Basil Bunting’s coming home

Posted by Mick North in Competitions, News, Opportunities on March 12, 2012

The Third Basil Bunting Poetry Award will take Bunting back to his roots. The Award ceremony will be held in the Cumbrian booktown of Sedbergh to coincide with the next Write Idea festival.

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Booking opens for Arvon 2012

Posted by Mick North in Courses, News, Opportunities on March 9, 2012

The Arvon Foundation, internationally renowned for its residential creative writing courses, has launched its 2012 programme of courses at beautiful rural writing centres in Devon, Shropshire, Yorkshire and Inverness-shire.

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The Weekly Poem #32

Posted by Mick North in New Writing, News, Poetry, The Weekly Poem on March 8, 2012

Tattoos were even turning up on Barbie dolls a couple of years ago, so it was only a matter of time before the Weekly Poem succumbed to the needle, courtesy of Mick Yates.

Read his poem, lexicon>>

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Review: Not Saying Goodbye at Gate 21

Posted by Mick North in Books, News, Reviews on March 8, 2012

New Zealand writer Tim Jones has kindly allowed us to reproduce his review of Cumbrian poet Kathleen Jones’ recently published collection, Not Saying Goodbye at Gate 21.

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Malone wins

Posted by Mick North in New Writing, News, Poetry on March 6, 2012

This year’s Mirehouse Poetry Prize winner is Martin Malone, from Maulds Meaburn. The prize, worth £350, was judged by poet and novelist Helen Dunmore, and organised in association with the Words by the Water festival.

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Prize-winning essays – made in Cumbria

Posted by Mick North in Essays & non-fiction, New Writing, News on March 2, 2012

Two of the three prizes in this year’s Words by the Water/Notting Hill Editions Essay Writing Competition have been won by Cumbrian writers. Poet Mary Robinson took first prize, while third place went to poet, novelist and travel writer Angela Locke.

Read their essays here>>

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The Weekly Poem #31

Posted by Mick North in New Writing, News, Poetry, The Weekly Poem on March 2, 2012

But who, in this huge universe of ours,
Has ever triumphed over the fates …

Keswick poet Christopher Pilling translates the Belgian francophone poet Maurice Carême’s straight-talking meditation on mortality in Cemeteries>>

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A Division of the Light

Posted by Mick North in Books, Events, News on February 29, 2012

It’s been a long time since Whitehaven writer Christopher Burns published a novel – Dust Raising in 1996 – but it looks like it’s been worth the wait.

According to Booker-winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro, no less, “A Division of the Light is a strange, brilliant work …” Read more>>

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Tricky commission for Dominic Kelly

Posted by Mick North in Events, News on February 29, 2012

Cumbrian storyteller Dominic Kelly is working on a new one-hour performance piece commissioned by 3monkeys, a new dedicated commissioning body for performance storytelling in the UK.

Trickster is a journey into the world of the mythical comedian, charlatan, shapeshifter, and master of uncertainty.
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Get yourself on a literary map of the North

Posted by Mick North in News on February 29, 2012

The National Association of Literature Development (NALD) is conducting a new survey of literature organisations and individuals across ‘the Greater North’ – Yorkshire, the North East and North West – to make sure everybody is aware of the North’s literary landscape (in terms of who’s doing what) and of the possibilities of collaboration and working together. Read more>>

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The Weekly Poem #30

Posted by Mick North in New Writing, News, The Weekly Poem on February 24, 2012

I am not here to be kind to worms,
But as I dig I cover them with care
To work out their landmarks …

Tom Rawling (1916-1996) was born and raised in Ennerdale. This is the poem he most wanted to be remembered by, and it was read at his funeral. Read Grow Potatoes>>

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Timothy Spall drops anchor – in Derwent Water

Posted by Mick North in Events, News on February 23, 2012

Words by the Water are delighted to announce that actor Timothy Spall will be making an unscheduled appearance on stage at their festival at Theatre by the Lake. He’ll take part in the programmed event with his wife, Shane Spall, on Sunday 4 March at 6.30pm.

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All about marketing

Posted by Mick North in Courses, News, Opportunities on February 23, 2012

If you’re a writer or an event organiser and you want to brush up your marketing skills, our friends at Eden Arts have negotiated a discount for All About Audiences’ Introduction to Marketing workshop at Theatre by the Lake on Thursday 1 March.

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