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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for The Common Room
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260924
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261218
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CREATED:20260827T153514Z
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UID:9310-1790208000-1797551999@thecommonroom.org.uk
SUMMARY:Faber Academy: Writing for Children (12 Weeks\, Evening Sessions)
DESCRIPTION:Kickstart your path to writing your first novel for younger readers in our Newcastle Writing for Children course. \nLed by Faber author Chloe Daykin\, you’ll build all the core skills needed to write stories for children in this wide-ranging\, adventurous course. \nCovering fiction for children aged six to twelve (with a little experimentation beyond)\, you’ll benefit from everything Chloe knows about this difficult craft – worlds that keep kids immersed\, dialogue that convinces them\, humour that gets giggles and more. \nYou’ll be joined by like-minded writers on your creative journey\, as well as benefiting from masterclasses and talks from guest authors. \nThe course will take place on Thursday evenings\, from 7–9 p.m. at The Common Room\, in the heart of Newcastle city centre. \nCourse Programme can be found on the course page here
URL:https://thecommonroom.org.uk/event/faber-academy-writing-for-children/
LOCATION:The Common Room\, Westgate Road\, Newcastle upon Tyne\, NE1 1SE\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thecommonroom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/FbaerAc-Writing-For-Children.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261002T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261002T213000
DTSTAMP:20260916T093235Z
CREATED:20260916T093235Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260916T093235Z
UID:9368-1790967600-1790976600@thecommonroom.org.uk
SUMMARY:The Janzen Boys
DESCRIPTION:The Janzen Boys are a Canadian father-and-sons folk trio known for their tight 3-part harmonies\, heartfelt songs\, and touching live shows. \nHeading to the UK this autumn\, they are playing in Newcastle for the very first time\, bringing their folk-country sound to The Common Room for an evening of songs\, stories\, and harmonies. \n🎶 What to Expect:\nTwo 45-minute sets with a short break in between. \nIt’s going to be an evening full of songs that’ll make you smile\, cry\, and maybe even sing along. \nThis is an all-ages show\, so bring friends\, family\, or just yourself — you’ll feel right at home. \nTickets are limited\, so don’t wait – grab yours now and come be part of their first-ever show in Newcastle upon Tyne. \nThis show is first-come\, first-served seating. Please make sure you are prepared to show your order receipt and your name at the door. \nMORE ABOUT THE ARTIST:\nThe Janzen Boys are a father-and-sons folk/roots trio from Winnipeg\, Canada\, known for their tight three-part harmonies\, heartfelt songs\, and touching live shows. Formed in 2012\, their journey began as a busking act at The Forks market before quickly growing into a full-fledged family band. Often described as a male counterpart to The Wailin’ Jennys\, their sound is frequently compared to artists like Simon & Garfunkel\, Neil Young\, and the Barenaked Ladies. \nSince 2024\, The Janzen Boys have toured relentlessly throughout Canada and the U.S.\, steadily building a loyal following through captivating live performances and a grassroots approach to connecting with listeners online. Known for heartfelt originals and familiar covers\, they’ve built a reputation for delivering both warmth and energy on stage. \nFunding from FACTOR Canada and Manitoba Film & Music is now fuelling their upcoming project\, The Great Unknown. Produced by Murray Pulver (Crash Test Dummies\, Doc Walker) and Trey Mills (Forest Blakk)\, it promises a vibrant mix of originals\, traditional songs\, and country-driven rockers. As they prepare to unveil The Great Unknown\, The Janzen Boys are poised to bring their earnest\, harmony-rich sound to new heights\, proving that in a crowded musical landscape\, their authenticity and craft stand tall among the weeds. \nWhat people have to say: \n“For starters\, they are the Wailin’ Jennys of male harmony trios… If you think dudes can’t move you with the beauty of their delicately intermingling voices\, you need to hear the Janzen Boys sing ‘One for the Road.’” – Heather Kitching\, Roots Music Canada \n“With harmonies that are out of this world\, The Janzen Boys will have you laughing\, crying\, and singing along as they perform classic country songs that we all know and love\, and great catchy originals that will be delightfully stuck in your head for days.” – St. John’s Heritage Church & Arts Centre \n“Whether you are in need of soul soothing harmony or the upbeat strum energy of Americana instruments like mandolin\, bass\, and guitar\, these boys will deliver… their combination of honesty and integrity in the way they shape a note within unique songwriting will stand out among the weeds.” – Canada Music Spotlight \n“I have never booked someone to the Calgary Folk Club without seeing them live\, but I did with these guys.” – Suze Casey\, Artistic Director\, Calgary Folk Club
