NEWS FOR WRITERS FROM NEW WRITING NORTH

1 March 2006

New Writing North's Holly Hooper writes:

So much for getting this newsletter out on time! Apologies to anyone who was waiting with baited breath, frantically pressing the ‘send/receive’ button on their email in the hope that the New Writing North newsletter would appear… The truth is that I have had a fortnight with a veritable A-Z of illnesses (please, no sympathy!), and consequently I’ve been a bit behind with everything.

But the wait is over. Here is what we’ve got in store for you this issue:

PEOPLE’S PLAY WINNER ANNOUNCED
GREATER NORTH INTERNATIONAL PROJECT 2006
NORTHUMBERLAND WRITER LANDS BOOK DEAL
BRIDPORT PRIZE 2006
SEAN O’BRIEN THEATRE PRODUCTION
HEXHAM BOOK FESTIVAL
POETRY COMP FOR THE OVER 50S
CHARITY ANTHOLOGY SEEKS SUBMISSIONS
VACANCY AT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF YOUTH THEATRES
YOUNG EUROPEAN PLAYWRIGHTS FORUM
COMMISSIONS ON OFFER FROM HOTBED FESTIVAL
WARP X FILMS SEEKS TALENT
TRAINING FOR ARTISTS FROM HELIX ARTS
VACANCIES AT THE SAGE GATESHEAD
WORLD BOOK DAY EVENT WITH CLEWLOW & BRENCHLEY
POETRY READING AT BRIDGE HOTEL
GRANTS FOR THE ARTS INFO
COMMON PURPOSE JOB OPPORTUNITY
GENERAL EVENTS INFO

PEOPLE’S PLAY WINNER ANNOUNCED

New Writing North is delighted to announce the winner of the 2006 People’s Play competition, run by NWN in conjunction with The People’s Theatre. Newcastle-based Alison Carr is this year’s winner for, My Mam Was An Ice-Cream Blonde, the story of a young girl with OCD, who is searching for her real mother. Alison works in journalism, and has had several plays produced by amateur companies – this, however, will be her first proper stage production. My Mam Was An Ice-Cream Blonde will be performed at the theatre between 16 and 20 May 2006, and she will be presented with her winner’s cheque on the opening night. We’ll bring you more information nearer the time, but if you want to get your tickets early, contact the theatre on 0191 265 5020 or go online at www.peoplestheatre.co.uk

GREATER NORTH INTERNATIONAL PROJECT 2006

THE FESTIVAL OF THE EUROPEAN SHORT STORY (CROATIA 7-13 MAY 2006)

CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS OF INTEREST - deadline 13th March 2006

New Writing North, in partnership with Arts Council England, is seeking interested writers, promoters, publishers and other literature professionals working in the north of England to take part in a group visit to FESS. The project is a continuation of the Arts Council's commitment to professional and artistic development across the literature sector and will build upon a successful visit to the Calabash Literature Festival in Jamaica, last May.

Now in its fifth year and taking place in the Croatian cities of Zagreb and Rijeka, the festival will showcase the best short story writing from across Europe. This project offers a unique opportunity to experience an innovative literature festival and the potential for developing exciting pan-European partnerships.

The visit will involve attending festival events and offer the opportunity to meet with festival organisers, publishers, writers and other partnership organisations. All participants will be fully subsidised to attend. To be considered for involvement in this project, please supply a short written proposal indicating the benefits it will bring to you, your work and the wider literature community. Please email to sandra@newwritingnorth.com by 13th March 2006. Arts Council representatives from the North East, North West and Yorkshire regions will select participants by 20th March 2006.

Anyone who is chosen to join the visit will have to be able to attend pre and post visit meetings on 28 April (Yorkshire) and 2 June (Manchester). Do not apply if you are unavailable for these dates.

This activity is subject to funding by Arts Council England.

