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Crime
Story
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 Northumbria University: 31 May-1 June
New Writing North and Northumbria University invite aspiring or
established crime writers and readers to Crime Story – a weekend of
discussion and workshops focusing on a fictional crime and how it weaves
its way through the criminal justice system from investigation to
sentencing. Throughout the weekend, criminologists and forensic
scientists will give insights into how labs work, experts in policing
will talk you through scene of the crime procedure, and journalists will
discuss the moral responsibility of reporting on heinous crimes.
To find out more about Crime Story, and to book your place, go to www.crimestory.co.uk. |
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New
Writing North news
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Lisa Matthews breaks new
ground with Creative Case residency
 Following her
appointment as poet in residence for the Creative Case
NORTH-funded Redact project she is running with New Writing North,
poet Lisa Matthews spent the week from 28 April at the NWN office working
with Specific Learning Difficulties assistive software Dragon Dictate,
ReadWrite Gold and LiveScribe. This allowed her to explore for the first time
her SpLD, evoking something of the chaos of dyslexia through her poetry. She
also worked with poets Gillian Allnutt, Ira Lightman, Joanne Clement, Jo
Colley, Degna Stone and Christopher Barnes, using her dyslexia as a starting
point for a poetry workshop. You can find out more about Lisa’s residency at www.wordstobirds.info,
where she looks at the creative potential of poetry and dyslexia.
Creative Case NORTH is a programme of sector-led activity exploring the
creative case for diversity, developed by a consortium of arts and cultural
organisations convened by Arts Council England from across the North. For
more information about Creative Case NORTH, see www.newwritingnorth.com/archive_details-news-from-new-writing-north-25-april-2014--details-2850.html. |
Bob takes the bait on
Cramlington youth project
Following his work with New Writing North on a successful Holocaust
Memorial Day project with local schools in Newcastle, poet, playwright
and senior lecturer in creative writing at Teesside University Bob
Beagrie this week began a new programme of writing workshops in
Cramlington. For the next two months, Bob will be working with a group of
young adults from Cramlington Voluntary Youth Project to expand their
literary and creative skills through poetry, performance and visual
arts. The project is commissioned as part of New Writing North’s ongoing
work with bait, the Creative People and Places programme for South East
Northumberland. |
Last call for Crime Story
tickets
 New Writing
North and Northumbria University’s weekend festival for crime writers and
readers is only a week away. Join us at Crime Story for a weekend of
discussion and workshops focusing on a fictional crime and how it weaves its
way through the criminal justice system from investigation to sentencing.
Experts such as top forensics specialist Dr Kelly Sheridan, who has dealt
with a number of high profile cases of national concern, such as the murders
of Joanna Yeates and Stephen Lawrence, leading criminologist Professor Mike
Rowe, and HH Judge Prince of Durham will join authors Ann Cleeves, Louise
Welsh and Margaret Murphy. Crime Story is an unmissable opportunity for any
lover of crime fiction, whether they are an aspiring writer themselves or
just want a peek behind the covers of their favourite fictional world.
Tickets cost £99 for the full weekend, and day ticket rates are available. Go
to www.crimestory.co.uk
to book now. |
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If there are any North East writers or writing groups out there looking
for a good domain for their website, www.northeastwriters.com
is about to become available. If you might have a use for it, drop us a line
at tammy@newwritingnorth.com. |
People
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Peter Guttridge talks
crime at Institut français
Peter Guttridge, who is appearing at our Crime Story
weekend and who has ably chaired many Durham Book Festival events, will be
appearing at Noir Is the
Colour, a new literary series from the Institut français in
London featuring the best French authors of crime fiction and noir writing in
conversation with their counterparts from the UK and Europe. The launch event
will be with King of Crime John Harvey (Darkness,
Darkness) and Prix Goncourt Winner Pierre Lemaitre (Irène) on 29 May, and
future events will feature authors such as Marc Dugain, Peter Guttridge,
Bernard Minier, Nicci French and Georges Simenon biographers. For more
information, see www.institut-francais.org.uk/events-calendar/whats-on/talks/noir-is-the-colour/. |
In the
North
|
Northern Film & Media
surgeries
Northern Film & Media staff will be holding free one-to-one project
and funding surgeries for film and television writers, producers, directors
and crew in a number of locations across the North East over the coming
months. These meetings will be an opportunity to find out about funding
sources, discuss your project with industry professionals, and find out about
national schemes. Meetings are being held in Durham on 3 June, Hexham on 10
June, Berwick-upon-Tweed on 17 June and Sunderland 24 June. To sign up for a
surgery and for more information go to http://northernmedia.org/talent-development/nfm-regional-surgeries. |
Opportunities at
Butcher’s Dog
Butcher’s Dog
poetry magazine is looking for a talented and experienced poet to co-edit the
next issue. The role of guest editor is unpaid but expenses will be covered
and you will also receive two complimentary copies of the magazine. No
experience of editing a poetry magazine is necessary – the successful guest
editor will be paired with one of the founding poets, who will take you
through our editorial process – but a passion for contemporary poetry is
essential. Deadline: 19 June. Contact degna@butchersdogmagazine.com
for more details.
