New Writing North Northern Bookshelf

The latest NWN Northern Bookshelf newsletter:

Spring Season: Talks and workshops for new and emerging writers New for Spring 2021, New Writing North presents a series of online creative writing talks and workshops, bringing the wisdom and experience of some of our best Northern writers to new and emerging writers at home. The talks and workshops will all take place on Zoom. You don’t need your own Zoom account to join us, just a computer, laptop or phone and an internet connection. Live captioning is available.  These events are supported by the Authors’ Licensing and Collection Society   Interactive talks  Throughout April we’re hosting a series of interactive talks aimed at new and aspiring writers. If you’re looking for ways to kick-start your writing practice and to better understand the genres you write in, these introductory sessions are for you.  All speakers will be ready to answer your questions during these hour-long interactive talks. You’ll also have the opportunity to submit questions in advance, when you book.   Start Writing with Cathy Rentzenbrink Wednesday 14 April, 7pm-8pm, Tickets £5 + booking fee Memoirist and novelist Cathy Rentzenbrink leads this interactive talk aimed at people just starting out on their writing journey. The session will be packed full of tips on how to kick-start your writing, both creatively and practically, from how to approach the dreaded blank page and find your authentic voice, to how to carve out time in your busy life to sit down and write.   Introduction to Life Writing with Richard Benson Wednesday 21 April, 7pm-8pm, Tickets £5 + booking fee Join Richard Benson for this interactive talk aimed at new writers who are considering writing about their own lives. Richard will share his own experiences as an acclaimed memoirist, suggest how you can start to approach your own work, as well as talking you through a few simple exercises to get your writing started (bring a pen and paper along to this session!).      The Business of Being a Writer with Clare Alexander Wednesday 28 April, 7pm-8pm, Tickets £5 + booking fee This interactive talk aims to help new and emerging writers better understand the business of the writing industry. It will cover how to protect your copyright, the role of a literary agent, and highlight the funding and support opportunities are available to new writers. Leading literary agent Clare Alexander will be joined by ALCS’ legal expert Richard Combes and New Writing North’s Chief Executive, Claire Malcolm.   Introduction to Short Fiction with Désirée Reynolds Wednesday 5 May 7pm-8pm, Tickets £5 + booking fee This interactive talk is aimed at new writers who are starting to write short stories or flash fiction. Writer, editor, journalist and broadcaster Désirée Reynolds will talk you through how to approach writing for this genre and answer any questions you may have.      Writing workshops This May we’ll be offering a series of smaller, more focussed workshops. If you are further along with your creative practice and are ready to start drafting and honing your manuscript, these sessions should appeal to you. These two-hour workshops are for groups of up to 20 attendees, meaning that you will have plenty of opportunity to engage with the lead writer and your fellow participants. You will be able to submit questions in advance relating to any particular areas you want to resolve in your work.   Write a Crime Novel with Jacob Ross Thursday 13 May, 7pm-9pm, Tickets £15 + booking fee This workshop is aimed at writers who have begun working on their crime manuscript and are looking for ways to improve and revise it. This is an opportunity to have access to the experience and guidance of award-winning crime writer and editor Jacob Ross. The workshop will contain exercises that focus on how to structure your crime novel, how to approach procedure, and character development.   Write a Novel with Yvonne Battle-Felton Wednesday 19 May, 7pm-9pm, Tickets £15 + booking fee There is no definitive way to write your novel. But one thing is certain, your novel won’t write itself—at least not without your help. In this workshop led by acclaimed novelist Yvonne Battle-Felton, we will write, reflect, and discuss a series of writing exercises designed to help you start a novel draft. Exercises will explore creating characters, generating ideas, developing setting, and exploring whose story you’re telling and what they want to say.     Develop your Script with Afshan D'Souza-Lodhi Thursday 20 May, 7pm-9pm, Tickets £15 + booking fee This workshop is aimed at early career writers who are working on a script for television. Writer Afshan D’Souza will introduce writers to writing for screen with a series of exercises taking them through character building, plot and dialogue, and giving participants the tools they need to be able to write the stories they want to see on the screen.   Shape your Poetry Collection with Rommi Smith Thursday 27 May, 7pm-9pm, Tickets £15 + booking fee Join poet and writer Rommi Smith for this workshop, which will be a mixture of writing and task-based exercises, followed by a Q&A session. Participants will need to bring along a selection of 5-10 poems which are at the core of their idea for their pamphlet or collection.     New Writing North PO Box 1277, Newcastle upon Tyne NE99 5BP Tel: 0191 204 8850 office@newwritingnorth.com     Share     Tweet     Forward

