Rendezvous – Plays and Poems in loving memory of Poet and Playwright Julia Darling.

Posted on 11 November, 2025 by nspeccoll

Rendezvous was a Live Theatre production from 28^th of May to the 6^th of June 2015 which marked the 10^th anniversary of the death of poet and playwright Julia Darling.

Julia started her writing career in the 1980s in Newcastle before forming with a performance poetry group called The Poetry Virgins with four other female writers: Ellen Phethean, Charlie Hardwick, Kay Hepplewhite and Fiona MacPherson. The group would go on to publish poetry collections such as Sauce and Modern Goddess and perform their poems live.

Julia and Ellen would then go on to co-found Diamond Twig Press in 1992, a small publishing press for publishing works of female authors in the north of England that closed in 2018.

Julia published her first novel, Crocodile Soup in 1998 followed by The Taxi Driver’s Daughter in 2003. She was a writer in residence at the Live Theatre from 2001 to 2003 where she wrote five works: Attachments, The Last Post, Sudden Collapses in Public Places, Venetia Love goes Netting and Personal Belongings. She sadly passed away on the 13^th of April 2005 due to breast cancer at the age of 48.

Advertising poster for The Poetry Virgins live performance of 'Sauce' (DT/9) — Advertising poster for The Poetry Virgins live performance of ‘Sauce’ (DT/9)

The production had five plays and many events in which many former colleagues, friends and associates participated including performances from The Poetry Virgins and Diamond Twig. Many performed poems written for the event, previous poems authored by Julia or popular poems that had been played on stage previously. For example, The Poetry Virgins poetry performances of the Stages of Drunkenness and at the Rendezvous Cabaret Nights where they performed their poems as solos, duos or all together. Notes on the running order of Cabaret Nights reveal hidden details of their performance with each performer drinking wine with ‘the poem mapping out Julia’s life through her refreshments’.

We also see after Julia’s death personal letters and poems being written by close colleagues of Julia reflecting on how much she meant to them.

Back of a postcard with the poem 'Recovery' by Julia Darling on the back (DT/11). — Back of a postcard with the poem ‘Recovery’ by Julia Darling on the back (DT/11).

Postcard describing the first time a colleague first saw Julia in Jesmond (DT/11). — Postcard describing the first time Julia and Ellen first saw Julia in Jesmond (DT/11).

In these letters we learn more about Julia’s personality as a leader, a lovely individual, a teacher/mentor, a friend and a brilliant writer. She is described in the postcard as ‘so energetic and sweet’. We see her important contributions to cultivating creative writing in women around the north of England through her dedication of teaching many creative writing courses and classes for women.

June Portlock first met Julia on one of these writing courses. In a letter reflecting on their first meeting, June stated that ‘Julia ran the session so orderly that it felt everyone was having fun with words, but we also accomplished a lot’. In the same letter she attached a poem named ‘After Billy Elliot’ which, Portlock stated, ‘without Julia’s course would not have existed’.

Sylvia Forrest also first met Julia through her courses. In a letter to Ellen Phethean, she talks about her re-read of Julia’s poem ‘Disrespectful to Lakes’ saying ‘I adore the poem from the beginning stanza and her illustrations in the poem’ which allow her to enjoy ‘being in a world with Julia’s purposeful and stinging remarks’. She also, like many, was positively impacted and inspired from Julia’s creative writing classes. Like June, she also attached a poem to her letter to Ellen titled ‘Remembering Julia’ in which she recounts when she first met Julia through a screen-printing class which she partook in.

All these letters reveal both Julia’s brilliant personality and the massive impact she had on female writers in the north of England, many of whom she inspired through her classes.

These classes by Julia would help inspire and cultivate new talents in female writing as seen with June Portlock and Sylvia Forrest. From these courses June and Sylvia would become a part of Diamond Twig’s ‘Branch Lines’ series and both become published authors in 1997 with their publications of Broken Biscuits and Waltzing off from Hand-Me Downs both published by Diamond Twig Press respectively.

June Portlock and Sylvia Forrest both holding their respective published works of Broken Biscuits and Waltzing off from Hand-Me Downs. (DT/13)

The images included in this blog are part of the Diamond Twig archive which was donated to the library by Ellen Phethean.

