Tag: media

In Conversation with Sarah Davy, founder of Northern Writers Studio

Since its launch in October 2020, Northern Writers Studio — a resource bringing writers together through workshops, groups, networking and events — has reached hundreds of established and emerging writers based in the North of England.

The writing platform and support network was created by Sarah Davy, a writer, maker and facilitator living in rural Northumberland, who was driven by a desire to help those who felt left out or disconnected from the writing and publishing world due to physical location or background.

We recently spoke with Sarah about how she came to establish Northern Writers Studio, her goal to grow a community of writers who can offer workshops, advice and mentoring to others and why its important to provide supportive spaces for people at all stages of their career.

How did you first get into writing and publishing?

Writing is something I’ve always done, but never taken seriously. I got my Literature degree with the Open University while working full-time and took a creative writing block. Everything fell into place and I started slowly sending work out. I won my first writing competition in 2018 and have been working towards being a writer since then.

What support did you have when carving out your own career path?

It worked like stepping stones, one thing leading to another then another. So after I won the writing competition, Susie from Hexham Book Festival asked me to lead a workshop at the festival. This boosted my belief in myself which then led to me building links with Helen at Forum Books. When she asked me to be writer in residence it was like I’d been given permission to take myself and my writing seriously. Building an online community alongside this, mainly on Twitter, has been so valuable is finding like-minded people and opportunities.

Why did you create Northern Writers Studio?

When the pandemic hit, I had a busy year of workshops and writing gigs planned, but they were all cancelled. I wanted to find a way to keep working and to bring people together. Writing can be a solitary task, but I don’t think you have to do it alone. People still needed to feed their creativity and be able to bounce off other writers. It just felt like the right thing to do especially with the future being so uncertain. And as well as helping everyone who has joined in, it’s given me a purpose and a new focus.

What does Northern Writers Studio provide in terms of support and events for those working in publishing in the North?

The Studio works with writers of all abilities and the main focus is getting people together to create a sense of support and community. I run Zoom writing sessions, regular writing groups and spoken word evenings where people can share their work. I also wanted to create paid work for writers, so I engage Northern writers to lead workshops on all aspects of creative writing. There are also regular discussions where I learn what people need so I can develop new events and resources to help people find the right support and place for their work.

What has the response been like so far?

It’s been really lovely, participants are a mix of brand new, emerging and published writers. There have been some lovely events; a poetry collection launch for Caroline Hardaker where Chris Riddell live illustrated; a spoken word fundraiser for East End Women; inspiring and often emotional workshops; and an overall growing sense of community and mutual support. Since launching in October 2020 over 200 writers have taken part in the events programme. And not just from the North. Although everything is led by Northern writers, people take part from across the country and the world, which is the joy of being online!

Do you think there is a discord between publishing in the South and the North?

Yes! Publishing is very London-centric, and this is a barrier to people who want to work in the industry and to Northern writers who feel like opportunities and connections are not open to them. It’s also about class as well as geography, and there are some deeply entrenched behaviours and expectations that need to change. The gatekeepers of the publishing industry don’t represent the voices who need to be heard. 

In your opinion, what can be done to make the publishing industry more equal and inclusive?

There’s already brilliant work being done by New Writing North, the Northern Fiction Alliance and a host of indie publishers. Some big publishers are opening regional offices, but this just isn’t enough. A huge shift in the way we work and who we work with is needed. There’s a great report here by Professor Katy Shaw, which talks about the need to decentralise publishing and to include diverse voices from across the North and the entire country. I do think we’re leading the way in the North and hope that we can keep up the momentum and make meaningful, long-term change. 

Who are some of your favourite authors from the North? 

There have been some brilliant debuts in the last couple of years, my favourite is Saltwater by Jessica Andrews, which included locations I know from childhood. It’s the first time I’ve recognised a place so deeply in a book and it was really transformative. I loved My Name Is Monster by Katie Hale and have Boy Parts by Eliza Clark and Exit Management by Naomi Booth on my reading pile. I’m also hugely looking forward to Test Signal from Dead Ink books, a new anthology of Northern writing which has a brilliant line-up. 

Photo by Ann Nekr on Pexels.com

Why is it important for you to support your fellow Northern writers?

In my own writing journey, I often felt left out or left behind or just not good enough when looking at opportunities, primarily because of the London and often middle class focus of publishing. I want to make sure others don’t feel like this. We have so many rich voices, and unique stories to tell and I hope that by helping people work together, we can enable and amplify Northern writers.

What is next for Northern Writers Studio?

