Significant Ink: Newcastle, From Idea to Page with Marcia Hutchinson

About this event:

Location: West End Library, 6 Condercum Road, Benwell, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE4 9JH

Time: 12.00-14.00

Date: Wednesday 24th June 2026

Refund policy: Free event

A bit about the workshop:

Significant Ink: Newcastle brings you a free writing workshop with Marcia Hutchinson at West End Library. You could have some experience with getting ideas on the page or you could be brand new to writing ! Places are open to people who are 18+ and are part of the global majority. If you like the sound of this workshop, you might also be interested in the free life writing, short stories, and writing for young people workshops as part of Significant Ink: Newcastle.

Significant Ink: Newcastle is also open for applications from emerging global majority writers from 10th June – 16th July. Three winners will be selected to receive a bursary of £1,000, mentoring, peer-to-peer support and development opportunities with partners. More details here. Due to funding from the North East Combined Authority, this part of the programme is only available to people who live within the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority (County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland), and who are not enrolled in full-time education or another government programme when the programme begins.

About the Workshop Facilitator: Marcia Hutchinson

Marcia Hutchinson is an award-winning British publisher, lawyer, community activist and former Labour Councillor who became a full-time writer aged sixty. After growing up in Bradford and studying at Oxford University (the first pupil from her school to do so), Marcia worked in law before founding educational publishing company Primary Colours and was awarded an MBE for services to Cultural Diversity in 2010. She is the co-author with Kate Griffin (under the pseudonym Lila Cain) of the critically acclaimed historical fiction novel The Blackbirds of St Giles (Simon & Schuster, 2025). The Mercy Step (Cassava Republic Press, 2025) is Marcia's first solo novel. She was named an Observer Best Debut Novelist of 2025, and The Mercy Step was shortlisted for the 2026 Discover Prize by the British Book Awards and longlisted for the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction.

https://marciahutchinson.co.uk/

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Access: You can find West End Library’s access information here.

The workshop is free but you do need to book a place.

You don’t need to live in a particular local authority to attend the workshop. You do need to live in County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside or Sunderland to apply to be one of the three selected writers, and must not be enrolled in full-time education or another government programme when the programme begins.

Please see Award Eligibility, Conditions of Entry, Significant Ink: Newcastle FAQs. If you have checked the FAQs and have further questions, please contact emilylow@newwritingnorth.com.