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New
Writing North news
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Young Writers’ City
launches at Walbottle Campus
 Over the
past fortnight, students at Walbottle Campus, Newcastle, have watched
mysterious signs appearing on their school walls alongside the usual
motivational artwork. "It’s not my time you're wasting" reads
one sign; "Did you hear what she said?" asks another.
The signs have drawn confusion, laughter and even suspicion from
students at the school. "Is this art, then?" one pupil asked
English teacher Phil McDonald. All became clear this Tuesday as a poetry
installation was unveiled in the school’s sixth form social area.
A group of young writers in Years 10-13 at Walbottle Campus worked
with poet Bob Beagrie and graphic designer Mark Warner to create the
artwork, which is the culmination of our first project in a programme
called Young Writers' City, which exists to engage young people in
Newcastle in creative activity. The project is taking place in Walbottle,
Walker and the West End of Newcastle over the next three years.
Have a look at our Facebook
page for photos of 'It is an ordinary day' at Walbottle Campus.
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Cuckoo Young Writers
summer schools
 Know a
young person aged 12-19 who loves to write?
We are running six summer schools in the North East this August in
Cramlington, Bishop Auckland, Amble, and three areas of Newcastle—Walker,
Walbottle and the West End. From songwriting to film-making, there’s
something for everyone. It’s going to brilliant fun, no experience is required
and what’s more, it’s all absolutely FREE.
Find out more and sign up at the link: http://www.newwritingnorth.com/young-summer-schools-2015.
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People
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 We have
been delighted with the reception of Kathryn Williams’ album Hypoxia,
which started life as a Durham Book Festival commission in 2013, marking
the 50th anniversary of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. Kathryn is
going to be performing the album in full at the Manchester Literature
Festival on 17 October, before discussing the work with Observer
writer Rachel Cooke. Buy tickets at: www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk/events/kathryn-williams-36677
A few months back, we invited you to test the Beta version of MacGuffin, the
new digital platform for poetry and short stories, made by our friends
the Manchester publishers Comma
Press. You’ll be pleased to know MacGuffin is now live, with
some new features. Go to https://macguffin.io
to sign up.
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Competitions
& Prizes
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Mslexia
Women’s Novel Competition 2015
Mslexia Women's Novel Competition 2015 is for novels of at
least 50,000 words written for adults—and young adults—in any genre by
previously unpublished women novelists. This year's judges are Marina
Lewycka (novelist); Juliet Mushens (literary agent) and Di Speirs (Books
Editor at BBC Radio & Music). First prize in the competition is
£5,000, plus the winner and four other finalists will receive free
professional feedback from The Literary Consultancy and be invited to
meet literary agents and editors at a special networking event in London.
Entry costs £25 per novel.
The winner will be announced in the Mar/Apr/May 2016 issue of Mslexia.
Deadline: 21
September 2015. For more information, and to enter see www.mslexia.co.uk/novel.
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RSL Jerwood Awards
for Non-Fiction
The Royal Society of Literature and the Jerwood Charitable Foundation
offer three annual awards—one of £10,000 and two of £5,000—to authors
engaged on their first major commissioned works of non-fiction. They are
now accepting submissions for the RSL Jerwood Awards 2015. UK and Irish
citizens and those who have been a resident in the UK for the past three
years are all eligible.
Applications must be submitted by Monday, 7 September 2015. See rsliterature.org/award/rsl-jerwood-awards-for-non-fiction
for more information.
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Opportunities
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StepAway
Magazine—open for submissions
StepAway
Magazine is an online English literary journal based in the North
East of England. It was founded by the British writer, researcher and
literary reviewer, Darren Richard Carlaw, and publishes poetry and flash
fiction about walking in an urban environment. StepAway Magazine
takes its name from a flâneur poem by Frank O’Hara entitled 'A Step Away
from Them' from the collection Lunch Poems.
The journal recently won a Walking Visionaries Award, which will be
presented at the Walk
21 conference in Vienna this October. 208 submitters from 47
countries shared their ideas and StepAway Magazine won a prize in
the Walking
and the Arts category.
StepAway Magazine has a rolling submission policy and they are
looking to showcase the work of more North East writers. Submission
guidelines can be found at stepawaymagazine.com/about.
