New Writing North newsletter

News from New Writing North

New Writing North news Comings and goings at New Writing North New Writing North’s chief executive Claire Malcolm is currently taking an extended sabbatical. Until her return this autumn, Anna Disley, New Writing North’s programme director and one of the guiding hands behind Cuckoo Young Writers, will be acting chief executive. We would also like to welcome Nick Malyan, fresh from a successful stint working on Lumiere in Durham, to the team as senior projects manager until Claire's return later this year. Pulitzer Prize-winning author heads for Tyneside New Writing North and Mslexia are delighted to announce an event with Jane Smiley, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres, at Newcastle’s Tyneside cinema on Sunday 9 March. Making a rare UK appearance, the writer, who is also the author of Horse Heaven and Private Life, will talk to Mslexia editor Debbie Taylor about her life and her writing, as well as taking questions from the audience. After the Q&A there will be a screening of the 1997 film adaptation of her novel, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Jessica Lange. To book tickets to the event, see the Tyneside website.   People Writers in the news Ben Myers is starting 2014 as we hope he’ll go on, with a sold-out novella and a new book coming out in a few months. Beastings, which won him a Northern Writers’ Award in 2013, will be published in June 2013 by Bluemoose Books. Set in rural Cumbria in “the past”, Beastings concerns the abduction of a baby by a teenage girl. A priest and a poacher, who both have their own motives for wanting her capture and the return of the child, pursue her through the harsh landscape. The Kebab King, a gritty Newcastle-set detective novel by Northern Promise Award winner Richard Rippon is now available to buy as an ebook. The book tells the story of modern day gumshoe Tommy Rowan and his attempts to locate a missing girl, the daughter of a faded eighties pop star. “NWN have played a massive role in my writing,” said Richard. “Winning the award gave me the confidence to finish the book and it was with their help that I found an agent to represent my work.” The Kebab King is available for download at www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HGQ1LPY. Another Northern Writers’ Award winner keeping busy is John Challis. In 2012 he won a Northern Promise Award for his poetry collection, but now he’s turned his hand to drama with The Next Train to Depart, which he penned for the Queen’s Hall, Hexham. The Next Train to Depart is a play with a twist on the classic train station love story. Click here to find out where to see it in January and February. In the North   Coaching skills for writers NAWE in partnership with Arvon is offering a six-day, accredited training course in coaching skills for writers. The new field of coaching on a one-to-one basis is ideal for experienced writers who enjoy working with other colleagues in the field and enabling their writing careers to flourish. Nine places will be offered to NAWE members, and nine to writers through Arvon. Deadline for applications: 18 April. For more information go to the NAWE site or call Anne Caldwell on 0781 805 2108. Opportunities       Amnesty Youth Awards: Reporter Award If you are between seven and 21 and want to write about human rights, they why not enter The Young Human Rights Reporter Award. The award celebrates talented young writers reporting on a human rights issue they care about. The winning author will see their article in print and online, visit the office of the Guardian and attend a special awards ceremony in London for young human rights activists. Deadline for entries: 17 February. For more information, see www.amnesty.org.uk/youthawards. The James Tait Black Prize for Drama 2014 In 2013 the James Tait Black Prize, Britain’s oldest literary award, was extended to cover scriptwriting as well as prose fiction with the James Tait Black Prize for Drama. Organised by the University of Edinburgh, in partnership with National Theatre of Scotland and in association with the Traverse Theatre, the award is worth £10,000. It will be awarded to the best new play written in English, Scots or Gaelic and extracts of the winning production will be performed by National Theatre Scotland at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre during the Festivals in August. Submissions are free and the deadline is 7 February. Instructions on how to submit a play can be found at www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/tait-black/submit.             Writing groups and workshops . An introduction to creative writing Shepherd’s Dene, Riding Mill: Sunday, 9 February, 10am Join writers Rachel Cochrane and Hélène Dolde for a writing retreat at an Edwardian country house. Set in the Shepherd’s Dene Retreat in Northumberland, this workshop aims to help writers gain confidence through a relaxed, inspiring environment and variety of activities. Tickets: £50. For further details and to book, see the Eventbrite page. Miscellany Survey for playwrights/students Are you a playwright, writing student, or someone who has written a stage play? Playwright and Goldsmiths PhD student Karen Morash is looking for participants to fill out a short survey about playwright training. Information provided will inform research on the many ways writers learn to create plays, how/if devising has played a part in their training, and if there are gaps in writer training which need to be addressed. The survey can be found at www.surveymonkey.com/s/YDF8C22. If you have questions or require further information about the research, email drp01km@gold.ac.uk. Independent outsiders wanted Sarah Gonnet is looking for artists who consider themselves independent of, or outside, mainstream culture to interview for a book. If anyone is interested contact Sarah at azrapage@hotmail.co.uk.       .