THE NAME’S DISLEY, ANNA DISLEY

Just so you know, if you receive correspondence from an Anna Disley, it’s all legitimate. Our recently-married Deputy Director, Anna Summerford, has changed her name, so please update any records you might have!

NEW POETRY NIGHT FOR THE NORTH EAST

Exploding Alphabets is a new literature event happening at Morden Tower in Newcastle. The first takes place on 6 June at 8pm, with the theme of Journeys. Admission is £1. The organisers write: “Poets and storytellers, listeners and observers come to the best new poetry night in Newcastle. Bring maps, a compass and an eye for a storm. Exploding Alphabets is going on a journey; lace up your poetry boots, hike yourself to the Morden Tower (in the city wall behind China town) and we'll map a route to the source of the river. Tea provided. No experience necessary. All welcome.�

For more information, contact Clara at explodingalphabets@hotmail.co.uk

GLASS ORANGE POETRY MAGAZINE SEEKS SUBMISSIONS

A new poetry magazine is being launched in Stockton and is looking for submissions. According to the editors, Glass Orange Poems will be “available to all and for all, submissions accepted from all!� For more information, or if you have any work you would like to contribute – poetry, short prose, artwork, photographs – you can email them to Ann & Trevor at glassorangepoems@aol.com

NEXT NORTHERNFRINGE EVENT

NorthernFringe, the showcase for actors and writers in the region, is holding its next event on the theme of Animals and is looking for monologues and duologues to be performed on the night. Each one should be 7-12 minutes long. For more information, or to submit your work, contact Jill Dellow at thenorthernfringe@yahoo.co.uk

BRING A LITTLE RENGA INTO YOUR LIFE…

If you fancy taking part in an unusual poetry event, there are a series of renga days happening in the region, where you can help to construct a group poem. They all run from 10am to 5pm, and are happening on 17 & 18 June at the Garden Station in Langley, Northumberland, and on 25 June at The Alnwick Garden, Alnwick. If you happen to be in London on 1 July, you can also take part in one in the garden of the Royal Geographical Society. To find out more about renga, and how to get involved, visit www.renga-platform.co.uk

TONTO PRESS SEEKS SHEARER FANS

If you’re still crying into your Brown Ale over Alan Shearer’s retirement, then try turning your grief into something positive! Tyneside publisher Tonto Press is planning a tribute book, looking at Shearer’s career through the eyes of his fans – including some celebrities - and offering his devotees the chance to contribute. They write: “Do you have a favourite Shearer goal or moment? How pleased were you when he signed for Toon? How did you feel when Alan broke Jackie Milburn's goal record? What was the best team or strike partnership he played in? What did his 10 years at Newcastle mean to you? And just what is it that makes Big Al such a special Geordie Legend? To see your memories of Alan Shearer in black and white, send all thoughts and comments to shearer@tontopress.com. You're welcome to send anything from a short message, to a longer article or essay. Be sure to include your name, tell us where you are from, and whether you are a Newcastle United fan, season ticket holder, etc. The closing date is Wed 31st May.�

BORDERS EVENTS FOR READERS AND WRITERS

The new(ish) Borders store at Team Valley, Gateshead, plays host to a number of reading and writing-related groups, which may be of interest to people who live in the area. Words & Voices is for budding writers looking to develop their skills and meets on the second Friday of every month at 8pm (for more info, contact Adam Fish or Jill Morris on 0191 4877803.) Books Without Borders is a group for those interested in traditional storytelling skills, telling stories without a text and increasing their confidence in public speaking. This group meets on the first Tuesday of every month (contact Jim Craig – 0191 4998057 of rev.jim@btopenworld.com – for more details.) Both groups meet in the store’s Starbucks coffee shop. I am told that the same branch of Borders are planning to start other groups too – more information when we get it.