MAJOR BOOK DEAL FOR NORTHUMBERLAND WRITER

Congratulations to Paul Torday, whose debut novel, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, has been picked up by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. The book tells the story of Dr Alfred Jones, a scientist working for the National Centre for Fisheries Excellence who is charged with the task of introducing Salmon to the Middle East. Paul’s novel will be published in February 2007 – we’ll no doubt bring you more information nearer the time!

LAUNCH OF THE 2006 BRIDPORT PRIZE

The Bridport Prize is once again seeking entries for their prestigious literary award, which is open to writers of poetry and prose. It is one of the biggest prizes of its kind, with First Prize winners scooping £5,000. The Bridport is also a useful stepping stone, as individuals who make the shortlist have their work either read by a literary agency or submitted for other awards (including the National Short Story Prize, worth £15,000, and the Forward Prize for poetry.) Previous recipients include Kate Atkinson, Tobias Hill, Helen Dunmore and Carol Ann Duffy. Each entry costs £6, and the deadline for submissions is 30 June 2006. Entries can be sent by post or submitted online – see the website for complete details of how to apply: www.bridportprize.org.uk

SEAN O’BRIEN RESURRECTS THE BIRDS

No, it’s nothing to do with the Hitchcock film or the Daphne Du Maurier story that inspired it, but read on…Hexham-based theatre company, threeovereden, has joined forces with poet Sean O’Brien to take a fresh look at Aristophane’s classical comic tale, The Birds. O’Brien’s interpretation, written originally for the National Theatre, tells the story of two young men who go in search of the perfect utopia, having become disillusioned with the modern world. The Birds is on tour throughout March and April, taking in Hexham, Hartlepool, Northallerton, Dipton, Middlesbrough and Newcastle. For more information about where and when, see the company’s website – www.threeovereden.com

THE HEXHAM BOOK FESTIVAL

The Hexham Book Festival is taking place on 31 March and 1 April at the Queen’s Hall in Hexham, so here are some advance details of the line-up:

Poety Café event (poets TBC!) and reading group forum with Lesley Glaister, who will be discussing her new book, As Far as We Can Go (Fri 31, 8pm)
TV’s The Hairy Bikers promote their new cook book (Sat 1, 11.45am)
David Almond event (Sat 1, 1.30pm)
Chris Bostock event (Sat 1, from 12.30pm)
William Leith and Candida Crewe in discussion about their latest books, The Hungry Years and Eating Myself (Sat 1, 2.30pm)
Crime writing event with Val McDermid and Natasha Cooper (Sat 1, 4.30pm)
Football-themed event, with Harry Pearson reading from his hit book, The Far Corner, and Ian Horn getting poetic about the beautiful game (Sat 1, 6.30pm)
An evening of women’s fiction, hosted by New Writing North’s very own Claire Malcolm! Carol Clewlow and Helen Cross will read from and discuss their books, Not Married, Not Bothered and The Secrets She Keeps (Sat 1, 6.30pm)

All events are £3 (excluding the Lesley Glaister event, which is donations only and the Poetry Café, which is free) and festival passes are also available, at £10. For more information, see the festival website – www.hexhambookfestival.co.uk

POETRY COMPETITION FOR OVER 50S

Why should the kids have all the fun? Tyneside-based Blinking Eye Publishing is calling for entries for their poetry competition, which is exclusively for the over 50s. Entries to the competition can be on any subject and in any style, and the winner will have a collection of their work published by Blinking Eye (including 100 copies to give to friends, family and admirers.) Blinking Eye will also be publishing a collection of commended submissions. The closing date for entries is 7 August, and the competition will be judged by prize-winning poet Jo Shapcott, who is also president of the Poetry Society. To get your entry form, send an SAE to Jeanne Macdonald, Blinking Eye Publishing, PO Box 549, North Shields, Tyne & Wear, NE30 2WT. Alternatively, you can save the stamp and download the form from www.blinking-eye.co.uk

CHARITY ANTHOLOGY NEEDS YOU!

