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About this Events Guide
Love all things literary? Looking for book events and literature lectures in the North East? Our monthly what’s on guide captures the literature and book chat, lectures, readings and other events taking place across the North East, in Durham, Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Teesside and beyond.
If you are organising a book and literature-related event that could be added, let us know.
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Wed 03
17:30 in Alington House, Durham
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Tales of wonder, the Gothic, and Islamic Mythology in Contemporary Literature with Meriem Rayen Lamara |
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The final Late Summer Lecture crosses cultures to explore the how Islamic mythology is used by contemporary Muslim authors to appeal to Muslim and non-Muslim readers alike. Free and open to the public. Organised by Late Summer Lecture Series.
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Wed 03
17:30 in Hallgarth House, Durham
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Michaelmas Poetry Reading with Paul Batchelor and Sam Riviere |
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You are warmly invited to the the first event of the Inventions of the Text seminar series 2018/19, in collaboration with the Centre for Poetry and Poetics. Poets Paul Batchelor and Sam Riviere will be reading selected works. Organised by Inventions of the Text.
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Thu 04
13:00 in Daysh Building G05, Newcastle
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First Thursday Poetry Reading with Olivia McCannon and David Spittle |
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Olivia McCannon’s poetry collection Exactly My Own Length (Carcanet/Oxford Poets, 2011) was shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Centre Prize and won the Fenton Aldeburgh First Collection Prize. David Spittle’s debut pamphlet is B O X (HVTN, 2018), and his poetry has appeared in Blackbox Manifold, Datableed, 3am, The Literateur, Zarf, and has been translated into French by Black Herald Press. Organised by Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts.
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Thu 04
16:00 in Elvet Riverside A56, Durham
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The Watermelon Boys with Ruqaya Izzidien |
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Ruqaya Izzidien’s evocative debut novel is rich with the heartbreak and passion that arise when personal loss and political zeal collide, and offers a powerful retelling of the history of British intervention in Iraq. All welcome for the launch. Organised by Durham University Modern Languages and Cultures.
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Thu 04
19:15 in Culture Lab, Newcastle
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Change – Poetry Translation Duel with Jennie Feldman and Jade Cuttle |
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Join us on National Poetry Day 2018, when we celebrate this year’s theme of Change with a Poetry Translation Duel in association with Modern Poetry in Translation. Organised by Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts.
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Sat 06
14:30 in Palace Green, Durham
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PopUpPoetry |
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PopUpPoetry will be at Durham Book Festival. Join us on Palace Green to create, read, debate… Organised by PopUpPoetry and Durham Book Festival.
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Sat 06
16:00 in Palace Green Library, Durham
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Literary Letters with AJ Pearce and Anne Youngson |
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Join these two authors to hear about their debut epistolary novels, which are set to be big hits for 2018. Organised by Durham Book Festival.
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Sun 07
10:30 in Palace Green Library, Durham
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Civil Insolencies with Bob Beagrie |
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Join Teesside poet Bob Beagrie as he brings the past to life in vivid detail with words and music, exploring parallels between 17th century attitudes and contemporary issues surrounding free speech, fake news and social division. Organised by Durham Book Festival.
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Sun 07
17:30 in Palace Green Library, Durham
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Faber Poets with Rachael Allen, Sophie Collins and Zaffar Kunial |
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Join three of Faber’s exciting new poets as they read from their work. Organised by Durham Book Festival.
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Sun 07
19:00 in Palace Green Library, Durham
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Pearl with Julia Darling |
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Join us to celebrate the publication of Pearl, a collection of short stories from a beloved North Eastern poet, playwright and novelist the late Julia Darling, published by Mayfly and the Estate of Julia Darling. Organised by Durham Book Festival.
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Tue 09
18:00 in Hatfield College Chapel, Durham
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Michael O’Neill and Jamie McKendrick |
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Join two award-winning poets for a free reading in Hatfield College Chapel. Organised by Durham Book Festival.
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Tue 09
18:30 in The Word, South Shields
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An Audience with Ann Cleeves |
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Ann Cleeves, one of Britain’s most successful crime writers and author of BBC One’s Shetland and ITV’s Vera, is coming to The Word as part of National Library Week and will be discussing the final book in the Shetland series: Wild Fire. Organised by The Word.
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Tue 09
19:00 in Durham Cathedral, Durham
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The Song of Hild: A Danish Take on British History with Vibeke Vasbo and Gaye Kynoch |
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Exquisitely translated by Gaye Kynoch from a bestselling Danish novel by Vibeke Vasbo, The Song of Hild is an epic new take on the prominent role of women in the Church during the period of conversion to Christianity in the seventh century. Organised by Durham Book Festival.
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Thu 11
09:00 in Durham Castle, Durham
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Literary Birds |
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‘Literary Birds’ celebrates avian literary encounters in their myriad manifestations. The keynote speaker will be Professor Simon Armitage. Organised by Durham University Department of English Studies.
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Thu 11
19:00 in Oriental Museum, Durham
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Scaling the Galleries with Helen Mort |
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Climb the galleries of the Oriental Museum with award-winning poet Helen Mort. Organised by Durham Book Festival.