Welcome to the Spring issue of the Northern Bookshelf, brought to you by New Writing North and Durham Book Festival. Each season we speak to readers, publishers and producers from across the North to find out what books they are recommending to their friends, as well as focusing on some of the most exciting new books by writers based in our region. What are you reading? Join in the chat on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using #NorthernBookshelf.     The Muslim Problem, by Tawseef Khan Why are Muslim men portrayed as inherently violent? Does the veil violate women's rights? Is Islam stopping Muslims from integrating? Across western societies, Muslims are more misunderstood than any other minority. But what does it mean to believe in Islam today, to have forged your beliefs and identity in the shadow of 9/11 and the War on Terror? Exploding stereotypes from both inside and outside the faith, The Muslim Problem, by Northern Writers' Award winner Tawseef Khan, shows that while we may think we know all about Islam we are often wrong about even the most basic facts. Bold and provocative, The Muslim Problem is both a wake-up call for non-believers and a passionate new framework for Muslims to navigate a world that is often set against them. Published 4 March 2021 by Atlantic Books We interviewed Tawseef Khan about his writing processes for The Muslim Problem and its accompanying podcast. Read the interview here. Giveaway!  We have one copy of The Muslim Problem to give away! For the chance to win, tell us what you're reading on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook using the hashtags #NorthernBookshelf and #TheMuslimProblem. Winners will be drawn on 26 March 2021.   In Male Tears, a debut collection of stories that brings together over fifteen years of work, Benjamin Myers lays bare the male psyche in all its fragility, complexity and failure, its hubris and forbidden tenderness. Farmers, fairground workers and wandering pilgrims, gruesome gamekeepers, bare-knuckle boxers and ex-cons with secret passions, the men that populate these unsettling, wild and wistful stories form a multi-faceted, era-spanning portrait of just what it means to be a man.  The biscuit factory in Haddie's hometown is absolutely 100% NOT a Super-Secret Science Lab. Or a portal to another dimension. With orange fluffy monsters. OH NO. DEFINITELY NOT. Or ... is it? The Unbelievable Biscuit Factory by James Harris, Northern Writers’ Award winner, is a laugh-out-loud biscuit-bonkers adventure for fans of My Brother is a Superhero and Kid Normal.  “So funny you’ll snort custard creams out of your nose.” Mr J. Dodger In her mid-30s and sprung out of a terrible relationship, Tabitha quit her job at a women’s magazine, left London and moved to Aberdeen – to make good on a long-deferred idea for a book about oil rigs and the men who work on them. Why oil rigs? “I wanted to see what men were like, with no women around.”  Sea State by Tabitha Lasley is a portrait of an overlooked industry, and the story of a journalist whose distance from her subject becomes perilously thin.     In The Lightning Catcher by Claire Weze, Alfie has noticed a few strange things since his family moved to Folding Ford. When Alfie 'investigates' Mr Clemm's garden, only SLIGHTLY illegally, he finds a strange box that freezes his trainers and makes his teeth tingle. And when he opens it, only SLIGHTLY deliberately, SOMETHING gets out. Something fast, fizzing and sparking with electricity and very, very much alive. But the creature from the box brings trouble of its own, and as barometers and tempers go haywire in Folding Ford, Alfie finds himself at the centre of a perfect storm. To outsiders they look wild, but mostly they are not. The farm children have always known how to play the dogs. They know the best places to tease them, lead them, and hide from them. But lately Carys is struggling. One looks like it is going to eat her up whole, and she is going to let it.  Among These Animals by Gaynor Jones is a novella-in-flash that traces the lives of farmer Derfel and his daughter Carys from the 1950s to the 1980s in North Wales. An experimental take on a traditional historical saga, it explore how family can break us, but can also put us back together again. In 1942, the UK government perfected an anthrax weapon destined for Germany. Though the attack was never launched, the testing ground, Gruinard Island, was left lethally contaminated. It became known as Anthrax Island. Now government scientists have returned, but are stranded by equipment failure. When one of them is found impossibly murdered inside a sealed room, John Tyler realises he’s trapped with a killer...  