.

The Fielding Programme 2010
A specialist residency programme for writers, running for two weeks beginning Monday 18 October. The programme is a chance for you to develop professionally in inspiring surroundings and receive one-to-one mentoring from award-winning writer Polly Clark. You can stay for one or two weeks, depending on your project, staying at Scotland’s international artist residency centre, Cove Park. With time to write, the company of a small group of fellow writers and the quiet hospitality offered by your hosts you can make real progress on your writing. For more details or to book, see www.fieldingprogramme.com.

Miscellany

North East writer selling caravan – perfect retreat!
North East writer Kitty Fitzgerald has made us aware of her caravan in Northumberland, near Hexham, which she’s looking to sell. You can get photos and more information about this idyllic writer’s hideaway by emailing Kitty at wolfitz@blueyonder.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 21 June. The next edition of The Listening Post covering July’s literature events will go out in late June. If you have events that you would like to submit for inclusion, you will need to send information by 22 June 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.

News from New Writing North: 28 May 2010

Read Regional 2010: Monument Metro taken over by summer reading campaign
Commuters passing through Newcastle’s Monument Metro station on Friday 4 June will be encouraged to take five minutes out from their busy day by relaxing with a good book as the ticket hall is transformed into a beach reading haven. Between 7.30am and 11am, the station will be adorned with deckchairs, banners and well-stocked bookshelves to launch this year’s Read Regional campaign, which is intended to get people reading books by regional authors. Free copies of the books being promoted by the campaign will be handed out to commuters and some of the writers will also be on hand to join in the fun. For more information about Read Regional, see www.readregional.com.

Galloping Stone makes Durham debut
The Galloping Stone is a collection of poems and prose written by clients, staff and volunteers at the Medical Foundation for the Care of the Victims of Torture, arising from poet Gillian Allnutt’s residency there. At this special Colpitts event, Gillian and some of the contributors will read their work. The event is at Alington House, Durham, on Friday 11 June at 8pm and tickets are £5/£3. For more details go to www.colpittspoetry.co.uk. Copies of The Galloping Stone are available to buy from the NWN shop.

Nightingales and Roses: poetry in Iran
Two years ago, radio producer Caroline Beck, who runs our Living Room Book Group, visited Isfahan in Iran. On a dawn walk she heard the hypnotic sound of a man on his way to work pausing to sing. She recorded him, asked him what he was singing – he said, Hafez, a 14th-century poet. Imagine anyone reciting Chaucer underneath the Tyne Bridge at 6am…

Nightingales and Roses, which is presented by Iranian born British film-maker Amir Amirani, is broadcast today on the BBC World Service. The programme is the culmination of that chance encounter that day and how a delight in poetry reflects a rarely seen side of Iran. Nightingales and Roses is broadcast throughout the day today, but it’s probably easier to listen to it on iPlayer.

People

Bishop FM features local authors in new writing programme
Bishop Auckland’s community radio station, Bishop FM (available on 105.9FM if you’re in the area and online at www.bishopfm.com if you’re not) has launched a monthly programme giving airtime to author reviews and interviews. Local crime writer Ann Cleeves is their first guest on Tuesday 1 June at 7pm, when she’ll be interviewed by fellow local author Wendy Robertson. On 1 July, Bishop FM will have an interview with children’s writer David Almond (pictured). You can get more details of programmes on their website.

In the North East

Writers’ Block North East starts in Middlesbrough
Writers’ Block is an exciting new project for writers and creatives in the Teesside region, bringing writers together with actors, directors, film crew, musicians, illustrators, animators, radio producers and photographers; it will provide work space and facilities; create opportunities to produce showreels and develop portfolios; house regular training sessions; and give writers access to agents, publishers and key industry figures. Want to get involved? Visit www.facebook.com/writersblockne for further information about the opportunities outlined, or contact laura@writersblockne.com.