North East writer Mark Robberts is editing an anthology of short stories and poetry, which will raise money for the Great North Air Ambulance when it goes on sale for Christmas 2006. Mark is keen to hear from any artists, writers or people with publishing/PR experience who can give a few hours to help with this project. For details of how to submit your work, or to volunteer your skills, email markrobberts@msn.com

VACANCY AT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF YOUTH THEATRES

NAYT (National Association of Youth Theatres) is seeking to employ a Projects Producer, who will be responsible for coordinating the National Development Programme and coordinating/producing events. The salary on offer is £23, 650 and the deadline for applications is midday on 6 March. For an application pack email nayt@btconnect.com or write to NAYT, Arts Centre, Vane Terrace, Darlington, Co Durham, DL3 7AX with your name, address and telephone number. The pack is also available online, at www.nayt.org.uk/projectsproducer.

YOUNG EUROPEAN PLAYWRIGHTS FORUM

As part of the New Plays from Europe 2006 festival in Germany, the Young European Playwrights Forum offers 20 young writers from all over Europe to take part in workshops and discussions, attend productions and exchange ideas. The results of the workshops will be presented to a public audience. The Forum takes place in the second half of June, and participating writers should be aged 35 or under, and must have already written at least one play (which has either been staged or performed as a reading.) To apply, send your play, a short CV and contact details to biennale@staatstheater-wiesbaden.de or to Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, New Plays from Europe, Christian-Zais-Strasse 3, D – 65189 Wiesbaden, Deutschland. The deadline for entries is 15 March, and entries in English are perfectly acceptable!

HOTBED THEATRE COMMISSIONS ON OFFER

Hotbed, the Cambridge New Writing Theatre Festival, is seeking to commission theatre writers to produce new short dramatic pieces. The festival is running from 6 to 16 July and the loose theme for 2006 is ‘confessions’. There are two categories of commission, for 20 minute main stage productions and 5 minute monologues, paying £400 and £200 respectively. Each successful commission will be given at least 3 performances, and the best work will also have one night at the Oval House Theatre in London. Only new plays will be considered, i.e. never previously performed/read in public. For more information, email the Artistic Director, Paul Bourne at paul@menagerie.uk.com or write to him at Hotbed 2006, The Junction, Clifton Way, Cambridge, CB1 7GX. The deadline for initial entries and ideas is 31 March.

WARP X FILMS SEEKS NEW WORK (SOON)

Warp X Films has recently secured funding from the UK Film Council and FilmFour to produce low-budget UK films, and will soon be searching for talented new writers, directors and producers. They’re still in a fledgling state at the moment, but more information is available at www.warpfilms.com

HELIX ARTS TRAINING FOR ARTISTS

The Arts Council England is supporting a scheme to train arts practitioners in their work with the youth justice sector. The training will enable participants to deliver the PLUS Enrichment Programme, which seeks to improve the literacy and numeracy skills of young people up to the age of 18, who have offended or are at risk of doing so. The course is free and will take place on 4 and 5 April at a venue in the North East, TBC. For more information and to apply, contact Rowena at Helix Arts on 0191 241 4931 or at Rowena.on@helixarts.com Alternatively, you can download a form at www.helixarts.com/pages/news.html The closing date is 5pm on 3 March – so get cracking!

VACANCIES AT THE SAGE GATESHEAD

There are currently a handful of job vacancies at the Sage Gateshead. MusicLeader North East (managed through the Sage), provides access to continuing professional development, networking and information, and advice and guidance to music leaders at every stage of their career. They are looking for 1 (or 2, part-time) Strand Leaders to manage the Network and IAG strands of the service.

The Sage is also seeking to employ a temporary Marketing Officer vacancy, to cover a 6-month maternity leave period. They say: “We’re looking for an efficient and creative person with an eye for detail to help to promote all aspects of our work, including events from club nights to symphony concerts; our unparalleled learning and participation programme; and the landmark building itself and its facilities�.

For application packs for these jobs, call 0191 443 4598.