Even as the world starts to open up, my plan is to keep going as an online platform. There is a programme of workshops and a summer school as well as our regular Zoom writing sessions. I’m hoping to offer mentoring from September and just want to continue to reach people who might otherwise feel left out or alone. Getting this off the ground and seeing how much it’s meant to people has been a silver lining to lockdown, and one I’m holding onto. 

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The Northern women breaking into journalism

Reading was my first love, thanks in most part to my older sister who would pass on books to me. I read everywhere and anywhere, always fully immersing myself in those worlds. This passion for reading led me to writing, resulting in notebooks filled to the brim with short stories and in-depth interviews with family members. Since then, I have always said that I wanted to write and be a journalist, and have explored all the options open to me. 

Truthfully, I didn’t know what a journalist was. I didn’t see anyone on the TV who sounded like me. There was very little Northern representation and even less information about how to break into the industry. When you don’t know anyone within the media, getting in is incredibly different.

As was the case for many people last year, my plans somewhat changed. The gap year I had planned disappeared so I needed to find something else to focus on. That’s where writing came back into the picture. Lockdown meant more organisations were offering free online workshops, giving everyone across the country the opportunity to network. From that I connected with a group of incredible women, who, like me, wanted a space for women to write about anything they wanted to and not worry about stress or deadlines. So Empoword Journalism was born. 

Throughout the past year, I never felt like my Northern roots were holding me back. The question I always asked in any workshops was “do you think it’s possible to get a job in the industry without moving to London?” and I always got a resounding yes. However, I am still seeing so many journalist jobs that are based down south with no option of remote working. 

I spoke to some of the women I have met through Empoword Journalism about how they broke into the industry and what they think needs to happen to make it easier for people in the North to break into the journalism industry. 

Mads Raine is a journalist from Hartlepool, and her love of journalism began whilst working on her student newspaper. “The North is definitely represented, but it is not well-represented,” she says. “Most of the action happens in London and if you decide to stay in the North you are cutting off a lot of opportunities.”

Adding: “Neither my school nor my college had their own paper. I didn’t have these creative outlets at my fingertips that so many of my friends had. Throughout my education –  until university that is – I was lacking in creativity and I don’t think being at a state-run school in a high-poverty area is a coincidence.”

“Most of the action happens in London and if you decide to stay in the North you are cutting off a lot of opportunities.”

Mads Raine

Mads wants people to realise that the North has so much more to offer and wants to see “more jobs and more internships brought to the North of England”.

Beth Kirkbride founded The Indiependent in 2014 as a way to give journalists from across the county the opportunity to get their work published and get constructive feedback from editors. Beth, like me, has wanted to write for as long as she could remember. She believes that even though the pandemic has shown that working remotely is possible the media is still very London-centric. 

“When it comes to applying for journalism work experience or graduate schemes being from the North has been a disadvantage,” notes Beth. “These opportunities mean uprooting my life and moving to London, which has a much higher cost of living than the North of England. This is definitely an access and diversity problem in the media industry.”

“These opportunities mean uprooting my life and moving to London, which had a much higher living cost than the North of England.”

Beth Kirkbride

Beth also wants to see more paid work experience opportunities that allow Northern journalists to gain experience without having to foot their travel and accommodation costs themselves.

Lauren Mcgaun is a student with a passion for current affairs and the world around her. She echoes both Beth and Mads belief that there needs to be better work experience for people in the North. 

“I would also welcome more work experience applications that are CV based, which consider your journalistic skills and ability (similar to the current spectator scheme), so that your location and education doesn’t act as a barrier,” she says.

Shahed Ezaydi, is a freelance journalist and Deputy Editor for Aurelia Magazine. Although Shahed has always been fascinated by writing she never saw it as the career for her because she “never really saw someone like me in that world”.  

For Shahed, being from the North has given her a “unique voice in journalism”, as she explains: “Being a Northern woman means I can offer different perspectives or add more nuance and depth to a range of discussions, from race, religion, to local issues.” She continues: “You can always tell when an article or report that’s covering a Northern issue has been written by a journalist who isn’t Northern or who hasn’t lived in the North. I find it lacks the depth and substance.”

“You can always tell when an article or report that’s covering a Northern issue has been written by a journalist who isn’t Northern or who hasn’t lives in the North. I find it lacks the depth and substance.”

Shahed Ezaydi

However, she warns that she doesn’t want to get “boxed into just writing about identity or race and religion”, because “we as journalists (and people) are more than that”.

In terms of improving Northern representation, Shahed wants to see more roles moved up North, but recognises that that isn’t always possible. “Not every company can just move, so publications should also offer their roles on a remote working basis to recognise that not everyone is in a financial position that would allow them to move to London and live there long-term.”

Bethan McConnell is originally from Newcastle but relocated to London for University. “There always seems to be jobs central to London, in both music and journalism, so I figured that I would experience more opportunities and work if I lived in London,” she explains. 