Courses and workshops

Write for Animation with Ian Fenton
Teesside University’s School of Arts & Media is offering Writing for Animation, a one-day workshop on Friday 25 June hosted by award-winning scriptwriter Ian Fenton, who also directs the Story Engine conference. In this highly practical workshop, Ian will look at the skills required to write for animation compared to live action film. He’ll focus on the dynamics of developing an animation screenplay – how you go about writing a script for it, what the process is and how you create a ‘story bible’. He’ll also talk about how to get feedback on your script, and how to get your ideas to a producer. The subsidised Writing for Animation price for North East registered SMEs or freelancers is just £39.99 (usually £170) per person. To book, contact James McDermott on 01642 738 089 or samwfd@tees.ac.uk.

National opportunities

National Poetry Competition open for entries
Now in its 33rd year, the Poetry Society’s National Poetry Competition is one of the world’s biggest poetry competitions. As well as a cash prize, winners’ work is published in the Poetry Society’s international journal, Poetry Review. The judges this year are poets George Szirtes, Deryn Rees-Jones and Sinéad Morrissey. The prizes are: £5,000 for the overall winner, £2,000 for the second, £1,000 for the third and seven commendations of £100. Deadline for entries is 31 October 2010. Enter online or download an entry form at www.poetrysociety.org.uk.

Arvon International Poetry Competition
Founded by Ted Hughes and now in its 30th year, The Arvon International Poetry Competition is one of the UK’s most prestigious open poetry prizes. The first prize of £7,500 is one of the largest available for a single poem. The competition is truly international, welcoming entries from around the world. You can get all the details and enter online at www.arvonfoundation.org/p147.html. Deadline for entries is 5pm, 16 August 2010.

Opportunities for professional writers, musicians and artists in North Yorkshire
The Extending Practice/Celebrating Place project has a budget of £70,000 towards marketing, mentoring and commissioning of writers, musicians and visual artists in North Yorkshire. Writers and musicians can attend one of the information sessions in June and July. Details of the information sessions as well as more on the project are available at www.creativenorthyorkshire.com.

Poetry Business 2010 Book & Pamphlet Competition open to submissions
The Poetry Business is now inviting entries for its 24th Book & Pamphlet Competition. This year the prize is sponsored by NAWE (The National Association for Writers in Education), whose support has allowed the prize pot to be raised to £2,000. This year’s judge is Simon Armitage. Deadline for entries is 29 November 2010. For more information, go to www.poetrybusiness.co.uk.

Call for short stories for new anthology of British Asian fiction
Tindal Street Press, the independent publisher based in Birmingham, has opened its doors to submissions of short stories by anyone who considers themselves to be British Asian. The anthology, Asian Enough?, is set be published in October 2011. Deadline for entries is 30 June. For more information, see www.tindalstreet.co.uk/news/call-for-submissions-for-a-new-anthology-of-britis.

Miscellany

Manuscript appraisal offer by agents at Blake Friedmann
Would you like your manuscript read and appraised by real, live agents? How about doing it for charity? Agents at Blake Friedmann, both in books and film, are offering manuscript appraisals in an auction for the Book Trade Charity’s Action Week (7-11 June). Your bid needs to be emailed to auction@blakefriedmann.co.uk before midnight on 11 June, and you can get more details about the charity and the agency at www.blakefriedmann.co.uk/auction.

Free scriptreading by Live Theatre
If you haven’t already taken advantage of this scheme, Live Theatre offers a free script reading service which provides an opportunity to get professional and objective feedback on your script prior to sending it out to theatres and agents for consideration. Visit www.live.org.uk/newwriting/scriptreadingservice.php to check submission guidelines.

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 7 June. The next edition of The Listening Post covering July’s literature events will go out in late June. If you have events that you would like to submit for inclusion, you will need to send information by 20 June to olivia@newwritingnorth.com.