Anthrax Island by Danny Marshall is a gripping thriller that will leave you guessing until the final page.    In the near future, in a world that seems just like our own, Eve grows up in a loving family that is increasingly threatened by a society which seems to be sleepwalking into totalitarianism. After a catastrophe that changes everything, Eve must set off on her own to try to survive and find a new way to live.    Eve, a beautiful new graphic novel by Una, is a book of families and community, human weakness and conflict, hopeful futures and painful pasts.  From vibrant springtime flowers to sweet fruits on summer trees, the falling of autumn leaves and snowdrops in winter, Tim Hopgood's My Big Book of Outdoors is the perfect introduction to the big outdoors. Discover why birds fly south in winter, find animal footprints in the snow and learn to make the perfect snowflake; grow a sunflower, find a feather and make a daisy chain. This bumper book is full of activities, poetry, fun facts, and amazing things to see and do outdoors. The Ormering Tide by Kathryn Williams is a coming-of-age story set amidst a series of darkly foreboding events. Rozel lives with her triplet older brothers and her parents in the bay of a small island. One of her brothers goes missing and the family’s landlord, Mr Willow, is implicated as the menacing truths are discovered. The Ormering Tide is a brooding and astonishing debut which explores the inherent human need to keep and bury secrets.   Anita Sethi was on a journey through Northern England when she became the victim of a race-hate crime. After the event Anita experienced panic attacks and anxiety. A crushing sense of claustrophobia made her long for wide open spaces, to breathe deeply in the great outdoors. She was intent on not letting her experience stop her travelling freely and without fear.  I Belong Here is a journey of reclamation through the natural landscapes of the North, brilliantly exploring identity, nature, place and belonging. Set in the last shanty town of Hong Kong before the fraught 1997 handover from Britain to China, Diamond Hill follows the return of a recovering heroin addict, Buddha, as he tries to salvage what's left from a place he hoped to forget. Kit Fan's hard-hitting and exhilarating debut is a requiem for a disappearing city, and a meditation on powerlessness, religion, colonialism and displacement.   "A vivid, powerful portrait of a vanishing world." David Nicholls It’s 1994. The music industry is mourning Kurt Cobain, Right Said Fred have re-emerged as an ‘ironic’ pop act and John Major is the country’s prime minister. Nothing is as it should be.  Emma, a working-class rock music fan from Hull, is hurtling towards her 27th birthday, riddled with anxiety that her idols Joplin, Hendrix and Morrison all died aged 27. Will Emma be next to join The Twenty Seven Club? The Twenty-Seven Club by Lucy Nichol is a nostalgic, often humorous, drug and booze-infused tale of friendship, discovery and anxiety.   You can view the featured books on our Bookshop affiliate list. All Bookshop links above are affiliate links.     NWN Staff Picks New year, new books! Here at NWN, we started off 2021 with some great reads that got us through yet another lockdown. Read here to find out about the books we're currently loving, and let us know what you're reading on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by using #NorthernBookshelf.   Recent Poetry from the North To complement our list of featured books, Will has rounded up some of the best new poetry from the North. Read his selection here. Several of his recommendations are available on our Bookshop affiliate list.   ZunTold ZunTold, an independent publishing company that publishes novels and poetry to support children young people and adults with their mental health, told us about some of the books they've recently published, as well as some exciting upcoming projects and publications. Read about them here.   Darling Reads Darling Reads is a gorgeous bookshop in Horbury, Wakefield, which recently won National Book Tokens 'Newcomer of the Year 2021' award. We asked them to tell us about the difficulties of opening a bookshop during a pandemic and the books they're currently loving. Read what they had to say here.   Spring Reads Podcast In this episode of the Northern Bookshelf podcast, Grace, Rebecca and special guest Anna Disley treat us to some uplifting reads for Spring - whether that's a thriller with a deeply satisfying ending, or a novel that makes you laugh until you cry. Books mentioned in the podcast can be found here on our affiliate link Bookshop list.     Northern Bookshelf is published by New Writing North and Durham Book Festival. If you have news about books by northern authors or you would like to recommend books as a bookseller, librarian, book group or reader, please contact victoria@newwritingnorth.com. The next issue will be published in June 2021 and will cover June 2021 - August 2021. The deadline for receipt of information for the next newsletter is 28 May 2021. 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.   New Writing North PO Box 1277, Newcastle upon Tyne NE99 5BP Tel: 0191 204 8850 office@newwritingnorth.com     Share     Tweet     Forward

