Journal Culture Awards open for nominations
The annual Journal Culture Awards are now taking nominations from the public for all categories, including Writer of the Year, Performance of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Best Event. So, for example, you might want to nominate Queen Bee for Performance of the Year if you came to see it while it was on tour in April and May this year around the region, or maybe you attended Durham Book Festival just recently and would like to submit it for the Best Event category. Or you might want to nominate your favourite author, playwright or poet as Writer of the Year.

To have a look at the categories and make your nominations, go to www.journallive.co.uk/culture-newcastle/culture-awards-2008. The closing date for nominations is 31 December 2009.

Arts Council England North East Literature Officer post
As most of you will know, changes are afoot at the Arts Council nationally and their staff reorganisation is now reaching the North East office. We were very saddened to hear this week that Christine Chambers, our region’s Literature Officer, has not secured the Literature Officer post for the North East office, and that consequently her contract will end in March next year. Here at NWN we were all very surprised by this news and would like to take this opportunity to wish Christine well and thank her for the support that she has shown to us and to many other writers and organisations in the region during her tenure.

Final newsletter of the year
The final NWN newsletter of the year will go out on 18 December and will incorporate The Listening Post, covering January’s literature events. If you have news or events that you would like to submit for inclusion, you will need to send information by 14 December to olivia@newwritingnorth.com.


People

Richard Milward shoots blanks in Bad Sex awards
After an otherwise outstanding year, Middlesbrough wunderkind Richard Milward has finally found something he’s no good at – bad sex. However, it must be said that he was pitched against an extremely strong international line-up and should be honoured to have been shortlisted for the Literary Review’s Bad Sex in Fiction Award 2009, where his fellow nominees included Philip Roth, John Banville, Amos Oz and Paul Theroux.

Emerging triumphant was Jonathan Littell for a toe-curling scene in The Kindly Ones, a book described by judges as “in part a work of genius. However, a mythologically inspired passage and lines such as ‘I came suddenly, a jolt that emptied my head like a spoon scraping the inside of a soft-boiled egg’ clinched the award for The Kindly Ones. We hope he takes it in good humour.’ Jonathan Littell was unavailable for comment.

You can read this year’s nominated passages at www.literaryreview.co.uk/badsexpassages.html, although be warned that none of them are for the faint-hearted and that most of them would probably result in disciplinary proceedings if you were to be caught reading them at work. Previous winners have included John Updike, Norman Mailer, Tom Wolfe, AA Gill and Sebastian Faulks.

Co-authors collaborate from opposite ends of the globe
English barrister and NWN Northern Promise Award Winner Lorna Elliot has collaborated with Australian trade intermediary Davide Papa to produce a unique publication on conducting business as an international trade intermediary. The book, which took 12 months to produce, was written entirely by email and the two authors are yet to meet or speak to one another. You can read more about the book and the innovative collaborative process at www.firstwriter.com/newsletter/archive/2009/fwn81.htm#article2.

Lorna makes it through to next round
Congratulations to Lorna Windham, a children’s writer from North Tyneside, whose short story has made it onto the next round of the BBC My Story competition. You can read her story, A Northern Christmas, at www.bbc.co.uk/mystory.


In the North East

Lady Baby Gypsy Queen Elephant Monkey Tangerine makes perfect stocking-filler
Lady Baby Gypsy Queen Elephant Monkey Tangerine is a gorgeous, pocket-sized hardback of exciting new short stories from the makers of The Hotspur, the gloriously erudite and idiosyncratic parish magazine of St John’s, Healey, Northumberland. The anthology contains 12 bite-sized chunks of love, war, laughter, science, art, tragedy, intrigue and good old-fashioned promiscuous sex, making it this winter’s must-have bedside reading and a Christmas present to treasure. The book is available from Cogito Books in Hexham, Forum Books in Corbridge and The Baltic in Newcastle, as well as from Amazon. For more information, email thehotspur@googlemail.com.

Writing course in Whitley Bay
There are still spaces left on a Whitley Bay-based writing course, Creative Writing: Writing Dialogue, which will run for ten weeks from 13 January. The course is free to join. For more information, contact either Barry Stone at r541cottage@aol.com or Phil Dixon at phil@culturequarter.org.

Opportunity for scriptwriters
Dramatists have until 14 December to submit a 30-minute theatre script to be considered for Cloud Nine’s next PlayDay at Bishop Auckland in February 2010. The two chosen writers will be invited to spend the day with a Cloud Nine director and actors while their plays are put on their feet, then performed before a live audience at the town hall the same evening. For more information, contact Peter Mortimer on 0191 253 1901.

