The North East has an outstanding record of investment and
achievement in the field of creative writing. The region is
home to many established writers, including Booker-winning
novelist Pat Barker, poet and critic Sean O’Brien (the
only writer to win the Forward Prize for Poetry twice) and
multi-award-winning children’s author David Almond.
The region supports one of the most prestigious writing
fellowships in the country, the North Eastern Literary Fellowship,
which is jointly hosted by the Universities of Durham and
Newcastle upon Tyne. The fellowship has been held by a long
list of distinguished writers including Basil Bunting, Tony
Harrison, Barry Unsworth, Edward Bond, Carol Rumens, Fred
D’Aguiar, Jo Shapcott, Jackie Kay and, most recently,
Colette Bryce.
Bloodaxe Books, the largest independent poetry publisher
in the country, has its editorial home in the region, as do
other independent presses including Flambard and a number
of literary magazines, including Mslexia, the magazine for
women who write.
Seven Stories, the centre for the
children’s
book, opened its doors in Newcastle in 2006 and brings
to the region a unique resource and development centre
for children’s writers and young readers.
The region has extensive literary resources, including a
large collection of contemporary manuscripts from previous
Northern Literary Fellows, and The Northern Poetry Library
in Northumberland.
New Writing North and Newcastle University are currently
developing a plan to create a Northern Writers Centre as part
of the new cultural quarter development in Newcastle. The
centre would bring together a range of existing literary activities,
create new resources for the study of creative writing and
play host to a range of resident writers and literary events
for all age groups. |
