East Midlands
Directory of Writers and Storytellers
Writers' Information Pack
Foreword
Literature Development Officers

EAST MIDLANDS ARTS
DIRECTORY OF WRITERS AND STORYTELLERS

Contents
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

B

Andy Barrett

3 Hedley Villas
New Basford
Nottingham
Nottinghamshire
NG7 7BN
0115 942 1928

Email: andybarrett@bun.com

Children's Writer, Playwright, Short Stories, Storyteller
A Sony Award winning writer who has gained a growing reputation over the last few years for producing witty and intelligent work in a range of settings. Most of the work is performance based and much of it has involved working with different community groups across the region. This has included a series of solo shows about his travels in ex mining communities, monologues written for local performers in rural areas, and large scale community shows performed by local people.
Alongside this he has written for children and radio. He teaches creative writing and regularly runs a variety of workshops including comic improvisation and performance based text.
His work has been commissioned by Amnesty International, Nottingham Playhouse, BBC Radio, and the NOW Festival. He often works collaboratively with musicians, film makers and other artists.

Publications
'The Terrible Task of Detective Pudding' and 'The Great Escape of Rodney Naughty' (Touch and Go Arts Co-op 1990); 'My Nose' (Now 93); 'Breaking Bread' (Inter Vivos Festival 96, funded by E.M.A); 'Epic' (Nottingham Playhouse, commissioned as a partner piece for the world premiere of Ben Elton's 'Popcorn' 96); 'Searching For The Sense of Adventure' (musical for two hundred children 96); 'Sideways Stories and Furtive Glances' (series of monologues for elderly performers 97); 'Lily's Years' (BBC Radio Nottingham, Sony Award winner 98); 'Gargoyles' (Ten radio pieces, commissioned by NOW 98); 'Tales From The Robin Hood Line' (Associate Artist, Nottingham Playhouse 99); 'A Bit of Banter' (series of performace monologues for Rushcliffe Borough Council); 'Flooding Back', (an anthology of writing with patients from the John Eastwood Hospice); 'Passing Through' (community promenade show for Upton 2000); 'The Vital Spark' (site specific community performance, North West Leics District Council);'Sticking A Pin In' (Artist in Residence, BBC Radio Nottingham 2001),
`Falling in Love in NG7' (solo show and series for BBC Radio Nottingham 2001),
`Artery' (collaboration with visual artist for a permanent exhibition, Alfreton Health Clinic 2001), `Moving On' (solo show, touring with New Perspectives 2001), `The Hemlockstone' (community show for Broxtowe Borough Council); `Upton Women' (Radio Four, September 2001).

Performance Work
Regularly performs his work at cabarets, galleries, miners welfares, church halls, theatres, bars and other spaces. This can be anything from a ten minute slot in a busy schedule to a full evenings performance, which tends to be a combination of story telling and stand up, (sit down), comedy. These can often include the use of slides, music and video.

Availability
Given notice, available most of the year.

David Belbin

Web: http:\\www.geocities.com\DavidBelbin
Email: dbelbin@ntlworld.com

Children's Writer, Novelist, Short Stories
Fiction for ages eight to adult. Available for talks and workshops for years 5 to 11.

Publications
'The Right Moment' (historical novel set in the French Occupation, age 9+), A&C Black; 'Dead Guilty (complex crime story about guilt and capital punishment, 12+), Five Leaves; 'Runaway Train' (Fast moving thriller, 9+), Puffin; 'Love Lessons' (teacher/pupil affair, 13+), Scholastic Press; 'Haunting Time' (eerie short stories, 10+), Five Leaves; 'The Beat' series (young police officers, mysteries/social issues, set in Nottingham, 13+), Scholastic.

Availability
Full time author. Generally available. Keen to develop an audience in Primary Schools

David Bell

Yew Tree House, 15 Nottingham Road
Ashby de la Zouch
Leicestershire LE65 1DJ
01530 413371

Children's Writer, Horror Stories, Non-fiction, Playwright, Short Stories
Born in Melton Mowbray 1939. Cert Ed 1960; B.A. 1975. Teacher 1960-89, now writing full time. Adult tutor of creative writing since 1981. Adjudicator. Editor of 'Peeping Tom', small press magazine of dark fiction (quarterly), 1990-1999. Over 100 short stories published/broadcast in UK/USA. Member of CWA.

Publications
Children's book, 'The Incredible Adventures of Winston S Jackson' (Overseal 1983); 'Leicestershire Ghosts & Legends' (Countryside, 1992); 'Derbyshire Ghosts & Legends' (1993); 'Ghosts and Legends of Staffs and Black Country' (1994); 'Leicestershire Murder Casebook' (Countryside 1995);`Staffs Murder Casebook' (1996) `Nottinghamshire Murder Casebook' (1997); 'Derbyshire Privies' (Countryside, 1998); `Nottinghamshire Privies' (1999); `Leicestershire Privies' (2000); Short fiction in Short Stories magazine, Short Story International (USA), Radio Leicester, Radio Trent; GEM-AM. Children's stories on Radio Leicester; in Horse & Pony; Junior Education; Tell Tale. Horror/crime stories (pseudonym - Jack Wainer) in Grue (USA); Not one Of Us (USA) Fear; Skeleton; Crew; Far Point; Mayfair; Pan Book of Horror Stories; Cold Cuts; Dementia 13; Dream SF; Rattler's Tales.