URL:https://thecommonroom.org.uk/event/the-janzen-boys/
LOCATION:The Common Room\, Westgate Road\, Newcastle upon Tyne\, NE1 1SE\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thecommonroom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/The-Janzen-Boys-1.jpeg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261003T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261003T160000
DTSTAMP:20260827T154158Z
CREATED:20260827T154158Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260827T154158Z
UID:9313-1791021600-1791043200@thecommonroom.org.uk
SUMMARY:Faber Academy: Writing Day with Jessica Andrews
DESCRIPTION:How can we render the pain\, joy and expectations of our bodies in the world? How can we translate our physical experiences in language which will resonate with readers? \nIn this one-day masterclass on writing the body\, novelist Jessica Andrews will guide you through a series of close readings\, generative exercises and discussions to reimagine how you might write about the body. \nThe day will end with a Q&A with Jessica about her writing life and career as a novelist. \nWhether you are a novelist\, short-story writer\, memoirist\, essayist\, poet – or a combination of these – this workshop will help you create compelling writing through an examination of sensory evocation\, narrative action\, tone\, and structure\, across both fiction and non-fiction. \nSchedule\nThis course takes place over a full Saturday\, at The Common Room in Newcastle city centre. \n10.00–11.25\nWhat is\nembodied writing?\nWe will look at a brief history of embodied writing and put together a working definition which will inform our own writing going forwards. We will read and discuss representations of the body in literature and there will be guided exercises to try out some new techniques. \n11.25–11.35\nBreak\n11:35–13.00\nAction\, physicality\nand emotion\nWe will consider the role of action\, physicality and emotion in representing embodied experience. We will read and discuss the work of writers who do this in different ways and there will be guided writing exercises to try out some of these ideas in our own work. \n13:00–14.00\nLunch\n14:00–15.00\nFormal and linguistic experiment\nWe will look at the ways in which different writers experiment with form\, language and style to convey bodily experience. We will look at some examples of this and push the formal and stylistic boundaries of our own work through writing exercises. \n15:00–16.00\nSharing ideas\, work and Q&A\nAt the end of the day\, there will be time to share work and discuss ideas\, and an opportunity to ask Jessica questions about her own writing practice and journey.
URL:https://thecommonroom.org.uk/event/faber-academy-writing-day-with-jessica-andrews/
LOCATION:The Common Room\, Westgate Road\, Newcastle upon Tyne\, NE1 1SE\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thecommonroom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Wring-Day-Jessica-Andres-.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261010T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261010T160000
DTSTAMP:20260827T154700Z
CREATED:20260827T154700Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260827T154700Z
UID:9316-1791626400-1791648000@thecommonroom.org.uk
SUMMARY:Faber Academy: Writing Day with Amy Key
DESCRIPTION:How can we craft personal narrative stories that can leave us stunned with self-recognition? \nIn this workshop\, led by acclaimed memoirist Amy Key\, you will write together using exercises which interrogate the nature of memory\, what defines our writing voice and why we tell the stories we tell to come up with new ideas. \nSuitable for complete beginners and people with a work in progress\, the workshop will be relaxed\, warm and above all\, generative. \nSuitable for a novelist\, short-story writer\, memoirist\, essayist\, poet – or a combination of these – a complete beginner or an experienced writer\, this one-off workshop will be relaxed\, warm and above all\, generative. \nSchedule\nThis course takes place over a full Saturday at The Light in Durham\, as part of Durham Book Festival. \n11.00–16.00\nWriting Day with\nAmy Key\nIn this one-day masterclass on crafting personal narratives\, memorist Amy Key will guide you through a series of close readings\, generative exercises and discussions to reimagine how you might write about our experiences. \nThere will be an hour break during the workshop.
