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News from New Writing North: 26 March 2021
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Last chance to apply for A Writing Chance: closes today at
6pm!
A Writing Chance is 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. Apply
here
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Spring Season: Talks and workshops for 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. Whether you are just starting
out, or have a draft manuscript to complete, we’d love you to join us. All
sessions will be fully interactive and you will be able to ask questions in
advance when you sign up or during the session.
New and aspiring writers
will find inspiration, advice and tips on how to start
writing with Cathy
Rentzenbrink, life
writing with Richard
Benson, the
business of being a writer with Clare
Alexander and writing
short fiction with Désirée
Reynolds.
For emerging writers and
those working on draft manuscripts, join us in small groups for longer
workshops on writing
a crime novel with Jacob
Ross, writing
a novel with Yvonne
Battle-Felton, developing
a script with Afshan
D'Souza-Lodhi and shaping
your poetry collection with Rommi
Smith.
Priced at £5 for
interactive talks and £15 for workshops, all of our sessions have 10% free
bursary spaces for those in receipt of benefits. Find
all workshops here.
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How to Start Writing the Climate
As part of her climate
writing residency with New
Writing North and Newcastle
University, Linda
France is running a series of four workshops for writers
interested in finding stories which get to the heart of things and consider
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. Find
out more and apply by 12 April.
Also as part of the
residency, Linda is running a free monthly Writing Hour. The March hour is
now fully booked, but there are a few places still available for 27 April,
1-2pm; 25 May, 1-2pm; and 29 June, 1-2pm. Reserve
your space here.
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Emerging translators to be mentored as part of new Arabic
translation programme
The Arabic
Translation Mentoring Programme is
supporting four emerging translators to develop their translation skills
and professional knowledge. Ali
Al-Jamri is a Bahraini poet and translator based in
Manchester. Mariam
Naji is an emerging freelance translator and writer; born
in Saudi Arabia, she currently lives in Assuit, Egypt. Zein Sa’dedin is a
poet and educator and Addie
Leak is a freelance translator, translation reviewer, and
editor; they are both based in Amman, Jordan.
Each mentee will receive
four mentoring meetings from an experienced translator mentor; participate
in peer-support forums; have access to two professional development
sessions featuring expert guest speakers; and have the opportunity to
discuss their practice with writers. A bursary of £1300 will support the
translators to complete the programme. The programme mentors will be
announced in April. We are grateful to the British Council for
their funding support of this opportunity.
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Gordon Burn Prize open for entry until 7 April
Denise Mina has been appointed
as the new chair of the judges of the Gordon Burn Prize. Along with
literary journalist and editor Sian
Cain, novelist and short story writer Irenosen Okojie, and
writer and poet Derek
Owusu, she will judge the Gordon Burn Prize 2021.
The prize is run in
partnership by the Gordon
Burn Trust, New
Writing North, Faber
& Faber and Durham
Book Festival, and is now open for entry until Wednesday 7
April 2021 to books written in English first published between 1 July 2020
and 1 July 2021.
The Gordon Burn Prize
recognises literature that is forward-thinking and fearless in its ambition
and execution, often playing with style, pushing boundaries, crossing
genres or challenging readers’ expectations.
Like Gordon’s own work,
the prize is open to a diverse range of themes and perspectives drawn from
the breadth of today’s cultural and social concerns. It welcomes
books by writers emerging from backgrounds underrepresented in the
mainstream literary culture. We accept submissions from publishers and
directly from writers. Find out more at gordonburnprize.com.
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Sky Writes begins in Blackpool, Gateshead and Rotherham
Earlier this month we
were excited to launch Sky
Writes, a new talent development programme in partnership with
Sky Studios, which seeks to identify and nurture television writers from
under-represented groups and under-served geographical areas in the North
of England. The project will take place in Blackpool, Gateshead and
Rotherham from April 2021. Places on our open access events are now fully
booked, but aspiring television writers living in these areas may find
spaces available through our local partners.
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Back to school in Gateshead
With schools reopening,
the Young Writers team have finally been able to start a long-awaited
project in Larkspur Primary in Gateshead. Children in Y3-Y6 are working
with musician Ziad Jabroo and theatre maker Ruth Johnson to create writing
on the theme of bravery. We are so excited to be back in school in person,
and we can’t wait to show you the results at the end of the summer
term.
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Our office trailblazer!
Huge congratulations to
our programme manager Grace
Keane, who has won a London Book Fair Trailblazer Award!