EPISTEME MAGAZINE

Episteme is a new London-based literary magazine, which features international short stories, poetry, play extracts, comics and photography. Each issue explores a different cultural, political or social theme, the first of which will be ‘New Europe’. Writers are being invited to submit work that focuses on the new European landscape and how it affects their life, community and local literary heritage. Submissions should be in English, and short stories should be a maximum of 2,500 words. Work should be original, and not previously published in English. For more information, email adi.drori@epistememagazine.co.uk. Submissions should be sent to the same address; paste your work into the body of the email, and make sure to include your name, postal address, email address and a short bio in the text of the submission.

TEESSIDERS INVADE LONDON!

The Teesside Scene is going on tour and will be landing at the Poetry Café in Covent Garden on Thursday 1 June. Andy Willoughby, Bob Beagrie and Jo Colley will be taking their unique brands of poetry down south, aided and abetted by world music duo Gobbleracket and blues musician Shaun ‘Blackeye’ Lennox. If you’d like to experience a taste of the smog in the Big Smoke, the event kicks off at 7.30pm and tickets cost £4/£3 on the door. For more information, contact Andy Willoughby on 07919668698 or at andywillopoet@hotmail.com

PLAYGROUNDING AT POLKA THEATRE

Playgrounding is the new writing programme of the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon. It is designed to give new and established writers the chance to develop their work for children and young people, with what is the UK’s leading new writing theatre for children. There is the opportunity for 3 writers to take part, and the chosen few will take part in workshops with some of the UK’s best theatre practitioners, have one-to-one sessions with the Polka’s Associate Director and Dramaturg, will be mentored by an established writer, and much more. For more details, see the theatre’s website – www.polkatheatre.com. To apply, send a one-page synopsis and 5 pages of dialogue to Frauke Franz/Richard Shannon, Playgrounding, Polka Theatre, 240 The Broadway, Wimbledon, London, SW19 1SB – or email it to frauke@polkatheatre.com

HAVE PEN, WILL TRAVEL

The Independent on Sunday, in conjunction with Bradt travel guides, is holding a travel-writing competition, where you could see your story in print, earn a commission to be published in the newspaper, and win a holiday to Hungary. The theme is ‘Taking the Road Less Travelled’, and entries must contain a strong travel element. Each submission must be a true account based on the experiences of the entrant, and the maximum length is 800 words. The closing date is Friday 26 May, so get writing!

UPDATE FROM THE ARTS COUNCIL, NORTH EAST

Rachael Ogden, Literature Officer at Arts Council England, North East writes: “The following successful Grants for the arts applications have been made so far in May 2006:

An individual has received £4,900 towards research and development costs of a novel
Iron Press has received £5,010 towards a year's publishing activity
Diamond Twig has received £550 towards a feasibility study
Vane Women Press has received £1,800 towards the cost of producing two new pamphlets
The total investment in the literature sector through Grants for the arts in 2005/2006 in the North East was £465,311. In addition, regularly funded literature organisations jointly received £462,517 in the same financial year.�

GENERAL EVENTS INFO 23 MAY – 5 JUNE By John at Literature Northeast

Bridge of Dreams, the first volume of Chaz Brenchley's new fantasy series Selling Water by the River was published on 2 May by Ace Books. Although the book has not yet found a UK publisher, the launch party has now been arranged at the Lit & Phil. Drink wine, chat to Chaz, listen to a reading, buy the book, get it signed and come out for a drink after...

Poets crossing The Tees this month are Sebastian Barker and Andrew Burke, who will be making the trip up to Middlesbrough's Sam's Place. London Magazine editor Sebastian Barker reads from his new Smokestack collection The Erotics of God, a series of visionary meditations on the theology of desire, the lineaments of the sublime and the beautiful, the mortal and the divine. Australian poet and playwright Andrew Burke calls in on his UK reading tour to read from his recent books Knock On Wood, Whispering Gallery and Pushing At Silence, succinct and quirky tales of small-town life in Western Australia.

