Listen at Lunch: Oh What A Lovely War
Northern Stage will be producing Joan Littlewood’s revolutionary satirical musical Oh What A Lovely War from 6-27 March. We are inviting submissions of short stories or songs inspired by the themes of the play. Two pieces will be selected, which will be read or sung by members of the cast for an audience, at the Listen at Lunch event on Friday 26 March.

Created in 1963, Oh What A Lovely War is a truly original portrait of the ironies and tragedies of the First World War. From the misplaced optimism of the British home front to the blood-soaked fields of Flanders, the story is told through a fantastic collection of irreverent and poignant songs including well-known favourites Pack Up Your Troubles, Keep The Home Fires Burning and It’s A Long Way To Tipperary. This is the first national production of the show since Britain went to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. You can get more information about the play at www.northernstage.co.uk.

Submissions should be sent by email to listenatlunch@newwritingnorth.com and must arrive before 12 noon on Friday 12 March. Short stories submitted must be no longer than 2,000 words. This scheme is open to people who live in the north east of England.

Call for writers: William Cowe and Sons, Berwick
The family firm of William Cowe and Sons, makers of the famous Berwick Cockles sweets, has been in business in Berwick since 1801. Occupying two sites on Bridge Street, the Cowes Brothers properties contain a maze of storage, workshop and living spaces, that have remained largely untouched for many years.

Working closely with Inspire Northumberland, the Berwick Townscape Heritage Initiative is seeking to appoint a creative writer to work alongside photographer Mike Golding to explore and document the fascinating interior of the buildings and the human stories they contain. The appointed writer will be expected to undertake independent research into William Cowe and Sons, and respond creatively to this and to the photogaphic images, while liaising with the Conservation Officer responsible for the project and Inspire Northumberland. For further information, download the brief.

We are inviting expressions of interest from writers. To register your interest, please send up to 10 recent poems or up to 3,000 words of recently published prose. Please also send us a covering letter of not more than one page explaining why you would like the opportunity to undertake this project. Please send information to anna@newwritingnorth.com by Monday 15 February. The clients will make their selection based on this submission. This opportunity is open to writers who live in the north east of England.

‘Folken word’ commissioning opportunity for writers and musicians
The Sage Gateshead and New Writing North are seeking three writers (poetry or prose) and three folk musicians/composers to work together in pairs to create five-minute joint performance pieces which will be staged as part of an event – folken word – which will take place within the Words and Music weekend festival at The Sage Gateshead from 14-16 May. From the work that is produced, one pair of artists will then be commissioned to produce a full-scale piece of work for presentation this autumn.

We are interested in awarding these commissions to writers and musicians who have not already had the opportunity to collaborate in this way before. A shortlist of artists will be drawn up in early March by a panel that will include Folkworks artistic director Kathryn Tickell, poet and broadcaster Ian McMillan (who is curating the Words and Music weekend), Ros Rigby (performance programme director, The Sage Gateshead) and Claire Malcolm (director, New Writing North). The chosen artists will each receive a commission fee of £500 plus rehearsal space, technical support and, if necessary, a modest budget for the use of other musicians. Artists wishing to apply should send a CV and examples of their work (no more than 10 pages of work for writers), plus a short statement as to why they would be interested in this opportunity to Tom Besford, Folkworks Event Administrator, The Sage Gateshead, St Mary’s Square, Gateshead, NE8 2JR or tom.besford@thesagegateshead.org by 26 February.

Northern Writers' Awards 2010 open for submissions
We are delighted to announce the launch of the 2010 Northern Writers’ Awards. The annual awards, which are produced by New Writing North, support writers to complete new work and move forward with their careers. Each year £25,000 is awarded to support emerging talent and to recognise the work of established writers. Awards range from £1,000 to £10,000. The judges this year are agents Julia Churchill and Madeleine Buston and writer Daljit Nagra.

The awards are open to writers who live and work in the north east of England. The deadline for entries is Wednesday 10 March 2010. Full entry information is available at www.newwritingnorth.com/awards/awards.php?section=308.

