THE region’s reputation as a hotbed of literary talent was highlighted last night when 16 writers received Northern Writers’ Awards worth a total of £28,000.
There was a particular focus on poetry with nine of the awards going to poets – a welcome boost to an art form that has suffered badly due to funding cuts.
Judge Jacob Polley, himself an award-winning poet, said: “The art of poetry in the North East has done extremely well this year and in these very difficult times – when poets are not only losing their publishers but seeing these suddenly unfunded publishers unable to continue any publishing at all; when the Poetry Book Society has had its funding cut; when writers and artists across the country are facing questions not only about the quality but the very necessity of their work – we can be proud that poets are thriving and supported in this place, or are growing up here and discovering, along with their talent, just how this place thrives.”
Published poets Peter Bennet, from Hexham, and Colette Bryce and Anna Woodford, both from Newcastle, won Time to Write awards to support them financially while they finish their next collections.
Northern Promise awards, given to new and emerging talent, went to Luke Allan and Daniel Hardisty, from Newcastle, Wendy Heath, from North Shields, Amy Mackelden, from Gateshead, and Andrew Sclater, from Embleton, Northumberland.
The Andrew Waterhouse Award, given in memory of the talented poet from Northumberland who died in 2001, was given to Jake Campbell, from South Shields.
The prose winners were judged by literary agent Jenny Brown, of Jenny Brown Associates in Edinburgh, and Costa Award-winning novelist Catherine O’Flynn.
They said they had been particularly impressed with the standard of submissions by writers for children and teenagers.
Three of the awards went to writers in this category – Niel Bushnell, from Hartlepool, Danny O’Connor, from Marton, Middlesbrough, and Newcastle-based Gavin Williams.
Adult fiction writers Alan Remfry, from Stanhope, County Durham, and Alison Gangel, from Gateshead, whose memoir The Sun Hasn’t Fallen from the Sky was published to acclaim earlier this year, were given awards for novels.
Short story writer Paul O’Neill, from Whitburn, South Tyneside, received a Time to Write award to help him finish a short story collection.