Writing Durham

Writing Durham is a series of podcasts and short films showcasing the work of contemporary Durham writers including Pat Barker, Benjamin Myers, Louise Powell and Anne Stevenson. The project, which explores Durham’s literary heritage, is produced and presented by Laura McKenzie, an AHRC Creative Economy Engagement Fellow in Durham University’s Department of English Studies.

Louise Powell is one of three unpublished northern writers who contributed to Common People (2019), a new anthology of working class writing edited by Kit De Waal. Louise’s memoir, ‘This Place Is Going to the Dogs’, recalls a childhood spent flapping (unlicensed greyhound racing) in East Durham. With the aim of capturing this dying sport and the community that sustains it, Writing Durham visited the dog tracks at Easington and Wheatley Hill with Louise to make a film about memory, inspiration, place, and pride. The film premiered at Durham Book Festival 2019 in the historic Durham Miners’ Hall at Redhills.

Pat Barker and Benjamin Myers