The awards celebrate young talent under 30 in the publishing industry and
Grace was recognised for her work at New Writing North on programmes
including the Northern Writers’ Awards and Durham Book Festival, as well as
running her personal BookTube channel, GK
Reads. As part of the award, Grace will be working with a
publishing mentor to further develop her many talents. Well done, Grace!
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Northern
Writers’ Awards winner Gaynor
Jones’ first novella-in-flash Among These Animals was published 1 March 2021 by
Ellipsis Zine. It 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, the hybrid form of the book reflects the
themes within: this is a story about how family can break us, but can also
put us back together again.
Celebrate the launch of David Almond’s new
book for teenagers Bone
Music at his online
book launch with Northumberland Libraries, Hachette Kids and
Forum Books on 1 April
2021 at 7pm. Bone
Music is a timely masterpiece that explores the connections
between the past and the present, between civilisation and
wilderness.
Pre-orders are now open
for Fly on the Wall
Press's April release, In Conversation With...Small Press Publishers,
a collaborative effort between the press's Isabelle Kenyon and Dr. Charley
Barnes of Sabotage Review. Due for release on 9 April 2021, the
publication is a series of personal, curated interviews with more than 20
small presses around the UK. Full of practical tips and advice for writers
and publishers alike, you can get 10% off by pre-ordering.
CE Rose’s new
psychological thriller The House of Hidden Secrets will be
published in ebook format on 14
April 2021. It follows Serena Green as she unravels the
harrowing past of Ramsay Hall, an ancient, sprawling mansion in Northern
England that she has accepted the role of housekeeper for. Also, the UK
paperback of Truth
Games releases on 10 June 2021. When an old friend from
university re-enters their lives, dark memories from Ellie's past begin to
resurface.
Sea Change is a beautiful collection of work by Phoebe Power and Katrina Porteous,
illustrated by Rose Ferraby, and published by Guillemot Press. Originally
commissioned for Durham Book Festival, it explores the coast path of
East Durham, a place in continual transition, and contains a new
‘conversation’ between Phoebe and Katrina, discussing what the project
means to each of them. Register for the free online book launch on 22 April 2021 here.
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Competitions,
awards and prizes
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The Alpine Fellowship Theatre Prize 2021
will be awarded for the best playwriting response to the theme Untamed: On
Wilderness and Civilization. The prize will be £3,000 plus a rehearsed
reading at the Fellowship’s annual Symposium in Sweden, to which the winner
will be invited to attend. Playwrights at any stage of their career are
eligible. Apply by 1
April 2021 here.
The Author
of Tomorrow short story competition, part of the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize,
is open to young writers aged 21 and under, anywhere in the world. Submit a
short adventure story for the chance to win £100 (or £1000 for age 16-21)
and publication by Worldreader. Deadline 30 April 2021.
St John’s College,
Cambridge, invites applications for the Harper-Wood
Creative Writing and Travel Award for English Poetry and Literature, from unpublished
writers in the initial stages of their careers. The award aims to inspire a
creative writing project by providing the winner the opportunity to engage
in relevant travel and study. Deadline 5 May 2021.
A Book Adaptations
category has been added to the Screenplay strand of the Page Turner Awards,
allowing writers to submit a book or manuscript for the opportunity to
adapt it for the screen alongside a professional screenwriting team.
Entries £30, deadline 30
May 2021. Find out more here.
The Litro
Lab Podcast Competition is open for students
aged 18-25 based anywhere in the world. Will you tell a story of
how the pandemic has changed your life, or a bad romance? Or maybe you’d
rather sit down for a remote conversation with an author or artist that
inspires you for an interview. Submit your 5-minute podcast by 31 May 2021 for the
chance to win £250 and have your work published on Litro.
The Creative
Future Writers’ Awards 2021 for underrepresented
writers is now open, offering over £10,000 in cash and writer development
prizes. Open to all writers whose stories are underrepresented in
mainstream publishing including those with mental health issues,
physical/learning disabilities, neurodiversity, Black writers, LGBTQIA+
writers, as well as writers from working class backgrounds. Submit short
fiction or poetry on the theme ‘ESSENTIAL’ by 6 June 2021.
The Michael Marks Awards
have announced the Greek
Bicentennial Poetry Pamphlet Prizes, for new poetry works in the
English language, and original illustrations. They are inviting poets and
illustrators to create a portfolio reflecting on the culture and history of
the Greeks, from ancient to contemporary times. Winners will receive
publication of their portfolio in an internationally distributed pamphlet,
and a prize of £10,000 for the poet, and £5000 for the illustrator.
Deadline 18 June 2021.
