New Writing North

Murder, Mystery And Mayhem - Track 1 The Journey by New Writing North

It could be said that Durham City exists because of crime. Pillaging by raiding Vikings led to the city's formation as we know it today. Take a walk around Durham and hear how crimes gone by have been recorded through the written word. Discover how the city and its hinterland have provided a backdrop and been incorporated into crime fiction and writing. The walk lasts approximately 1.5 hours. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk includes hills and the city's woodland and riverbanks, the group will meet outside the Gala Theatre before making their way to Durham Market Place where the walk will finish. You can download a free self-guided downloadable audio version of the walk from 9 October. Created by Ruth Robson and including material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England. Transcripts will be provided for all audio tours.

It could be said that Durham City exists because of crime. Pillaging by raiding Vikings led to the city's formation as we know it today. Take a walk around Durham and hear how crimes gone by have been recorded through the written word. Discover how the city and its hinterland have provided a backdrop and been incorporated into crime fiction and writing. The walk lasts approximately 1.5 hours. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk includes hills and the city's woodland and riverbanks, the group will meet outside the Gala Theatre before making their way to Durham Market Place where the walk will finish. You can download a free self-guided downloadable audio version of the walk from 9 October. Created by Ruth Robson and including material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England. Transcripts will be provided for all audio tours.

It could be said that Durham City exists because of crime. Pillaging by raiding Vikings led to the city's formation as we know it today. Take a walk around Durham and hear how crimes gone by have been recorded through the written word. Discover how the city and its hinterland have provided a backdrop and been incorporated into crime fiction and writing. The walk lasts approximately 1.5 hours. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk includes hills and the city's woodland and riverbanks, the group will meet outside the Gala Theatre before making their way to Durham Market Place where the walk will finish. You can download a free self-guided downloadable audio version of the walk from 9 October. Created by Ruth Robson and including material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England. Transcripts will be provided for all audio tours.

It could be said that Durham City exists because of crime. Pillaging by raiding Vikings led to the city's formation as we know it today. Take a walk around Durham and hear how crimes gone by have been recorded through the written word. Discover how the city and its hinterland have provided a backdrop and been incorporated into crime fiction and writing. The walk lasts approximately 1.5 hours. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk includes hills and the city's woodland and riverbanks, the group will meet outside the Gala Theatre before making their way to Durham Market Place where the walk will finish. You can download a free self-guided downloadable audio version of the walk from 9 October. Created by Ruth Robson and including material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England. Transcripts will be provided for all audio tours.

It could be said that Durham City exists because of crime. Pillaging by raiding Vikings led to the city's formation as we know it today. Take a walk around Durham and hear how crimes gone by have been recorded through the written word. Discover how the city and its hinterland have provided a backdrop and been incorporated into crime fiction and writing. The walk lasts approximately 1.5 hours. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk includes hills and the city's woodland and riverbanks, the group will meet outside the Gala Theatre before making their way to Durham Market Place where the walk will finish. You can download a free self-guided downloadable audio version of the walk from 9 October. Created by Ruth Robson and including material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England. Transcripts will be provided for all audio tours.

It could be said that Durham City exists because of crime. Pillaging by raiding Vikings led to the city's formation as we know it today. Take a walk around Durham and hear how crimes gone by have been recorded through the written word. Discover how the city and its hinterland have provided a backdrop and been incorporated into crime fiction and writing. The walk lasts approximately 1.5 hours. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk includes hills and the city's woodland and riverbanks, the group will meet outside the Gala Theatre before making their way to Durham Market Place where the walk will finish. You can download a free self-guided downloadable audio version of the walk from 9 October. Created by Ruth Robson and including material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England. Transcripts will be provided for all audio tours.

It could be said that Durham City exists because of crime. Pillaging by raiding Vikings led to the city's formation as we know it today. Take a walk around Durham and hear how crimes gone by have been recorded through the written word. Discover how the city and its hinterland have provided a backdrop and been incorporated into crime fiction and writing. The walk lasts approximately 1.5 hours. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk includes hills and the city's woodland and riverbanks, the group will meet outside the Gala Theatre before making their way to Durham Market Place where the walk will finish. You can download a free self-guided downloadable audio version of the walk from 9 October. Created by Ruth Robson and including material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England. Transcripts will be provided for all audio tours.