Paul Batchelor and WN Herbert share the bill at Newcastle University on 25 May. Paul Batchelor has received an Eric Gregory award from the Society of Authors and the Andrew Waterhouse Award from New Writing North. His poems have appeared in Modern Poetry in Translation, The North, Poetry Review, Poetry Wales, Shearsman, Stride and Tower Poetry and his new pamphlet, To Photograph a Snow Crystal, is published by Smith Doorstop. Bill Herbert has published five collections with Bloodaxe. His latest book, Bad Shaman Blues, is a Poetry Book Society Recommendation.

Staying at the university, Writing From The Inside Out will be hosting the First Thursday lunchtime session for June. Writing from the Inside Out is a group for women poetry and prose writers based at the Centre for Lifelong Learning (CLL) in Newcastle and includes Joanna Barnes, Sue Rylance, Eileen Sutherland, Pippa Little, Beda Higgins, Louise Hislop, Helen O'Neill, Lorna Beasley, Maggie Tate, Penny Minney, Jenny Howe and Heather Young, some – or maybe even all – of whom will be reading at the event.

Following the success of their Book Club Summit in September 2005, the Cafe Culture team have programmed a second summit, where Gillian Slovo will be talking about her book, Ice Road. First coming to fame for Every Secret Thing, her memoir of life with her anti-apartheid activist parents, Gillian has since written a series of acclaimed thrillers. Her latest, the political love story Ice Road, is set in 1933 Leningrad.

Chaz Brenchley: Bridge of Dreams book launch Lit & Phil: 19:00, Wed 24 May 2006

Sebastian Barker and Andrew Burke Sam’s Place, Middlesbrough: 19:30, Wed 24 May 2006

Paul Batchelor and WN Herbert Newcastle University: 19:30, Thu 25 May 2006

First Thursday: Writing From The Inside Out Newcastle University: 13:15, Thu 1 Jun 2006

Book Club Summit: Gillian Slovo: Ice Road Curtis Auditorium, Newcastle University: 19:00, Mon 5 Jun 2006

THÉÂTRE SANS FRONTIÈRES SEEKS ADMINISTRATOR

Théâtre Sans Frontières, based at the Queens Hall Arts Centre in Hexham, is looking to appoint an administrator. The post is for 20 hours per week, with a salary of £14,000-£16,000 pro rata, dependent on skills and experience. For more information, or to get an application form, email admin@tsfront.co.uk or call 01434 652484. Alternatively, you can download a form from www.tsf.org.uk/company/jobs.html

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS

The Smart Justice for Young People arts programme, in partnership with Helix Arts, wishes to employ 6 artists to lead a series of workshops with 6 groups across the region. Each contract is for 10 days work, at a rate of £206 per day, with an additional materials/production budget of £600. To apply, contact Helix Arts on 0191 2414931. The deadline for applications is Wednesday 24 May – so if you’re interested, you’ll need to be quick off the mark! The information about the groups is as follows:

GROUP 1: Shaidy Characters, Homeless Young People, Age range: 16-25
Location: Stanley
Artform Focus: Film-making

GROUP 2: Corner House, Youth Project, Age range: 8-21
Location: Stockton
Artform Focus: Drama

GROUP 3: Gateshead Youth & Inclusion Programme, Age range: 11-16
Location: Gateshead
Artform Focus: Visual Arts

GROUP 4: Azaad, Youth Project
Location: Middlesbrough
Artform Focus: Visual Arts - Mural/Graffiti

GROUP 5: Fairbridge, Disadvantaged Young People, Age range: 13-25
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
Artform Focus: Music

GROUP 6: One Step Closer, Youth Group, Age range: 11-16
Location: Bishop Auckland
Artform Focus: Drama/Music

NEW BOOK BY DARLINGTON WRITER

Darlington-based crime writer, John Dean, is publishing his fourth novel in June 2006. Entitled The Latch Man, it is based in the fictional northern city of Hafton, and is being published by Robert Hale. For more information about the book, email John at deangriss@btinternet.com

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