Verb New Voices seeks talented Northern writers

Calling talented writers in the North

Verb New Voices is looking for three talented artists based in the North of England who would like to make a new piece of work for Radio 3’s The Verb, in partnership with Arvon.

Created by Arts Council England and supported by venues and organisations from across the North and the BBC, the Verb New Voices project will support three artists/writers to create a new work for a performance showcase at regional venues and for broadcast on Radio 3’s The Verb.

We are looking to find writers whose bold and brave ideas will create exciting new work for radio and for performance. Applicants should be able to demonstrate some previous performance experience but must not have previously had work broadcast by the BBC. We welcome applications from poets, spoken words artists, fiction writers and artists who use words and sound to create work.

The Verb New Voices project hopes to generate vibrant new writing, which reflects something unique about Northern culture.

Two artists aged 18 to 30 and one artist of any age will work alongside BBC voice coaches and producers as well as experienced talent developers at Arts Council funded organisations in the North – New Writing North and ARC in the North East, Contact in the North West and Writing Squad in Yorkshire – to develop their writing and performance skills. Participating writers will also undertake a fully funded place on an Arvon residential writing course at Lumb Bank in Yorkshire during the project.

The selected writers will each receive a bursary of £2,500 and a package of in-kind support that includes professional development opportunities and a fully-funded place on an Arvon residential creative writing course.

Alison Boyle, Arts Council England’s Literature representative, said: “This fantastic opportunity for three artists to pen a new piece for performance in a range of showcases from MediaCity in Salford to ARC in Stockton-on-Tees, is important for many reasons. It has great potential to strengthen live literature across the North; by partnering the BBC and Arts Council funded organisations in the three North regions with artists based here who have powerful things to express. We expect to see strong, distinct voices coming through.”

The deadline for submissions is 5pm Friday 13 December 2013.

To apply: http://www.newwritingnorth.com/text.html?id=verbnewvoices