About author Ethel Stirman

Now retired, Ethel Stirman lives in the North East of England with her husband and close to her family. After a long and varied working career, she is pleased to be able to devote more time to writing and has begun to achieve some success, having short stories and poetry published. Recently, she was awarded third place in the 'Crossing the Tees' short story competition.

She is a member of Easington Writers and Hartlepool writers. 'Not a Minute on the Day' was her debut novel and is the first part of a trilogy focussing on life in a mining community in 1920's. Ethel Stirman's books are available on AMAZON worldwide.

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About author Quentin Cope

Serving time in the Royal Air Force during the sixties and surviving the uncomfortable consequences of Middle East conflict in the eighties and nineties, author Quentin Cope MA.MSc., was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Directors (F.Inst.D) in September 1983 and went on to finally complete his Masters in Applied Arts/Science during 1995. Having a pilot's licence in his pocket, Quentin has been fortunate enough to enjoy a life of travel and real adventure; some of it remembered as wonderfully exhilarating ... and some of it not! His writing leans heavily upon many of the amazing stories he has listened to over the years, told to him by real people describing real situations. These have been, in the main, courageous people and magnificently alive characters continually searching for new experiences and adrenalin fuelled excitement. As a diligent writer Quentin's award winning style can sometimes be seen as punchy and often quite direct with similar approaches to story-telling as Jack Higgins and Glover Wright. With more than thirty books in print, Quentin is a prolific and experienced wordsmith. His books sell worldwide on all AMAZON platforms and on-line through major International book stores.

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About author Max Wrigley

Max Wrigley has studied for a Creative Writing and English Literature degree at the University of East Anglia (UEA). He has recently signed a deal for his début children's book, 'SAMMY THE SEAGULL'. This work has now been published; 2023. 

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About Anthology 2020

Anthology 2020 showcases an eclectic mix of original writing provided by participating members of the Hartlepool Writers Group (HWG). From Flash Fiction to Fantasy and Poetry to Romance, the author/contributors to this fascinating 2020 Anthology are proud to present a series of 'unadulerated' work where hopefully every reader will find some interesting if not absorbing subject matter.

We therefore hope you will enjoy this varied anthology, provided without the use of hard and brutal editing. The poetic words, heartfelt emotions, spirited actions and possibly amusing storylines that lay between the pages of this book are those provided by the contributors 'as written'.

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About Sea Tales

Sea Tales is a selection of short fiction and poetry inspired by the sea, written in the run up to the Tall Ships Festival in Hartlepool, July 2023. Published by Hartlepool Borough Libraries - Hartlepool Writers' Group. This anthogy is available, free to read on Borrowbox.

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Crossing the Tees - Annual short story competition

Crossing the Tees Book Festival returns for its tenth year in June 2023, thanks to a collaboration between the library services across the Tees Valley; Stockton, Middlesbrough, Darlington, Hartlepool and Redcar & Cleveland, supported by funding from Arts Council England. The festival is hosted in libraries across the region and includes author events, writing and poetry workshops, and our annual short story competition.

Update: If you've sent in an entry for the Crossing The Tees Short Story Competition and you're waiting for a confirmation, we're busy sorting out the admin for stories received so far and will be sending out the first batch of official confirmations in the next day or so. In the meantime, if you're worried we don't have your entry, please email gillie@6e.net. The deadline for the competition of midnight 31st July 2023 has now passed.

The Amphibian Literary Journal

We welcome writers, poets and artists of all genders from all different backgrounds, we have a special love for the marginalized, the refugees, immigrants and the lost. Our main inspirations are the thoughts and impressions of people who write in English and live in two cultures at once. There is no limit on how you experience two cultures, it can be countries, gender, language, ancestors, neuro-divergence, any way that you experience your difference and explore it using the themes of the issues. For Poets – maximum three poems of any length, and for Writers: flash fiction, max 300 words and short stories max 2000. Artists please see the Artist's Submission Page for info. The Amphibian retains a zero tolerance policy to racism, bigotry, misogyny, transphobia, ableism, homophobia, hinduphobia, islamophobia, indigenous discrimination and anti-semitism, We aim to be a place of safety and healing. The next issue theme is Wildlife/Nature. We publish Bi-Annually Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter.

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Open Learn - Writing Course

START WRITING FICTION: Free Writing Course with Open Learn (Open University): Have you always wanted to write, but never quite had the courage to start? This free course, 'Start writing fiction', will give you an insight into how authors create their characters and settings. You will also be able to look at the different genres for fiction. Course learning outcomes: After studying this course, you should be able to: identify strengths and weaknesses as a writer of fiction, demonstrate a general awareness of fiction writing and discuss fiction using basic vocabulary.

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Writing Commission

Tracks Darlington have received funding for a small commission for a Darlington (or surrounding areas) based writer to create a short piece of writing around the theme of winter/end, working alongside and using inspiration from music by local musician Eve Conway.

This commission is part of the HARK! The Sound of Stories event series. To find out more including all guidelines:

CONTACT - Francoise Harvey @ Tracks Darlington - tracksdarlington@gmail.com

Writers Book Fair

On November 18th, there will be a Local Writers' Book Fair in York.

The venue is Clements Hall Community Centre in Nunthorpe, York (YO23 1BW). This is situated about a 15 to 20 walk from the central rail station in the city. And, as it's November, the timing is perfect for a little Christmas shopping.

Author Angela Wren will be there along with many of her author friends so prepare yourself for a fun day out.

NEWS FROM THE NORTH

We apologise for the delay

Hi, it's been a while since we last went public with an update, and this one is just to say ... hold tight! Due to unforunate cicumstances we have had to delay our next programme. We hope to be able to announce Writers' Block's next programme towards the end of this year and will advertise the fact as soon as we have confirmation. So, there is plenty of time to get your synopses and samples into shape! While we're here ...

NEW TEESSIDE BFI ACADEMY

Do you know any budding FILM MAKERS 16-19 years old? We're running a BFI academy in Redcar this Autumn/Winter …. and that says it's time to get your 'script writing' hat's on and commit that future eisode of Coronation Street to paper. Email us at laura@jackdrum.co.uk for more info …