Emerging after Durham Book Festival
Durham Book Festival ended on Sunday 1 November with a rain-swept but atmospheric event on the Weardale Railway, where Andrew Martin presented his Edwardian train detective books to an assembled crowd of train aficionados. It was a lovely way to end what has been a wonderful book festival, and we hope those of you who attended enjoyed it as much as we did.

We were delighted to hear that the authors participating in the festival had a good time too – and even more delighted to see that one of them (the brilliant Amanda Craig, author of Hearts and Minds) used Durham Book Festival as a benchmark for other festivals in her blog. If you're doing the literary festival circuit soon, have a read of her article, and the comments, at www.amandacraig.com/pages/blog_01/blog_item.asp?Blog_01ID=220. And if you're ever in doubt as to how you're being treated as a writer, get in touch with the Writers' Guild of Great Britain to ask their advice. We honestly can't recommend them highly enough.

Durham Book Festival was followed by our Juice Festival event, Exploding Popcorn, at which 10 young poets aged 8-15, whose work can currently be seen on the Metro system, performed their poems alongside established performance poets Kate Fox, Bob Beagrie and Scott Tyrrell. All had written poems on the theme of 'My City' and it was great to see the young people performing their work alongside the adult poets, all in the very comfortable surroundings of Live Theatre in Newcastle.
Anna, Claire, Catriona, Cath and Liv


In the North East

New audio book group mooted for Hexham
Hexham Book Festival is hoping to start an Audio Book Group in Hexham for the visually-impaired, but first needs to know whether there would be sufficient interest in such a group.
Group members would take unabridged audio cassettes home and return to the monthly meeting to join an informal discussion about the book led by a book group leader. The group is not limited to people who are registered as visually impaired, the aim is to be inclusive and to open doors to the appreciation of the written word to those who may face barriers. For more information, contact Susie Troup on 07930 110830 or email info@hexhambookfestival.co.uk.



New Denton Burn Writing Group
Denton Burn Writers was started 21 years ago and now the group, based in the Denton Burn Community Association, will be re-launched, with the aim of encouraging novice writers to come along and read their own work. All writing is accepted. If you wish to bring a friend to sit and just listen, that's fine. Meetings will be on Tuesday mornings, 10am-12pm. The cost is only £2 per session and there is a large free car park. For more details, call Ray Johnson 0191 264 0099.


National opportunities

Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children's Book Award
The Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children's Book Award, which carries a prize of £1,500 plus the option for Frances Lincoln Children's Books to publish the novel, is awarded to the best manuscript for 8-to-12-year-olds that celebrates diversity in the widest possible sense, either in terms of its story or in terms of the ethnic and cultural origins of its author. Closing date: 26 February 2010. The winner will be announced at an award ceremony at Seven Stories, the Centre for Children's Books, at the beginning of June 2010. Full details and entry forms can be downloaded from www.sevenstories.org.uk/stepinside/diversevoices.php.



First annual James Kirkup Memorial Poetry Competition open for entries
Run by Red Squirrel Press, the closing date is 31 December 2009 and the judges will be Terry Kelly, Tom Kelly and Alistair Robinson. First prize is the publication of a pamphlet and 24 other finalists will be published in a pamphlet anthology. Full rules and entry requirements are at www.redsquirrelpress.com/index.php?competition.


People

Congratulations to Newcastle University student Kachi Ozumba, whose short story, The One-Armed Thief, was named the Regional Winner for Africa in the Commonwealth Short Story Competition 2009. Full details of all the winners can be viewed at www.cba.org.uk/awards_and_competitions/Short_Story/2009_ShortStory_Results.php.

Congratulations also to North East poet Paul Batchelor, who has won first prize in the Times Stephen Spender Prize for Translation for his translation of The Damned from Inferno, Canto V, by Dante Alighieri, translated from the Italian. Full details are at www.stephen-spender.org/SSMTrust/times_ss_prize_09/ssmt_evPrize2009.htm.

North East playwright Alison Carr has launched a new website with all of her work and events on it at www.alisoncarr.co.uk. Her most recent work was performed at the Sage Gateshead where BBC Radio 3 recorded her mini radio drama, Worn Around The Edges, as part of the Free Thinking Festival. The play was one of nine recorded and will be available to listen online.

North East writer Laura Fish has also launched a blog, documenting her trip to Swaziland to research her new novel at http://laurafish.wordpress.com. Laura was longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2009 for her novel Strange Music, and works as a lecturer at Newcastle University.


Miscellany

How To Write Badly Well
It's early days yet for this one, but already we've had a few good out-loud laughs from http://writebadlywell.blogspot.com.

Collaborating writer required for fantasy/sci-fi adventure
A writer based in the North East has contacted New Writing North to find out whether we could put him in touch with another writer to help finish a work-in-progress. If you're interested, email Brian Stern at brian@stern2007.plus.com.

Mslexia Writer's Diary 2010 now available

The 2009 writing year is coming to an end, so order your Mslexia Writer's Diary now to start planning for 2010. For next year's diary, Mslexia has collaborated with Seven Stories, selecting some of their favourite images and texts from Seven Stories' wonderful collection. The diary is £12.99 including postage and packing. Place your order before Monday 30 November and you will automatically be entered into a draw to win one of five mystery packs of five books. For more details or to order online, go to www.mslexia.co.uk/shop/diary_buy.html.

And if you're free on Saturday night...

South African campaigner and Laureate Keorapetse Kgositsile brings together five of the most talented South African poets at the Saville Exchange, North Shields, on Saturday 7 November at 7.30pm for an event celebrating the art of live performance and featuring some of the most exciting newcomers in South African poetry. Tickets: £8/£6 (concs) from the box office on 0191 643 7093.


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 16 November. The edition of The Listening Post covering November's literature events will go out in late November. If you have events that you would like to submit for inclusion, you will need to send information by 20 November 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.