New
Writing North news
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New books from
Benjamin Myers and Kathleen McKay
 Moth
Publishing, the crime imprint of our publishing arm, Mayfly Press, has just published two brilliant new crime novels
from northern writers.
Benjamin Myers
is an award-winning author and journalist. His recent novel Beastings (2014)
won the Portico Prize For Literature, was the recipient of the Northern Writers’ Award and longlisted
for a Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award 2015. Widely acclaimed, it featured
on several end of year lists. Pig
Iron (2012) was the winner of the inaugural Gordon Burn
Prize and runner-up in The
Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize. A controversial combination
of biography and novel, Richard
(2010) was a bestseller and chosen as a Sunday Times book of the year. Turning Blue (Moth, 2016) is
his first crime novel, a terrifying and gripping tale set in the depths
of winter in an isolated hamlet in the Yorkshire Dales.
Kathleen McKay
is the winner of the Northern Crime Competition 2014. Kathleen’s previous
publications include two poetry collections: Collision Forces (Wrecking
Ball, 2015) and Anyone
Left Standing (Smith Doorstop 1998); one pamphlet, Telling the Bees
(Smiths Knoll, 2014); and a novel, Waiting
for the Morning (The Women’s Press, 1991). Hard Wired (Moth, 2016) is her
latest novel, set in Newcastle in 1996—a city of regeneration and
investment. Charlie works in the local bail hostel where, exhausted and
made cynical by the job, she expects the worst of everyone. When her
friend's son is found dead in the local park she is dragged into the hunt
for the murderer. |
Moth Publishing: open
for submissions
We are currently operating an open
submissions period between August and November 2016 for crime novels for
our Moth imprint. If you would like to submit work for consideration
please send us the following:
- A
synopsis of the novel (no more than one page of A4)
- Up
to 3,000 words of the novel
- An
author biography
Work should be sent to submissions@mayfly.press. Please use
your author name as the title of the email. We will aim to respond to all
submissions by the end of February 2017. |
Metro Short Story
Competition
 We’re
pleased to be working with Tyne and Wear Metro on a new short story competition,
which is open to both new and established short story writers. The
challenge is to write
a 250-word short story based around the theme ‘Metro
Morning’ which is inspired by an artwork of the same name, by artist
Anthony Lowe, located at Regent Centre Metro station.
Writers of all
ages can enter with prizes up for grabs in two
categories; adults (16 and over) and children (under 16). The winning
adult will receive £100 worth of Waterstones vouchers and the child
winner will get an Amazon Fire tablet. The winners in both categories
will also see their winning stories displayed in Metro stations.
To launch the competition Angela
Readman has written two new short stories, The Curator of Losses and The Day it Really Rained Men.
The competition is open for entries now and is open to all. The
deadline for entries is midnight on Monday 26 September. To enter, send
your story and full name, age, address and contact number to shortstory@twmetro.co.uk.
Find full competition guidelines at www.nexus.org.uk/metro/shortstory. |
The Northern Rock
Foundation Talent Fund
The Northern Rock Foundation Talent fund is a funding programme
run by New Writing North targeting
young people aged 15-25 who live in Newcastle upon Tyne.
There will be a range of awards made which will invest in talent,
ambition and good ideas in the fields of literature and writing. There is
a total funding
pot of £10,000 available and we aim to make 4-6 awards.
What we could fund:
• People who want to use the funding to develop a piece of art or
literature, or want to develop an arts-based project.
• Young producers or publishers who want to set up a new initiative or
support an existing one (e.g. spoken word night, blog,
poetry magazine etc.).
• Writers, artists, producers, publishers who want to buy mentoring to help them
develop their work.
• Professional development, such as supporting the costs of a work placement or short
training programme which will have a significant impact
on their career in the arts or literature.
If there is a project or initiative you have in mind but you aren’t
sure whether it fits the criteria, please contact Rachael Walsh at rachael@newwritingnorth.com
or 0191 204 8851. Find the application and more information at the New Writing North website. The
shortlisted candidates may be asked to attend a meeting before final
decisions are made. Deadline for applications is Monday 24 October
at 5pm. |
Durham Book Festival
tickets
Excitement is building—and the full programme is now available—for
Durham Book Festival, which we’re hosting 6-17 October. www.durhambookfestival.com. |
Volunteer at Durham
Book Festival
We’re looking for enthusiastic
volunteers to work at this year’s Durham Book Festival.
