Thursday 3 October 2013

New Writing North Newsletter

Just received the latest newsletter and thought my followers would be interested:


27 September 2013
News from New Writing North
New Writing North news
New Writing North brings Granny Pirate to communities throughout Durham and beyond
New Writing North is delighted to announce that its touring production of Val McDermid’s My Granny is a Pirate will be visiting community centres and libraries across County Durham during October 2013. Commissioned by the Durham Book Festival, playwright Carina Rodney and director Annie Rigby have turned Val’s debut outing into children’s literature into a rip-roaring, piratical musical adventure suitable for under-6s and their families. Granny’s high-seas shenanigans are brought to life on-stage by a talented cast of actors and musicians from Sage Gateshead. Workshops in crafts and music will also be available for small pirates in Durham venues before the show.
The tour starts with a premiere at Gateshead Old Town Hall on 5 October. In addition to venues throughout County Durham, the production can also be seen at Newcastle Central Library, Hexham Library, Darlington Central Library and Hindmarsh Hall, Alnmouth. To find a venue near you go to the Granny Pirate website at www.grannypirate.com for the most up-to-late listings and information about where to book the workshops.
My Granny is a Pirate is the first of two shows that New Writing North will be touring in the region during 2013-14 thanks to support from Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring Fund.
Pop in to the pop-up Cuckoo Shop
New Writing North is delighted to invite you to the Cuckoo Cabaret Night at Empty Shop HQ at the Durham Book Festival. Opening as it means to go on, the cabaret promises an exciting evening of poetry, music, drama and fun. Hosted by Trashed Organ’s John Challis, the event brings together literature-loving Sunderland indie folk band The Lake Poets, hilarious all-female comedy sketch group Your Aunt Fanny (‘hilarious,’ according to our Cuckoo Reviewer) and poetry and drama performances from the under-25 Cuckoos. All ages welcome. Tickets are £5 full price, £3 concessions.
Cuckoo masterclasses: three for the price of two
14-25-year-olds are invited to take part in a series of three workshops by established, acclaimed authors.
Gavin Extence (Alex Woods versus The World), Ben Markovits (one of Granta’s 20 best novelists under 40) and Matt Haig (The Humans) will all be holding workshops for aspiring writers at Empty Shop HQ in Durham. Book a place on all three masterclasses by phone or in person at the Gala and get one free.
Get into In magazine
IN magazine is a new weekly poetry magazine that exists purely in your email inbox and is one of the Durham Book Festival’s 2013 commissions. During the course of the Durham Book Festival, a special edition of IN will deliver new poetry by the best contemporary poets including Jacob Polley, Hannah Lowe, and Andrew Fentham. Sign up to receive the magazine for free via http://inmagazine.org from 1 October 2013.
The facts about fiction at Durham Book Festival
This year the Durham Book Festival includes an exciting mix of authors, from crime to SF and everything in between. There’s family fun with Curtis Jobling, author of the children’s book series Wereworld, on Saturday 19 October. Or if you like a bit of science in your speculative fiction, then why not go to see Stephen Baxter on Saturday 12 October. The prolific SF author will be talking about his long writing career and his latest novel, the second in a collaborative series with Terry Pratchett, The Long War. There’s also Matt Haig (author of The Humans), who will be at the festival for a Q&A with first-timer Lottie Moggach (Kiss Me First) on Sunday 13 October.
For something a bit more down to earth, why not join Janette Jenkins at the Bowes Museum on Thursday 17 October for tea, scones and a chat about her latest novel, Perfect. Or head to the Gala Cinema on Monday 14 October to see legendary US crime writer Walter Mosley.
RISE: Erwin James in conversation with Jane Davis
Join Erwin James, Guardian journalist and former prisoner, at a Durham Book Festival Fringe event. He will be in conversation with Jane Davis, founder and director of The Reader Organisation, about his life as a reader and a writer. They will also be joined by two of The Reader Organisation’s readers in residence at criminal justice settings in Durham: Charlie Darby-Villis (HMP Low Newton) and Lynn Elsdon (HMP Frankland). For more information, see www.thereader.org.uk/events/erwin-james-in-conversation-with-jane-davis.aspx.
People
Angela Readman wins Mslexia poetry competition
Congratulations to Angela Readman who won the 2013 Mslexia poetry competition, judged by Kathleen Jamie, with her poem The Book of Tides. Angela was also shortlisted for The Asham Award, leading to her short story Birds Without Wings being published recently in The Asham Award winners anthology, Once Upon a Time There Was a Traveller.
100 women writers: two Northern Writers’ Award winners
In the last newsletter we congratulated Avril Joy on the inclusion of her award-winning short story Millie and Bird in The Story of Love, Loss and the Lives of Women, an anthology of 100 women writers. And now we hear that Carys Davies, who won a Northern Writers’ Award earlier this year, is also included in the anthology with her short story, The Redemption of Galen Pike
Zaffar Kunial: Off the Shelf
Showroom Cinema, Sheffield: 19 October, 3pm
Meet Northern Writers’ Award winner Zaffar Kunial at Sheffield’s Off The Shelf festival in an event curated by Jackie Kay. Zaffar will be reading with Bernardine Evaristo, author of Lara, The Emperor’s Babe, and most recently, Mr Loverman. Tickets: £5. For more information and to book go to www.offtheshelf.org.uk.
In the north
Celebrate the short story with Comma Press