It could be said that Durham City exists because of crime. Pillaging by raiding Vikings led to the city's formation as we know it today. Take a walk around Durham and hear how crimes gone by have been recorded through the written word. Discover how the city and its hinterland have provided a backdrop and been incorporated into crime fiction and writing. The walk lasts approximately 1.5 hours. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk includes hills and the city's woodland and riverbanks, the group will meet outside the Gala Theatre before making their way to Durham Market Place where the walk will finish. You can download a free self-guided downloadable audio version of the walk from 9 October. Created by Ruth Robson and including material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England. Transcripts will be provided for all audio tours.

Set off on this newly commissioned self-guided literary walk and discover Durham's beautiful Heritage Coast! The UK is hosting the international community in Glasgow in November for COP26 – a United Nations conference where world leaders will discuss how to combat the climate emergency. Spend time walking in the lively harbour town of Seaham and along the Durham Heritage Coast enjoying the built and natural environment. Explore issues of climate change through the written word set against the backdrop of the former coal mining town, its surrounding landscape, seascape, and history. The walk lasts approximately half a day, longer if you include a meal break on the way. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk involves steep slopes and steps. This walk is created by Ruth Robson and includes material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England.

Set off on this newly commissioned self-guided literary walk and discover Durham's beautiful Heritage Coast! The UK is hosting the international community in Glasgow in November for COP26 – a United Nations conference where world leaders will discuss how to combat the climate emergency. Spend time walking in the lively harbour town of Seaham and along the Durham Heritage Coast enjoying the built and natural environment. Explore issues of climate change through the written word set against the backdrop of the former coal mining town, its surrounding landscape, seascape, and history. The walk lasts approximately half a day, longer if you include a meal break on the way. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk involves steep slopes and steps. This walk is created by Ruth Robson and includes material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England.

Set off on this newly commissioned self-guided literary walk and discover Durham's beautiful Heritage Coast! The UK is hosting the international community in Glasgow in November for COP26 – a United Nations conference where world leaders will discuss how to combat the climate emergency. Spend time walking in the lively harbour town of Seaham and along the Durham Heritage Coast enjoying the built and natural environment. Explore issues of climate change through the written word set against the backdrop of the former coal mining town, its surrounding landscape, seascape, and history. The walk lasts approximately half a day, longer if you include a meal break on the way. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk involves steep slopes and steps. This walk is created by Ruth Robson and includes material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England.

Set off on this newly commissioned self-guided literary walk and discover Durham's beautiful Heritage Coast! The UK is hosting the international community in Glasgow in November for COP26 – a United Nations conference where world leaders will discuss how to combat the climate emergency. Spend time walking in the lively harbour town of Seaham and along the Durham Heritage Coast enjoying the built and natural environment. Explore issues of climate change through the written word set against the backdrop of the former coal mining town, its surrounding landscape, seascape, and history. The walk lasts approximately half a day, longer if you include a meal break on the way. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk involves steep slopes and steps. This walk is created by Ruth Robson and includes material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England.

Set off on this newly commissioned self-guided literary walk and discover Durham's beautiful Heritage Coast! The UK is hosting the international community in Glasgow in November for COP26 – a United Nations conference where world leaders will discuss how to combat the climate emergency. Spend time walking in the lively harbour town of Seaham and along the Durham Heritage Coast enjoying the built and natural environment. Explore issues of climate change through the written word set against the backdrop of the former coal mining town, its surrounding landscape, seascape, and history. The walk lasts approximately half a day, longer if you include a meal break on the way. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk involves steep slopes and steps. This walk is created by Ruth Robson and includes material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England.

Set off on this newly commissioned self-guided literary walk and discover Durham's beautiful Heritage Coast! The UK is hosting the international community in Glasgow in November for COP26 – a United Nations conference where world leaders will discuss how to combat the climate emergency. Spend time walking in the lively harbour town of Seaham and along the Durham Heritage Coast enjoying the built and natural environment. Explore issues of climate change through the written word set against the backdrop of the former coal mining town, its surrounding landscape, seascape, and history. The walk lasts approximately half a day, longer if you include a meal break on the way. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk involves steep slopes and steps. This walk is created by Ruth Robson and includes material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England.