WORLD BOOK DAY WITH CHAZ BRENCHLEY & CAROL CLEWLOW

A last-minute notice to remind you to catch Carol Clewlow and Chaz Brenchley in conversation about reading and writing at Newcastle Central Library tomorrow (Thursday 2 March.) It’s a celebration of World Book Day, and the event is free, with a start time of 2pm. Both authors will also be signing copies of their latest books. For more information, call the library on 0191 200 5424.

POETRY READING AT BRIDGE HOTEL

The High Level Bridge Poets are having a public poetry reading on Sunday 12 March. There will be new work from Bob Cooper, Sheree Mack, Lisa Matthews, Angela Readman and Maggie Tate. The venue is the Bridge Hotel in Newcastle, and the event starts at 7.30pm. Entry is £2 (£1 concessions.)

ARTS COUNCIL: GRANTS FOR THE ARTS

Rachael Ogden, Literature Officer at Arts Council England, North East writes:

“Grants for the arts is Arts Council England's funding programme for individuals, arts organisations and other people who use the arts in their work. In February 2006 the following grants were awarded to literature projects:

Hydrogen Jukebox in Darlington were awarded £5,410 to continue their series of monthly live spoken word events and new commissions
An individual poet was awarded £4,000 to complete a first full-length collection
For information on Grants for the arts, including eligibility and how to make an application, see the website: www.artscouncil.org.uk or contact rachael.ogden@artscouncil.org.uk�

COMMON PURPOSE JOB OPPORTUNITY

Jackie Carr from Common Purpose writes:

“We are currently recruiting for a Programme Co-ordinator who will be responsible for providing admin support for our programmes for emerging leaders (Navigator) and very young leaders ( Your Turn).

We are looking for someone who is an efficient planner, has excellent organisation and office management skills, a keen interest in IT and be able to demonstrate a proven ability to manage a demanding workload with minimal supervision.

Further details and the application process can be found via this web link http://www.commonpurpose.org.uk/home/public/about-us/work-for-us/vacancies/70.aspx�

GENERAL EVENTS INFO (28 FEB-13 MARCH) – By John at Literature North East

March sees the return of a number of regular events to the calendar, including a new season of First Thursday lunchtime readings organised by the English department at Newcastle University. First up is poet Maureen Almond, who will be reading from a selection of her work.

On that same day, just across town at the Lit & Phil, Middlesbrough's Mudfog Press celebrates the launch of Discoverers, an anthology of short stories edited by Chrissie Glazebrook. A selection of writers will read their short stories from this collection, including Tara Bergin, Pauline Plummer, Diane Cockburn, Norah Hill, Linda Innes, Michael Edwards, Patrick Belshaw, David Hetherington and Bob Beagrie.

Not to be missed this month is Krisztina Tóth, one of the most highly acclaimed young Hungarian poets and the winner of several awards, including the Graves Prize, Déry Tibor Prize and József Attila Prize. Krisztina appears alongside David Hill, a British poet who has translated many of her poems. They will read from her collections Snow-dust and Fading Rouge in two languages. Trivia fans may be interested to learn that as well as being a distinguished poet and translator, Krisztina also designs and produces stained glass windows in her native Budapest.

First Thursday: Maureen Almond Newcastle University: 13:15, Thu 2 Mar 2006

Discoverers: Mudfog short stories Lit & Phil: 19:30, Thu 2 Mar 2006

Northern Voices presents: Hungarian Poetry evening Lit & Phil: 18:00,

Mon 6 Mar 2006

For more details on these and the rest of the month's events, see

www.literaturenortheast.co.uk. If you promote literature events in the North

East and your event isn't listed, please get in touch with

john@literaturenortheast.co.uk.

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All information is correct at the time of going to press.

New Writing North is funded by Arts Council England and some of our project work is supported by the CSDI programme which uses funds from the European Union, ERDF and ESF programmes to support the development of work opportunities and training for writers.

New Writing North
2 School Lane
Whickham
Tyne & Wear
NE16 4SL

Tel: 0191 488 8580
Fax: 0191 488 8576
www.newwritingnorth.com