New Writing North press releases

Northern Writers' Awards winners 2008

NORTHERN WRITERS� AWARDS 2008: THE WINNING WRITERS

On Sunday 4 May at an event at the Queen's Hall, Hexham, as part of the Hexham Book Festival, New Writing North awarded seven writers a total of �25,000 to support the development of their new novels and poetry collections.

The judges for the awards were literary agent at ICM Books in London, Karolina Sutton, and executive director of the Poetry Society of America and former poetry editor of The New Yorker, Alice Quinn.

Carolyn Jess-Cooke
Carolyn�s poetry has been published in magazines such as Poetry London, Poetry Ireland Review and The Stand and in 2005 she won a Gregory Award. An award of �3,500 will support her new collection of poetry, Inroads.

Claire Lewis
Claire is 24 and has just graduated from a journalism course at Darlington College and before that worked full-time in a betting shop. An award of �3,500 will allow her to develop her novel, The Dinosaur Room.

Mark Magrs
Mark lives in South Shields with his young family. An award of �3,500 will support him to develop his new novel for children, Moving the River.

Zainab Radhi
Zainab was born and raised in Baghdad and lived in Iraq until she was 16. Her family lost their home during the Gulf War and her teenage years were spent travelling. She currently lives in Newcastle. An award of �3,500 will support her to develop her novel, Home.

Paul Summers
Paul was born in Blyth in Northumberland and has earned his living as a writer and creative practitioner for the last ten years. He will use the award to work on Broken Land, a collection of poems which he describes a "grand tour of the often unseen, unfashionable and fast disappearing North''.

THE WATERHOUSE AWARD
Toby Martinez de las Rivas
Toby lives in Gateshead. His poetry has been published in magazines such as Dreamcatcher and Ambit and in 2005 he won a Gregory Award. His award will help him to develop his first full collection of poetry.

THE ANDREA BADENOCH FICTION AWARD
Gibby Keys
Gibby is 47 and has lived with her family in Hexham, Northumberland, for ten years. The novel for which she has won the award, The Handfastin', is her first attempt at full-length prose. She started to write prose eight years ago while attending a creative writing class at Newcastle College. This award is supported by donations from friends and family of Andrea Badenoch.

Podcasts of all the winning writers reading at the awards ceremony are now available in the Multimedia section on our website. For portraits of the award-winners, see our Flickr page.

Pub Quiz adds new date, hits the road

We�ve decided to take a short break from the usual fortnightly newsletter because of the Easter break, so instead we thought we�d take the opportunity to shout about Pub Quiz by Carina Rodney, which opened its tour of the North East last week in Hexham.

To a near-sold-out auditorium, Pub Quiz made its debut, and what a debut it was. The audience laughed in all the right places, the actors were on top form, and we and the writer were breathing a big sigh of relief that it all went so well. We�ve had some lovely feedback from the audience since then, too, with lots of praise for the writing, acting and depiction of a North East pub.

We're also delighted to announce that sales at Northern Stage have gone so well that the initial dates have all but sold out � so we�ve added a matinee on Saturday, 26 April, at 2pm to fulfill demand. But be quick, as they're going fast!

If you can�t make it to Northern Stage, the play is touring the North East at the moment � details below.

And for a sneak preview of the characters in the play, go to www.newwritingnorth.com and click on 'Pub Quiz: The Movie'

Tour dates

10-12 April, 7.30pm
and 10 April, 2.30pm
The Customs House, South Shields
Box office: 0191 454 1234

18 April, 7.30pm
The Maltings, Berwick
Box office: 01289 330 999

22 April, 7.30pm
Alnwick Playhouse
Box office: 01665 510 785

23-26 April, 8pm
and 26 April, 2pm
Northern Stage, Newcastle
Box office: 0191 230 5151

The performances at Northern Stage are nearly sold out, so we urge you to book very soon, or better still get to South Shields, Alnwick or Berwick to see Pub Quiz, where there are still a few tickets available. Please call the individual box offices for availability.