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The Listening Post: June 2010

Read Regional 2010: Author events in libraries across the region 
Our annual Read Regional campaign has kicked off once again, with eight fantastic authors from the North East showcased this year. Throughout the summer, the Read Regional authors will be doing free events, reading from their work and taking questions from readers, in libraries all over Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, County Durham and Teesside. You can get all the details about Read Regional at www.readregional.com but here’s what’s coming up in June:

  Janette Jenkins: Angel of Brooklyn 
West End Library, Newcastle: Monday 7 June, 2pm  

Rebecca Jenkins: The Duke’s Agent
 Fenham Library, Newcastle: Tuesday 8 June, 2pm 

 Linda France: You Are Her
 Hartlepool Central Library: Friday 18 June, 6.30pm

  Cynthia Fuller: Background Music 
Tynemouth Library: Thursday 24 June, 2pm 
The Read Regional stall will be at Longsands Beach, Tynemouth, next to Crusoes Café, from 10am that day 

 Graham Pears: The Myth of Justice
 Blackwell Bookshop, Newcastle: Wed 30 June, 6pm

Middlesbrough Literary Festival
19 June-30 July
A festival designed to celebrate the word in all its forms: written, spoken, sung and created. Festival highlights include prize-winning novelists Sarah Waters, Richard Milward and Jill Dawson, as well as local poets Bob Beagrie and Andy Willoughby. There will be writing workshops, literary performances of work by Jane Eyre and the fashions of the 1950s, an open mic event and a musical workshop. The festival is co-ordinated and delivered by Middlesbrough Libraries & Information Service and events are hosted in libraries throughout the borough. Visit www.middlesbrough.gov.uk/litfest for further details.

Create your own comic in a week
Seven Stories, Newcastle: Tuesday 1-Friday 4 June, 11am-1pm/2pm-4pm
Children under eight can unleash their creative talents for a four-day intensive comic book workshop. Tickets: £10 per participating child (includes four sessions, either morning or afternoon) and £15 for a child’s annual pass. For more information, call 08452710777 ext 715.

Jackie Kay
Great North Museum, Newcastle: Thursday 3 June, 7pm 
Prize-winning novelist, poet, playwright and short story writer Jackie Kay launches her eagerly-anticipated memoir, Red Dust Road, with the Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts. Tickets: £6/£4. For details, see www.ncl.ac.uk/ncla.

The Key to the Garden
Eden Theatre, Bishop Auckland Town Hall: Friday 4 June, 7.30pm
Rachel Laurence’s one-woman play tells the story of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s rise from genteel poverty in Salford to become a pioneering author of classic books such as The Secret Garden, A Little Princess and Little Lord Fauntleroy. Tickets: £6 (concs available) and more information from (01388) 602610 or the Town Hall Library.

The Palestinians Are Coming
Side Cinema, Newcastle: Friday 4 June, 7.30pm 
A special screening of Alastair Cummings’s documentary, The Palestinians Are Coming, on the visit to the North East last year of The Children of Shatila, who were in the region performing work by North East writer Peter Mortimer. Peter will also talk about the whole Shatila project. Tickets £2.50. To book call 0191 232 2208.

Hyperlexic presents: Poetry Boxing
Saville Exchange, North Shields: Saturday 5 June, 7.30pm 
An exciting spoken-word event that pulls no punches. Featuring work from Hyperlexic’s mini poetry residency at North Shields Boxing Club led by poets Jess Johnson and Joe Hakim. Tickets: £7/£5 and more information from 0191 643 7093.

Sean O’Brien
Newcastle City Library: Sunday 6 June, 2pm 
Award-winning poet Sean O’Brien reads a selection of his poetry. Tickets: free from any Newcastle library, or by phone on 0191 277 4100. For more information email information@newcastle.gov.uk.

Paul Durcan
Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University: Thursday 10 June, 7pm 
In the last ten years alone, Paul Durcan has published three books of poetry and, most recently, a collection drawing on the full body of his published work, Life is a Dream: 40 Years of Reading Poems 1967-2007 (2009). Tickets: £6/£4. For more details see www.ncl.ac.uk/ncla.

Ink Festival
Cluny 2, Newcastle: Friday 11 June & Saturday 12 June, 7pm 
An exciting new event promoting new writing from the region. Two nights of scratch performances of poetry, short stories and mini plays, plus live music. Tickets: £5. For more details, email inkfestival@hotmail.com.