Set off on this newly commissioned self-guided literary walk and discover Durham's beautiful Heritage Coast! The UK is hosting the international community in Glasgow in November for COP26 – a United Nations conference where world leaders will discuss how to combat the climate emergency. Spend time walking in the lively harbour town of Seaham and along the Durham Heritage Coast enjoying the built and natural environment. Explore issues of climate change through the written word set against the backdrop of the former coal mining town, its surrounding landscape, seascape, and history. The walk lasts approximately half a day, longer if you include a meal break on the way. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk involves steep slopes and steps. This walk is created by Ruth Robson and includes material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England.

Set off on this newly commissioned self-guided literary walk and discover Durham's beautiful Heritage Coast! The UK is hosting the international community in Glasgow in November for COP26 – a United Nations conference where world leaders will discuss how to combat the climate emergency. Spend time walking in the lively harbour town of Seaham and along the Durham Heritage Coast enjoying the built and natural environment. Explore issues of climate change through the written word set against the backdrop of the former coal mining town, its surrounding landscape, seascape, and history. The walk lasts approximately half a day, longer if you include a meal break on the way. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk involves steep slopes and steps. This walk is created by Ruth Robson and includes material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England.

Set off on this newly commissioned self-guided literary walk and discover Durham's beautiful Heritage Coast! The UK is hosting the international community in Glasgow in November for COP26 – a United Nations conference where world leaders will discuss how to combat the climate emergency. Spend time walking in the lively harbour town of Seaham and along the Durham Heritage Coast enjoying the built and natural environment. Explore issues of climate change through the written word set against the backdrop of the former coal mining town, its surrounding landscape, seascape, and history. The walk lasts approximately half a day, longer if you include a meal break on the way. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk involves steep slopes and steps. This walk is created by Ruth Robson and includes material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England.

Set off on this newly commissioned self-guided literary walk and discover Durham's beautiful Heritage Coast! The UK is hosting the international community in Glasgow in November for COP26 – a United Nations conference where world leaders will discuss how to combat the climate emergency. Spend time walking in the lively harbour town of Seaham and along the Durham Heritage Coast enjoying the built and natural environment. Explore issues of climate change through the written word set against the backdrop of the former coal mining town, its surrounding landscape, seascape, and history. The walk lasts approximately half a day, longer if you include a meal break on the way. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk involves steep slopes and steps. This walk is created by Ruth Robson and includes material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England.

Set off on this newly commissioned self-guided literary walk and discover Durham's beautiful Heritage Coast! The UK is hosting the international community in Glasgow in November for COP26 – a United Nations conference where world leaders will discuss how to combat the climate emergency. Spend time walking in the lively harbour town of Seaham and along the Durham Heritage Coast enjoying the built and natural environment. Explore issues of climate change through the written word set against the backdrop of the former coal mining town, its surrounding landscape, seascape, and history. The walk lasts approximately half a day, longer if you include a meal break on the way. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk involves steep slopes and steps. This walk is created by Ruth Robson and includes material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England.

Set off on this newly commissioned self-guided literary walk and discover Durham's beautiful Heritage Coast! The UK is hosting the international community in Glasgow in November for COP26 – a United Nations conference where world leaders will discuss how to combat the climate emergency. Spend time walking in the lively harbour town of Seaham and along the Durham Heritage Coast enjoying the built and natural environment. Explore issues of climate change through the written word set against the backdrop of the former coal mining town, its surrounding landscape, seascape, and history. The walk lasts approximately half a day, longer if you include a meal break on the way. Please dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring sturdy footwear. The walk involves steep slopes and steps. This walk is created by Ruth Robson and includes material researched as part of Writing Durham, a partnership between Durham Book Festival and Durham University. Ruth Robson grew up in Sunderland, part of the historic County of Durham, leaving to go to university. Following a career in broadcasting in North East England, London and New York, she has since worked in the cultural and heritage sectors in the United States and back in her native North East England.