Issue 4 of Butcher’s
Dog is also looking for submissions from poets with distinctive
voices. Deadline: 10 August. To find out more go to www.butchersdogmagazine.com/2012/05/submissions.html. |
Write Words with
Alphabetti Spaghetti Theatre
Alphabetti Spaghetti Theatre is a Newcastle-based theatre company created
by Ali Pritchard and made up of scriptwriters, actors, comedians, artists and
musicians. The company is passionate about giving original work the
opportunity to take to the stage. Every month they run an open stage evening
to function as a springboard for new material and discover up and coming
artists. For more information see www.alphabettispaghettitheatre.co.uk/about-us/opportunities. |
Arts Fundraising
Fellowship Programme 2014/15
Recruitment for the Arts Fundraising Fellowship Programme 2014/15 is now
open, both for fellows and for host organisations. The 12-month programme
equips graduates and early career professionals with the skills and
experience needed to make a dynamic contribution to the arts as development
and fundraising professionals. There are five fellowships available in the
North of England. The fellowship year will be accredited by the University of
Leeds. See http://artsfundraising.org.uk/arts-fundraising-fellowships-year-two-recruitment/
for details. |
Opportunities
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Wasafiri New Writing
Prize
The Wasafiri New Writing Prize is open to anyone who has not published a
complete book in their chosen category and is looking for submissions in
three categories: poetry, fiction and life writing. Deadline for submissions:
25 July. For further information visit www.wasafiri.org/wasafiri-new-writing-prize.asp. |
Next Generation Poets
2014
The Poetry Book Society has opened submissions for Next Generation Poets
2014, the prestigious accolade announced only once every ten years,
recognising the 20 most exciting new poets from the UK and Ireland. Open to
poets of any age who have published their first collection in the decade
between 1 May 2004 and 30 April 2014, Next Generation Poets 2014 is a rare
chance for adult poets who are still building their careers and developing
their audience to gain widespread recognition. Deadline for submissions: 5
June. For more information see www.poetrybooks.co.uk/projects/51/. |
National Poetry
Competition
The Poetry Society’s National Poetry Competition is one of the world’s
biggest and most prestigious poetry contests. Winners include both
established and emerging poets, and for many the prize has proved an
important career milestone. Win, and add your name to a roll-call that
includes current UK Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Tony Harrison, Ruth Padel,
Philip Gross and Jo Shapcott. The 2014 judges are Glyn Maxwell, Roddy Lumsden
and Zoë Skoulding. The first prize winner will receive £5,000, publication in
The Poetry Review
and the chance to read at some of the UK’s top literature festivals. For more
information see www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/competitions/npc/. |
Staffordshire Poet
Laureate
Staffordshire County Council are looking for a new Poet Laureate to step
into the shoes of the 2013/14 incumbent Tom Wyre. The Laureate will be
responsible for initiating poetry events in the county, establishing a poetry
group in an area that doesn’t have one, promoting poetry in all its forms and
writing poems to commemorate county-specific events. Closing date for
applications: 1 June. For more information and to apply see www.staffordshire.gov.uk/leisure/museumandgalleries/artsdev/Poet-Laureate.aspx. |
Jobs
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Liverpool Everyman and
Playhouse: Producer and associate director
The Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse are inviting two experienced,
creative and dynamic individuals to join the artistic team at the E&P.