The Galloping Stone
Alington House, Durham: Friday 11 June, 8pm 
The Galloping Stone is a collection of poems and prose written by clients, staff and volunteers at the Medical Foundation for the Care of the Victims of Torture, arising from Gillian Allnutt’s residency there. At this special Colpitts event Gillian and some of the contributors will read their work. Tickets £5/£3. For more details go to www.colpittspoetry.co.uk.

Storytelling: Local Legends at The Bowes Museum
Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle: Sunday 13 June, 11am & 12pm 
Tales based on local legends will be delivered by popular storyteller Adam Bushnell, in the museum’s outdoor Story Garden. Each drop-in session will last for around 30 minutes and is free of charge. For more details ring 01833 690606.

Murder on the Orient Express: discussion with Martyn Waites
Newcastle City Library: Wednesday 16 June, 6pm 
Writer Martyn Waites discusses Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express as part of the Harrogate Book Festival. Tickets: free from any Newcastle Library or by phone on 0191 2774100. For details email information@newcastle.gov.uk.

Catherine Graham
Lit & Phil, Newcastle: Wednesday 16 June, 7.30pm 
Northern Voices Poetry Award and Northumberland Writers’ Special Award winner Catherine Graham launches her first collection of poetry, Signs. Tickets: £2 on the door, to include refreshments.

Crime Fiction Week event
Lit & Phil, Newcastle: Thursday 17 June, 7pm 
Join Red Squirrel Press crime fiction and Read Regional novelists Valerie Laws (author of The Rotting Spot) and Graham Pears (author of The Myth of Justice) who will read from their novels. Free event, refreshments available. Please contact Lit & Phil on 0191 232 0192 to reserve a place, and go to www.redsquirrelpress.com for more details.

Dean Wilkinson
Ingleby Barwick Library, Stockton on Tees: Thursday 24 June, 6.30pm
BAFTA award-winning TV comedy writer and author Dean Wilkinson will be giving a talk and signing copies of his books. Dean has enjoyed a long and successful career writing for British TV and radio shows, magazines and comics, console games and books. He is also founder of the Wilkinson Press. This is a free event but booking is essential. To book call 01642 528528 or email inglebybarwick.library@stockton.gov.uk.

SJ Litherland
Alington House, Durham: Friday 25 June, 8pm 
Poet, Vane Woman and creative writing tutor, SJ Litherland launches a powerful new collection, The Absolute Bonus of Rain, with music. Tickets: £5/£3. For more information, see www.colpittspoetry.co.uk.

Bridlington Poetry Festival
Sewerby Hall, Bridlington: Friday 11 June-Sunday 13 June 
This inaugural festival comprises 32 events over three days, including poetry workshops, special drama and word-play events for children and parents, and performances from some of poetry’s most popular figures, including Simon Armitage, Daljit Nagra and Mario Petrucci. For details and festival listings go to www.bridlington-poetry-festival.com.

Deadline for the next newsletter
The next edition of The Listening Post covering July's literature events will go out towards the end of June. If you have events that you would like to submit for inclusion, you will need to send information by 20 June to olivia@newwritingnorth.com. The Listening Post is North East-specific, but from time to time may also highlight interesting writing events nationally. Promoters should also note that they can also submit information on events happening in the Tees Valley area directly to the Lit-Tees website.

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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.

News from New Writing North: 14 May 2010

Words & Music Festival: 14-17 May 2010
This weekend, we will be celebrating the happy synergy between music and the spoken and written word, thanks to a new partnership between New Writing North and The Sage Gateshead. Over a long weekend developed with festival curator Ian McMillan, we present new work from a range of writers and musicians, host concerts from some of the world’s greatest songwriters, examine the linguistic possibilities of rap, folk and grime and debate how best to write about music with an esteemed panel of critics and publishers.

We’re especially looking forward to Folken Word, which will take place in the afternoon of Saturday 15 May, and will be introducing three new partnerships between folk musicians and writers from the North East: Dan Walsh and Amy Mackelden, Peter Tickell and Carolyn Jess-Cooke, and Kate Young and Ira Lightman.