Film
the House is a parliamentary-based
film and scriptwriting competition for student and independent filmmakers
based in the UK. It provides a means for the UK creative industries to
communicate the importance of protecting their intellectual property
rights in a fun manner, and for MPs’ constituents to interact with their
local MP. Enter by 2
July 2021 to have your work seen by MPs and industry
experts.
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Bradford
Literature Festival is looking for
a Digital
Programme Producer for the Education Programme to work closely
with the wider festival team, and lead on planning/delivery of a programme
of digital events for schools and to support the wider festival team
with the production of digital events. Deadline 2 April 2021.
Flip the Script is a new creative talent development
programme for trainee script editors living in the Greater Manchester and
the North West, launched by social enterprise SharpFutures with the support
of Sky Studios and ScreenSkills. The 12-week paid placement programme will
allow successful applicants to work with industry experts, have access to
shows in production and work with writers in the future to generate ideas.
Apply by 9 April 2021
here.
Arachne Press is seeking anthology
submissions. UK-based writers with Black, Asian & Minority
Ethnic heritage are invited to submit short stories and poems on the theme
Maps and Mapping, deadline 14
April. UK-based Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing writers can
submit short fiction and poetry with the theme of Movement, deadline 14 April.
2021 marks the 200th
anniversary of the composition of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s ‘A Defence of
Poetry’ – one of the most profound statements on the power of poetry as a
social and political force. In celebration, the Newcastle Centre for the Literary
Arts is inviting submissions of short prose essays
responding to the theme of ‘A Defence of Poetry’ from practicing poets of
all ages and backgrounds. Deadline 8
May 2021, find out more here.
Nine Pens, a North Pennines based
poetry press, has opened submissions for the 'Hair
Raising' anthology. Submit up to two poems, maximum 40 lines each, related to the theme
of hair, however loosely. All profits from the anthology are going to
Macmillan Cancer Support. Deadline 15
May 2021.
BBC Radio 4 has
commissioned Sweet
Talk Productions to make three 15-minute radio programmes
showcasing the work of writers aged 16-21. They are looking for original
short stories of either 450-550 words or 900-110 words. Deadline 21 June 2021. Email info@sweettalkproductions.co.uk for more
info and to submit your story.
Valley Press is seeking book-length manuscript
submissions for their 2022 publications, of any genre and based on the
loose theme of ‘great lives, great ideas’. Writers who wish to submit are
asked to first fund the project on Kickstarter for at least £25; all funds
received will go towards the publication of new books in 2022. Find out
more and pledge here.
Round Lemon is a community for artists, students and
educators to learn from each other. The ZEST blog has multiple articles a
week, including interviews with artists, theories, different materials and
opportunities like open calls, and they are currently looking for guest
writers who, regardless of writing experience, are passionate about art and
want to write about it. Guest writers’ articles will be uploaded to the
site, and the author will be promoted on social media. Find out more and
apply here.
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Digital workshops, events and podcasts
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Dyslexic
writer, Grime poet, working-class academic, pansexual ex-Mormon and
Bashment dancing social activist Debris Stevenson is headlining Bradford
Producing Hub’s Front
Room Poetry event on 31
March at 7:30pm on Zoom. New poets are invited to register
for an open mic slot, find out more here.
The Royal Society of Literature
have recently launched a Digital Events Pass – access all RSL online events
for £25 a year, including RSL Fellow Neil Gaiman and Booker Prize
winner Marlon James in conversation on Thursday 15 April.
Find out more here.
Comma Press is proud to
present The Publishing
Conference, taking place 24-25 April 2021 in partnership with
Manchester Metropolitan University. It is designed to make publishing more
transparent and to increase accessibility to the sector. Two free events
will be live streamed to YouTube, and the £25 ticketed package will include
eight presentations from industry professionals. Book here.
The Writers’ Block has released its Summer 2021 programme of
events, which includes online talks and workshops alongside some outdoor
events in the Cornwall area. Online events include young writers’
masterclasses, a six-week writing for wellbeing course, a masterclass on
writing YA fiction, and a sharing event for emerging writers. Find out more
here.
Libraries, booksellers,
publishers and festivals are invited to take part in National Crime Reading Month
this June. National Crime Reading Month is a unique festival, hosted by the
Crime Writers’ Association and held throughout the UK, which promotes the
crime genre. Find out more about how to get involved here.
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If you have news that you would like to be
considered for inclusion in the newsletter please contact carys@newwritingnorth.com.
The deadline for receipt of information for the next newsletter is 26 April
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.
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