A welcome boost for Tees Valley writers
The trio will receive funding, mentoring and industry support to help take the next step towards publication.
Three writers have been chosen to be part of the Tees Valley development programme, one element of a £93,000 writing programme New Writing North is delivering on behalf of the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority.
Emma Conally-Barklem, Irie McGurrin and Jo Newton will each receive a bursary of £1,000, mentoring and access to a series of industry masterclasses.
Emma, a poet, grief worker, workshop facilitator and yoga teacher, is the author of three booklets and a poetry collection called The High Flight: 50 Poems Inspired by Emily Brontë’s Hawk.
Delighted to be selected, she said: “Yoga Homicide is my first novel and although it had picked up a few shortlists and agent requests, I wasn’t sure about my next steps as the feedback was different from different parties.
“To receive actual practical advice and guidance on this acclaimed programme I’m sure will get me closer to publication.”
Work by Irie, a transgender writer from the Tees Valley, focuses on trans identity and relationships and includes poetry, short stories, novels and essays.
“Overjoyed” to have been awarded a place, Irie said: “I already know that I’m going to cherish this experience and what it will do for my writing career.”
In her writing, engineer and single parent Jo tells how her approach to life has been shaped by her exploits as a mountaineer and by a life-changing accident 20 years ago.
“As a Teessider for most of my adult life and with a son who is Teesside born and bred, I am delighted to have won a place on the programme which nurtures local talent,” she said.
“Having funding and dedicated, professional support to develop and progress my manuscript is a gamechanger for me and makes publication a possibility rather than a pipe dream.”
The programme is funded through the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Arts Council England as part of The Engine Room, a £3.8 million programme aimed at transforming Tees Valley into a powerhouse of creative production.