They are looking for a producer, who will be responsible for the successful
planning, delivery and development of the in-house programme. They also need
an associate director. This is a new role, created to bring an individual
artist into the heart of the theatres, to support the artistic director in
developing and delivering the in-house programme and to cultivate
relationships with artists and collaborators. Deadline: 2 June. For more
information and to apply go to www.everymanplayhouse.com/Content/Home/AboutUs/CareerOpportunities/JobVacancies.aspx. |
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Workshops
and classes
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Lindisfarne Gospels
exhibition workshops
Customer First
Centre, North Shields: 2-30 June
Artists Paul Alexander Know and Richard W Hardwick will display their
collection of photography and written pieces to honour the historic
Lindisfarne Gospels. There will also be an opportunity to work with the
artists, exploring creative writing and picking up tips on developing
photography through workshops held by Richard and Paul. The photography
workshop is on Monday 16 June at 2pm and the creative writing workshop is on
Friday 20 June at 9.30am. Both workshops are free but please call 0191
6435270 to reserve a place. |
Liverpool writing group
seeks new members
Places are available in a writing feedback group based in Liverpool. The
group deals only with fiction (novels and short stories) not with non-fiction
or poetry. Some members have already published novels, others have not. The
purpose of the group is to support one another, by sharing knowledge and
experience of the writing and publishing processes and, especially, by
helping one another to write better fiction. Prospective members should be
actively involved in writing and seeking to improve their writing through
feedback and criticism. For more information, please contact Mark Leyland at c.mark.leyland@o2.co.uk. |
The
Listening Post
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New commission: Winter
Tales story-telling project
The Cultural Spring is an Arts Council-funded Creative People and Places
programme which aims to radically change the way that people in ten wards in
South Tyneside and Sunderland consume, experience, influence and make great
art. In association with New Writing North, they are looking to commission a
major new writing or story-telling project.
Inspired by the age old tradition that when the nights draw in we stay
home, share stories and seek comfort in words in warm places, we are looking
for exciting ideas which are inspired by the ten Cultural Spring wards. We
hope projects will encourage people to write, read, listen, tell and share
stories both old and new. We are interested in hearing from writers across
all forms and media, storytellers, writing organisations, film makers,
digital artists and theatre practitioners. It is likely that there will be
one project commissioned worth £40,000.
Applications will open from 23 May and close on 20 June. If you would like
to apply, email commissions@theculturalspring.org.uk
and we will send you the application details when they open.
The Cultural Spring is also looking for submissions for seed funding to
research exceptional new ideas for 2016. You can download the full commission
call here. |
New young writers project
launches in South East Northumberland
A new young people’s writing project launched this week in Ashington,
introducing writer Stevie Ronnie to a group of 12 Year 8 pupils from the
Northumberland Church of England Academy. For the next ten weeks, Stevie,
assisted by long-standing Cuckoo writer Lauren Stafford, will be helping the
students create a brand new collection of writing. At the end of the project
the work created will be published in an anthology designed by Stevie and the
group.
This is the first of a series of projects that New Writing North will be
undertaking in South East Northumberland, and is part of a programme
commissioned by bait, the Creative People and Places programme in South East
Northumberland. Watch this space for news on future projects in Cramlington
and Bedlington. For more information on bait, visit www.baittime.to. |
Arts Award success for
Cuckoo Young Writers in Hexham
 Last week New
Writing North was proud to present six of our Cuckoo Young Writers with their
Bronze Arts Awards certificates. The young writers, all of whom belong to the
Hexham group, worked on their awards throughout last year, and used writing
group sessions and events at the Hexham Book Festival to complete their Arts
Award folders. “Arts Awards are a great way for the young writers to get
accreditation for all their hard work in the writing group sessions, and are
a great way to learn new skills,” said New Writing North’s Laura Brewis, who
was the Arts Award advisor to the group.
The young people who took part were (L-R) Alice Buckley, Bronwen Fraser,
Marcie Winstanley and Dorothy Hakim. Megan Ashford and Tilly Marples also
received their awards but were unable to be in the photo. |
Beth joins New Writing
North as creative apprentice
New Writing North is delighted to welcome our newest team member, creative
apprentice Beth Rutherford, who is learning the ins and outs of arts
administration. Beth was hired through the Strong Voices programme and is a
welcome addition to the New Writing North office. |
Take a day trip into
crime
New day tickets have become available for Crime Story, the crime writing
festival taking place in Newcastle upon Tyne this May. Full price tickets for
the weekend are only £99, but now day tickets are available for both the
Saturday and the Sunday at £60 and £50 respectively, making the festival an
absolute must for budding and established crime writers as well as avid
readers of crime fiction. Student discount tickets are available too. Taking
place over Saturday 31 May and Sunday 1 June, this is your opportunity to
solve a new crime written by Vera
creator Ann Cleeves and commissioned by New Writing North and Northumbria
University.