You can get all the details of the festival and book tickets at www.wordsandmusicnortheast.com.

Fix This Moment now available
What’s so special about the North East? Why is it such a fantastic place to be a writer, and has borne so many successful authors? New Writing North was part of a team which commissioned current North East writers, including David Almond, Neil Astley, Michael Chaplin and Peter Mortimer, to look at the region’s literary history, and the book of their essays has now been published. It was launched at Hexham Book Festival a fortnight ago at a lovely event where several contributors read from their work, and you can now buy it online at www.newwritingnorth.com/shop/shop.php?section=1.

Read Regional: read all about it
Anyone who missed our special Read Regional supplement in The Journal last week can catch up on what they missed at www.journallive.co.uk/culture-newcastle/read-regional. The supplement features interviews with each of the eight authors in this year’s programme as well as the chance to hear from some of the North East’s keen readers on where and what they read.

People

Jackie Litherland hits for six
North East poet SJ Litherland’s sixth poetry collection, The Absolute Bonus of Rain, has just been published by Flambard. This new book follows on from her highly praised collections The Work of the Wind and The Homage and weaves together such themes as weather and cricket. The book costs £8.50 and is available from www.flambardpress.co.uk and www.inpressbooks.co.uk.

Book blog from radio DJ-turned writer
Metro radio breakfast man, Evening Chronicle columnist, and author of Hornes Down Under (Part One), Tony Horne has recently begun a book blog. Among the recent entries is a list of books he owns but has never read, despite wanting to read them when he bought them or was given them. Sounds a familiar story? Check it out at http://tonyhornebooks.blogspot.com.

In the North East

North East trio preview Prague play at Live
In our 16 April newsletter we told you about North East playwrights Rosalind Wyllie and Alison Carr, along with dramaturg/director Degna Stone, whose first collaboration, Blood & Money, will be showcased at the Prague Fringe Festival in June. We’ve just been informed that prior to jetting off, there will be a performance at Live Theatre on Monday 24 May at 8pm. Admission is free, but donations will be welcome – all money raised going towards the costs of taking the production to Prague. Tickets can be obtained from Live Theatre box office on 0191 232 1232.

Durham Mysteries: new plays from regional writers
Mystery plays were among the earliest dramas, reaching their popularity peak in the 15th Century, and for the illiterate majority, a means of telling Bible stories. The team at the Gala Theatre in Durham asked writers from the region to take a story, whether from the original medieval cycle, or from Durham’s wider relevant faith-based tradition, and to reinterpret it for a modern audience. Durham Mysteries 2010 will be presented from Thursday 27 May–Saturday 29 May, and includes stories from writers such as Gavin Williams, Fred and Ellen Phethean, and David Almond. On each of the three evenings there will be the opportunity to see the whole cycle of 10 Mystery Plays in one incredible evening of drama and spectacle. You can get more information at www.durhammysteries.co.uk.

Courses and workshops

New writing group in Blackhall, County Durham
The group meets from 5pm until 7pm on the last Monday of each month at Blackhall Library, Hartlepool. The group was set up so that local people with an interest in writing (whatever level they are at) can meet like-minded people to build confidence in reading out work and to gain positive feedback, to learn new writing skills and to find out about competitions and opportunities. Free to join and all are welcome. Free refreshments are available on arrival. For further enquiries call 0750 1117 919 or email crobinson59@ymail.com.

Pen and Tonic: Writing for parents and young people
This is a free nine-week course run by Pen and Tonic and North Tyneside Council Adult Learning Alliance’s Family Learning Team. It’s an opportunity for parents and young people aged nine-plus to learn about how writing can be fun and make you feel better. Meetings will take place at Central Library, North Shields, starting in the middle of May (date TBC). All resources are provided and no experience is necessary. For more details, go to www.penandtonic.org.