Ann Coburn Christmas play touring the region
Award-winning writer Ann Coburn’s new play The Last Snow Rider will be landing in Gateshead, South Shields and various other local venues. The play is touring until 30 January 2010, and you can get full details on the Northumberland Theatre website at www.northumberlandtheatre.co.uk.

Grants for the Arts: blackout period
As some of you may already be aware, the Grants for the Arts application process is being refined by Arts Council England. For that reason, there is a planned blackout period taking place early next year where existing applications will still be assessed, but no new ones will be accepted. The dates for the blackout period are Monday 18 January to Friday 26 February 2010, so if you’re working on an application, please make sure you get it in to Arts Council England before 5pm on Friday 15 January 2010.

Tees Valley international writing competition deadline nears
If you live in or come from the Tees Valley, you have the chance to enter a huge international writing competition with a cash prize of up to €1400. Entrants are invited to send a short story by 10 January 2010 to Middlesbrough Council. The prizes will be awarded in public in Oberhausen, Germany, in a ceremony that includes readings and a supporting program. The theme for this event is ‘Light Years’. For more information, see www.litaward.de.


Jobs

Writer-in-residence for Hexham Book Festival
Hexham Book Festival and Queen’s Hall Arts are looking for an experienced writer or poet to take part in a week-long residency in Northumberland (North Tyne area) in March 2010. The author would work with Bellingham Middle School and local food producers exploring the history of the region’s food production and the rural economy over the years and creating stories linked to these issues. This would culminate in a presentation at the Hexham Book Festival 2010. For more information, contact Susie Troup at info@hexhambookfestival.co.uk or 01434 600601.

Vacancies at Inpress
Inpress Books, the sales and marketing agency for small publishers, is looking to hire a sales and marketing executive and a finance executive. Full job descriptions and details are available at www.inpressbooks.co.uk/about_us.aspx.


National opportunities

Changes to BBC writersroom policies for scriptwriters
The BBC’s writersroom has changed some of its unsolicited script policies and has drawn up a Terms & Conditions document. They are keen for this to be known by aspiring writers out there, so for more information check their website at www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/writing/terms_and_conditions.shtml.

The Festival of Writing: 9-11 April 2010, University of York
450 creative writers covering all forms of work are expected to attend and participate in writing workshops, talks and one-to-one sessions with agents, editors and authors, over one weekend. Interspersed with keynote addresses, the festival programme splits into six sessions (each of seven choices) where it would be possible to concentrate just on crime, children’s, general fiction, non-fiction or genre works. Alongside these are optional choices of one-to-ones with agents, authors and editors. As an early adopter you could be one (of the few) who gets to pitch to Barry Cunningham – the man who signed JK Rowling. See www.festivalofwriting.com for more details and to book.


The Listening Post

Burnlaw Craft Weekend: The Book, the Whole Book and Nothing but the Book
The Burnlaw Centre, Whitfield, Northumberland, NE47 8HF: Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December, 10am-4pm
Katie Jackson and Linda France not only show you how to make a book, but also help you create the words to go in it. The writing and book-making sessions are woven together throughout the day to keep you busy. Tea and cake will be provided but please bring your own lunches. Booking is essential. Price £35 (open to 16-plus). For more information, call 01434 652 482. Bookings can be made through the Queen’s Hall Arts Centre box office on 01434 652 477.

Blackwell’s Newcastle Friends’ evening
Blackwell’s, Haymarket, Newcastle: Thursday 17 December, 7pm
Blackwell’s bookshop, a regular haunt for New Writing North, is holding a friends’ evening, with 10% off everything, plus mulled wine and mince pies. It’s a great way to get into the festive spirit and buy some presents everyone will enjoy – books! Anyone who receives the NWN newsletter is welcome to attend, so we will see you there. Free event and no booking is required.


Miscellany

Public Lending Right for published writers, photographers and editors
Many writers are not aware of the fact that they can register for Public Lending Right, which is a right to payment for the free lending of books in public libraries. Writers, photographers, editors and translators can all apply. For more details see www.plr.uk.com.

Illustrator for hire
Rachel Wood is a student at Newcastle College in her third year studying BA Hons Creative Practice. While earlier studying for an HND in graphic design she found she had a love of children’s illustration and is now looking for anyone wanting their work illustrated, particularly any work for children. She would however also be interested in illustrating other types of writing or book covers if any writers are interested. Call 0780 953369 for more information.


Deadline for the next newsletter

The final NWN newsletter of the year will go out on 18 December and will incorporate The Listening Post, covering January’s literature events. If you have news or events that you would like to submit for inclusion, you will need to send information by 14 December 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.