URL:https://thecommonroom.org.uk/event/faber-academy-writing-day-with-amy-key/
LOCATION:The Common Room\, Westgate Road\, Newcastle upon Tyne\, NE1 1SE\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thecommonroom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Wring-Day-Amy-Key-.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261012
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270406
DTSTAMP:20260827T161821Z
CREATED:20260827T161559Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260827T161821Z
UID:9325-1791763200-1806969599@thecommonroom.org.uk
SUMMARY:Faber Academy: Writing a Novel (6 Months\, Evening)
DESCRIPTION:This is Faber Academy’s flagship course\, which has seen alumni such as S.J. Watson\, Saara El-Arifi\, Rachel Joyce\, Gail Honeyman and Alice Feeney go on to conquer bestseller lists around the world. Designed by the Director of our Fiction Programme\, Richard Skinner\, it’s a six-month deep dive into the art of the novel\, with sessions on every aspect you’ll need to take you from the bare bones of a draft to a finished novel. You’ll also hear from guest speakers including published alumni\, acclaimed authors and industry professionals. \nIt’s also a chance to build a writing group that you can take with you into your future writing career. Over the course of the six months\, you and your classmates will give feedback on each other’s work\, honing your own editorial eye as well as helping them develop their stories\, and will be there to cheer each other on as you approach the finishing line of your first draft. \nThis fifth iteration of Writing a Novel in Newcastle will be taught by Richard T. Kelly. Born in Newcastle\, Richard has written much about the north-east\, in particular his debut novel\, Crusaders (Faber\, 2008)\, and has taught Writing a Novel in London since 2017. \nOf Crusaders\, New Statesman said: ‘An ambitious and convincing account of political chicanery\, ideological quandaries and gang violence in 1990s Newcastle… In Crusaders\, the north-east has found a new champion.’ \nIs this the right course for me?\nThis is an advanced course\, designed as a practical alternative to a Creative Writing MA. Accordingly\, it’s not suitable for writers who would consider themselves complete beginners. That doesn’t mean you need to have taken courses before\, but it does mean that you need to feel confident that you’re ready to start work on your novel. You will also need to have an idea for it – it might be one you’ve been working on for a while\, or it could be something a little more unformed that you’re hoping to pin down with the help of the course.
URL:https://thecommonroom.org.uk/event/faber-academy-writing-a-novel-6-months-evening/
LOCATION:The Common Room\, Westgate Road\, Newcastle upon Tyne\, NE1 1SE\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thecommonroom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Wring-A-Novel-6-Months.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261022T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261022T190000
DTSTAMP:20260908T111515Z
CREATED:20260908T104947Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260908T111515Z
UID:9347-1792692000-1792695600@thecommonroom.org.uk
SUMMARY:Worms\, Monkeys and Killer Pigs: The Strange Folk Tales of County Durham
DESCRIPTION:Rich and wonderfully strange tradition of folk tales\, from monstrous worms and unfortunate monkeys to a surprising number of killer pigs. \nCounty Durham’s history is filled with stories that are strange\, gruesome\, funny and sometimes almost impossible to believe. Drawing on his book County Durham Folk Tales\, author and storyteller Adam Bushnell explores some of the region’s most memorable legends\, including the origins of its famous worm tales\, the dark history behind Hartlepool’s monkey-hanging story and the curious number of murderous pigs that appear in the county’s past. \nAlong the way\, Adam will look at where folklore ends and history begins\, how stories change as they are passed from generation to generation\, and why these old tales still matter today. And\, as you might expect from a storyteller\, he’ll also tell a story or two in the way they were meant to be heard. \nAdam Bushnell is an award winning and Amazon number 1 bestselling author of fictional and academic books. He has had over sixty books published including Descriptosaurus: Story Writing and Modelling Exciting Writing. \nHis book of 100 Ideas for Outdoor Learning\, published by Bloomsbury\, won the prestigious ‘Creative Play Awards’ in 2020. He was a finalist for the ‘Education Resource Awards’ in 2023. His book The Dragon Inside Me won the Fiction Express ‘Book of the Year’ award for 2021 and Son of the Samurai won the award again in 2023. \nHe works in the UK and internationally in both state and private education delivering creative writing workshops to all ages. \nPreviously a teacher\, Adam also delivers CPD to teachers on how to inspire reading and writing in the classroom. \nFollow Adam on Instagram and X @authoradam and see www.adambushnell.co.uk for more details.
