Welcome to the Easington Writers Group

About The Group

After a chat between local writers, Mary Nightingale Bell and Chris Robinson, about the need for a writing group, Easington Writers was set up about ten years ago. It has developed into a springboard for burgeoning writing talent in the Easington District.

Easington Writers frequently works with others, for example East Durham Creates’ Easington Stories project where members of the community, adults and children, worked with Easington Writers to write about their perceptions of Easington past and present. For the last few years the group has also worked on the Crossing the Tees writing project as part of Tees Valley Book Festival.

While some members of the group are published more widely in poetry and short story anthologies and on the radio, other members of Easington Writers have gone on to place writing at the centre of their lives, including founder members Mary N. Bell and Chris Robinson. Mary has published books; her ‘Chronicle of Easington Colliery’, published in 2014, is available on Amazon.

Easington Writers focussed originally on heart felt narratives based on Easington’s mining heritage and contemporary tales of the disaffection of the young and the social consequences of the lost industrial base. Their tales and poems in the third anthology, ‘The Salt of the Earth’ now often focus on the beauty of the beaches, denes, and the sea; on the idiosyncrasies of the modern world with unique humour and lyricism.

Some members of Easington Writers are now producing novels which are independent of the work of the group but which are still supported by the group’s critiques and guidance. We look forward to working on our fourth anthology, with the theme of Fire, our ideas are sparking already.

Click here to read the full history of Easington Writers.

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Easington Writers work with HMRS

Easington Writers have been working at Peterlee HMRS as part of a focus on the mental health and well being of staff.

Pauline Long worked with members of the Tax office team, during their breaks, discussing approaches to creative writing; critiquing work and ways forward with their writing. This was an event organised by the workers' union to encourage tax office workers to engage in creative activities to help to relieve stress.

Several team members already had pieces of writing on the go which they had become stuck with or had abandoned; having the chance to talk to a member of Easington Writers group encouraged them to take up their writing again and see it with a fresh eye.

Pauline was available from 4pm-8pm so that any workers at the tax office could drop in to have a chat during their break time. After chats and discussions on approaches to writing, how to structure their work, genres and many other topics, some budding writers followed up the session by forwarding their work to the group for critique and follow up. The process was so popular that Easington Writers have been approached to carry out follow up sessions.

A donations was made to the group which was then passed on to the Food Bank at Easington Welfare and Social Centre.

Merryoaks WI, Neville's Cross, extends invitation to Easington Writers

Easington Writers have been invited to the next meeting of Merryoaks WI, at Neville's Cross Primary School, on July 9th to give readings from 'The Salt of the Earth' and to answer questions about the writing process.

The group will be reading and chatting about the book and how it came about from 7pm - 8pm at the school in Relly Peth, Durham. Copies of 'The Salt of the Earth' will be available to buy.

Latest News

Easington Writers  to appear at Sedgefield Book Ends Festival 2019. 

Easington Writers will be reading extracts from their new anthology, "The Salt of the Earth" at Sedgefield Book Ends Festival on Thursday 17th October 2019 from 1.30-3.00. They will be at Ceddesfeld Hall, Rectory Row, Sedgefield, where they will also be encouraging the audience to take part in some writing fun with hints and tips for creative writing, whether it be poetry, short stories or memoirs. Why not come along and take part?

 

Death of Mary N. Bell 

founder member of Easington Writers

We are very sad to say goodbye to Mary Bell, one of the founder members of Easington Writers. She was a driving force behind the group for many years and enriched the cultural environment of the Easington area. She died peacefully and will be greatly missed by her family, her colleagues in the NHS and by past and present members of Easington Writers. 

 

"The Salt of the Earth" stocked by Durham Libraries. 

I am very pleased to let you know that Durham libraries have requested copies of our latest anthology, The Salt of the Earth to be available for borrowing in local libraries. If you haven't bought a copy yet don't let this stop you, meanwhile you can borrow and enjoy.

Easington Writers at Neville's Cross WI Meeting

Easington Writers have been asked to give readings from The Salt of the Earth at Neville's Cross WI meeting on 9th July. The meeting is held at Neville's Cross Primary School, Relly Peth, Durham and the writing group will be entertaining the ladies from 7pm-8pm. Copies of the book will be on sale and the Writers will welcome any questions about how they go about their writing and where their ideas come from. The book is an anthology of short stories, poems and memoirs which celebrate people, places and nature; of situations both sad and absurd - all of life is there.

Members of Merryoaks WI were asked to write a piece of Flash Fiction which included a lace doily, a Christening and a parking ticket.

The Christening by Elaine McColl

Father Smith stood at the font in his church. Before him were a smiling couple, proudly presenting their infant for baptism. The child, of indeterminate gender, and to be named Storm, was an unbecoming puce.

As he lifted it over the font an ominous damp patch appeared on its Christening robe. Father Smith scrutinized the garment more closely, observing the strange stain at the hem.

“What do you think of the dress, Father?” asked the proud mother. “Me mam used her best lace doilies to trim it!”

Father Smith smiled faintly and poured water (especially warmed) over the infant’s head. As he made the sign of the cross on its forehead the child grabbed his finger and bit it. He groaned inwardly, could this day get any worse?

He left the church to find a parking ticket on his windscreen.

The Salt of the Earth and From Tin Baths to Tin Hats now available on Kindle.

Two of Easington Writers' books are now available on Amazon as both paperbacks and as Kindle ebooks allowing readers to access our books in new ways not previously possible. From Tin Baths to Tin Hats, a commemoration of World War 1, is a new edition, please follow the link: https://tinyurl.com/yxf4jmsy

For The Salt of the Earth follow the following link:https://tinyurl.com/y44586p5

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Our Latest Book

Available to buy now below

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The Salt of the Earth: Easington Writers


The Salt of the Earth