News from New Writing North: 26 February 2021
A Writing Chance
We're excited to let you know about A Writing Chance, a new opportunity run in partnership with the New Statesman and Daily Mirror and co-funded by Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
We’re looking for fresh perspectives and great stories from people whose voices have historically not been heard in publishing and the media. The selected writers will receive mentoring with experienced writers and journalists; publication in the Daily Mirror, New Statesman or on a podcast; insight days and more!
Young Writers' Groups
New Writing North Young Writers has an exciting and diverse programme with something to suit everyone!
On Saturday mornings is the ever-popular Young Writers’ Group, for ages 12-19, currently meeting on Zoom 11am-12pm. Sessions are led by one of our Group Leaders, all of whom are professional writers working in the North East. Over the course of a term we cover a wide range of writing forms; from flash fiction to writing for theatre, from poetry to prose. Currently we are exploring the theme ‘The North’.
For those interested in songwriting, rap and music production we have two groups; one on Mondays 4-5pm led by Jennie Brewis for 11-14 year olds, and a Wednesday group 5-6pm led by Kema Kay and Liz Corney for young people aged 15-19. In these sessions you will learn about the structure of songs as well as creating your own lyrics and melodies.
We love to have new members. For your young person to join either of these groups, parents/guardians can fill in this form.
People and publishers
Congratulations to Romani author Richard O’Neill on his two-book deal with independent publisher Child’s Play. These picture books will be part of his Romani Tales series. The first of the new books, Can Caravan, will be published in late 2021. Read more about the book deal here.
Leeds-based writer and journalist Valeria Camerino, whose debut memoir, The World Through Your Eyes, is due to be published by Guernica Editions in 2022, has been appointed Life Stories Editor at recently launched London-based magazine The New Feminist. Valeria is also working on her second writing project, Women Rebuilt, a short story collection which explores gender inequality and discrimination across different cultures. For partnership and publishing opportunities, feel free to reach her at valeria@valeriacamerino.com or on Instagram @women_rebuilt.
Last year, Bradford-born poet Sheena Hussain launched the Covid-19 Poetry Competition for ages 5-18. All the entries, including the winners, have now been published in a brand new book edited by Hussain, available to preorder now.
Frank Bray’s Axeman's Revenge: A Quirky Tale of Musical Murders, a novel of black humour, was released on 7 January 2021. It concerns a guitarist who is kicked out of a rock group and plots his revenge on former band members using his CD collection as inspiration for the methods he employs to get rid of them.
On This Day She: Putting Women Back Into History On Day At A Time, co-authored by Jo Bell, Tania Hershman and Ailsa Holland as a spin-off from their popular @OnThisDayShe Twitter account, was published on 18 February 2021 by John Blake Books. Find out more about the book here.
The Muslim Problem: Why We’re Wrong About Islam and Why It Matters by Tawseef Khan will be published by Atlantic Books on 4 March 2021. The online book launch event will see Tawseef in conversation with writer and activist Mariam Khan about his bold and provocative new book. Register for free here.
Michael Chaplin’s drama series for BBC Radio 4, ‘For The Love of Leo’ starring Mark Bonnar, is about to get its third airing, transmitting on Fridays March 5, 12, 19 and 26 at 11.30 am.
Sunderland author Glenda Young's latest novel The Paper Mill Girl is released in paperback on 11 March 2021. It is set in a Sunderland paper mill in 1919 and published by Headline.
Whatever happened to all of the heroes? They turned out to be human beings. North East writer Simon Van der Velde's short story collection, Backstories, will be published by Smoke & Mirrors Press on 25 March 2021. You can pre-order it now.
Fly On The Wall Press will be publishing Tina Tamsho-Thomas' latest collection of poems Somebody is Missing Me on 26 March 2021. Tina Tamsho-Thomas is a Manchester based poet, spoken word artist, playwright and human rights activist, who has performed alongside Lemn Sissay and Benjamin Zephaniah.
Competitions, awards and prizes
The New Poets Prize is a pamphlet competition from The Poetry Business for writers aged 17-24. Entrants are invited to submit short collections of twelve pages of poems. Prizes include pamphlet publication under the New Poets List imprint, a masterclass with the competition judge, a launch reading, publication in the North magazine, a place on an Arvon residential in 2021/22 for two of the winners and more. Entry fee £8, deadline 1 March 2021.
Bitter Pill Theatre are looking for script submissions for their Painkiller Podcast. The Painkiller Project is a monthly playwriting competition, and the March submission window is open 1-4 March 2021. They're after scripts with maximum 1500 words for no more than two actors. Two winning writers will receive £150 and their plays will be produced for the Painkiller Podcast. Visit here for more info, or here to listen to previous episodes.
The Printing Charity’s Rising Star Awards champion young talent aged 18-30 working in print, paper, publishing and packaging. Winners receive up to £1500 towards the cost of training, professional accreditation, or equipment to support career development. Applicants need to be UK residents aged 18-30, working in the sector and clear on how the award will advance their career. Deadline 7 March 2021.
The Best Unpublished Manuscript award, part of the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2021, is designed to launch the career of aspiring adventure writers. Unpublished and self-published writers are invited to submit their manuscripts to be in with a chance of winning a publishing deal with Bonnier Books UK and a £15,000 advance. Find out more and apply by 7 March 2021 here.