We�ve had some rave reviews since the two shows in Hexham:

In particular, The Evening Chronicle said:
�This play is a must for all pub-quizzers, as it touches so many raw nerves. [�] The author did the difficult thing in finding a suitable ending with a real twist in the quiz result... Star rating - 9/10�

David Whetstone, The Journal, Newcastle, said:
"In her new play, Carina Rodney has a lot of fun with the notion of pain masquerading as pleasure � and it�s fun for the audience too... The action builds gradually and there are flashbacks presented by dream-like sequences recreating famous TV quiz shows: The Weakest Link, University Challenge etc. All explain why this sorry lot are drinking in the last chance saloon. The climax is gloriously ghastly. It will strike many a chord when Psyche Stott�s production hits the road."

And from What�s On North East:
�[A] painfully funny observational comedy [�] tears were running down my face with laughter, and that hasn�t happened for a very long time.�

Pub Quiz reviews

The Evening Chronicle
�This play is a must for all pub-quizzers, as it touches so many raw nerves. [�] The author did the difficult thing in finding a suitable ending with a real twist in the quiz result... Star rating - 9/10�

David Whetstone, The Journal, Newcastle
"In her new play, Carina Rodney has a lot of fun with the notion of pain masquerading as pleasure � and it�s fun for the audience too... The action builds gradually and there are flashbacks presented by dream-like sequences recreating famous TV quiz shows: The Weakest Link, University Challenge etc. All explain why this sorry lot are drinking in the last chance saloon. The climax is gloriously ghastly. It will strike many a chord when Psyche Stott�s production hits the road."

What�s On North East
�[A] painfully funny observational comedy [�] tears were running down my face with laughter, and that hasn�t happened for a very long time.�

Pub Quiz tour 2008

In a world where successes can be few and far between, what does it take to be on the winning team?

A new play by Carina Rodney
Directed by Psyche Stott
Designed by Mila Sanders
Produced by New Writing North in association with the North East Theatre Consortium

Tuesday night is quiz night at The Magpie and tonight the regulars are playing for a triple rollover jackpot. When an outsider arrives to join in with the quiz, the regulars find more than their general knowledge tested.

Taking place in real time over the course of the quiz, the play uses popular TV quiz formats to interrupt reality and reveal how the characters� relationships and past mistakes have always kept them one step away from the big prize.

Pub Quiz is a rich, fast-paced comedy which doesn�t shirk from examining ideas of difference and belonging in a northern town.

Tour dates
3-4 April 7.30pm
Queen�s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham
Box office: 01434 652 477

10-12 April 7.30pm
and 10 April 2.30pm
The Customs House, South Shields
Box office: 0191 454 1234

18 April 7.30pm
The Maltings, Berwick
Box office: 01289 330 999

22 April 7.30pm
Alnwick Playhouse
Box office: 01665 510 785

23-26 April 8pm

and 26 April 2pm (ADDITIONAL DATE)
Northern Stage, Newcastle
Box office: 0191 230 5151

Participation
Carina Rodney will be running a creative writing masterclass for teachers at Northern Stage on 25 March at 5pm: call 0191 230 5151 for more information.

If your class or community group is interested in booking a workshop led by Carina Rodney in conjunction with the tour, please call 0191 222 1332.

Partnership
Pub Quiz is the first production of the North East Theatre Consortium, a partnership between New Writing North and Queen�s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham and The Customs House, South Shields. The partnership aims to develop, produce and tour new plays from writers who live in the north of England. The consortium is supported by Esm� Fairbairn Foundation, Arts Council England and the Cultural Sector Development Initiative.

New Writing North announces spring 2008 events programme

Welcome

The North East is home to many excellent writers and a hotbed of literary activity all year round. New Writing North�s aim is to promote regional talent, to celebrate writing that reflects the region and to provide stimulating routes into the appreciation of contemporary writing for readers. This programme of work presents events from many of the North East�s most exciting writers and brings to the region leading writers to share their work and ideas.

We are kicking off the 2008 National Year of Reading campaign by expanding our book group meetings to include a new group in Middlesbrough in conjunction with the Blue Lounge, and a new poetry reading group in Newcastle. These complement our existing (and very popular) monthly group at The Living Room in Newcastle.

Throughout this season you can experience the breadth of New Writing North�s work across the fields of poetry, fiction, screen- writing and new writing for theatre. We are especially delighted to be working with Middlesbrough Council on the second Northern Screenwriters Festival, with mima and Mudfog Press on the launch of a new collection and to be working with both Live Theatre and Northern Stage on the presentation of projects this spring. In April you can also see the premiere of the first new play produced by the North East Theatre Consortium, a structure that we created to enable more new plays to be commissioned and produced in the region.