In this episode of the Northern Bookshelf podcast, Grace, Rebecca and special guest Anna Disley treat us to some uplifting reads for Spring - whether that's a thriller with a deeply satisfying ending, or a novel that makes you laugh until you cry. Books mentioned in the podcast can be found here on our affiliate link Bookshop list: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/northern-bookshelf-podcast-spring-2021 How to Stay Calm in a Pandemic by Dr Emma Hepburn can be downloaded here: https://www.hachette.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/How-to-Stay-Calm-in-a-Global-Pandemic-Free-ebook.pdf Frank Cottrell Boyce on funny books here: https://twitter.com/frankcottrell_b/status/1362357860496248832 Chill Soul Rap Instrumental by Nkato https://soundcloud.com/nkato Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/chill-soul-rap-instrumental Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/sdfcUBhRlgs

Join the Durham Book Festival team, as they discuss some of the books they recommend cosying up with over this winter. In this episode, Grace, Rebecca and Will treat us to their book highlights along with their favourite Christmas songs and films. Books mentioned in the podcast can be found here on our Bookshop list: https://uk.bookshop.org/wishlists/28e190a66be39c45e840ea54843c7fd0c6bf2034

A special round-table discussion where New Writing North’s Chief Executive, Claire Malcolm talks to writers Lisette Auton, Carmen Marcus and Mim Skinner about the approaches that they took to creating their pieces of work. All three writers chose to collaborate with other creatives and communities to make their work. The podcast explores how they did this and what writing collaboratively with others enables. New Narratives for the North East is a New Writing North commission with the North East Cultural Partnership supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. This series is produced for Durham Book Festival, a Durham County Council festival supported by Durham University and Arts Council England. The series was made in York by Sonderbug Productions with music specially composed and recorded in Newcastle by Jayne Dent.

Welcome to A Literary Pilgrimage of Durham, part of Durham Book Festival, produced by New Writing North.The County and City of Durham have been much written about, being the birthplace, residence, and inspiration for many writers of both fact, fiction, and poetry. Before we delve into stories of scribes, poets, academia, prize-winning authors, political discourse, and folklore passed down through generations, we need to know why the city is here. A Literary Pilgrimage of Durham is written by Ruth Robson and was commissioned as part of Durham Book Festival 2020

The view to the south east of Framwellgate Bridge is dominated by Durham Castle and Durham Cathedral as they tower over the River Wear and the rest of the city. A Literary Pilgrimage of Durham is written by Ruth Robson and was commissioned as part of Durham Book Festival 2020

One November evening in 1869 a group of men met in the Market Tavern in Durham, looking to improve the lot of the working class after decades of hardship and struggle against Victorian coal owners. That meeting led to the creation of Redhills, known as the ‘Pitman’s Parliament’: home of the Durham Miners’ Association, which formed in 1869. A Literary Pilgrimage of Durham is written by Ruth Robson and was commissioned as part of Durham Book Festival 2020

The Colpitts Hotel was established around 1836 by John Colpitts. John died in 1891 and in 1892 it was bought by the Smith family of Tadcaster, Yorkshire, and continues as a Sam Smith pub. In 1975 its back room became the venue for a series of live poetry readings known as Colpitts Poetry. A Literary Pilgrimage of Durham is written by Ruth Robson and was commissioned as part of Durham Book Festival 2020

Margery Lane Allotments occupy a space quarried to build Durham Castle and Durham Cathedral and, afterwards, the site of medieval fishponds. The cathedral and, on winter days with no leaves on the trees, the castle can be seen dominating the city skyline. A Literary Pilgrimage of Durham is written by Ruth Robson and was commissioned as part of Durham Book Festival 2020

Prebends’ Bridge, a much-loved landmark, was built in 1778. It replaced an earlier bridge washed away by the great flood of 1771, which caused much damage along the coast and inland water ways. The bridge famously has a quote from Sir Walter Scott’s epic poem ‘Harold the Dauntless’ (written in 1817) inscribed on a plaque on the north-west balustrade of the bridge.

Folklore and legends are prevalent in writing in and about Durham. One such legend is that of the Dun Cow, part recorded by the 12th Century monk Symeon of Durham, and further recorded in The Rites of Durham in the mid-16th Century. A Literary Pilgrimage of Durham is written by Ruth Robson and was commissioned as part of Durham Book Festival 2020

Tony Harrison, poet and playwright, was born in Leeds and lives in Newcastle. His poem ‘Durham’, written in 1970, starts playfully: ‘Durham St Cuthbert’s Shrine, founded 999’ A Literary Pilgrimage of Durham is written by Ruth Robson and was commissioned as part of Durham Book Festival 2020