Two weeks left to apply for A Writing Chance A Writing Chance is a new opportunity, open to new and aspiring writers and journalists from under-represented and lower income backgrounds. We’re looking for fresh perspectives and great stories from people whose voices have historically not been heard in publishing and the media. Applications close on 26 March 2021. Don't miss out on applying for this project, which comes with a wealth of benefits including bursaries of £1,500; mentoring with leading writers; publication with our media partners, and more.  This UK-wide project is co-funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and supported by media partners New Statesman and Daily Mirror. The project is delivered by New Writing North, with support from literature organisations nationally, and research from Northumbria University.       A Writing Chance: the opportunity Mentoring and publication for new writers  We are looking for new and aspiring writers from working-class and lower income backgrounds to take part in A Writing Chance.  We especially welcome submissions from people who face intersecting challenges from historic under-representation in the media, including but not limited to those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic, disabled and/or any other historically marginalised backgrounds.   Each successful applicant (ten spaces) will receive:  ·         A bursary of £1,500 to participate in the project ·         One-to-one mentoring with an experienced writer or journalist ·         An invitation to Insight Days with the media partners, either in person or online ·         Publication with byline by one of the media partners, including the Daily Mirror or New Statesman, or broadcast as a podcast.  Find out more and apply by 26 March 2021 at AWritingChance.co.uk      How to get involved It’s easy to apply to take part in A Writing Chance, and applications will be accepted until 26 March 2021. To apply, you will be asked to tell us a bit about yourself and your background, and to submit an original piece of journalism, non-fiction or creative writing, up to 500 words on the theme ‘Life in 2020-2021’. ·         All applicants will be invited to a free digital seminar, Introduction to Writing and Journalism, led by industry experts.  ·         Up to 30 applicants will be shortlisted and offered the chance to write a short piece for consideration and paid a fee of £100. ·         Ten people will be selected for a place on A Writing Chance.  The project has an Access fund to support the needs of those participants who may need extra support.   Background to the project Adjusting the lens Representation matters. The media frames how we think and feel about ourselves and the world around us. The best writing shows us who we are by shining a torch on untold stories and experiences, illuminating truths and bringing injustices and structural inequalities into the light.  But research tells us that the people writing and setting the agenda do so through a relatively narrow prism of experience. We think it’s time to open up the industry so we can all benefit from a richer culture.  A Writing Chance is a positive intervention, designed to discover new talent, support new writers from under-represented backgrounds to break into the creative industries, and empower publishers and editors to make space for a broader range of perspectives.    Who gets to write for the British media we all read?  The media may be one of the most competitive industries to break into, but it isn’t a meritocracy. For many new writers, progress does not always correspond to their talent and those with huge potential are often held back by a range of barriers. It’s not right that a London-centric industry; unpaid and low-paid internships; the casualisation of jobs; and a reliance on personal contacts make finding work in the media far more difficult for people from working-class and lower income backgrounds. What's more, people from these backgrounds often face intersecting challenges due to historic under-representation in the media, including but not limited to ethnicity, disability, sexuality, gender identity, age and religious beliefs. In our society this is wrong. ·         47% of authors and writers are from the most privileged social starting points, contrasting with only 10% from working-class backgrounds. Office for National Statistics’ Labour Force Survey, 2014 ·         12.6% of those working