While we are busy presenting our own programme of events this spring we are also partners, with Newcastle University, in the presentation of the first season of work produced by the Northern Writers� Centre.

The NWC will open its doors in 2011 in Newcastle, and from now until that time will be promoting a wide range of literary events. The first season of work has an international emphasis and you can find out more at www.northernwriterscentre.com.

We look forward to welcoming you to our events this season and if you would like to comment on events, or review what you�ve seen please don�t hesitate to get in touch and let me know.

Claire Malcolm
Director New Writing North

Living Room Book Group announces second season

A fresh new season of reading with The Living Room Book Group

Following a successful three-month taster, we are delighted to announce that The Living Room Book Group, Newcastle�s newest reading venture, will be embarking on more adventures in fiction in 2008!

The Living Room Book Group is a new kind of reading group, designed to be flexible and fit around busy lives. If you�ve always liked the idea of joining a book group but worried that you wouldn�t have time, then this group is perfect for you. The group provides members with an opportunity to meet new people and discuss great contemporary fiction in the relaxing surroundings of The Living Room bar on Grey Street in Newcastle. The group is run by New Writing North and because of our good relationships with publishers and other organisations, there are often free books, special events and author visits offered as part of the series.

Flexibility is still key
Each book is discussed twice, so you can either join us at 12.30pm or 6.30pm. Lunchtime meetings last approximately 45 minutes and also give you the opportunity to enjoy a special Living Room Book Group buffet lunch for �5.95. In the evening event, you can take advantage of exclusive drinks deals and get 2-for-1 on cocktails and glasses of wine. And if you can�t come to every session, don�t worry, we won�t hold it against you, just come next time.

Thinking of joining?
We�re looking forward to seeing current members again in 2008, but would also love to welcome new members to the group. If you�re interested in joining us, email readinggroup@newwritingnorth.com or call New Writing North on 0191 222 1332 and we�ll send you a membership card.

And there�s more�
The Living Room Book Group has joined forces with Blackwell�s bookshop in Newcastle, which will now offer �2 off the cover price of each of the selected books when members present their membership card.

Reader in residence Caroline Beck introduces the books for spring 2008

The Emperor�s Children by Claire Messud
Tuesday 8 January, 12.30pm & Thursday 10 January at 6.30pm

�Claire Messud�s engaging book is essentially about the effects of war � the War on Terror and its impact upon a deluded American nation sleepwalking into the abyss � and she handles this seemingly heavyweight subject matter very skilfully. Her writing is fluid, she knows how to tell a compelling story and her depiction of Manhattan with its sleazy, neurotic mix of misfits and dreamers kept me reading through the night.�

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
Tuesday 5 February, 12.30pm & 6.30pm

�I came late to Cormac McCarthy�s books but was soon hooked by his ability to tell a good story in prose so spare that you feel not a word is wasted. This is a dark and dangerous book about temptation and stark moral choices, and its manhunt across ome of the best of Clint Eastwood�s later films. It also has a fantastically menacing villain, whose irredeemable badness seeps out of the very pages.�

EXCLUSIVE Members of the book group will be invited to a special screening of the Coen brothers� new film adaptation of No Country for Old Men, where Dr James Annesley, lecturer in American literature at Newcastle University, will also be talking about the book and film.

Crusaders by Richard T Kelly
Tuesday 4 March, 12.30pm & 6.30pm

�In 1996, when this book is largely set, I was a journalist working on the Today programme and covering stories about parts of Tyneside imploding under the stresses of poverty, crime and despair. Set just before the Labour party swept to power in May 1997, the book�s depiction of a North East rife with political in-fighting at the fag-end of a Tory government is peerless. It�s also very funny, with a sharp and pacey dialogue that is completely authentic of the voices I captured on tape over ten years ago.�

EXCLUSIVE Author Richard T Kelly will be coming along to talk to the Book Group about Crusaders, and answer your questions. Faber and Faber have kindly donated a number of proof copies of the book which we will be passing on to group members at the January meeting.

You can keep up with what Caroline is reading and her reviews of each meeting by reading her blog at www.livingroombookgroup.com.