Jobs

Two arts development officers needed at North Tyneside Council
North Tyneside Council is changing the way it delivers and supports the arts and is looking to appoint two additional arts development officers. The arts development team has responsibility for initiating, managing and supporting a wide range of projects, from temporary public art installations to working with young offenders. Deadline for applications: Friday 21 May. For more information, see www.northeastjobs.org/JobDetails.aspx/8593/Arts_Development_Officers/?SminimumSalary=0&SmaximumSalary=0&sSectorLook=229&sLocationLook=6.

Writers in residence in prison (WIPN)
WIPN is funded by Arts Council England, in association with the National Offender Management Service, and seeks four new writers in residence (including one in Northumberland) at HMP Castington (Northumberland), HMP Drake Hall (Staffordshire), HMP Hewell (Worcestershire), and HMP Warren Hill (Suffolk). The contract is for one to two years at 18.5 hours a week, and the salary is £13,786 PA. For more information, email wipn@btinternet.com or see www.writersinprisonnetwork.com. Deadline for applications: Saturday 29 May.

Miscellany

Laureate Storyteller joins charity walk at Alnwick Garden
Taffy Thomas, the first Laureate Storyteller, is doing the upcoming Walk for Autism Research, which is taking place on Sunday 13 June at The Alnwick Garden. Friends and families are invited to join in any one of three short walks (1, 3 or 5 miles) through The Alnwick Garden and raise funds in the process. All funds raised will be in aid of Autistica, the only UK charity raising funds for biomedical research into the causes of autism. If you’d like to join the walk, or support someone who is, please go to www.autistica.org.uk/events/alnwick.php.

Don’t judge a book by its cover – especially in France!
At New Writing North, we’ve always been intrigued by different book covers between editions of the same book, but this article in The Guardian about book covers in foreign editions really piqued our curiosity. Why will a book which does well in the UK but do badly in France, with the same cover? And why do most books in French have a very generic beige cover with exactly the same font? (One NWN staff member is French, hence the spotlight on that language in particular!) We’ve decided we like our British eccentricity and artistic licence to be reflected in our book collection – it makes for more colourful bookshelves.

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 24 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.

Words & Music Festival 2010

This weekend we are celebrating the happy synergy between music and the spoken and written word with a new partnership with The Sage Gateshead. Over a long weekend developed with festival curator Ian McMillan, we will be presenting new work from a range of writers and musicians, hosting concerts from some of the world’s greatest songwriters, examining the linguistic possibilities of rap, folk and grime, and debating how best to write about music with a panel of critics and publishers.

The festival explodes into the public areas of The Sage with the premiere of a newly commissioned multimedia piece, Homing In.

Festival highlights 

On Saturday 15 May, our Folken Word afternoon will be focusing on the connections between folk music and words, both through existing collaborations with the pairings of concertina maestro Alistair Anderson with poet Katrina Porteous, and Folkworks artistic director Kathryn Tickell with harpist Corrina Hewat, and through new projects. Three groups of students from Newcastle University’s degree course in folk and traditional music present new arrangements of folk tales and we will be premiering three new Words & Music Festival commissions:

Musician Dan Walsh and prose writer Amy Mackelden have written two pieces which combine folk music and the spoken word to examine the relationships we have with each other, ourselves and with inanimate objects, be it online or off-, as part of an audience, on stage, or as an ongoing dialogue with people we’ve never even met.

When the Orchard Withers It Will Be Spring is a contemporary retelling of the Lambton Worm legend in the context of war, with a libretto by poet Carolyn Jess-Cooke and music composed by Peter Tickell.

In The New Mountain, a new work by poet Ira Lightman and musician Kate Young , residents of Newcastle wake up to find that the city has turned into a mountain with a mysterious multi-coloured cloud hanging over it. The population set out to climb, uncertain what they will find at the top. With guest narration from Ian McMillan.

Sunday 16 May sees the premiere of our festival commission: Homing In, by Ian McMillan and Luke Carver Goss. This multimedia celebration features a 200-strong ensemble of singers and musicians and is inspired by the region’s traditions of keeping and racing pigeons. The show also takes full advantage of the theatrical possibilities of The Sage’s spectacular concourse.

