Scraps: a Taste of Young Northern Voices

An anthology of new writing and works in progress from members of our First Edition group

At the end of 2024 I was really chuffed to be part of launching Scraps, the first anthology of work by members of First Edition, New Writing North's weekly group for writers aged 18-25 years old.

I've been leading the group since early 2022, first at Recoco and now meeting on Northumbria University campus on Wednesday evenings. The aim of First Edition is to help early career writers develop their skills, learn about training opportunities, and provide that much needed accountability and time to get some writing done every week! They are a fantastic bunch and I was super excited when they decided they would like to publish an anthology of work.

The writing and publishing process

One of the things I loved most about working on Scraps with the group is how involved they got to be in the entire process, not just the writing part. As well as having some dedicated writing sessions, we brainstormed loose themes, titles and other brand identity together before inviting designer Sally Pilkington to join us for two sessions and collaborate with her on the design of the anthology itself. This meant that not only the writing in Scraps has been created by the group but the artwork and original drawings, too. Group members learnt about how to create something that feels cohesive without hindering anybody's creative expression, something that any artist familiar with co creation knows only too well!

We also had a session on how to write a short artist bio and how to think about promoting / showcasing your work off the back of the anthology's publication. Who would we share Scraps with? What did we want people to think about as a result of it?

Launching Scraps at lush independent bookshop 1b Books in Heaton

Launch Party at 1b Books

In December, once the anthology was designed, finalised and printed, we held a launch party at an indie bookshop in Heaton! It was standing room only by the time the evening began, and not only did the launch give the group the opportunity to celebrate all of their hard work, but a number of members also read aloud from their pieces. Complete the night with cheap wine and some Burton's 'fish and chips' crisps, and what's not to love?

Planning and preparation for Scraps issue 2 is underway, and this time it's going public! So if you're aged 18-25 in the North East and write poetry or short prose, regardless of whether you attend the First Edition group, keep an eye out for a call out in the not too distant future.

An enormous thank you to First Edition co facilitator Alison Scurfield, designer Sally Pilkington and the team at 1b Books for making this project possible.

Update! You can now read a digital version of Scraps here