‘To me the Gala is the most joyous and emotional day it’s possible to have. I was taken to my first Gala when I was eight years old and I marched behind the band and the banner of Fishburn Colliery with my mother and Great-Uncle Wilf and Aunt Lizzie. It was always a wonderful day out, with three great emotional moments in it. First, there was the pride you felt at marching behind the lodge banner towards the racecourse, then there was the moment when we stopped outside the County Hotel and the band played their serenade to the big shots on the balcony, and finally there was the parade to the cathedral for the miners’ service.’ This description of the Miners’ Gala, which always takes place on the 2nd Saturday in July, is by Booker Prize-winning author DBC Pierre, whose mother is from Durham. He lived in Durham as a child in the 1960s. A Literary Pilgrimage of Durham is written by Ruth Robson and was commissioned as part of Durham Book Festival 2020

The Magdalene Steps, named after a medieval hospice, lead onto Saddler Street which in turn is the route up to the centre of the Durham World Heritage Site. Elvet Bridge, to the east, is home to several independent shops and two branches of Oxfam, one specialising in vintage clothes and the other in second-hand books. A Literary Pilgrimage of Durham is written by Ruth Robson and was commissioned as part of Durham Book Festival 2020

For the first episode of Writing Durham, Laura McKenzie is joined by two of Co. Durham’s leading literary figures, Pat Barker and Benjamin Myers. Booker Prize winner Pat Barker has lived in Durham for the past forty years, while Myers – who won the 2018 Walter Scott Prize – grew up in Belmont, a suburb of Durham City. Listen in as they discuss place, memory, and what calling Durham home means to them as writers.

In episode two Laura McKenzie talks to Anne Stevenson, a major voice in British and American poetry. Born in Cambridge, UK, and brought up in New England, Stevenson lived a variously transatlantic life before settling in Co. Durham in the 1980s. Laura joined Anne in her home to talk about Durham’s shifting nature, and the different ways in which County and City have worked their way through her poetry. Anne Stevenson died in 2020.

Gillian Allnutt has authored nine major collections and was awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2016. She was born in London but spent half of her childhood in Newcastle upon Tyne. Kayo Chingonyi is a poet and critic whose collection Kumukanda won the 2017 Dylan Thomas Prize. Like Gillian he spent some of his childhood in Newcastle, and in this episode the two poets discuss how their shared experience of leaving and then returning to the North East has shaped their work.

In this episode Laura is joined by Mim Skinner, author of the poignant and darkly funny  Jailbirds and co-founder and director of Chester-le-Street’s multi-award winning community interest company REfUSE, which works to intercept food that would otherwise go into landfill. Mim has spent years delivering arts courses in prisons throughout the North East, and talks here about the women she met, their stories, and the systemic problems that underpin their experience.

Welcome to our audio series which explores the work created for the New Narratives for the North East project through a series of four podcast episodes. This episode looks forwards, refiguring the North-East's heritage, opening new ideas and exploring potential future narratives for the region as we look to the future. Hear from many of the writers involved in the project about the ideas that inspired their work and also their relationship with the region and regional identity. Through interview and extracts of their work as well as the varied sounds of the North East, many of the themes of the work come to the fore. Here we discuss what makes this part of England distinct and what its future might look like. The characters that emerge are not just those of the writers, but also that of the sea, or the Wall, or indeed the multi-faceted region itself. New Narratives for the North East is a New Writing North commission with the North East Cultural Partnership supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. This series is produced for Durham Book Festival, a Durham County Council festival supported by Durham University and Arts Council England. The series was made in York by Sonderbug Productions with music specially composed and recorded in Newcastle by Jayne Dent.

"They tell us that we live on a tiny crowded island. They try to tell us that we are tiny within ourselves. Tell them to come up here with the skylark, to forget what they think they know, and to look down upon the vastness of the North." David Almond, from Sing the North. Welcome to our audio series which explores the work created for the New Narratives for the North East project through a series of four podcast episodes. Join us in this episode to explore the North-East's distinctive urban spaces and explore how those on the inside read and think about our cities and towns Hear from many of the writers involved in the project about the ideas that inspired their work and also their relationship with the region and regional identity. Through interview and extracts of their work as well as the varied sounds of the North East, many of the themes of the work come to the fore. Here we discuss what makes this part of England distinct and what its future might look like. The characters that emerge are not just those of the writers, but also that of the sea, or the Wall, or indeed the multi-faceted region itself. New Narratives for the North East is a New Writing North commission with the North East Cultural Partnership supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. This series is produced for Durham Book Festival, a Durham County Council festival supported by Durham University and Arts Council England. The series was made in York by Sonderbug Productions with music specially composed and recorded in Newcastle by Jayne Dent.