Performance Work
Readings of ghost and horror stories performed in 'Fright Night' evenings, in collaboration with Graham Joyce, Mark Chadbourn, Derek Fox and Stuart Hughes in Derby, Chesterfield, Mansfield, Swadlincote and Burton-upon-Trent. Talks to over 100 groups including WIs, Round Table etc. After dinner speaking. Has worked with children in primary and secondary schools including sixth form. Writer in Residence at Burton Latimer School.

Availability
Evenings and daytime.

Stephen Bowkett

Email: steve@sbowkett.freeserve.co.uk

Children's Writer, Horror Stories, Non-fiction, Novelist, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Storyteller
Was a school teacher for 20 years. Now a full-time writer, writing tutor and hypnotherapist. Work covers several genres of fiction. Non-fiction includes self-development and creativity skills.

Publications
'Spellbinder' (Gollancz, 1985/Tellerup 1986/Pan 1988); 'The Copy Cat Plan' (Blackwell, 1986); 'Gameplayers' (Gollancz, 1986/Pan, 1988); 'Dualists' (Gollancz, 1987/Pan, 1989/Praha, 1993); 'Catch and Other Stories' (Gollancz, 1988/Pan, 1990); 'Frontiersville High' (Gollancz, 1990); 'The Community' (Pan, 1993); 'The Bidden' (Pan,1994/97); 'A Rare Breed' (Pan,1996); 'Panic Station' (Henderson, 1996/Gallimard, 1996); 'Dinosaur Day' (Heinemann, 1996); 'For the Moon there is the Cloud - tales in the Zen tradition' (Collins, Pathways Reading Scheme, 1996); 'The World's Smallest Werewolf' (Macdonald, 1996); 'Meditations for Busy People - How to Stop Worrying and Stay Calm' (Harper Collins, 1996); 'Dreamcastle' (Orion Children's Books, 1997); 'Dino Discoveries' (Henderson, 1997); 'Imagine That! A Handbook of Creative Learning Activities for the Classroom' (Network Educational Press, 1997).

Performance Work
Frequent storytelling sessions/readings in schools and libraries, including Swansea Literature Festival. Adult storytelling at Leicester Haymarket Studio Theatre and Derby Playhouse Cafe.

Availability
Any time given notice. Happy to work with children or adults. Storytelling, talks and workshops. Has travelled extensively in this capacity. Phone or write for an information pack.

Adrian Buckner

11 Orkney Close
Stenson Fields
Derby DE24 3LW
01332 270590

Poetry
Born 1962. English at Swansea University 1980-83. Published poems in literary journals and magazines since 1985. Appointed first Nottinghamshire poet laureate 1999-2000. Period as laureate involved weekly article on poetry in local press, organising of poetry readings and work in schools - primary, secondary and sixth form. I have also lead poetry writing workshops with literary clubs, writers groups and in Nottingham Prison. I have judged poetry competitions and written criticism for poetry magazines.

Publications
'The Blameless Life', collection of 40 poems published by Nottingham Poetry Society, 1997.

Performance Work
East Midlands Arts' 'New Voices' tour 1999 (four readings). Other readings of poetry in Nottingham, Newark, Leicester and at public events during Nottingham Laureateship.

Availability
Daytime and evenings by arrangement.

Catherine Byron

Forest House, 412 Hinckley Road
Leicester LE3 0WA
0116 285 5404

Email: catherine.byron@ntu.ac.uk or: byron@ntlworld.com

Poet
Educated in Belfast and at Somerville College, Oxford. MA in English Language and Literature, MPhil in Medieval Studies.

Publications
Poetry: 'The Getting of Vellum' (Blackwater Press and Salmon Publishing - British/Irish co-publication -2000). 'The Fat-Hen Field Hospital' (Loxwood Stoneleigh 1993), 'Settlements & Samhain' (Loxwood Stoneleigh 1993). Contributor to poetry anthologies published by Virago, the Women's Press, Wolfhound, Kyle Cathie, Lion, and Midland Review USA. Poems, essays and reviews in Poetry Review, Poetry Ireland, Malahat Review and Brick (Canada), etc. Prose: 'Out of Step: Pursuing Seamus Heaney to Purgatory' (Loxwood Stoneleigh 1992). Radio: Arts Council/BBC 'Write Out Loud' commission, 1997. BBC Radio Ulster, Radio 3 (Night Waves, Poetry Now), Radio 4 (including Women's Hour serial 1983) and Radio Eireann (Play of the Week 1993). Creative writer in partnership with visual artists e.g. MAC's 'Words Revealed' touring exhibition 1996-7 with artist/calligrapher Denis Brown, and 'Poetry Places' commission for the Poetry Society website with painter and printmaker Eileen Coxon, 1999: web-poem The Renderers. Major prizewinner National Poetry Competition 1992. British Council Visiting Writer to India, 2001. ACE Writer's Award 1997.

Availability
Readings and poetry commissions.

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