The festival runs 7-16 October 2016, and features a host of prominent
writers, poets and political minds such as Laura Bates, James Rebanks,
Anthony Horowitz, Alan Johnson, Michael Morpurgo, Kit de Waal, Helen Mort
and
Inua Ellams. Download the full programme here.
As a volunteer, you’ll be allowed free entry to all Durham Book Festival
events (subject to available space). You’ll also have the chance to meet
some of the authors. We’ll provide food and drinks throughout your
shifts, and to top it off you’ll get a free t-shirt to keep as a
souvenir. Find out more and apply
by Monday 19 September at the Durham Book Festival website. |
Durham Book Festival
Young Poets Call Out
We are looking
for local young poets (14-25 years old) to share their work at Durham
Book Festival, as part of Knee Deep, a poetry event about
our relationship with water. The event takes place at Empty Shop HQ in
Durham on October
15, organised by Tender Buttons in partnership with
Jasmine Simms, and Cuckoo Young Writers.
If you would like to present your poetry as part of the festival
please send examples of your writing to tess@tenderbuttons.co.uk
by 12pm on Wednesday
21 September and include the phrase “Knee Deep” in the
email title. |
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New term for Cuckoo
Young Writers
Sharpen your pencils, it’s
a new term for the Cuckoo Young Writers. And as well as
being in all our usual locations—Newcastle, Sunderland, Warkworth and
Cramlington—we’re
starting a brilliant new group in Durham too.
As always, all our groups are totally
free and are a chance to meet other young writers aged
12-19. It also doesn’t matter whether you’re already a prolific writer or
whether you just want to come along and have a go—everyone is welcome!
All our groups are lead by a professional writer and a group leader.
They’re creative, supportive environments where you can get feedback on
your work, try out new styles of writing and work towards something
super-exciting, like a pamphlet, a zine or a performance.
To find out all the details of when and where groups will be happening
and what they’ll be doing, go to the Cuckoo Writers website. |
Read Regional
feedback
Many thanks to everyone who attended Read Regional events in 2016 and
especially to all those who filled in our feedback cards. The winner of
our prize draw has been chosen at random as Diana White, who attended an
event led by Bones in
the Nest author Helen Cadbury at Stockton Central Library.
Happy reading, Diana! |
People
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A number of Northern writers have had their books published by Smokestack. John Seed has
set out to recover the lost and silent world of Durham pitmen in Brandon Pithouse: a
book about the pain and danger of working underground, the damage to the
human body and the human relationships created in such conditions. Ruth Valentine’s
Downpour
draws on the writer’s experiences as an undertaker and a celebrant at
secular funerals to compose an extended meditation on dying and death,
its emotional grammar and its painful but necessary rituals. Missing by Malcolm Povey is
a collection of poems about illness, death and loss and the meanings we
seek in death and find in life.
Berwick-based Bea
Davenport's fifth novel is to be published by Accent
Press in autumn 2017. The
Misper, a contemporary novel about intense friendships, is
Bea's first in the YA genre, although she has two crime novels published
by Legend Press and two children's novels published by Curious Fox and
ReadZone Books.
Long-time NWN collaborator, Carina
Rodney has a new play The
Fighting Bradfords, at Gala Theatre 8-17 September and we’re
pleased to be able to pass our subscribers this ticket offer. The Fighting Bradfords
tells the story of Roland, George, James and Thomas Bradford, the most
celebrated brothers in military service history. Drawing on first-hand
accounts, correspondence and family anecdotes, this brand new play
explores what drove this remarkable family from Witton Park, Bishop
Auckland to become national heroes.