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Thu 11
19:15 in Culture Lab, Newcastle
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Bloodaxe Poets with Ailbhe Darcy and Finuala Dowling |
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Finuala Dowling is renowned in South Africa for her honest and poignant poetry of home, parenthood, love, loss and desperation. Her retrospective Pretend You Don’t Know Me: New and Selected Poems is being published by Bloodaxe in 2018. Irish poet Ailbhe Darcy was born in Dublin in 1981, and will read from her second collection, Insistence (Bloodaxe), in which the private world of home, love and first parenthood is threatened by the public one of global crisis and environmental disaster. Organised by Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts.
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Fri 12
15:30 in Sunderland Museum, Sunderland
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The Sea as Literary Imagery: From Anglo-Saxon Poetry to the Novels of Amitav Ghosh with Geoff Nash |
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Symbol of human fate; facilitator of enterprise and national greatness; conveyor of the shipwrecked peoples of empire. Dr Geoff Nash surveys some of the powerful images the sea has supplied to English writing. Organised by Sunderland Libraries.
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Fri 12
18:30 in Town Hall, Durham
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Melmoth with Sarah Perry |
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Join Sarah Perry, author of international bestseller The Essex Serpent, as she talks about her new novel Melmoth, a chilling and deeply moving book that speaks urgently to our times. Organised by Durham Book Festival.
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Sat 13
11:30 in Palace Green Library, Durham
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Murder by the Book: The Crime that Shocked Victorian Literary London with Claire Harman |
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Murder by the Book is a gripping investigation into a vicious murder that scandalised Victorian literary London, a crime inspired – or so the killer claimed – by one of the bestselling novels of the day. Organised by Durham Book Festival.
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Sat 13
12:30 in Town Hall, Durham
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Rich Seams Podcast Live with Andrew McMillan |
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Award-winning poet Andrew McMillan takes a deeper look at the poetry of the North, as part of Rich Seams, a brand new podcast series celebrating the best of new and emerging poetry in the North of England. Organised by Durham Book Festival.
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Sat 13
16:00 in Palace Green Library, Durham
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Transitions with Owen Lowery |
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Join award-winning poet Owen Lowery as he discusses his new project, Transitions, a brand new series of poems dealing with the subject of transitions and transformations, presented in a series of readings, supported by film and music, plus theatrical interpretation. Organised by Durham Book Festival.
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Sat 13
16:00 in Town Hall, Durham
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Northern Fiction Alliance with Jacqueline Crooks, Colette Snowden and Martyn Bedford |
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The Northern Fiction Alliance is a radical collective devised to showcase publishing in the North. This event brings together authors from Bluemoose Books, Peepal Tree Press and Comma Press. Organised by Durham Book Festival.
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Sat 13
17:30 in Gala Theatre, Durham
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Carol Ann Duffy and Friends |
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Join Carol Ann Duffy, as she reads from her final full poetry collection as Poet Laureate. Sincerity is a frank, disarming and deeply moving exploration of loss and remembrance in their many forms. Carol Ann has invited fellow poets Mark Pajak and Keith Hutson to join her on stage to share their work. Organised by Durham Book Festival.
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Sat 13
19:30 in Gala Theatre, Durham
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An Evening with Sarah Waters |
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Join us in celebrating the work of award-winning author Sarah Waters, whose haunting fifth novel, The Little Stranger, is this year’s Durham Book Festival Big Read. Shortlisted for the Man Booker prize, The Little Stranger is a ghost story that combines sharp social observation with supernatural intrigue. Organised by Durham Book Festival.
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Sun 14
12:00 in Town Hall, Durham
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Alta’ir: Durham-Jordan Creative Exchange with Linda France and Mofleh Al Adwan |
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Alta’ir means bird, and is the Arabic name for the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila. This cross-cultural exchange between Durham and Amman was established to help raise the profile of British writing in Jordan and of Arab writing and culture in the UK, in the hope that long-lasting connections between writers in the UK and the Arabic-speaking world will be forged. Organised by Durham Book Festival.
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Sun 14
16:00 in Old Cinema Launderette, Durham
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Playtime with Andrew McMillan |
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Andrew’s brand new collection, Playtime, takes us back to childhood and early adolescence to explore the different ways we grow into our sexual selves and our adult identities. Organised by Durham Book Festival.
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Sun 14
18:30 in Town Hall, Durham
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Lamanby with Jacob Polley |
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‘Lamanby’ is based on Jacob Polley’s award-winning book of poems, Jackself. The story of an extraordinary house and a troubled friendship, as well as a dream-vision of boyhood, ‘Lamanby’ is charged with drama, strangeness and poetry. Through an intricate sound-world of voice, birdsong and live music, ‘Lamanby’ movingly explores how we might hold on to what matters. Organised by Durham Book Festival.
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Tue 16
19:15 in Percy Building G5, Newcastle
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A celebration of Ken Smith and Matthew Sweeney |
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A special event to remember and celebrate the work of Ken Smith (1938-2003) and Matthew Sweeney (1952-2018). Organised by Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts.