URL:https://thecommonroom.org.uk/event/worms-monkeys-and-killer-pigs-the-strange-folk-tales-of-county-durham/
LOCATION:The Common Room\, Westgate Road\, Newcastle upon Tyne\, NE1 1SE\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://thecommonroom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Adam-Bushnell.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261031T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261031T223000
DTSTAMP:20260709T133148Z
CREATED:20260422T105131Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260709T133148Z
UID:8983-1793475000-1793485800@thecommonroom.org.uk
SUMMARY:Briana Corrigan
DESCRIPTION:The Common Room & Hapless Museum Worker Gigs present…Briana Corrigan\, BRIT-winning former vocalist of The Beautiful South. \nBriana Corrigan (The Beautiful South)\n“One of the most distinctive voices in pop” – Time Out \nDon’t miss this rare opportunity to experience an intimate\, heart-warming\, and joyous evening of story and song with Briana Corrigan\, the iconic former vocalist of The Beautiful South. \nReturning to the stage following a 10-year hiatus\, Briana has already completed five hugely successful\, largely sold-out tours across the UK and Ireland\, and arrives with a brand-new album in the pipeline. \nAbout the Artist\nBorn in Belfast\, Briana’s unforgettable voice is best known for delivering The Beautiful South’s most successful single: the chart-topping\, Brit Award-winning No. 1 hit\, A Little Time. Her unique vocal styling\, combined with Paul Heaton’s brilliantly acerbic lyrics\, created an enduring anthem to broken love. \nBeyond her band years\, Briana has established herself as a formidable songwriter in her own right. She has released two critically acclaimed solo albums\, drawing widespread praise from the music press: \n“Her forte… chest-hugging\, breast-beating balladry of the highest calibre.” – Q Magazine\n“A songwriter of wit and elegance.” – Hot Press\n“A revelation! It’s like listening to someone sing you a story. The rain outside is drifting along the glass and this is a good soundtrack to the tale of its falling.” – Melody Maker\nWhat to Expect\nDescribed by VOX as a voice that “could melt icebergs at 50 paces”\, this is a unique chance to hear her stupendous vocals up close and personal. \nBriana will lead the evening on vocals and guitar\, backed by a beautifully stripped-back band featuring an additional guitarist and cellist. The setlist will pack an emotional punch\, weaving together: \n– Classic hits from The Beautiful South\n– Her own beautifully crafted solo material\n– Unique\, fresh takes on traditional favourites \n“Corrigan’s vocals still sparkle with gold dust.” – The Irish Independent \nTICKETS ON SALE 10AM\, 29TH APRIL\, 2026.
URL:https://thecommonroom.org.uk/event/briana-corrigan/
LOCATION:The Common Room\, Westgate Road\, Newcastle upon Tyne\, NE1 1SE\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thecommonroom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Briana-Corrigan_EVENT.jpg
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