in publishing come from working-class social origins, compared with a third of the population as a whole. Cultural Capital: Arts Graduates, Spatial Inequality, and London's Impact on Cultural Labor Markets, 2017 ·         Newspaper columnists, who significantly shape the national conversation, draw from a particularly small pool, with 44% attending independent school (compared with 7% of the population) and 33% coming through the independent school to Oxbridge ‘pipeline’ alone (compared with less than 1% of the population who attend Oxbridge). Sutton Trust, Elitist Britain 2019 ·         Just 0.2% of British journalists are Black (compared to 3% of the population) and 0.4% of British journalists are Muslim (compared to nearly 5% of the population). City University, 2016     New Writing North PO Box 1277, Newcastle upon Tyne NE99 5BP Tel: 0191 204 8850 office@newwritingnorth.com     Share     Tweet     Forward

Writing the Climate: free opportunities for readers and writers to engage with climate change   What are our individual roles in the Climate Emergency? How can reading, writing and discussion help to deepen empathy and understanding, extend our imaginations, and encourage us to take action? Over the next two years, poet and climate writer Linda France will be creating spaces for connection, discussion and personal reflection, which encourage all of us to respond to the Climate Emergency and see ourselves as part of its solution.  Read more about Writing the Climate   The Writing Hour The Writing Hour is an experiment in shared writing time, hosted by Linda France as part of Writing the Climate. This is an opportunity to come together once a month on Zoom and simply write together in silence. Concentration is contagious and working in a group setting can make a big difference to the energy and awareness we bring to our writing. There will be no preamble or structure apart from a free-writing prompt, with half an ear on the weather and the world around us, to get us started. We will write for around 50 minutes and there will be a brief (entirely non- compulsory) space at the end to share any passing thoughts with fellow writers. The sessions will take place on the following dates. Join us as many times as you like: ·         Tuesday 30 March 2021, 1-2pm ·         Tuesday 27 April 2021, 1-2pm ·         Tuesday 25 May 2021, 1-2pm ·         Tuesday 29 June 2021, 1-2pm Register your free place here.   Climate Reading Group Our free Climate Reading Group meets online four times a year to discuss books that tackle environment-related issues. This is a small, friendly group and no prior knowledge is assumed. Places are free, but limited and you will need to register in advance. ·         Tuesday 13 April 2021, 6-7.30pm Mama Amazonica, by Pascale Petit Registration now open here, download Linda France’s reading guide here ·         Tuesday 8 June 2021, 6-7.30pm Letters to the Earth, anthology with introduction by Emma Thompson ·         Tuesday 14 September 2021, 6-7.30pm Gigantic Cinema, ed. Alice Oswald and Paul Keegan ·         Tuesday 9 November 2021, 6-7.30pm The Swan Book, by Alexis Wright   How to Start Writing the Climate Linda France is running a series of four workshops for writers interested in looking deeper and telling new stories considering the implications of living in a time of Climate Crisis and Mass Extinction. We are inviting poets and writers of prose (creative non-fiction and fiction) living in the north of England, including those at the early stages of their career, to apply for this free workshop programme. We are especially interested to hear from writers who are currently under-represented in the publishing industries, including writers of colour, disabled writers and writers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.  The workshops will take place on Zoom on the following dates. The sessions will be linked and participants would be expected to commit to attending all four:  ·         Tuesday 4 May 2021, 6-8pm ·         Tuesday 25 May 2021, 6-8pm ·         Tuesday 15 June 2021, 6-8pm ·         Tuesday 6 July 2021, 6-8pm To apply, tell us in up to 200 words why you would like to take part in this series of workshops. Please include a single page sample of your writing and a short writing biography (50 words max). Apply here for How to Start Writing the Climate by Monday 12 April.   Linda France is the Climate Writer in Residence for New Writing North and Newcastle University. Building on her 2020 residency, from 2021-2022 the Writing the Climate project will create spaces for connection, discussion and personal reflection, which encourage all of us to respond to the Climate Emergency and see ourselves as part of its solution. Writing the Climate is funded by Arts Council England, New Writing North and Newcastle University.    New Writing North PO Box 1277, Newcastle upon Tyne NE99 5BP Tel: 0191 204 8850 office@newwritingnorth.com     Share     Tweet     Forward