Entries for the Harper’s Bazaar Short Story Competition 2021 are open. Submit up to 2200 words on the theme of ‘Threads’ to win a two-night stay at The Mitre in Hampton Court, and the chance to see your work published. Available for both published and unpublished writers, deadline 15 March 2021.
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.
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.
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. Entries open 1 March, deadline 18 June 2021.
Opportunities and jobs
Changing Relations are seeking 2 Non-Executive Directors to join their Board and support them developing longer term sustainability. They are particularly seeking volunteer applications from those who would be willing to take on the roles of Chair or Treasurer. Deadline 28 February 2021, 4pm.
IOU Theatre has been commissioned by Junction Goole to present a three-part Spring, Summer and Autumn programme to make the most of the unusual and unpredictable art world emerging in 2021. They are seeking five professional and non-professional artists and creatives to make high quality Art Miniatures to be shared in a new online gallery. It could be anything: animation, poetry, performance, illustration, cartoon, painting, storytelling, fiction, poetry, installation, music, film, dance, duet, a solo jig and more. Deadline 1 March 2021, find out more here.
South Tyneside Council is seeking a Cultural Programme Officer to support the development and delivery of the new South Tyneside Cultural Strategy. Deadline 2 March 2021, more details here.
Left Coast is recruiting an artist for a 12 month live/work residency at Boston Way on the Fylde Coast, starting 1 April 2021. The artist will receive accommodation, an £18,000 fee and access to materials and production budget, and will work as a concierge to support estate residents. Find out more and apply by 5 March 2021 here.
Mslexia is recruiting a Sales Co-ordinator to deliver sales and marketing plans to maintain and grow Mslexia’s income and public profile. Find out more and apply by 5 March 2021 here.
Cast in Doncaster is looking for a professional writer of text for performance to join the creative team of an exciting participatory theatre project in Doncaster. Playwrights, poets and spoken word artists welcomed from any part of Yorkshire, especially South Yorkshire. Deadline 10 March 2021, visit here for more details.
New Encounters is a joint initiative by Sunderland Culture and Sunderland Black Minority Ethnic Network offering 3 bursaries of £500 each to BAME performing artists to create or develop their work in 2021. The bursaries are available to actors, dancers, musicians, spoken word or circus artists, or groups of artists who can demonstrate strong links with Sunderland. Deadline 14 March 2021.
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.
Sunspot Literary Journal is seeking articles, essays, fiction and poems that offer advice and thoughts on the creative life related to any creative form. How-to, features, reports on current trends, commentaries, real experiences, and roundups are some of the areas accepted. Payment $0.01 USD per word, up to $50. Submission fee $4.99, deadline 1 October 2021.
Digital workshops, events and podcasts
Even Baddies Wear Helmets is a brand-new podcast exploring the craft of making children's television, in conversation with the sector's top writers, directors, producers and performers. If you've ever wondered what it takes to adapt a children's book for screen, how to direct young actors, or how to voice an animated vampire - look no further. Find the podcast on all major podcast platforms or visit here for more information.
Novel Voices is an exciting new literary series presented by Creative Manchester, the Centre for New Writing, and Blackwell’s Bookshop, featuring Ellah P. Wakatama in conversation with 10 debut authors, largely from underrepresented backgrounds, who are helping to shape 2021's literary landscape. The first event, featuring Meng Jin and JA Mensah, took place on 22 February, and details about future events will be shared soon.
Hexham Book Festival is offering a series of online workshops and courses throughout March and April, including Pitch Your Work, Write a Radio Drama in five weeks with writer Helen Cross, and Public Funding for Creative Writers. Find out more here.
Writers’ HQ are running free monthly writing courses. Their upcoming course, ‘Making People’, focusses on characterisation and creating realistic characters without falling back on tropes and stereotypes, and begins 1 March 2021. They have also compiled a selection of free resources for writing during lockdown, available here.
Northern Writers’ Studio’s Gather Writing Group starts on 4 March on Zoom. This month-long development group gives you time, space and support to work on your writing project. £35 or £17.50 concessions, plus free spaces for low-income writers. Details here. Celebrate International Women's Day with a fundraising spoken word event by Northern women writers on 10 March. Open mic spaces available, see event page for full details. Finally, the Northern Writers’ Studio March Zoom workshop is led by Dr Sarah Jane Dobbs and explores storytelling techniques. Explore using theatricality in your prose writing. 17 March, £22.50. Details here.
Booking is open for NAWE’s first ever virtual conference, taking place 12-13 March 2021. The packed programme of 50+ events features workshops, panels, talks and readings across the themes of teaching creative writing, wellbeing and practice research, plus special events and guest speakers. Open to members and non-members, tickets start at £29. Programme and ticket information available here.
Curtis Brown Creative’s Novel-Writing Course for Writers with Low Income is a fully funded five-day course for writers looking to develop their novels – with expert tuition, workshops, and advice from literary agents and publishers. 15 talented writers will get free places on this course led by authors Jake Arnott and Cathi Unsworth. Deadline 28 March 2021. Five talented writers with low income will also be awarded nine-months of one-to-one mentoring from a published author as part of our Breakthrough Writers' Programme Mentoring Opportunities. Deadline 11 April 2021.
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 22 March 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.