Carol Ann Duffy steps in for UA Fanthorpe at The Poetry Room March meeting
If you’re a member of our Poetry Room book group and are having trouble getting hold of a copy of UA Fanthorpe’s Selected Poems for the 2 March meeting, then you probably were as surprised as we were to discover that it was in fact out of print. Consequently, we’ve decided to read Carol Ann Duffy’s Selected Poems instead. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. For more information about the group, see www.poetrybookgroup.com.
          
    
In the North East

ACE North East looking for Relationship Manager, Literature
Arts Council England North East is looking to recruit a 'Relationship Manager, Literature'. Salary up to £35,000 plus excellent benefits package. Closing date for applications is 8 February. For more information, see the Arts Council website.
        
    
People

Bea makes it through to Chicken House shortlist
Congratulations to Bea Davenport, who we reported had been longlisted for the Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition in the last newsletter. Bea has since been told by Barry Cunningham himself that she’s now on a shortlist of five for this prestigious award. Barry is the publisher of Chicken House books and the man who discovered JK Rowling, so he clearly knows a good thing when he sees it. The winner is announced on 9 March and our fingers remain crossed.

Noreeen Rees is latest apprentice
Congratulations to Noreen Rees, who was recently awarded a place on the national Apprenticeships in Fiction scheme. The scheme selects five aspiring writers a year and offers them an apprenticeship with an established author. Noreen, a past winner of The People’s Play, will spend a year being mentored by acclaimed children’s writer Brian Keaney, with the aim of developing her young adult novel The Hand of Glorie for publication. If you think you might be interested in applying for an apprenticeship in fiction, you can get more information at www.adventuresinfiction.co.uk/apprenticeships/apprentice-intro.html.
 
    
Jobs and commissions

Writer in residence wanted for Hartlepool Art Gallery
The successful applicant will engage with the variety of portraiture represented in Hartlepool’s fine art collections through creative writing and storytelling, working on the project for two months in April and May. The writer in residence will be expected to write a number of short stories inspired by a selection of portraits in the exhibition, spend a number of hours in the exhibition, writing, where they can be observed by and engage with visitors to the exhibition and deliver a small number of creative writing workshops led by the content of the exhibition. Expressions of interest for this project are invited, with a deadline of Monday 22 February at 12 noon.  Expressions should include a CV detailing relevant experience, a proposal for the project including an indication of how many hours would be given to each part, what this would produce and an estimate of cost. For further details about the position, contact Emma Hamlett, Museums Manager, on 01429 523428 or emma.hamlett@hartlepool.gov.uk.

Artists wanted for south east Northumberland schools project
A Key Stage Three themed Curriculum Enquiry project with Creative Partnerships is inviting proposals. Bothal Middle School in Ashington is part of the Ashington Learning Partnership which is also a Sports College. The project will look at the human body from a science, PE and Art perspective. The facilitators are looking for artists who can bring some or all of the following curriculum areas: maths (data collection), PE skills, body and movement, English (poetry), ICT (Digital imaging, digital manipulation), Design and Technology, History, Geography and Music to the project. The fee is £20-£25K pro rata. Deadline: Friday 12 February. Please email pauline@prfsolutions.com for more information.

Tees Valley schools project
Norton Primary school is looking for an individual or organisation who can bring creative vision, imagination, enthusiasm and experience to deliver an innovative creative project across the whole school. The school is keen to develop more creative approaches to the delivery of numeracy skills, in order to interest and challenge pupils and raise attainment in both key stages. The school is open and flexible about the approach and methodology for the work and is keen to hear from individuals or organisations who can offer staff and pupils a unique experience which has pupil’s numeracy skills and development as its focus. The work will take place in the summer term of 2010 with the planning phase to be completed by April 2010. There is a fixed budget of £16,000, inclusive of planning, delivery, evaluation, materials, and contracting other expertise. For more info, contact annasnell@hotmail.com by 5pm, Friday 12 February. For an informal discussion about the programme please call Anna Snell, Creative Agent for the School, on 07702 566126.
 
 
National opportunities

The Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets
Now in its second year, the Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets, run by the Poetry Book Society and the British Library, is now accepting submissions. There are two awards worth £5,000: the Poetry Award recognises an outstanding work of poetry published in pamphlet form in 2009, and the Publishers’ Award is for a publisher, to reward their endeavours in promoting poetry pamphlets in 2009. The judges this year are Ali Smith (chair), Richard Price and Jo Shapcott. For more information, see www.poetrybookshoponline.com/pamphlets.php or email pamphlets@poetrybooks.co.uk. Submission deadline: 12 March.

