Book launches at the Festival

Darlington Arts Festival will this year continue its tradition of staging book launches.

http://www.darlingtonforculture.org/book-launches-at-the-festival/

Thursday May 12

Voodoo Café, Skinnergate 7pm

Darlington-based Inkerman Writers launch their new book Picture This with an evening of prose and poetry. £2 on the door.

 

Thursday, 26 May  

Vane Women 25th Anniversary Book Launch

Crown Street Gallery, Darlington, DL1 1ND  6.30-8.00 pm

Vane Women and guest poets will read from the latest Vane Women Press

anthology of photographs, poetry and prose. NORTHbound celebrates the 25^th anniversary of Vane Women, founded in 1991 to support the development and recognition of women writers.  The writing, publishing and performing collective has come a long way from its beginnings in the women’s writing class that ran at the late lamented Darlington Arts Centre in Vane Terrace.

This anthology contains Pat Maycroft’s wonderfully evocative images with responses by Vane Women and guest writers who live in the North East and who have been associated with Vane Women as their published authors or tutors of masterclasses. What binds them all is a strong sense of place; of the North, of a landscape both beautiful and harsh.

This is an edgeland that has weathered invasion by Vikings, the rise and fall of heavy industry, poverty,  erosion and landslip. It has bred stubborn strength and a tough pride in its people, whether they were born here or have chosen to live here.

NORTHbound represents the hard graft of image-making, writing and publishing and honours the camaraderie of writers who live in this region.

Admission Free

Arts festival programme is launched

The programme has been announced for the fourth Darlington Arts Festival due to run April 21-May 31 at a wide range of venues across the borough. 

Co-ordinated by Darlington for Culture (DfC), the group which speaks for arts and culture in the area, the festival has 70 events on its programme at more than 20 venues. Many of the organisations and individuals supporting the event are reflected in the programme, which includes:

* A series of music events, including the Darlington Jazz Festival at various venues  between April 21-24, which launches the Darlington Arts Festival in spectacular fashion, and throughout the month other musical events ranging from rhythm ‘n‘ blues to folk and opera. 

* A Hammer Horror Film Festival to be run by Darlington Film Club at the Forum in Borough Road, including a guest appearance by Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb star Valerie Leon.

* Literary events featuring readings, writing workshops and two book launches

* Art-based events including exhibitions and workshops at various venues

* Monday May 23 Making space for art and creative enterprise in Darlington – Arts Forum The Forum Music Centre, Borough Road, Darlington, DL1 1SG

1.00pm buffet, starts 1.30pm ends 4.00pm

At the One Darlington’s Assembly event in October 2015 Wayne Hemingway MBE identified the importance of accessible flexible workspaces in supporting the growth of creative enterprise, currently one of the fastest growing sectors in the UK economy and in helping to encourage vibrant successful places.  Creative Darlington wants Darlington to be a creative place in which artists, arts producers and creative businesses can flourish. They invite artists, producers, creative enterprises and those with an interest in developing workspace and business to bring their ideas and energy to this Forum event which will include short presentations on best practice from other locations followed by joint work to explore what we can do here.

* Comedy and dance events

DfC Chair John Dean said: “The fourth Darlington Arts Festival promises to be tremendous. There really is something for everyone, including a sprinkling of performers from abroad and some big screen magic.”

Author Tracey Iceton, one of the organisers of the festival’s literary events, said: “Year on year, the arts festival continues to grow, now attracting national and international artists as well as providing a valuable platform for the many talented artists living locally. It is a real highlight of the annual festival calendar for me and one to which I am pleased that I can contribute.”

James Watson, whose Darlington Film Club is bringing Valerie Leon to the Forum for a question and answer session on May 9 as part of its Hammer Horror season, said: ”'For Valerie Leon, star of Hammer, Carry On and James Bond films to be a part of the Darlington Arts Festival is such an honour for the Film Club. The month of Hammer films will be great to see these iconic films on the big screen at The Forum.”
* Festival supporters include Creative Darlington, Darlington Borough Council, Cleveland College of Art and Design, Resilient Business Systems, Ephemeral Web Design and Humantics, which runs The Forum in Borough Road.

DfC’s website www.darlingtonforculture.org has full details of the programme and a brochure is being distributed around the town nearer the time.