See a full schedule for the festival, find out more about the speakers,
and get your tickets at www.crimestory.co.uk.
Three lucky writers will also win a
forensic analysis of a crime from Crime Story’s academic experts. |
 Samantha
Ellis: How to be a Heroine
West Lane Baptist Centre, Haworth: Saturday 31 May, 2pm
On a pilgrimage to Top Withens, Samantha Ellis
found herself arguing with her best friend about which heroine was best: Jane
Eyre or Cathy Earnshaw. She realised that all her life she’d been trying to be
Cathy when she should have been trying to be Jane. So she decided to look again
at her heroines – the girls, women, books that had shaped her ideas of the
world and how to live. Join Samantha as she discusses her new book which
explores the role of heroines, and our favourite books, in all our lives – and
how they change over time, for better or worse, just as we do. Tickets: £5. To
find out more about the event or book tickets see www.bronte.org.uk/whats-on/140/samantha-ellis-how-to-be-a-heroine/142.
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People
|
Mslexia plaudit pays off
for Liz Monument
Congratulations to Doncaster writer Liz Monument, one of the shortlisted
authors for Mslexia’s
2013 novel competition. Since then Liz has signed a contract with The Viney
Agency for a trilogy of futuristic noir thrillers based on Frozen (now called The Eternity Fund), her
entry to the competition. |
In the
North
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Opportunities
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Three writing
competitions from Mslexia
Mslexia,
the magazine for women who write, has launched three new writing
competitions: two for poets and one for writers of memoir. The Mslexia
Poetry Competition is judged by Wendy Cope, and has a special new prize
for the best poem by a previously unpublished woman poet. The Mslexia
Pamphlet Competition offers publication of the winning pamphlet by Seren
Books. And the Mslexia
Women’s Memoir Competition, for full-length memoirs from unpublished
women memoirists, offers a first prize of £5,000 and feedback from The
Literary Consultancy for five finalists. |
The 2014 VS Pritchett
Memorial Prize for unpublished short stories
The Royal Society of Literature is accepting entries for their annual
short story prize. The winning entry receives £1,000 and is published in Prospect online and in
the RSL Review.
For more information and to enter, see www.rslit.org/v-s-pritchett.
Closing date: Monday 16 June. |
The London Magazine’s
Poetry Competition 2014
The London Magazine
is hosting a worldwide poetry competition which is open for all ages. This
will be a chance to get published in the prestigious literary journal which
has been home to the likes of Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, Christopher Reid and
many more, along with winning a cash prize. The winning poem will be
published in an issue of The
London Magazine, both in print and online. The runners up will be
featured on the website. Entry fee: £5 per poem. Closing date: 30 June. Go to
www.thelondonmagazine.org/tlm-competition/the-london-magazines-poetry-competition-2014
to find out more. |
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Workshops
and classes
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Introduction to creative
writing
Crook Hall,
Durham: 10 June, 9.30am-4pm
New to creative writing? Join writer Rachel Cochrane to gain confidence,
take part in some friendly activities, be inspired and have fun. For further
details, see http://thewritingvillage.wordpress.com/2014/03/26/creative-writing-crook-hall/. |
The
Listening Post
|
Fog on the Tyne
Commercial Union
House, Newcastle: 14 June, 7pm
Poets, playwrights and performers Helen Burke and Carol Cooke join
together with guitarist Simon Davey to present a rollercoaster sailboat of a
show. Shakespeare had his Seven Ages of Man; Fog on the Tyne looks at the Seven
Ages of Woman, from childhood memories to student life on Tyneside, work,
relationships, kids, triumphs, disappointments and holding back the years, in
a pick and mix of poetry, music and anecdotes. Tickets: £3. Go to www.ampersandinventions.com
for more information. |
Raworths Harrogate
Literature Festival
 St George Hotel, Harrogate: 10-13
July
The 2014 Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival ventures boldly into books