HighTide Festival 2011 open for submissions
HighTide is open for play submissions for HighTide Festival 2011. They are looking to fully produce and premiere new works by emerging playwrights. They also welcome international scripts, written in English. For more information see the HighTide website at www.hightide.org.uk. Submission deadline: 15 May.
 

Courses and workshops

You Are Here: creative writing course at Queen’s Hall, Hexham
These practical fortnightly sessions led by Linda France will explore the importance of a sense of place and presence in what and how we write. 4 February-15 April, Thursday evenings, 6.15pm-8.30pm. Tickets for the course cost £55 and you can book by calling the box office on 01434 652477.

Nik Jones: creative writing workshops in Berwick and Hexham libraries
Nik Jones, author of 9987, one of last year’s Read Regional titles, will be running free writing workshops in Northumberland on 17 February. The sessions are open to all and should appeal to novice and experienced writers alike. A morning workshop will run at Berwick Library (11am-1pm) and an evening one in Hexham Library (7pm-9pm). The sessions are drop-in, so just turn up at the libraries on the day.

The Blank Page with Linda France
Linda France is also running a day-long creative writing workshop suitable for beginners and for people who are confident in writing but would like to extend their confidence with words. In the morning the workshop will focus on creative journal writing – how to write about real life and capture real events and experiences. In the afternoon you will be taken through the process of how to write a poem. The workshop will take place from 10am-4pm on Saturday 20 February at the Holy Jesus Hospital, Newcastle, and again in March (date TBC) at Clayport Library, Durham. For more information, please contact Jakki at WIN on 01670 566 566 or email info@womenintothenetwork.co.uk.

Starting to Write with Ellen Phethean
If you’ve always wanted to write creatively but have never devoted any serious time to trying to do so, this workshop is for you. Aimed at beginners who would like to learn how to develop their work, this workshop will give you great ideas for starting to write and help you plan to develop and improve your writing. The workshop will take place from 10am-4pm on Saturday 27 February at the Holy Jesus Hospital, Newcastle and again in March (date TBC) at Clayport Library, Durham. For more information, please contact Jakki at WIN on 01670 566 566 or email info@womenintothenetwork.co.uk.

Songwriting and recording course: Easter 2010
Award-winning composer Steve Luck will be delivering a songwriting and recording course aimed at young musicians between the ages of 12 and 18 during the Easter school holidays. The course will be held at the Royal Grammar School in Jesmond from 12-15 April. The students will learn about different aspects of songwriting and recording and as part of the course will write and record their own songs, working in small groups, tutored by professional musicians and experienced teachers. For further information, see http://songwritingandrecordingcourses.wikispaces.com or contact Steve on 07970 865243.
 
   
Miscellany
 
Artists take on writers
Various artists interpret their favourite literary figure/author/character at http://heyoscarwilde.com. As you might expect from a site based in the US, it’s a bit more Thomas Pynchon than Iris Murdoch, but there’s still plenty to enjoy.

Writing for radio residential course and writing retreats in Andalucia
Write/Radio/Spain is a residential course running from 24-28 May and is aimed at writers who want to explore radio drama and sound as a creative medium. Led by award-winning BBC radio, film and television writer Steve Chambers and writer/radio producer Caroline Beck, the course offers participants expert tuition in pitching and writing for radio drama and tutorial support/script advice. The course is based at the relaxing and tranquil venue of Casa Acequia in the beautiful inland region of the Serriana de Ronda, Andalucia. Casa Acequia also offers ‘get away from it all’ writing retreats with all sorts of reasonable options for accommodation, catering and generally being looked after while you write. For further details, email Caroline Mitchell at cam.algo@googlemail.com.

How to use semicolons
Everything you ever wanted to know about semicolons but were too afraid to ask at http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon.
      
    
Deadline for the next newsletter

If you have news that you would like to submit for inclusion in the newsletter please contact olivia@newwritingnorth.com. The deadline for receipt of information for the next newsletter is 15 February. The next edition of The Listening Post covering March's literature events will go out in late February. If you have events that you would like to submit for inclusion, you will need to send information by 20 February to olivia@newwritingnorth.com.
 
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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.