50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing – July 2019

Posted on 20 July, 2019 by nspeccoll

Two pages from Peter Bennet's notebook showing two different drafts of the poem 'Moons at Cleethorpes'.

Pages from Peter Bennet’s notebook containing draft poems of ‘Moons at Cleethorpes’ (Bennet (Peter) Archive, PB/1/5/2)

On the 20th July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first people to walk on the moon after the successful landing of spacecraft ‘Eagle’ on the surface of the moon a few hours earlier. The landing ended the ‘Space Race’ between the USSR and the USA, and was a breakthrough moment in space exploration.

To celebrate, this month’s treasure is part of poet Peter Bennet’s notebooks containing a draft of his poem ‘Moons at Cleethorpes’ from 1985. Whilst the moon landing of 1969 was a significant moment in the history of space exploration and the development of scientific understanding of outer space, the moon has long held a significant place in culture, particularly in works of art and literature such as Bennet’s poem.

Bennet initially studied Art and Design with ambitions to be a painter but turned to poetry when he began working as a teacher of redundant steelworkers in Consett. The connection to visual imagery can be seen in this poem through the language used to evoke the real moon and the pleasure park rides, and the sense of interplay between the natural dark and artificial lights of the park. The notebook provides a fascinating insight into the working processes behind Bennet’s poetry. It is possible to see where he has amended lines, scribbling over phrases, and rewritten over the poem in coloured pen to try out alternative words and phrases. Comparison with the published version of the poem can show which part of the poem Bennet chose to use as the ‘finished’ version, but these drafts can also demonstrate the development of ideas. In this case, the red annotations to the poem suggest Bennet was interested in how to convey a sense of light and movement as he tries out alternative phrases of ‘garish’ and ‘brashly lit-up’, ‘floats high’ and ‘soars back’.

You can hear more about Bennet’s life and work and his hopes for the future of his notebooks held here in Special Collections through our Collected Voices resource. More of his drafts and pages from the notebooks are also available to view online through the Collections Captured resource.

Contemporary Poetry Collections: Poets and their Archives

Posted on 11 July, 2019 by nspeccoll

To coincide with ‘Transformations: Newcastle Poetry Festival 2019‘, which ran from 1st-4th May 2019, Special Collections and Archives showcased Contemporary Poetry Collections: Poets and their Archives, using material from our recently acquired and catalogued contemporary poetry archives. Material from the archives of poets Sean O’Brien, Jack Mapanje, Selima Hill, Peter Bennet and Moniza Alvi were on display to provide an insight into the varied voices of contemporary poetry and literary archives held by Newcastle University Special Collections.

Poets from the exhibition are highlighted below;

Moniza Alvi

Moniza Alvi was born in Lahore, Pakistan, and came to England when she was a few months old. She grew up in Hertfordshire and studied at the Universities of York and London. After working for many years as a secondary school teacher, she is now a freelance writer and tutor.

Alvi’s poetical career was launched after winning the Poetry Business Prize in 1991, a prize she won jointly with fellow poet Peter Daniels. Her first independent collection, The Country at My Shoulder (1993), was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize and the Whitbread Poetry Award. She has since published seven further collections of poetry with Oxford University Press and subsequently Bloodaxe Books. Alvi received a prestigious Cholmondeley Award in 2002.

The themes of Alvi’s work are often those of duality, division, identity and feminism.

An Unsafe Subject. Trauma is the central theme of ‘Europa’, Alvi’s 2008 collection, in particular the trauma of rape.

This is explored in Alvi’s re-imagining of the Greek myth of the rape of the beautiful Europa by Zeus (chief of gods).

Following the publication, Alvi was asked to write the foreword to Feminism, Literature and Rape Narratives. Here, Alvi considers how rape is still often considered a taboo subject and explores whether this is a result of rape being primarily considered a women’s issue.

Front cover of ‘Europa’. Bloodaxe Books Collection, 821.914 ALV

Poetry in Progress. Pages from Alvi’s notebook and draft typescript provide an insight into Alvi’s writing process of ‘At the Time of Partition’ (2013). This was Alvi’s first new poetry book since her T.S. Elliot Prize shortlisted collection ‘Europa’ (2008).