with war correspondent Kate Adie, world-renowned explorer Ranulph Fiennes and
adventurous foodie Jay Rayner. The festival also includes Matthew Dennison
discussing his biography, Queen
Victoria: A Life of Contradictions, while journalist and
broadcaster Mark Ellen talks to crime writer Mark Billingham about his ‘big
bad love affair with music’. The festival also features a Salon North event
with three experts on stage exploring ‘Personal Taste’ as well as a special
DCI Banks panel ‘From Page to Screen’. For more information and a full
programme, visit www.harrogateinternationalfestivals.com. |
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Crossing the Tees Book
Festival
Libraries across
Stockton and Middlesbrough: 6-21 June
Middlesbrough Libraries and Stockton Libraries & Heritage have joined
together to produce the Crossing the Tees Book Festival, which runs from 6-21
June across Stockton and Middlesbrough libraries. Festival highlights include
evenings with authors Joanne Harris, Stephen May and Gervase Phinn, plus opportunities
for everyone to be involved in activities which focus on everything from
crime to sci-fi and writing workshops for aspiring novelists. For a full list
of events and booking information see http://events.stockton.gov.uk/libraries/book-festival/. |
Gillian Allnutt: icumen
Lit & Phil,
Newcastle: Tuesday 1 July, 7pm
Poet Gillian Allnutt’s new chapbook icumen,
the second in a series from publisher Literal Fish, will be launched in
Newcastle upon Tyne at a special event at the Lit & Phil when Gillian
will be reading brand new material and there will also be a specially
commissioned soundscape, inspired by icumen,
and performed live on the night by artist Helen Collard. Admission free, no
booking required. |
Miscellany
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New North East culture
mag seeks funding
Northern Edge
is a new lifestyle and culture magazine for everyone who wants a fresh
perspective on the people, places, and goings-on around the North East. More
than just a ‘What’s On’ guide, Northern
Edge aims to take readers off the beaten track a little, by
talking to people and going to places that they might not have noticed
before. The only hitch? They need £1,230 to cover printing and distribution
costs for the first issue. Wealthy benefactors (and not-so-wealthy ones too)
should head over to www.indiegogo.com/projects/northern-edge
and see what’s on offer, from an invite to the magazine’s launch party to a
full page ad. |
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Harrogate Children’s
Festival
The
Spiegeltent, Crescent Gardens, Harrogate: 29 May-1 June
During half-term weekend, the Spiegeltent located in Crescent Gardens
will be home to all manner of organised mayhem as part of the 2014
Children’s Festival, which brings some of the UK’s leading entertainers and
organisations to Harrogate. As well as theatre, dance, music, science and
history, there will be a host of interactive storytelling sessions with
Bookworm Babies from Seven Stories, as well as Rachel Bright, the creator
of the fabulous Love
Monster books. For tickets and more information see http://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/family-events/. |
 Ellen
Phethean, Alistair Robinson & Sylvia Forrest
Lit &
Phil, Newcastle: Monday 2 June, 7pm
Red Squirrel Press invites you to the triple launch of Ellen Phethean’s
poetry collection, Portrait
of the Quince as an Older Woman, Alistair Robinson’s poetry
collection, The Land
Before Yoghurt, and Sylvia Forrest’s poetry pamphlet, Velvet Beds. Contact editor@redsquirrelpress.com
for further details. Free event. |
Prue Phillipson: Height
of Folly
Scott’s Café,
The Forum, Hexham: Tuesday 3 June, 5.45pm
Join Prue Phillipson for the launch of the final novel in the Hordens of
Horden Hall series, Height
of Folly. Prue will also talk about Vengeance Thwarted, Hearts Restored and Rebels Repentant and
the evening will be a celebration of the completion of the quartet.
Admission is free but a phone call to 01434 604 636 to say you are coming
would be a help with numbers. |
 Linda
France, Carolyn Jess-Cooke & Danica Ognjenovic
GO3 Percy
Building, Newcastle University: Thursday 5 June, 7.15pm
Linda France, the winner of the National Poetry Competition, will read
with two of the commended poets, Carolyn Jess-Cooke and Danica Ognjenovic.