It is Comma Press’s tenth birthday in 2013 and what better day to celebrate it on than National Short Story Day on 21 December, the shortest day of the year. In addition to their own birthday party, they are also eager for other short story lovers to mark the day with events, book swaps, live readings or anything that celebrates the short narrative form. So let them know if you have an event planned, or if you’d like to plan one get in touch with your idea for some support. The deadline for event details is the end of October/early November. Send your event information to info@commapress.co.uk.
Opportunities
Trinity College London International Playwriting Competition
The 2013-14 International Playwriting competition is now open for entries. The competition, now in its fourth year, is open to writers of any age, any level of experience and from any country. The winning playwright in each category will be awarded a cash prize of £1,000 and will see their play headline at the International Festival of Playwriting and Performance. For more information, see www.trinitycollege.co.uk/site/?id=1996.
Bdaily journalism talent competition
Budding writers and journalists can win a place on a prestigious journalism course. Bdaily and Brighton Journalist Works are offering aspiring writers the chance to win a fully funded place on the Brighton Journalist Works Fast Track (14 weeks) NCTJ diploma in journalism. Once they have completed the course, the competition winner will also be provided with a special promoted columnist area on the Bdaily site for three months to help kick-start their career. The competition deadline is on 25 October. For more information and to enter the competition go to https://bdaily.co.uk/competition/.
The Observer/Anthony Burgess Prize for Arts Journalism 2013
The Observer/Anthony Burgess Prize for Arts Journalism is for the best writing on brand new work in the arts which has not been previously published in print or on the internet. The winning 1,500-word essay might take the form of an interview or a profile of a writer, artist or musician; a piece on a new artistic movement or venture; or a review of a book, concert, ballet or stage play. The competition will be judged by Jonathan Meades, Sarah Dunant and Jane Stevenson and first prize is £2,000. Deadline for submissions: 15 October. For more information see www.anthonyburgess.org.
Jobs
Norwich Writers’ Centre: Programme manager
Norwich Writers’ Centre is looking for an experienced events organiser with knowledge of and passion for literature. The successful candidate will be adept at partnership working and liaising with venues and promoters. Deadline for applications: Monday 7 October. For more information and to apply go to www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/AboutUs/jobvacancies.aspx.
The Royal Society of Literature: Events and office manager
The Royal Society of Literature is looking for an events and office manager to ensure the smooth running of the society’s events programme. This will include the masterclass series, awards events, and managing the small but busy office in Somerset House. Deadline for applications: Friday 4 October. To apply send a CV and covering letter to Rachel Page at rachel@rslit.org.
Northumberland County Council: Workshop facilitators
The Spellbound project is seeking freelance workshop facilitators to run single sessions with a strong literary link throughout south east Northumberland. Sessions are predominantly aimed at children of primary school age, but there will also be a small number of adult sessions too. Deadline for applications: Friday 11 October. Send a CV, your daily rate, and a short workshop proposal to jburke@bval.co.uk with the subject ‘Spellbound: FAO Jill Chambers’.
Courses and workshops
Write by the Sea short story weekend
Write by the Sea are running a weekend-long creative writing workshop in Whitley Bay. Led by writers Kitty Fitzgerald and Carol Clewlow, the workshop will include invigorating walks on the beach, an (optional) home-cooked Sunday roast and one-on-one sessions with the tutors, offering in-depth appraisals of the writers’ work. Participants are asked to send a 2,000 word short story in advance of the course. The Write by the Sea short story weekend runs Friday 25-Sunday 27 October and costs £180. For room rates and more information, go to www.writebythesea.co.uk.
Miscellany
Sell your short story at Cut a Long Story
A new website, created in association with NAWE, dedicated to selling short stories to e-readers will be launching in 2013. Short story writers who would like to sell their stories on the site are invited to register now on at www.cutalongstory.com.
Looking for acts of goodness
Do you have an interesting story about an unexpected act of goodness? If so, writer, Carina Rodney would like to interview you for a Europe-wide theatre project, Acts of Goodness, to be produced by Backa Theatre, Sweden, in 2014. The act of goodness needs to have been experienced or performed when the interviewee was under the age of 25 and must have occurred during difficult circumstances where an act of benevolence was the last thing expected in the situation/surroundings you found yourself in. The stories will be anonymous and remain true in content to the interview given. If you would like to be interviewed for the project please contact Carina by email at carinam@hotmail.co.uk.
Deadline for the next newsletter
If you have news that you would like to submit for inclusion in the newsletter please contact tammy@newwritingnorth.com. The deadline for receipt of information for the next newsletter is 7 October. The next edition of The Listening Post, covering November’s literature events, will go out in late October. If you have events that you would like to submit for inclusion for this you will need to send information by 20 October to tammy@newwritingnorth.com.
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.

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