Welcome to our audio series which explores the work created for the New Narratives for the North East project through a series of four podcast episodes. Here in this episode we explore the North-East's relationship with its borders, of land and sea, and how being on this edge informs its character, communities and perspectives. Hear from many of the writers involved in the project about the ideas that inspired their work and also their relationship with the region and regional identity. Through interview and extracts of their work as well as the varied sounds of the North East, many of the themes of the work come to the fore. Here we discuss what makes this part of England distinct and what its future might look like. The characters that emerge are not just those of the writers, but also that of the sea, or the Wall, or indeed the multi-faceted region itself. New Narratives for the North East is a New Writing North commission with the North East Cultural Partnership supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. This series is produced for Durham Book Festival, a Durham County Council festival supported by Durham University and Arts Council England. The series was made in York by Sonderbug Productions with music specially composed and recorded in Newcastle by Jayne Dent.

"They tell us that we live on a tiny crowded island. They try to tell us that we are tiny within ourselves. Tell them to come up here with the skylark, to forget what they think they know, and to look down upon the vastness of the North." David Almond, from Sing the North. Welcome to our audio series which explores the work created for the New Narratives for the North East project through a series of four podcast episodes. Hear from many of the writers involved in the project about the ideas that inspired their work and also their relationship with the region and regional identity. Through interview and extracts of their work as well as the varied sounds of the North East, many of the themes of the work come to the fore. Here we discuss what makes this part of England distinct and what its future might look like. The characters that emerge are not just those of the writers, but also that of the sea, or the Wall, or indeed the multi-faceted region itself. New Narratives for the North East is a New Writing North commission with the North East Cultural Partnership supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. This series is produced for Durham Book Festival, a Durham County Council festival supported by Durham University and Arts Council England. The series was made in York by Sonderbug Productions with music specially composed and recorded in Newcastle by Jayne Dent.

In this specially recorded podcast, which forms part of Durham Book Festival's Writing Durham series, DBC Pierre will talk about a specially commissioned piece The Long Cascade, which is inspired by his family’s strong connection to Durham, as well as his latest novel Meanwhile in Dopamine City. DBC Pierre is in conversation with Lee Brackstone, White Rabbit Books.

Join the Durham Book Festival team, as they discuss some of the books they’ve loved reading in 2020. In this special podcast, Claire, Rebecca and Grace, share their highs and lows of reading in lockdown and highlight some of the new titles they are most looking forward to delving into this Autumn. Books mentioned in the podcast: How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang Pew by Catherine Lacey The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld Djinn Patrol on the Purlple Line by Deepa Anappara Humankind by Rutger Bregman Shadow State by Luke Harding Twilight of Democracy: The Failure of Politics and the Passing of Friends by Anne Applebaum Little Eyes by Samantha Schweblin Intimations by Zadie Smith The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado Xstabeth by David Keenan The Divers’ Game by Jesse Ball The Less Dead by Denise Mina The Searcher by Tana French Inside Story by Martin Amis Let’s Do It: the Authorised Biography of Victoria Wood by Jasper Rees Mr Wilder and Me by Jonathan Coe Love After Love by Ingrid Persuad The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton Anxious People by Fredrik Backman Mexican Gothic by Slivia Moreno-Garcia The Liar’s Dictionary by Eley Williams Daddy by Emma Cline The Mission House by Carys Davies Mayflies by Andrew O’Hagan Notes from an Apocalypse by Mark O’Connell How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division by Elif Shafak Glass Town by Isabel Greenberg