Pages from notebook containing notes, poetical sketches and drafts, poetical ideas and suggestions for the creative process. Alvi (Moniza) Alvi, ALV/5/1

Page from a manuscript draft of ‘At the Time of the Partition’ including comments. Alvi (Moniza) Archive, ALV/1/1/1/2

Peter Bennet

Peter Bennet was born in Staffordshire in 1942. He won a scholarship to King’s School Macclesfield before attending Manchester College of Art and Design where he studied art. He then went on to teach art in secondary schools.

Later, Bennet worked with around 1000 redundant steelworkers following the closure of Consett Steel Works. The job was to teach basic English, which evolved into exploring literature. This exploration and experience was to kick start Bennet’s writing career.

Bennet has published poetry collections with Bloodaxe Books and Flambard Press. He has received major awards from New Writing North and Arts Council England, and has won numerous poetry competitions.

Bennet’s themes include folklore, legend and transformation – inspired by living off-grid in the ‘Wilds of Wanney’, Northumberland, for thirty-three years. Below are some items from the Bennet (Peter) Archive.

Inspired by the Landscape.
Much of Bennet’s work was inspired by his surroundings. “Snow at Fourlawshill Top” references the Wanney Hills, which was Bennet’s home for many years.

Hareshaw Linn is one of Northumberland’s most spectacular waterfalls. It is also a Site of Scientific Interest for its rare ferns and lichens.

Notebook containing Drafts of Poems, 1985 Bennet (Peter) Archive, PB/1/5-3

Pages from notebook containing Drafts of Poems, including drafts of Hareshaw Linn, 1985. Bennet (Peter) Archive, PB/1/5/1

‘Sir John Fenwick’s Skull’ – Award Winning Poem.
Early versions of ‘Sir John Fenwick’s Skull’ poem give a snapshot of how it evolved into the winner of the Basil Bunting prize.

Sir John Fenwick’s skull and helmet, the inspiration for the poem, were returned to Hexham Abbey following his death at the Battle of Marston Moor (1644). The skull is currently on display at Hexham Old Gaol.

‘Sir John Fenwick’s Skull’ – Final version, 1987. Bennet (Peter) Archive, PB/6

Jack Mapanje

Jack Mapanje was born in Malawi in 1944. He worked as a secondary school teacher before moving to the University of Malawi, first as a lecturer and then as Head of English.

Mapanje began writing poetry out of despair at the political situation in his homeland, an authoritarian one-party state. His first poetry collection, Of Chameleons and Gods, was published in the UK in 1981, winning critical acclaim around the world. It was ‘withdrawn from circulation’ in Malawi by the governing dictatorship in 1985.

He was arrested in 1987 and detained without charge or trial. During his incarceration, Mapanje continued to compose poetry, but denied access to pen and paper, he crafted most of these poems in his head. On occasion, Mapanje was able to write poems on toilet roll, soap packets or similar scraps – which were then smuggled out of prison. After numerous international campaigns, Mapanje was finally released after 3 years, 7 months and 16 days with no explanation.

His next two volumes of work, The Chattering Wagtails of Mikuyu Prison (1993) and Skipping without Ropes (1998), were largely composed during his time in prison.

Poems from Prison. The majority of poems in the Mapanje (Jack) Archive were composed during his incarceration. As pen and paper were forbidden, these poems were mainly created and crafted in Mapanje’s head, often coming back into his consciousness after his release. Letters and poems were often also written on toilet paper, such as the below letter from Jack Mapanje to David Kerr.

Letter written on toilet paper tissue by Jack Mapanje to David Kerr whilst a prisoner in Mikuyu Prison in Malawi

Extract from a letter written by Jack Mapanje to David Kerr whilst a prisoner in Mikuyu Prison in Malawi. Mapanje (Jack) Archive, MAP/6/3/43

During his time in prison, Mapanje wrote his second collection of poetry, ‘The Chattery Wagtails of Mikuyu Prison’ (1993), and much of his third, ‘Skipping without Rope’ (1998).

Page from a typescript draft of ‘The Chattering Wagtails of Mikuyu Prison’, which includes drafts of two poems included in the collection. Mapanje (Jack) Archive, MAP/2/8/3

Selima Hill

Selima Hill was born into a family of painters in 1945 and grew up in rural England and Wales. She later attended boarding school before winning a scholarship to study Moral Sciences at Cambridge. After marrying and starting a family, Hill published her first collection of poetry, Saying Hello at the Station (1984).

