A contemporary literature
expert from Northumbria University is to host the Literature and
Spoken Word Stage at a pioneering North East festival.
Katy Shaw, Professor of
Contemporary Writing at Northumbria, has been announced as
the host for Deer Shed’s Literature Stage on Sunday
28 July. Having previously hosted the Poetry Arena at
Latitude Festival, she is looking forward to sharing her love of literature
with festival-goers of all ages.
Deer Shed Festival, was
founded by husband and wife team, Oliver Jones and Kate
Webster, who wanted to create a “live music, child friendly
utopia” after visiting many cultural events with
their children and feeling short-changed by the family
friendly tag.
The festival, which is
now in its tenth year, is situated within the confines of Baldersby
Park, Topcliffe, North Yorkshire and features music, comedy, arts,
science and sporting activities and events.
Speaking about
her role Katy said: "I am delighted to be hosting the Literature
and Spoken Word Stage at Deer Shed Festival 2019. Having such a dynamic
and eclectic festival on our doorstep is a great opportunity to hear new
work and profile the brilliant writing coming out of our region.”
Explaining how the event
fitted in with the ethos of how English and Creative Writing are taught at
Northumbria, Katy added: “The stories we tell shape the world, and at
Northumbria, we offer a contemporary focus on English and Creative Writing
that considers everything from Shakespeare and the classics, all the way
through to literary festivals, the modern publishing industry and creative
practice. As an established family-friendly festival, Deer Shed offers a
vital annual reminder that it’s never too early or too late
to pick up a book, or a pen, or both, and engage with our amazing literary
culture.”
Professor Shaw was recently
invited to give evidence at the Performers’ Alliance All-Party
Parliamentary Group (APPG) inquiry into the class ceiling in the creative
sector. She was asked to speak about her research and its influence on new
policy formation, including the use of regional literary awards as a potential
model of intervention for addressing regional under-representation in the UK
literary industries and publishing.
Deer
Shed festival takes place 26-28 July 2019. For more
information about the Festival and this year’s
line-up please visit: www.deershedfestival.com
For more information
about the English and Creative writing courses at
Northumbria click here.