Leading writers Stuart Maconie, Kit de Waal, Tony Walsh and Lisa McInerney consider what it means to be a working-class writer working in the publishing industry today “It’s the last great unspoken prejudice in British life, and that runs through everywhere – particularly some of the areas of the media I work in, like publishing and broadcasting” Stuart Maconie --- The Common People anthology brought together 16 leading working-class writers with 17 new unpublished working-class writers to create a picture of working-class life in Britain today. As part of the opportunity, the 17 new writers were also offered a 12-month professional development programme to support their entry into the publishing industry, working alongside mentors and England’s seven regional literature development agencies, with Unbound and Arts Council England. Now, to coincide with a new report by Professor Katy Shaw of Northumbria University, Common People: Breaking the Class Ceiling in UK Publishing, we are delighted to present this special episode of the New Writing North podcast. This episode brings together several of the established authors who featured in the Common People anthology, including Stuart Maconie, Kit de Waal, Tony Walsh, Lisa McInerney, with writer and academic Dave O’Brien and new writers Jodie Russian-Red and Shaun Wilson. The episode also features Jonathan Paterson, a Finance Director at the Hachette UK Group, and Clara Farmer, Publishing Director of Chatto & Windus. Together they consider the experience of working-class writers and publishers working in the UK, identify some of the pervasive barriers which mean that the publishing industry fails to represent a huge proportion of the British public, and consider what change could look like. Produced by Philippa Geering for New Writing North The Common People Writing Development Programme was produced by literature development agencies New Writing North, Writing West Midlands, New Writing South, National Centre for Writing, Writing East Midlands and Literature Works and Spread the Word with support from Arts Council England.

A new podcast about an ancient dale from journalist and broadcaster Caroline Beck.     Somewhere high up in the North Pennines, between everywhere and nowhere at all, is Weardale, a remote northern dale.  It’s a place of old lead mines, deep worked out limestone quarries, and hill farming; the home of day-dreamers, explorers, incomers, artists, philosophers, sky-watchers, story tellers and travellers.    Over a series of ten exclusive interviews with writers and poets Caroline has gone in search of  what it means to live in  England’s last wilderness.  As the series reaches its final episode, she returns home on regular walk up into a former quarry now overgrown with wildflowers, where nature has healed its own ravages, and which has a restorative effect on the walker. As she reflects on the interviews she has undertaken with writers across the series, she also considers the very concept of ‘home’ itself. Narrated and recorded by Caroline Beck Produced by Jay Sykes Ten Words for a Northern Landscape  is commissioned by  Northern Heartlands and produced as part of Durham Book Festival, a Durham County Council event. The recording was made possible by funding and support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England. Look out for  Ten Words  for a Northern Landscape  on the New Writing North podcast and Durham Book Festival website.  #10wordspodcast

A new podcast about an ancient dale from journalist and broadcaster Caroline Beck. Somewhere high up in the North Pennines, between everywhere and nowhere at all, is Weardale, a remote northern dale. It’s a place of old lead mines, deep worked out limestone quarries, and hill farming; the home of day-dreamers, explorers, incomers, artists, philosophers, sky-watchers, story tellers and travellers. Over a series of ten exclusive interviews with writers and poets Caroline goes in search of what it means to live in England’s last wilderness. In this ninth episode, Caroline considers grouse-shooting, one of the major uses for land in the area - and one which polarises the local community. She meets Dr Mark Avery, an outspoken environmental campaigner, the former director of conservation at Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and the author of hard-hitting book about grouse-shooting, Inglorious: Conflict in the Uplands. Local resident Colin Organ, from Rookhope, involved in game sports since childhood, offers an opposing perspective rooted in preserving a rural way of life, while Roisin Beck-Taylor, Caroline’s daughter, who worked on a hill farm for nine years and now works in conservation, discusses the complicated relationship between economy and conservation. Narrated and recorded by Caroline Beck Produced by Jay Sykes Ten Words for a Northern Landscape is commissioned Northern Heartlands and produced as part of Durham Book Festival, a Durham County Council event. The recording was made possible by funding and support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England. Look out for Ten Words for a Northern Landscape on the New Writing North podcast and Durham Book Festival website. #10wordspodcast

In the eighth episode - Childhood - Caroline goes on a journey across the uplands, meeting and talking with poets, teachers, writers, illustrators and playwrights. In Wearhead Primary School, she speaks to deputy headteacher Liz Judges about children growing up in Weardale and how living in the countryside affects them. The disparity between schooling and life experience for young people in rural areas compared to bigger cities is explored, and we hear how teenagers kept themselves entertained when there was just ‘one bus going to Newcastle on Saturdays’. With author Sarah Moss, Caroline talks about northern identity, working class masculinity and growing up in rural areas. Critics have called Moss’s latest book, Ghost Wall, ‘a Brexit novel’, about a man enthralled by a lost England. The narrative focuses on Bill, a father keen to implement the social mores and societal rules of a Britain from long ago, and his beloved daughter who is growing into a woman in front of him. Narrated and recorded by Caroline Beck Produced by Jay Sykes Ten Words for a Northern Landscape is commissioned Northern Heartlands and produced as part of Durham Book Festival, a Durham County Council event. The recording was made possible by funding and support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England. Look out for Ten Words for a Northern Landscape on the New Writing North podcast and Durham Book Festival website. #10wordspodcast

