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About
Rebecca Wilkie joined New Writing North (the writing development agency for the North of England) in 2011. She programme manages one of New Writing North’s flagship projects: the Durham Book Festival, which brings together a host of leading writers, thinkers and performers in Durham each October. Rebecca is responsible for putting the festival’s creative programme together and commissioning new work, as well as managing all the logistical aspects of the festival. She also manages the Newcastle Writing Conference and Crime Story, which are biennial events aimed at aspiring and emerging writers. Rebecca previously worked at national reading charity Book Trust and before that at literary agency The Agency (London) Ltd.
Summary of work
New Writing North is the writing development agency for the North of England. The agency produces flagship projects such as the Durham Book Festival, the Gordon Burn Prize, the Northern Writers’ Awards, the David Cohen Literature Prize, the Cuckoo Young Writers programme, Young Writers City, the Newcastle Writing Conference and Crime Story, alongside a portfolio of writer development projects with partners such as the BBC and Channel 4
New Writing North specialises in developing and investing in writers and acts as a dynamic broker between writers and the creative industries. As a producer of new work we commission a wide range of writing from topical essays and publications to award-winning dance theatre productions, short films, live literature and broadcast projects.
Work with young people includes Young Writers City, Cuckoo Review and Cuckoo Young Writers.
Summary of work to develop
New Writing North are interested in developing wider partnerships around our commissioned work, such as the touring of literature projects and co-productions, and in creating partnerships with festivals internationally to share writers and to create work.
We are interested in opportunities to showcase writers from the North of England on an international platform and in finding partner cities and regions to work with that share our experience of disconnection from the capital city. Projects through which we can more broadly represent the experiences of working class people and their lives and stories are currently of particular interest to us, as well as projects that will link young writers and young people across the world.