 

Festival fun

There are some great literary events during the Darlington Arts Festival starting on April 21 – you can check them out at http://www.darlingtonforculture.org/darlington-festival-program-2014/

Chance to support arts festival

We are big supporters of the Darlington Arts Festival.
Now, Darlington for Culture (DfC) is seeking to hear from arts groups, venues, performers and businesses who would like to showcase themselves in the fourth Festival due to run throughout May 2016.
The festival, again to be staged at a wide range of venues across the borough, is being co-ordinated by DfC, the group which speaks for arts and culture in the area.
Planning is well under way for the festival, which will include:
* A month-long literary festival, featuring readings and writing workshops
* Arts-based events involving a wide range of artists
* A Film Festival to be run by Darlington Film Club, which is based at the Forum in Borough Road
* A series of music events
DfC Chair John Dean said: “The festival has become a fixture in the Darlington calendar and last year saw eighty events at more than 25 venues. We are sure that the arts community will again respond to make the fourth one a similar success.”
Deadline for inclusion in the brochure is Jan 31, 2016. When submitting events, please provide:
Some info about yourselves/your venue
Name of event
Type of event (no more than 100 words)
Organiser
Venue (if different from organiser)
Date
Time
Tickets and arrangements
Details can be sent to darlo4culture@gmail.com

 

 

LIterary festival

The third Darlington Literary Festival, part of Darlington Arts Festival, is taking place this May with a wide variety of events taking place across the town.

They will include author talks and book signings at Darlington Crown Street Library, readings by writers including Vane Women and Inkerman Writers, and writers' workshops, including a day long workshop hosted by the Society of Authors.

Bennet House Writers are inviting the public along to their Open Day and the Folk Club and Darlington Green Theatre are collaborating on their "Songs and Sonnets" event.

Tracy Iceton, one of the authors running workshops at the festival, said: “This year’s Literary Festival promises to be another fantastic opportunity for writers and artists to engage with budding writers and enthusiastic readers.”
Literary fans can also enjoy open mic nights, a book fair, a May Day environmental book group, and Chris Foote-Wood's one-man Dickens show, as seen at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Joanne Land, of Darlington for Culture, one of the organisers, said: “If you love books, there is definitely something here for you.”
For more information, please visit

http://www.darlingtonforculture.org/literature-at-the-festival-2/

Literary spotlight in Arts Festival

Darlington Arts Festival, which runs between April 20-May 31 in the North East town, has plenty of literary events, including an appearance by yours truly.
You can check out the literary events at http://www.darlingtonforculture.org/literature-at-the-festival-2/
The site also has details of all the other events, almost seventy in all.

John Dean

Festival time

I am part of the team that co-ordinates the Darlington Arts Festival which starts on April 20 and has plenty of good literary events – if you live in North East England and fancy popping along, you can check it out at www.darlingtonforculture.org

John Dean

Festival date

I am one of the authors appearing at Darlington Arts Festival in May
Saturday May 23
2.30--4pm
A Life of Crime
Darlington Art Gallery, Crown Street Library, Darlington
Darlington-based crime writers Bud Craig, whose recently published second novel is Dead Certainty, Mike Beck, author of Harry’s Torment, and John Dean, whose latest novel is A Breach of Trust, talk about their life of crime, including explaining why they love the genre and readings from their work.
Free event

More on the festival, including its many literary events,can be found at www.darlingtonforculture.org

Festival details announced

Initial details of the 2015 Darlington Arts Festival in the North East England town have been announced and organisers are appealing for arts organisations to get involved.
Darlington for Culture (DfC) is seeking to hear from arts groups, venues, performers and businesses who would like to showcase themselves in the third annual festival, due to run throughout May 2015.
The festival, to be staged at a wide range of venues across the borough, is being co-ordinated by DfC, the group which speaks for arts and culture in the area.
Planning is well under way for the festival, which will include:
* A number of events to celebrate the 190^th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway
* A month-long literary festival and other venues, featuring readings and writing workshops
* Arts-based events involving a wide range of artists
* A Film Festival to be run by Darlington Film Club, which is based at the Forum in Borough Road
* A series of music events
* An arts showcase day
DfC Chair John Dean said: “The festival has become a fixture in Darlington’s arts calendar and we are excited about some of the ideas already being developed for 2015.”
DfC Artistic Director Yvonne Preston said: “The festival is going from strength to strength and we are already well on with our planning for 2015. It should be terrific.”
DfC Secretary Matt Roche said: “We want people from across the community to be involved in next year's arts festival. If people have an idea they want to develop or include we’d love to hear from them.“
Literary Festival organiser Joanne Land said: “The Literary Festival is shaping up to be better than ever next year with the support of Crown Street Library and new events in the pipeline that cross over between literature and other art forms.”
DfC can contacted on darlo4culture@gmail.com More information is available at www.darlingtonforculture.org

* Festival sponsors include Creative Darlington and Cleveland College of Art and Design