CASE FOR CULTURE RESPONSES NEW WRITING NORTH 1. WHAT HAS CULTURE GOT TO OFFER THE ECONOMY OF THE NORTH EAST? Culture is central to the economy of the region. It boosts tourism and helps to raise the profile of the region. Recently Newcastle was picked out as central to the creative economy of the UK as a whole and the particular environment here (low living costs, strong sense of community and well established cultural networks) makes the region the go to place for creative entrepreneurs and start ups. Stevie Ronnie, Poet, Northumberland Strong culture and a strong cultural profile lifts a town, city or region above others. It makes us more competitive, more ‘known’ and understood. Being strong in a certain area of culture (literature) secures a place for the region in the hearts and minds of the national sector and associated sectors. It’s about our cultural identify and how others see and understand who we are. Writing and writers provide extra benefit if their work is set in and reflects the region and this leads to strong and ‘money can’t buy’ benefits such as how wonderful Northumberland looks in ITV’s Vera, which is based on North Tyneside writer Ann Cleeves’s books. I’d also like to see acknowledged the role that artist and writers have as SME’s and the direct contribution that they make to our regional and national economy through creating work here and building businesses. They may be small in size but there are many in number. It would be interesting to take a stab at how big this part of the sector is to identify and understand the role it plays in the economy regionally. Claire Malcolm, Chief Executive, New Writing North. It adds to the visitor experience. Locals attending events spend on transport, food and accommodation etcetera, as do tourists attracted to the North East by, for instance, the Durham Book Festival. There is also a less immediately obvious ‘enhancement’ of the profile of the area, created by the engagement of local writers, artists, musicians etcetera with their region. Writing, artworks, music inspired by the North East, put the region, its history and its culture on the local, national and international map for readers/audiences. Ann Coburn, novelist, Berwick upon Tweed. I’ve been a writer for many years, published for three. During that time I’ve been involved in a range of literary events, all of which have contributed to the local economy, bringing jobs and visitors to the region. Book festivals (Durham, Hexham, Books on Tyne) are very popular, drawing people in from outside. Despite a difficult climate in the publishing industry over the last few years, these events continue to thrive. To give one example, I’m a founder member of Newcastle Noir, now in its second year, a relatively new crime festival that grew out of a ‘Crime Day’ held at the Lit & Phil Library, brainchild of a Northumbria University lecturer. Visiting crime writers and fans use local hotels, restaurants and transport links. As an incomer myself, I have chosen to settle and buy a home in the Tyne Valley. From a business point of view, I use a local printer, accountant . the list goes on. Mari Hannah, novelist, Corbridge. One of my first jobs in the North East was to run a summer-long community arts festival in Durham Cathedral to mark the 900th anniversary of the Cathedral’s foundation. When we started a lot of people said it was a waste of time, ordinary people couldn’t be bothered with such things. They were wrong. We filled a three month-long changing exhibition in the Chapel of the Nine Altars with art and personal stories of warmth and intimacy created by parishioners of Durham Diocese from all socio-economic backgrounds who turned up every day, working together, to staff the exhibit, engaging thousands of tourists passing through. It was a great success according to feedback from both tourists and participants. I would see this as an example of culture in action in expressing the bonds of community, in promoting the economy through tourism and enhancing the health and wellbeing of inhabitants. Rebecca Jenkins, novelist, Barnard Castle. Culture in all its forms is a passionate engagement in making something happen. The economy in the North East benefits from writers living and working here, supporting venues, and attracting inward investment in terms of grants, awards and royalties. Stephanie Butland, novelist, Northumberland. Most studies I've heard about show that the cultural industries of the North East - including literature - averaged out over a 12-month period - engage with more people than sport. And in the same way as sport, cultural activities, such readings, reading groups, book launches, workshops, festivals bring people together to share a common interest and also to learn about books, writers, publishers they may not know. Kitty Fitzgerland, novelist and playwright, North Tyneside. 2. HOW CAN CULTURE CONTRIBUTE TO THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF PEOPLE LIVING AND WORKING IN THE NORTH EAST? It helps us understand who we are and actively makes us feel part of something bigger than ourselves. Books and literature connect people through ideas and reflection and also provide inspiration for how to live and show us how other people live and survive difficulties. The growth of our regional book festivals demonstrate this as does the library usage and participation in reading in this region – stronger in some areas here than the national average. Claire Malcolm, Chief Executive, New Writing North Culture provides vital distance from issues too personal and painful to explore directly: response to culture becomes coming to terms with our health and wellness challenges. The north east already has world-class cancer care provision for the physical body. My own experience of talking to those who have had cancer suggests that writing has an important role in helping move towards wellbeing. This was certainly my own experience. Stephanie Butland, Novelist, Northumberland. Art and writing has the power to transform the aspirations, health and wellbeing among those who society often ignores. Recently I worked on a writing project engaging hard to reach young people in the region and the positive effect that the creative process had on the future of these young people was transformational. Art can help to heal and it can help us to deal with our problems by sharing them and expressing ourselves creatively. This is particularly relevant within some of the communities that suffer from high levels of unemployment and social deprivation. Stevie Ronnie, Poet, Northumberland Culture based in or inspired by the region engenders a sense of identity and regional pride, particularly when community involvement plays a part. My play Get Up & Tie Your Fingers toured the region last year, stopping at coastal venues, which have been and still are involved in the fishing industry. At every venue local choirs spent months learning the choral music and then performed on stage alongside the professional actors. Those choir groups worked very hard and gained confidence and an increased sense of worth. They also formed communities within their communities, which are still going strong. Their families and friends also took pride and pleasure in their performance. Alongside the performances, an exhibition of art works from the local community was curated at every venue. Everyone from knitters (there was a knitted coat for a full-sized boat which toured with the play) to model boat builders, and from primary school children to people in their nineties, were involved, and each exhibition pulled in hundreds of visitors. Those involved learned how inventive and creative they could be and felt a real sense of achievement. The communities also appreciated the acknowledgement of what they did for a living and the pride they took in their work and traditions. Members of each north east choir followed us down the coast and even came to the last night all the way down in Hastings, where a hundred women sang the final A Case for Culture Responses from Writers (March 2015) 2 song together, in the open air venue on a working quayside. Similarly, a writing project I did for Hexham Book Festival, working with Berwick school children to explore and write creatively about the experience of local people left behind to cope alone in WW1, brought the whole community together and talking – parents and grandparents searched lofts for WW1 memorabilia personal to their family and members of the community were invited to bring stories or items to a drop-in session at the local library. I worked with the local archivist to run sessions where the children learned how to use the Archives office for research. The Maltings youth theatre was involved in the final celebration, performing the play I had put together from the creative writing of the children. I read my own story, Compass, which had been inspired by a soldier’s compass brought in by a Tweedmouth Middle School boy. He and his parents were at the final celebratory event at The Maltings and were extremely proud that their great grandfather’s compass had inspired a story. Ann Coburn, novelist, Berwick upon Tweed. I live and work in the North East by choice. My books are set here and – despite the body count – fans of crime fiction seem to think I showcase the area in a positive light. I feel a responsibility to take the region’s cultural identity forward, something echoed by local indie (Forum) bookshop owner, Helen Stanton, with whom I have a close working relationship. She runs literary events throughout the year, generating a wonderful community spirit.