May 2007
Sunday May 6th yet again proved to be an outstanding night supported by this excellent line up of writers.
Joan Hewitt’s first collection will be published in May 2008 by Cinnamon Press.She received the 2003 Northern Promise Poetry award from New Writing North and in 2004, she gained a Distinction in the MA in Writing Poetry at Newcastle University. Her poems have appeared in Under My Skin, London Magazine, 100 Island Poems of Great Britain and Ireland and Mslexia. More poems will appear in Poetry and Sexuality, edited by Stirling University English Department.She has achieved success in the Ledbury International Poetry competition; the Mslexia International competition; the Kent and Sussex Open poetry, the Langham’s Bookshops Competition and the Southport Open poetry competition.She lives in the North East and lectures at Northumbria University.
Gavin Williams principally works as a scriptwriter for television and film in the UK. He has developed a number of original series ideas with, among others, Carlton Television and YTV, and has been commissioned by Granada, Pilgrim Films, HTV West and the BBC. He has written for Channel 5's Urban Gothic horror anthology series and in 2001 his film, Rob of the Rovers, starring Gary Lewis (Billy Elliott, Gangs of New York) was long-listed for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award (BAFTA). Prior to his screenwriting career Gavin's short fiction and reviews were widely published in magazines and anthologies. During 2000 at the World Horror Convention in Denver his story, Brief People, won a BEST SHORT FICTION award. Also in 2000 his novel, “Hush” - written in collaboration with Tim Lebbon - was published by Razorblade Press. It was Short-listed for August Derleth Award for Best Novel in British Fantasy Awards the following year. “Hush” was republished in 2005 by US-based Delirium Books as part of their Dark Essentials series (Volume 3, Book 1) ISBN 1-929653-70-0
Jeanne Macdonald Jeanne studied for her MA in Writing Poetry at Newcastle University. She has read her work on BBC Radio 4's Word on the Street and her work has been read on Radio Three's The Verb. Her first collection White Lies Are Harmless was published in 2004 by Diamond Twig. Jeanne launched Blinking Eye Publishing in 2004 to promote the work of writers over 50, however, she earnestly supports the talent of young writers.
Debbie Taylor is the founder of Mslexia, the national magazine for women writers (www.mslexia.co.uk). She is also an established novelist, journalist and travel writer. She will be reading from her latest novel, Hungry Ghosts (Penguin), which is about a boy brought up in isolation by his mentally ill mother, and his relationship with an infertile woman on the island of Crete. Described by Hilary Mantel as 'sensuous and evocative', the book came out in April 2006.
Music this month provided by the two following artists.
Ieuan Goch ab Einion is Artistic Director of the Wallsend based children's music theatre company Monster Productions. He has composed over 50 scores for the theatre, dance and film. He was a founder member of the band Red Music. The programme at the Blue Room will including his settings of poems by Pablo Neruda, Robert Burns and Tom Hadaway.
Jenni Evans Newcastle born, studied as an actor/musician at Rose Bruford College and has since directed music for and appeared in shows and musicals in London, Newcastle and all over Britain. She also works as a singing teacher at various stage schools in London.
Unfortunatly due to family circumstances Ieuan Goch ab Einion had to postpone his appearance on the night