A new podcast about an ancient dale from journalist and broadcaster Caroline Beck. Somewhere high up in the North Pennines, between everywhere and nowhere at all, is Weardale, a remote northern dale. It’s a place of old lead mines, deep worked out limestone quarries, and hill farming; the home of day-dreamers, explorers, incomers, artists, philosophers, sky-watchers, story tellers and travellers. Over a series of ten exclusive interviews with writers and poets Caroline goes in search of what it means to live in England’s last wilderness. In the seventh episode - Exile - Caroline goes on a journey across the uplands, meeting and talking with Syrian refugees, curators and poets. Caroline talks to the poet Gillian Allnutt about their time at a textiles workshop put on for Syrian refugees. Gillian has been working with refugees and asylum seekers in the North East for years and Caroline visited her making textile butterflies with a group of Syrian refugees who have been settled in County Durham. The collision of home and exile is explored through needlework, talking and singing songs. Caroline also visits the exhibition, Craft and Conflict, curated by Karen Babayan. Award winning ceramicist, Paul Scott’s work is celebrated for capturing the history and mood of Damascus, with the families agreeing that the exhibition has successfully mixed the two cultures together, provoking memory, thought, grief and happiness. Narrated and recorded by Caroline Beck Produced by Jay Sykes Ten Words for a Northern Landscape is commissioned Northern Heartlands and produced as part of Durham Book Festival, a Durham County Council event. The recording was made possible by funding and support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England. Look out for Ten Words for a Northern Landscape on the New Writing North podcast and Durham Book Festival website. #10wordspodcast

Over a series of ten exclusive interviews with writers and poets Caroline goes in search of what it means to live in England’s last Wilderness. In the sixth episode, Gypsy, Caroline delves into Weardale’s significant connections with the Gypsy Roma Traveller community. Writer Damian Le Bas, author of The Stopping Places: A Journey Through Gypsy Britain, joins Caroline to offer an insight into the lesser-known history of the Weardale area, particularly in relation to the nearby Appleby Horse Fair. They discuss some of the limited portrayals of Gypsy Roma Traveller community that have been told over the years and open our eyes to the vastness and richness of a hard-working community. Narrated and recorded by Caroline Beck Produced by Jay Sykes Ten Words for a Northern Landscape is commissioned Northern Heartlands and produced as part of Durham Book Festival, a Durham County Council event. The recording was made possible by funding and support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England. Look out for Ten Words for a Northern Landscape on the New Writing North podcast and Durham Book Festival website. #10wordspodcast

Ten Words for a Northern Landscape: Episode 5: Escape A new podcast about an ancient dale from journalist and broadcaster Caroline Beck. Somewhere high up in the North Pennines, between and everywhere and nowhere at all, is Weardale, a remote northern dale. It’s a place of old lead mines, deep worked out limestone quarries, and hill farming: the home of day-dreamers, explores, incomers, artists, philosophers, sky-watchers, story tellers and travellers. Over a series of ten exclusive interviews with writers and poets Caroline goes in search of what it means to leave in England’s last wilderness. In this episode Caroline explores two experiences of the North Pennines as home: considering it as somewhere that people escape from and escape into. Caroline talks to Debbie Loane, an artist who relocated to Weardale as a young woman. Her painting was heavily influenced by the industrial archaeology and natural resources; this landscape remains the focus of her work despite no longer living there. Together they discuss the status of an outsider, and the deep and continuing connection that Debbie formed with the area. Walking across the dale, writer Madeleine Bunting reflects on her childhood in North Yorkshire, and her relationship with her father, the sculptor John Bunting, who installed the family there. Madeleine moved away at sixteen, but returned years later after her father’s death and wrote her memoir The Plot. Narrated and recorded by Caroline Beck Produced by Jay Sykes Ten Words for a Northern Landscape is commissioned Northern Heartlands and produced as part of Durham Book Festival, a Durham County Council event. The recording was made possible by funding and support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England. Look out for Ten Words for a Northern Landscape on the New Writing North podcast and Durham Book Festival website. #10wordspodcast