Tickets: £6/£4/£2 from the University webstore
or by contacting Melanie Birch at melanie.birch@ncl.ac.uk
or on 0191 206 7619. |
Crossing the Tees Book
Festival
Libraries
across Stockton and Middlesbrough: 6-21 June
Middlesbrough Libraries and Stockton Libraries & Heritage have
joined together to produce the Crossing the Tees Book Festival, which runs
from 6-21 June across Stockton and Middlesbrough libraries. Festival
highlights include evenings with authors Joanne Harris, Stephen May and
Gervase Phinn, plus opportunities for everyone to be involved in activities
which focus on everything from crime to sci-fi and writing workshops for
aspiring novelists. For a full list of events and booking information see http://events.stockton.gov.uk/libraries/book-festival/. |
 Ben
Haggarty: Mr Sandmann: Bringer of Dreams & Nightmares
Meeting House
Lane, Lancaster: Friday 6 June, 8pm
Renowned for his dynamic and challenging performances, storyteller Ben
Haggarty slips behind the lights into the dark side of fairground, where
you risk getting more than you bargained for. Via urban legend, fairytale
and freak-show, ready yourself for an alarming journey through the
ambivalent mythology of the Sandman. |
Janet McLeod Trotter:
The Planter’s Bride
Morpeth
Chantry Museum, Morpeth: Saturday 7 June, 3pm
Join Janet McLeod Trotter to launch her latest book, The Planter’s Bride,
at the Morpeth Chantry Museum. The sequel to The Tea Planter’s Daughter is a story of
intrigue and passion, and Janet will be happy to sign copies. For more
information and to book contact morpeth.tic@northumberland.gov.uk
or call 01670 623455. |
Butcher’s Dog 3 launch
Toffee Factory,
Newcastle: Saturday 7 June, 5pm
The Butcher’s Dog
poetry magazine invites people to join them for afternoon tea to celebrate
the launch of BD3. Admission free. Tickets are available from www.eventbrite.com. |
Breaking Down the Walls
Live Theatre,
Newcastle: Saturday 7 June, 2pm & 8pm
Written by Open Clasp theatre company and devised by the women from HMP
YOI Low Newton Prison, audiences will hear the stories of the women’s lives
as told by them, performed by actors from Open Clasp. Tickets: £5. For more
information and to book, see www.live.org.uk. |
 The
Big Bookend
Various
venues, Leeds: 7 & 8 June
Events covering crime fiction, sport and media, propaganda and war and
the Great War. Eddie Waring, jazz, food and drink, art, Alzheimer’s,
protests and radical Chapeltown all sit side by side. Plus special festival
headliner Alan Bennett. For more information, see www.bigbookend.co.uk. |
Eileen Jones: The Pale
Handbag of the Apocalypse
Cullercoats
Library: Tuesday 10 June, 7.30pm
Eileen Jones will be reading witty, satirical and surreal poems from her
new IRON Press collection, The
Pale Handbag of the Apocalypse. The event also features music
from Cullercoats-based Ruth Lambert, one of the UK’s most distinctive jazz
vocalists. Tickets: £3 (includes a glass of wine). To book, call
Cullercoats Library on 0191 643 2073. |
 Theakston’s
Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Big Read with David Mark
Whitley Bay
Customer First Centre: Thursday 12 June, 2pm
Join in with the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Big
Read 2014 by reading A
Place of Execution by the queen of psychological suspense Val
McDermid. The aim of the Big Read is to encourage people to read the same
novel at the same time, sharing their experience in special reading group
events and online discussions. This year the session will be facilitated by
Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival reader In residence David
Mark. The event is free but call 0191 643 5390 to reserve a place. For more
details email library.events@northtyneside.gov.uk. |
Giuseppe Albano
: Flesh and stone, the poet and
the city re-imagined by Burgess
Anthony
Burgess Centre, Manchester: Thursday 12 June, 6.30pm
Abba Abba
is Anthony Burgess’s superficially simple tale of a group of people in Rome
– characters huddled together in companionship against the backdrops of the
impending deaths of the fallen Emperor Napoleon and English poet John
Keats. Or, so Burgess’s story goes, for as with many of the moments
described in this novella, their author supposes what could have happened,
based most of the time on what did happen. Giuseppe Albano is curator of
the Keats-Shelley House in Rome and author of the preface to the Italian
edition of Abba Abba.
Tickets free. Contact events@anthonyburgess.org
to reserve your place. |
Sixfold: A City and a
River
The Storey,
Lancaster: Friday 13 June, 7.30pm
An evening with Sixfold, reading poems based on Lancaster, the river
Lune and the world beyond. Sixfold are six widely published Lancaster-based
poets whose themed readings blend and celebrate their distinctive
individual styles. They are Mike Barlow, Elizabeth Burns, Carole Coates,
Sarah Hymas, Jane Routh and Ian Seed. Tickets on the door: £5/£3 concs.