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MA in Writing Poetry
open for applications
The
Poetry School are thrilled to announce that the application process
for their MA in Writing Poetry, in collaboration with Newcastle
University, is now live on the Newcastle University website.
The two year course starts in September 2015, and you can study in one
of two centres: the Poetry School’s Lambeth Walk classrooms in London, or
at Newcastle University itself. Both groups of students will come
together for an annual joint Summer School, alternating between London
and Newcastle.
This new MA is unique in that it is firmly rooted in the publishing,
performing and promoting poetry world. You will be working with
established poets Roddy Lumsden (London), Clare Pollard (London), W N
Herbert (Newcastle) and Sean O’Brien (Newcastle).
The price for the MA is £2,750 per year. Full details of the programme
and the application process are now available on the Newcastle
University website.
For enquiries please email John Canfield at coordinator@poetryschool.com
for study in London, or Melanie Birch at melanie.birch@ncl.ac.uk for
study in Newcastle.
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Writers’
retreat—Lockhaugh Studio
Lockhaugh Studio, based in Rowlands Gill, is being offered for let. In
a quiet rural setting, 15 minutes from Newcastle City Centre, the studio
is situated in the Eastern wing of a recently converted stable block
overlooking Gibside Monument in Rowlands Gill, Tyne & Wear.
The studio has storage space, a shower room and underfloor heating.
The walls are painted white with natural light supplied by skylights and
side windows and the floor is finished in concrete grey. Rental starts at
£50 per week, plus bills. To enquire, contact Deborah at contactdkh@gmail.com or for more
information and pictures of the studio, see www.facebook.com/LockhaughStudio1.
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Introduction to
Screenwriting Course
Using clips, discussion, and writing exercises award-winning
writer-director, Gavin Williams, will take you through the first steps
for constructing a film screenplay. Topics will include narrative
structure, characterisation, and tips on writing genre films, such as
action, comedy and science fiction. The course is intended for aspiring
writers and film lovers alike, but all experience levels are welcome.
Gavin Williams has been commissioned by Yorkshire TV, Channel 5,
Carlton, Penguin, Corgi and Lego, and his latest short film, Sleepworking,
which was funded by Northern Film and Media, has won eight awards and
played at forty-seven international film festivals. He has also taught at
Northumbria University.
The course takes place at The Lit and Phil, Newcastle on Tuesdays
6-8pm from Tuesday, 18 August. Cost: £50 for 5 weeks. To sign up—or for
more information—please contact Gavin Williams on gavstatic@sky.com.
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Workshops
and networking
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Writing for Wellbeing
workshops
Upcoming
workshops across Yorkshire, Northumberland and Tyne & Wear
Write your way to a more positive outlook on life! Laura Napran will
lead you through guided writing activities to foster personal growth,
increased mindfulness, and emotional wellbeing. Whether seeking a new
perspective on difficult issues, or looking to unleash your creative
spirit, research has shown that writing is good for you! More information
available on writingforwellbeing.co.uk
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Artswork training
courses
Courses offered
in project management, evaluating youth arts projects and mentoring
Designed for people working in the arts and cultural sector, these
courses provide a way of developing your skills. Starting in October and
running until November, train in 'Youth
Arts project management' in Manchester, 'Evaluating
Youth Arts projects' in Gateshead and 'Mentoring:
the next creative generation' in Manchester. For more information,
click the corresponding links.
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Healing Words: the
Poetry in Therapy
SCPTI, 1
Westbourne Grove, Scarborough: Saturday, 7 November, 2015, 10am-5pm
This one-day, experiential workshop with Kate
Evans will explore how poetry could be a tool for greater
self-reflection, insight and healing within therapeutic environments. No
prior knowledge of poetry—either reading or writing it—is required, only
an openness and a willingness to experiment with words. For more
information or to book, contact SCPTI at mail@scpti.co.uk
or 01723 376246.
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Deadline
for the next newsletter
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If you have news that you would like to submit
for inclusion in the newsletter please contact rhys@newwritingnorth.com.
The deadline for receipt of information for the next newsletter is 27
July. The next edition of The
Listening Post covering September's events will be
published in late August so if there are any events that you would like
to submit for inclusion you will need to send information to laurafraine@newwritingnorth.com
by 20 August.
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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