You can access tickets for performances of The Fighting Bradfords on 9 & 10
September, 7.30pm for £11 (standard price £15) by quoting “WRITING11”
when booking via the Gala Theatre Box Office on 03000
266 600, online on the Gala Theatre website or in person at the venue
(not in conjunction with any other offer). |
Opportunities
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Traverse Theatre open
submissions
The Traverse Theatre have opened
up their script submission window for 2016 and are
accepting submissions from 1 August to 30 September 2016, to develop and
produce for the Traverse stage. All plays must be sent through the online
submissions service, Submittable. For more information, see the Playwrights’ Studio Scotland website. |
Live Lab bursary
callout
Submissions are now open for Live Theatre's £2,000 Live Lab Bursary to develop a new piece of
theatre. The bursary winner will receive £2000 to help in
the development of a new piece of theatre, dramaturgical and producing
support, two weeks rehearsal/R&D space at Live Theatre and a
performance slot in the work-in-progress night at the Live Lab Elevator
festival in February 2017. For details on how to apply, see the Live Theatre website. |
Competitions
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The Observer/Anthony
Burgess Prize for Arts Journalism
The International Anthony Burgess Foundation is seeking the best, previously
unpublished writing on new work in the arts. The winning
1500-word piece will be a review of a book, film, concert, exhibition,
ballet, play or TV show, with a cash prize available of £2000. To enter, please see The International Anthony Burgess
Foundation website. |
Workshops
and networking
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Reading and Writing
Poetry at the Lit and Phil
A seven-week
poetry course, taking place in Newcastle, will use some
famous and not so famous poems to inspire and kick start new writing (Monday 10 October–21 November).
The course, led by Ellen
Phethean and Kathleen
Kenny, is open to anyone with an interest in poetic form,
and is tailored to suit both new and experienced writers. Telephone 0191
232 0192 to reserve a place (course fee of £60 payable at first meeting). |
Writing From Life at
Victoria Gallery & Museum
As part of Liverpool Literary Festival, RSL Fellow Andrew O’Hagan,
one of his generation’s most exciting and serious chroniclers of
contemporary Britain, will
lead a master-class on writing fiction. Join him on Sunday 30 October,
12.45pm-3.45pm. Tickets cost £30/£15 concessions and can be booked online
via the Liverpool Literary Festival website. |
Jobs
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| Pop Up Projects
is seeking a development
manager for an 18-month fixed-term contract (Oct 2016 to
March 2018; £30,000 per annum, rising by 3% annually). The company has an
impressive track record of engaging children, schools, families and
communities through far-reaching, imaginative and innovative literature
programmes and events that impact on enjoyment of reading and writing. The full job description is available to download
online. |
The
Listening Post
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Bookish performance
in Halifax
A show inspired by our love of books and reading is coming to
Orangebox Café at 5.30pm on
Sunday 11 September, devised by award-winning theatre
maker and comedian
Laura Mugridge and musician Tom Adams who
are both associate artists at Harrogate Theatre. Two books from a choice
of five will be chosen by the public in the weeks running up to the
performance, including recipe, fiction and travel books. The result will
be a playful and relaxed show full of personal stories, music and much
more. Visit the Square Chapel website to see
the list of books and to vote. |
One of Our Own: Jam
Jar Cinema poetry event
A number of North East poets will read at a King Ink event taking
place at Jam Jar Cinema in Whitley Bay on Monday 12 September at 7pm, raising funds for Walking With:
a centre of support in North Tyneside for asylum seekers and refugees,
including recently-arrived Syrian families. Tickets cost £5. For further
information, contact patrickshannonart@gmail.com and buy tickets here. |
YA and Children's
Fiction in Newcastle
On Saturday 17
September, 45 top children's and Young Adult authors and
illustrators will appear at Newcastle City Library as part of the UKYA
and Children's Extravaganza. The YA authors will be appearing from 10am–1pm,
while children's authors and illustrators will appear from 2pm–5pm. Tickets are available for £5/£3 from the Seven
Stories website. |
Bewick-inspired
poetry in Newcastle
Poetry and print lovers alike can enjoy the opportunity to see the
wood engravings of the North’s greatest artist and hear new poems
inspired by their legacy, at Great North Museum: Hancock on Saturday 15 October
(1-3pm). Joanne
Clement will deliver the poetry readings, as part of the
International Print Biennale. The event is free to attend but booking is
essential via june.holmes@ncl.ac.uk. |
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Deadline
for the next newsletter
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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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