Later that afternoon, you can join an esteemed panel to consider the small print of writing about music. Chaired by Ian McMillan, the panel includes David Hepworth of The Word magazine; Ivan Hewett, chief music critic for the Telegraph; writer and TV producer Chris Phipps; Claire Dupree of Narc magazine; and Adam Krims, professor of music analysis at the University of Nottingham.

If you’re itching to write about music yourself, check out the festival’s new blog at www.wordsandmusicreview.com where you can bag free tickets for concerts at The Sage in exchange for a written review.

For the full programme of festival events, including how to book, see www.wordsandmusicnortheast.com.

News from New Writing North: 30 April 2010

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.

The Listening Post: May 2010

Hexham Book Festival
Queen’s Hall, Hexham, and other venues: Friday 23 April-Sunday 2 May 
A week of events and talks based in Hexham, Northumberland. The festival this year boasts an outstanding line-up of writers, journalists and storytellers, including Margaret Drabble, Philippa Gregory, Jodi Picoult and AL Kennedy, as well as poets Ruth Padel and Wendy Cope. Plus as a festival exclusive, doyenne of crime writing PD James interviewed by Val McDermid. Tickets from free to £12.50. For more details and bookings, see www.hexhambookfestival.co.uk.

Words & Music Festival
The Sage Gateshead: Friday 14-Sunday 16 May
A long weekend of great music, great songwriters, and great stories behind the words. Including talks and performances by Ian McMillan, Randy Newman, Kathryn Tickell and Don McLean. Tickets from free to £15. More details and bookings at www.wordsandmusicnortheast.com.

Literature events at Newcastle City Library
Newcastle City Library: Events held throughout May 
Newcastle City Library will be hosting a series of literature events including readings from leading contemporary romantic novelists; acclaimed author of The Other Hand, Chris Cleave; and murder mystery writer Cara Black. All events are free. For tickets, call 0191 277 4100 or email information@newcastle.gov.uk.

Fix This Moment book launch
Queen’s Hall, Hexham: Saturday 1 May, 12pm 
Why is the North East such an inspirational place for writers to live and work? Join writers Ellen Phethean, Andy Croft and Michael Chaplin and editor Stevie Ronnie as they discuss the personal essays that they have contributed to Fix This Moment, a new book about and by the writers, editors and critics who have shaped the literary history of our region. Presented by New Writing North. Admission free. For more information, see www.hexhambookfestival.co.uk.

May Day Social
Star & Shadow Cinema, Byker: Saturday 1 May, 7.30pm 
Listen to poetry from Keith Armstrong alongside folk music from Kiddar’s Luck, Beeswing and Dave Douglass. Free admission.

Kevin Cadwallender: Sagrada Familia
Gallery North, Northumbria University: Tuesday 4 May, 6pm 
Kevin Cadwallender launches his new book of uncollected poems, Sagrada Familia. Free event. For more information contact Sheila Wakefield on 07799 002 040 or email info@redsquirrelpress.com.

Fiona Sampson
Culture Lab, Newcastle University: Thursday 6 May, 7pm 
Fiona Sampson’s latest books are Common Prayer (2007), Writing Poetry (2009) and A Century of Poetry Review (2009). She has won the Newdigate Prize, been shortlisted for the Forward single-poem and TS Eliot prizes and in 2009 received a Cholmondeley Award. She is the editor of Poetry Review, and contributes regularly to the TLS, Guardian, Irish Times and Independent newspapers. Tickets: £6/£4. For more information, see www.ncl.ac.uk/ncla/events/readings.

Dine With the Author
Jesmond Dene House, Newcastle upon Tyne: Sunday 9 May, 7pm 
An inspiring literary evening where you will have the opportunity to meet and have dinner with three novelists: Sue Moorcroft, Katie Fforde and Benita Brown. Tickets £38.50 (includes three-course meal and wine). To book, call 0191 212 3000 or email info@jesmonddenehouse.co.uk.

