Young Writers’ Summer: Guest writer commissions
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As part of our Young Writers’ Summer ‘Write Outside’ programme, we are offering six £250 commissions for guest writers to contribute to our online content for young writers aged 12-19.
The role of guest writer will involve creating a short video (approximately 5 mins) exploring the theme and giving some exercises for young writers to join in with (see our Writing From Home videos here for examples of work already produced).
You will then be required to contribute to the summer programme in one other way that fits with your skill set – for example, this could be leading an online Zoom workshop with young people, leading a watch-along of a theatre performance or providing written resources for young people to access in their own time. You may have other thoughts on what you can contribute and so we are keeping this part of the brief flexible to respond to your creative ideas.
Guest writers will respond to the overall theme of ‘Write Outside’. Inspired by New Writing North’s wider climate change programme, the theme is designed to encourage young people to create writing from the world around them, whether that’s an urban street or isolated countryside. We want to encourage young people to appreciate the natural world, and to explore how that lens can influence and inspire their writing.
The six week programme will take young people on a journey through their landscape, breaking out of the confines of inside to explore different roots and routes through nature in its many forms.
Commissioned writers can work across any writing form and should be based in the north of England.
If you are interested in the commission please send a 250 word proposal (describing briefly which theme you would like to work on, what your video would focus on and how else you would like to contribute to the programme) along with your CV to [email protected] by Wednesday 8 July 2020. You will then be contacted by 5pm on Monday 13 July if you have been successful.
We are particularly interested in hearing from people who are underrepresented in current arts and culture. This includes, but is not limited to, writers of colour, disabled writers, LGBTQIA+ and non-binary writers, and working-class writers.