She has won the Cholmondeley Award and the Arvon International Poetry Competition. Her collection Violet (1997) was shortlisted for three British poetry awards, and Bunny (2001) won her the Whitbread Poetry Award.

As well as writing poetry, Hill has worked on a variety of multimedia projects including collaborations with the Royal Ballet, Welsh National Opera, Science Museum and Imperial War Museum.

Hill has also taught creative writing in hospitals and prisons, and was Writer in Residence at the Royal Festival Hall.

Hill’s themes include mental health issues, sexual abuse and family conflicts, often written in a surrealist style.

The Hill Method (Hill (Selima) Archive, SH/8/4). This was a creative way Hill invented to write a poem – it’s definitely worth a try! Her notebooks, like many of the poets featured here in this post, give an insight into Hill’s creative process – often including notes, drawings, collages and personal reflections.

Page from a notebook containing poems, notes, drawings and personal reflections. Hill (Selima) Archive, SH/4/10

Pages from notebook containing notes relating to draft poems. Hill (Selima) Archive, SH/4/91

Sean O’Brien

Sean O’Brien was born in 1952 in London. He grew up in Hull and was educated at the University of Cambridge.

O’Brien is a poet, critic, anthologist, broadcaster and short fiction writer. He has also written for television and radio.

He has won numerous poetry awards including the Eric Gregory Award (1979), the Somerset Maugham Award (1984) and the Cholmondeley Award (1988). O’Brien is only one of two poets to have won both the T. S. Eliot Prize and the Forward Poetry Prize for the same collection of poems – The Drowned Book. (2007)

He was Writer in Residence at Newcastle Live Theatre between 2001 and 2003 (which he held jointly with the late novelist and poet, Julia Darling) and was Vice President of the Poetry Society. He is currently Professor of Creative Writing at Newcastle University.

O’Brien’s themes include social history, politics and class – written with a mix of detailed realism and dark surrealism.

The Frighteners was published in the aftermath of one of Britain’s most divisive events, the year-long miners’ strike of 1984-85. Not only was there a North–South divide, communities all over the country were torn apart. In this interview, O’Brien discusses his thoughts and experiences of the time and how it influenced The Frighteners.

Front cover of ‘The Frighteners’. Bloodaxe Books Collection, 821.914 OBR

Development of poems in ‘The Frighteners’. These hand written and annotated versions of the poem Cousin Coat, gives a small insight into O’Brien’s thought process. The words come and go, crossings out made and annotations drawn, highlighting how the poem evolved into the final published version for inclusion in ‘The Frighteners’.

Page from a draft of Cousin Coat, a poem by Sean O’Brien – a hand written manuscript draft of a poem for inclusion in Sean O’Brien’s poetry collection ‘The Frighteners’. O’Brien (Sean) Archive, OBR/1/1/2/4

The exhibition was planned, designed and curated by an MA Art Museum and Gallery Studies placement student.

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Find other Literary Archive collections available online on our Collections Guide.

Listen to oral histories with depositors behind our Special Collections and Archives via Collected Voices. These recordings give a privileged insight into creators, collectors and significant figures with close links to the personal and professional activities, borne out through these unique research resources.

Also, explore the Bloodaxe Books Archive and creative responses to it in a variety of innovative ways, online here.

December’s calendar – #ChristmasCountdown Door no. 22

Posted on 22 December, 2018 by nspeccoll

#ChristmasCountdown
Door no. 22

Page from Kate Greenaway’s Almanack for 1892 (19th Century Collection, 19th C. Coll 020 GRE)

Catherine Greenaway (1846 – 1901), known as Kate Greenaway, was an English children’s book illustrator and writer. Her almanacs ran from 1883 up until 1897, with no 1896 issue being published. Each almanacks included a Jan-Dec calendar, beautifully drawn illustrations and short verses and poems. Her almanacs were sold throughout America, England, Germany and France and were produced with different variations and in different languages.

Greenaway’s Almanacks are from the 19th Century Collection. Find her out more about Kate Greenaway’s almanacks in Education Outreach’s Amazing Archives online resource.