Cinema Slam
Tyneside Cinema: Monday 10 May, 8pm
Anyone can enter this open poetry slam. Cinema Slam is looking for 16 poets with a maximum of five poems. Each poem should be your own work and no more than three minutes long. For more information and to register for this event, email jeff@zebrapublishing.co.uk.

China Miéville and Helen Oyeyemi
Lit & Phil: Wednesday 12 May, 7pm
China Mieville and Helen Oyeyemi read from their work and discuss the supernatural in literature. China Miéville has won both the Arthur C Clark award and the British Fantasy Award twice. His new novel, Kraken, explores worlds of warring cults and surreal magic. Helen Oyeyemi’s latest novel, White is for Witching, is a mesmerising spine tingler, described as ‘Angela Carter meets Edgar Allen Poe’. Admission free. For more information, see www.litandphil.org.uk.

Return
ARC, Stockton-on-Tees: Wednesday 12 May, 7.45pm 
Incorporating the mechanics of lighting and stunning cinematography alongside the immediacy and freedom of spoken word, Return is the story of a man trying to figure out where he fits. In this captivating and imaginative piece, spoken word artist Polarbear has joined forces with director Yael Shavit and new technologies designer Marie Blunck. Together the trio encourage you to explore, and like a film director, be challenged to re-imagine as the story unfolds. Tickets £8 (discounts available). For more details visit www.arconline.co.uk.

Fleur Adcock & Chase Twichell
Culture Lab, Newcastle University: Thursday 13 May, 7pm
Fleur Adcock’s wryly witty poems are remarkable for their poise and psychological insight. She received an OBE in 1996, and the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2006 for Poems 1960-2000 (2000). Her new collection is Dragon Talk. Chase Twichell was born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1950. She is the author of numerous collections, most recently Dog Language. Tickets: £6/£4. For more information, see www.ncl.ac.uk/ncla/events/readings.

Dr Richard Moore: Fairies and Witches in Literature
Lit & Phil: Tuesday 18 May, 1pm
This lecture will examine the way fairies and witches have been presented in Western literature and the degree to which a sense of them has permeated everyday rural life – such as Mrs Gaskell’s Lois the Witch and Harrison Ainsworth’s The Lancashire Witches, plus some ‘real-life’cases. Admission: £2 members, £4 non-members. For more information, see www.litandphil.org.uk.

A Thrilling Lunch
Lit & Phil: Wednesday 19 May, 12.30pm-2pm 
Spend an entertaining and delicious 90 minutes in the company of two award-winning crime writers. Martyn Waites is from Newcastle and bases his novels here. Stuart MacBride sets his crime thrillers, featuring DS Logan McRae, in the ‘Granite City’ of Aberdeen. Cost: £10, includes a buffet lunch. Please book in advance. For more information, see www.litandphil.org.uk.

Alison Carr: Coal Dust Whispers Song
Bishop Auckland Town Hall: Wednesday 19 May, 7.30pm 
A rehearsed reading of a new poetic play by Bishop Auckland-based writer and poet Alison Carr. Coal Dust Whispers Song is a map of recollections of what has been before: the secrets, sweetness, and hardship brought by land and turmoil. Tickets £4, concessions £3. To book call 01388 602 610 or go to www.bishopaucklandtownhall.org.uk.

Gail-Nina Anderson: The Ghost Stories of EF Benson
Lit & Phil: Wednesday 26 May, 6pm
Although perhaps best known for the six comic novels which make up his Mapp and Lucia series, Fred Benson was an immensely prolific author whose output ranged through popular novels, biographies, works on winter sports, history... and ghost stories. His many short tales (which he liked to term ‘Spook Stories’) were mostly published in magazines before being gathered into four collections. This talk will discuss the author, his background and his particular take on spooks. Admission: £2 members, £4 non-members. For more information, see www.litandphil.org.uk.

Deadline for the next newsletter
The next edition of The Listening Post covering June's literature events will go out towards the end of 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. The Listening Post is North East-specific, but from time to time may also highlight interesting writing events nationally. Promoters should also note that they can also submit information on events happening in the Tees Valley area directly to the Lit-Tees website.

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