Writing workshop at Durham Book Festival: 2 for 1 tickets for New Writing North subscribers

New Writing North are delighted to be working with the Northern Spirit team, who are putting together a production next spring in venues across the north of England, to commission writers to reflect on what it means to be a northerner today.

Fed up with the traditional depiction of the North as being grim, industrial and depressed, director Chris Meads and the team decided to bring together writers, artists, photographers and digital media specialists to create a blog – A Wondrous Space – which would dispel this dated image of northern England. The contributors have written about Manchester, Sheffield, Tyne and Wear and Liverpool.

The blog entries will help inform a new production called A Wondrous Place, which will tour the North in the spring.

You can be part of the production. Come along on Monday 29th October to the Gala Theatre in Durham at 2pm, and take part in the writing workshop which will help create the final piece.

This event is especially relevant to writers working in the North, and as such, if you quote “New Writing North” when you book by phone (0191 332 4041) you can get 2 for 1 tickets to the workshop.

Writers will get the following out of the workshop:

You’ll get to take away the start of six stories about characters in a re-imagined North which you’ll have helped write during the session
You’ll learn about how digital technology and blogging can be a tool for writers, with input from the bloggers who’ve already contributed to A Wondrous Space
You’ll get an insight into how the Northern Spirit team is using digital technology to enhance collaborative theatre-making processes. This will be illustrated practically within the workshop where you’ll get a real sense of how your contribution will help shape the piece

You can book your 2 for 1 tickets by calling the Gala box office on 0191 332 4041 and quoting “New Writing North”.

For more information, see www.durhambookfestival.com

Source: Press Release

Durham Book Festival Unveils 2012 Programme

The annual book festival returns with guests including PD James, Nick Robinson, Ian Rankin, Jack Straw, and Kate Mosse, and a new version of Rapunzel by balletLORENT, written by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy. The programme for the 2012 Durham Book Festival was unveiled at a launch event at Crook Hall in Durham on Wednesday 15 August, which included a special appearance by Rachel Joyce, whose recent novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, has just been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. This year’s festival takes place from 13th-30th October, in venues across Durham city and county. Among its varied programme of prose writers, politicians, poets and philosophers, Durham Book Festival is proud to be hosting the world premiere of Rapunzel, written by the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy. Carol Ann was commissioned by New Writing North, on behalf of Durham Book Festival, to write a new version of the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale for the modern age, which has been made into a new show by award-winning choreographer Liv Lorent and her company balletLORENT. Following the premiere in Durham, the production will tour the UK and play at Sadler's Wells in London. Authors appearing at the festival include Carol Ann Duffy, Anne Stevenson, Val McDermid, PD James, Ian Rankin, Gavin Esler, Kate Mosse, Roger McGough, Gillian Slovo, Pat Barker, Ruth Padel, Sophie Hannah, Ann Cleeves, Lorna Goodison, Nick Robinson, Jack Straw, Ben Miller, Chris Mullin and Cressida Cowell. This year we are proud to welcome authors from Canada, China and the US. Durham Book Festival is the North East's biggest annual celebration of books. The festival is produced by New Writing North for Durham County Council and supported by Durham University and Arts Council England. This year the festival welcomes on board a host of new supporters including Banks Group, Eversheds, Muckle LLP, Redbox Design Group, Dickinson Dees, Sunderland University, Swinburne Maddison and Northumbrian Water, and retains its partnership with the Radisson.  A full programme of events and booking details are at www.durhambookfestival.com. Source: Durham Book Festival Press Release