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Wed 17
15:00 in Sunderland Museum, Sunderland
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William Martin: Life and Work of the Late Sunderland-born Poet with Jake Campbell and Graham Martin |
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William Martin was born in the mining village of New Silksworth in 1925. During the Secord World War he was a radio technician in the RAF, based near Karachi. When demobbed he became a gas fitter and later served in the Audiology Department of Sunderland Royal Infirmary. For some years he wrote without any recognition but in 1970, he had a book of poetry published. Organised by Sunderland Libraries.
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Wed 17
17:30 in Palace Green Library, Durham
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Hoccleve Manuscripts with Professor Linne Mooney |
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The 12th Annual History of the Book Public Lecture sees her talk about her current investigations into the handwriting of Thomas Hoccleve, whose manuscripts reside in Durham’s Palace Green Library. Organised by Durham University Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies.
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Thu 18
17:30 in Ushaw College, Durham
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The Hounding of Francis Thompson with Professor Keith Hanley |
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Francis Thompson (16 December 1859 – 13 November 1907) was an English poet and mystic. At the behest of his father, a doctor, he entered medical school at the age of 18, but at 26 left home to pursue his talent as a writer and poet. Organised by Ushaw College .
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Thu 18
19:15 in Culture Lab, Newcastle
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New work from two exciting poets with Kayo Chingonyi and Nick Laird |
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Kayo Chingonyi was born in Zambia in 1987, and moved to the UK at the age of six. His debut collection is Kumukanda (Chatto & Windus, 2017) which won the Dylan Thomas Prize and was shortlisted for many prizes including the Costa Poetry Prize and the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry. Nick Laird’s latest poetry collection is Feel Free (Faber & Faber, 2018). With characteristic variety, invention and wit, Laird explores the sundry patterns of freedom and constraint – the family, the impress of history, the body itself – and how we might transcend them. Organised by Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts.
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Fri 19
19:00 in Guildhall, Berwick
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Somethings Old, Somethings New with Liz Lochhead and Steve Kettley |
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From the bittersweet to the rude and raunchy, poet and playwright Liz Lochhead weaves a spellbinding and beguiling show, mixing poems, monologues and music. Accompanied by the soulful sax of Steve Kettley, she presents an intoxicating mix of some of her best work over the past 45 years. Organised by Berwick Literary Festival.
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Sat 20
16:00 in YHA Berwick, Berwick
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The Black Cab Poetry Reading with John Challis |
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John Challis was born in London and lives in Whitley Bay. His first pamphlet of poems, The Black Cab focuses on his father’s vocation as a London Taxi Driver and features poems about work, class and ancestry. His poems have appeared on BBC Radio 4 and widely in journals and anthologies. He has been awarded a Northern Writers’ Award and a Pushcart Prize. Organised by Berwick Literary Festival.
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Sat 20
16:00 in Berwick United Reformed Churc, Berwick
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Settle and Spark with Theresa Muñoz |
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Theresa Muñoz lives in Edinburgh and is a Research Associate at Newcastle University. Her first collection Settle was shortlisted for the Melita Hume Prize for Poetry. She is the recipient of a Muriel Spark Centenary Award and has been writing a sequence of poems inspired by Spark’s life, legacy and letters, entitled ‘Why We Love You’. Organised by Berwick Literary Festival.
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Sat 20
18:00 in Guildhall, Berwick
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Poetry Reading with Sean O’Brien |
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Multiple award-winning poet, Sean O’Brien, will be reading from and talking about his recently-published ninth collection, Europa. Sean’s many awards include the T.S. Eliot and several Forward prizes. Organised by Berwick Literary Festival.
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Sun 21
12:00 in Holy Trinity Parish Centre, Berwick
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Edwin Muir – One Foot in Eden with Stephen Platten |
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Muir, an outstanding poet, author of an elegiac autobiography, translated Kafka and lived a tortured life travelling Europe with Willa, his wife, also a writer. Stephen Platten, sometime Bishop of Wakefield, lives in London and Berwick and writes widely on culture, literature and theology. Organised by Berwick Literary Festival.
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Mon 29
18:00 in King’s Hall, Newcastle
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Exit West with Mohsin Hamid |
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In conversation with Dr Neelam Srivastava, Moshin will discuss his novel Exit West: “a magical vision of the refugee crisis” that imagines the forces that drive ordinary people from their homes into the uncertain embrace of new lands. Organised by Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts.
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Mon 29
19:30 in Hild Bede Senior Common Room, Durham
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The 2089 book tour with Miles Hudson |
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Imagine a future society in which everything you see and hear is published publicly online. Your entire life is visible to anyone who cares to play it back. There can be no secrets. How would we come to live? This is the theme at the heart of Miles Hudson�s new novel, 2089, which was published in mid-September. In the book tour events, the author will outline the idea of this surveillance society and then explore the social, political and philosophical implications, along with an explanation of the development of the story from a throwaway line by Edward Snowden, through global meltdown to the book�s hero blowing up the old GCHQ building. Organised by Hild Bede SCR.     |
Disclaimer
Before you travel, please check all event information using the web links provided.
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