Find out more at http://litfest.org/sixfold-a-city-and-a-river. |
 Brontë
Society June Festival
West Lane
Baptist Church Haworth: 13-16 June
The Brontë Society is delighted to announce the 2014 programme for the
Annual General Meeting and June Summer Festival. Join them for readings,
talks and Sunday strolls, including a look at Charlotte Bronte’s ‘naughty
book’ with Lucasta Miller, an examination of the recent trend for
reimagining the classics, and an exploration of the Brontë family’s Cornish
connections. For further details see www.bronte.org.uk. |
Fog on the Tyne
Commercial
Union House, 39 Pilgrim St, Newcastle: Saturday 14 June, 7pm
Shakespeare had his Seven Ages of Man; Fog on the Tyne looks at the Seven Ages
of Woman, from childhood memories to student life on Tyneside, work,
relationships, kids, triumphs, disappointments and holding back the years,
in a pick and mix of poetry, music and anecdotes. Tickets: £3. Go to www.ampersandinventions.com
for more information. |
 Danuta
Reah: The Last Room
Broomhill
Library, Sheffield: Tuesday 17 June 7pm
Danuta Reah talks about her latest book, The Last Room, a thriller set in the
Scottish Borders, and the Polish city of Łódź. Ania Milosz, a forensic
linguist, falsified evidence in a trial that sent a man to prison for life.
Why? Will Gillen, her father, tries to follow the trail Ania left for him,
a trail that leads him into the web that entangled her. Part of Broomhill
Festival 2014. For more information and to book a free place call 0114 273
4276 or email broomhill.library@sheffield.gov.uk. |
Peter James: Want You
Dead
Gateshead
Central Library: Wednesday 18 June, 2pm
Bestselling author Peter James talks about his work and his latest
novel, Want You Dead.
Tickets: £3. Free to members of Gateshead Libraries’ reading groups. Book
in advance on 0191 433 8420 or online at www.gateshead.gov.uk/whatson. |
 Ann
Cleeves: Harbour Street
Wallsend
Customer First Centre, Newcastle: Thursday 19 June, 7pm
Bestselling crime writer Ann Cleeves talks about her latest novel, Harbour Street. When
the metro is stopped due to bad weather Detective Joe Ashworth discovers
the body of an old lady. Arriving on the scene DI Vera Stanhope senses that
this will be a complex and unusual case. Vera and Joe find themselves
searching deep to find the key to solving the murders. Tickets: £3. Call
0191 643 2075 for more details or email library.events@northtyneside.gov.uk. |
Midsummer Phantoms
Lit & Phil,
Newcastle: Friday 20 June, 7pm
The days are long and the nights are short, but the Lit & Phil still
manage to make it creepy. Join Sean O’Brien, Gail-Nina Anderson and Mark
Valentine for three new tales designed to make June seem just a little
darker. Three different voices, three chances to scare yourself, three good
reasons for stepping out of the sunshine to enjoy a moment of convivial
gloom. Tickets are £5/£3. See www.litandphil.org.uk/events.shtml
for more information and to book. |
Park Life: A Reading
Weekend at Calderstones Park
Calderstones
Park, Liverpool: 21-22 June
Escape to nature with a special weekend course at Calderstones. Readings
will be interspersed with a varied timetable of outdoor activities (weather
allowing) led by The Reader Organisation, through which attendees will
engage with the beautiful park that houses the Calderstones Mansion.
Tickets: £75/£45 concs. To reserve your place, contact Jennifer Kelly on jenniferkelly@thereader.org.uk
or find out more at www.thereader.org.uk. |
Fyve Theatre Company
presents ‘Murder in the Ref’
Lit &
Phil, Newcastle: Friday 27 June, 7pm
Five short plays from five emerging playwrights, originally performed
during Middlesbrough Literary Festival. Tickets: £5/£3 concs. For more
information, see www.litandphil.org.uk/events.shtml. |
 Gillian
Allnutt: icumen
Lit &
Phil, Newcastle: Tuesday 1 July, 7pm
Poet Gillian Allnutt’s new chapbook icumen,
the second in a series from publisher Literal Fish, will be launched in
Newcastle upon Tyne at a special event at the Lit & Phil when Gillian
will be reading brand new material and there will also be a specially
commissioned soundscape, inspired by icumen,
and performed live on the night by artist Helen Collard. Admission free, no
booking required. |
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Deadline
for July’s Listening Post
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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 for this you will need to send
information by 20 June 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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