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APRIL 2020

Staying Home

 

Inspired by Mass Observation, the social research project that existed from the 1930s-50s, Squad writers have been recording their daily experience of the new world that began on 23rd March, 2020.

Without letting it define us, this website is our response.

Poems, short fiction and non-fiction prose, essays, graphic comics, drawing, photographs and clips of film, Staying Home will  grow, so dip in now and come back in a few days time.

Positive Narratives in Difficult Times

Squad writers are in the same range of situations as the rest of us, some working nine to five at home, some furloughed and delighted to have paid free time, others furloughed and a bit lost, some have seen freelance work dry up, others left high and dry as their uni courses peter out. All are having to get used to new ways of balancing their personal and creative lives.

We have used Zoom for some time now to enable housebound or traveling Squad writers to attend workshops. All that has happened is Zoom is now the room, and we have probably seen more Squad writers over the last three weeks than we have over the last six months.

Towards the end of last month we had had a Distance Social, an open meeting to take a lead from Squad writers on their priorities as our circumstances change. We had a workshop led by David Tait from his home in Shanghai (here is on the roof, we thought we’d spare you a Zoom screen grab). And we have a range of workshops led by Squad writers over the coming weeks. We’re also running mini-goal sessions with scriptwriters, prose writers and poets.

These mini-goal sessions offer a chance to commit in a supportive group to an easily achievable goal – taking a bike ride, establishing a work pattern, monitoring and limiting screen time, creating a workspace in which to focus. Anyone expressing a big goal, like writing the definitive corona trilogy is discretely muted.

We have also been helping some avoid the narrative that they have to use all this time to be creative, they are writers, they were before this started, they will be during this even if all they do is watch, listen, and they will be when this is over. If you need an opportunity to have a good rest, take it.

Steve Dearden
Director, The Writing Squad


 

New Portraits at the Underbanks

In June 2019 six Writing Squad writers spent a day talking to the people who are making the new Underbanks in Stockport, being regenerated by the local authority and a National Heritage Lottery grant. We wanted to capture the character of the place by producing the site Portraits of the Underbanks. Just before the lock down we went back and created a whole new set of portraits. 
Jasmine Stays At Home as Writer in Residence

Squad grad and board member Jasmine Simms has been a writer in residence for Stay At Home Festival, an international online festival combatting loneliness, championing connectivity and celebrating books. Jasmine has been tweeting writing prompts every day of the festival for writers around the world to respond to.
Kym Shortlisted by Out-Spoken

Out-Spoken, a monthly poetry and music night based in London, has shortlisted Kym Deyn for their annual poetry prize. Shortlisted in their 'Page' category, the winner will be announced on 30th April! 
Yuan Interviews Chinese Novelist Yan Lianke

Yuan Yang has interviewed Yan Lianke for the Financial Times. After attempting first to meet in Beijing during the mounting pandemic in March, they finally conducted the interview via videocall, discussing propaganda, banned books and life under censorship in China.
Libby Wins Vault Award

Libby Williamson has won a Vault Festival Spirit award as producer of Sound Cistem with Plaster Cast Theatre. The award is given for a show that embraces the Festival’s spirit and ethos of creativity, cooperation & kindness.

Plaster Cast have also been commissioned by Manchester's HOME to create new works at home, for an audience who are also at home. These fully funded commissions are an offer to groundbreaking artists to challenge the definition of “live theatre” – whether through live streaming, recorded performance, games, interactive stories, personal encounters, or something completely different.
Pearl’s Blair Breaks Hearts
 

Pearl Andrews-Horrigan’s monologue Blair Breaking Hearts has been made into a short film as part of Slackline Production’s Cyberstories series.

You can watch Julia Faulkner perform one (fictional) woman’s experience of Tony Blair, from Oxford University to the Iraq War below or on the Writing Squad Player.

Blair Breaking Harts by Pearl Andrews-Horrigan
Ryan's Short Film Streaming Now

Ryan Ogden's short film, Boot, was streamed by the Sunderland Short Film Festival as part of their "Best of the Fest'" livestream earlier in April. Boot tells the story of a petty thief who breaks into a car but finds more than he bargained for. You can watch Boot and other shorts on the Writing Squad Player.
Charley's New Short Film

Charley Miles' latest short film, Same Again, is out now as part of 'Where Do We Go Next?', a film project featuring six new short plays from underrepresented writers interrogating the importance of diverse, political theatre in an increasingly hostile environment. Curated by Caitriona Shoobridgethese films ask; who is responsible for creating theatre spaces that reflect the society they serve? 
SAME AGAIN by Charley Miles is about rural isolation and commodification. An angry but hopeful play about an attempt to regain the heart of a community, and how it was stolen away in the first place.
Three Films from Charlotte
 

We have added three short films by Charlotte Carrick to our Player.

Hopscotch is a coming-of-age story about a young boy who must learn to come to terms with his mother’s illness.

INT. WOMAN explores the way female characters are introduced in scripts and finds new meaning behind their words through an abstract arrangement of objects.

Superwoman explores the complex stigma that surrounds our periods through the world of comic book characters.

Watch them here.

Hannah's Sex, Gardening & Contact Lenses
 

Hannah Sowerby has been sharing the wisdom of Andrea on YouTube, here you can catch up on her views on cats, cardigans and job interviews.

Hannah's Sex, Gardening & Contact Lenses
 

Melody Sproates has featured in the 2nd episode of Northern Stage's new podcast talking, amongst other things, of how she made her show *gender not included. Listen here on Spotify.

 

Georgia on the No Dice Podcast

Georgia Affonso appears in the latest episode the No Dice podcast talking with Hugh Morris about their experiences arts reviewing and writing. The pair collaborated on a piece for No Dice Collective in 2019 based on a photo of Anthony Burgess walking his dog, and share the stories behind the piece in this episode and play the piece in full.
Shehla Podcasts with Steel City Business

Shehla Ali has been talking to Sheffield's business podcast, Steel City Business, about setting up her new social media agency, Vantage 66. Shehla describes the company as "a combination of Sheffield and Antarctica", after setting up following her time travelling the world.
Lydia's Play for the Day with Hull Truck

As part of Hull Truck's 'A Play A Day' activity, Lydia Marchant's play 2009 has been released online. Every weekday between Monday 6 April – Friday 24 April 2020, a short play will be released, written by some of Hull’s playwrights. Each play comes with notes to help the reader to help get stuck in. 2009 is inspired by her love of Hull City and their historic promotion to the premiere league.

Lydia is also featured in this year's BBC Studios promo video, talking about her time at the BBC Writers' Academy, which is open for applications until 19th April.
Jamal Joins Patreon

Jamal Gerald has created a Patreon site to support his work during quarantine, especially his blog in which he will be "exploring race, queerness, pop culture, sexual liberation and self-care".

You can also read his blog for the Big Issue North on how his experiences of being Black, Caribbean and queer drew him away from Catholicism.
Standing at the Sky's Edge Returns to Sheffield

Chris Bush's award-winning musical, Standing at the Sky's Edge, is returning to the Sheffield Crucible this November. 
 
Poppy wants to escape her old life.
Joy and Jimmy want to spend the rest of their lives together.
Rose and Harry want the new life they’ve been promised.
This is Park Hill - concrete utopia - where hope hangs on every washing line. Three ordinary families, one extraordinary heart-swelling, heart-breaking tale of love and loss.

 
30th November 2020 - 9th January 2021, Sheffield Crucible, Sheffield. Tickets here.
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