Karen's blog: New Writing North newsletter

Here is the latest New Writing North newsletter for my followers to peruse:

September 2015

Durham Book Festival

Politics at Durham Book Festival

Durham Book Festival politics events always attract a great audience, and this year is no exception. Tickets are selling quickly, so book soon to see some of the UK’s most interesting political commentators.
Durham Moot is a forum for discussing the political, social and cultural issues facing the North East. The first Durham Moot took place in July 2015 and we’re revisiting some of the themes this October with Selina Todd, Richard Benson, Keith Pattison and with What’s Left, a new piece of verbatim theatre directed by Linda Taylor.

Selina Todd: The People: The Rise and Fall of the Working Class

Sunday 11 October, 5pm-6pm, Durham Town Hall

In 1910 three-quarters of the population were working class, but their story has been ignored until now. The People tells the hidden story of an entire nation, told in the words of its people. Based on the first-person accounts of servants, factory workers, miners and housewives, award-winning historian Selina Todd reveals an unexpected Britain where cinema audiences shook their fists at footage of Winston Churchill, communities supported strikers, and where pools winners refused to become respectable...read more.

Vince Cable: After the Storm: The World Economy and Britain’s Economic Future

Saturday 10 October, 7.30pm-8.30pm, Durham Town Hall

A fascinating insight into the state of the British economy from a leading politician, who was at the heart of the Coalition Government. In his new book, Cable will provide a previously unreported inside view of the coalition, and offers a carefully considered perspective on how the British economy should be managed over the next decade and beyond. Vince Cable was MP for Twickenham from 1997-2015. He was the Liberal Democrat’s chief economic spokesperson from 2003-2010 and was most recently Business Secretary under the Coalition Government...read more.

Modern Russia with Arkady Ostrovsky and Luke Harding

Saturday 10 October, 1.30pm-2.30pm, Durham Town Hall

This event brings together two leading experts to explore the culture and politics of contemporary Russia. In The Invention of Russia: The Journey from Gorbachev’s Freedom to Putin’s War, Arkady Ostrovsky traces the history of modern Russia from Mikhail Gorbachev to the rise of former KGB agent Vladimir Putin. Arkady Ostrovksy is a Russian-born British journalist who has spent 15 years reporting from Moscow for both the Financial Times and The Economist. Luke Harding is a journalist, writer and award-winning correspondent with The Guardian. Between 2007 and 2011 he was The Guardian’s Moscow bureau chief. The Kremlin expelled him...read more.

Original commission: Richard Benson and Keith Pattison

Sunday 11 October, 1pm-2pm, Palace Green Library (Wolfson Gallery)

For this special commission we are bringing together acclaimed writer Richard Benson, author of compelling family histories The Valley and The Farm, with photographer Keith Pattison. Taking as their starting point a photograph from Pattison’s archive of images from his time as the official photographer of the Durham Miners’ Strike they will explore a 30-year history of family and friends and aim to tell the story of what happened to people in the 30 years after the strike...read more.

What’s Left?

Sunday 11 October, 6.30pm-7.30pm, Durham Town Hall

Join us for a new piece of verbatim theatre which addresses our soundbite-driven political culture. A group of actors were brought together by Linda Taylor (Senior Lecturer in Performance, Northumbria University) to ask what mainstream left wing politics can offer working class communities. Their debates have been developed with a range of political enthusiasts including politicians, activists, academics and members of the public. Follow their thinking as they revisit the points they made from a position of their initial relative ignorance...read more.

Chris Mullin: The Art of Political Leadership

Saturday 10 October, 3pm-4pm, Durham Town Hall

Churchill, Attlee, Lloyd George, Thatcher, Blair? Who were the outstanding political leaders of the 20th century? Durham Book Festival stalwart Chris Mullin returns to the festival stage this year to talk about the art of political leadership. Chris was a Labour minister in three departments and was MP for Sunderland South for 23 years. He is a best-selling diarist and novelist and his novel, A Very British Coup, has been adapted for television twice, most recently as Secret State...read more.