Bethan is now a music journalist and photographer and runs Safe and Sound, a music and culture publication curated by creative women.  “For me, the most important thing is stepping up arts and culture funding in low-income areas, as those classes could inspire our next generation of journalists, musicians, and authors,” she says.

“There always seems to be jobs central to London, in both music and journalism, so I figured I would experience more opportunities and work if I lived in London.”

Bethan McConnell

Adding: “From my own experience the music education I received from school was the thing that motivated me to pursue this career path and without it, I’m not sure what sort of job I would be doing now.”

Evie Muir is a  domestic abuse specialist and freelance journalist. Evie began pursuing a career as a journalist because she felt there was a gap in reporting on gender-based violence. “From a survivor’s perspective, often stories telling our experiences of abuse, exploitation or assault are anonymised,” she says.

“As both a domestic abuse practitioner and survivor, it felt like “if not me, who?” I had stories to tell – my own included – I was angry, tired, passionate and, most importantly, informed.”

Evie became a freelance journalist through an unconventional route. “I studied Sociology and Gender Studies at undergrad level and International Development and Gender Based Violence at univeristy, and have worked in the Domestic Abuse Sector and Charity Sector more broadly for over seven years. So, I entered journalism as an expert in my field and used that to my advantage.”

When writing about topics that can be potentially triggering for you, Evie advises “putting coping mechanisms in place. If this means taking sick leave then do it”. 

Evie’s advice for women entering the industry is to find a support group. “I’d like to mention too that there is such a great network of Northern journos up here who I feel a deeper connection with than I do in more nation-wide networking groups – despite having not met many of them in person!”

“See the value in Northern stories and we will tell you them. Give us a platform to share the stage and we will speak with you.”

Evie Muir

She continues: “It feels like a very nurtured community with shared values of intersectionality, inclusion and the celebration of northern women voices.”

Evie wants to see an increase in remote working opportunities and she wants publications to take a closer look at the experiences of women in the North. “See the value in Northern stories and we will tell you them. Give us a platform to share the stage and we will speak with you.”

Speaking to these women is the best reminder of why I want to be a journalist. For the North to be represented we need people to start breaking down those barriers because where you are from should never negatively impact your future.

Extra Resources: 

The Northern Natter Podcast and Newsletter 

The Peak District Newsletter, filled with job opportunities up North!

The Indiependent 

Empoword Journalism

Journo Resources – a newsletter and website filled with paid job opportunities and career advice 

Words by Orla McAndrew. Orla is a writer and journalist from Leeds and the co-founder of Empoword Journalism, a woman-led project that looks to unite and empower journalists.

The Edit: In Conversation with L’Oréal Blackett, Journalist and Broadcaster

What does it mean to be influential in today’s digital world? Is success only measured by how you’re perceived online? And if you have influence, how do you use it for good?

In the midst of lockdown and eager to find out the answers to these questions, journalist and broadcaster L’Oréal Blackett, created her own podcast, The Edit, which delves into the world of influencer culture. Unpacking the truth behind the likes, shares and hashtags, L’Oréal is using her voice to find out what it’s really like to have a personal brand, exploring the impact of having a popular presence online and how this has affected the individuals and brands dominating our social media feeds. 

Having worked for the likes of the BBC, Bustle and Body Confidential, in a variety of reporting and broadcasting roles, alongside a number of gigs as an ambassador and presenter for businesses including Bumble, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols, L’Oréal is by some people’s definition an “influencer”.  However, like many women in journalism, she sometimes struggles with the idea of curating her own brand. Hence the creation of The Edit, a way to better understand the realities and expectations of influencer culture and the role that we all play in this shifting digital narrative. 

Born and bred in Manchester, L’Oréal knew from a young age that she wanted to work in the media, “I was just set on it, it was either that or be a dancer”, she tells me over zoom, seemingly the most popular medium for conducting interviews, podcasts and webinars under lockdown. Taking a traditional route into the industry, she studied Broadcast Journalism at the University of Leeds before landing a placement aged 21 at MediaCity, the BBC’s Salfordian home, and as they say, the rest is history.

Well not quite, because to gloss over L’Oréal’s various career achievements, which include an editorship at Body Confidential, would diminish the hard work and determination that she, and many other women working in journalism – an industry dominated by white males – have put in over the years.

According to a report written for Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism by Suzanne Franks, a professor of Journalism at City University London, women substantially outnumber men in media training but very few secure senior jobs and the pay gap between female and male journalists remains considerable. In another study by Reuters, released in 2016, it was reported that journalists were 94% white. Whilst publications such as gal-dem, Black Ballad, FEM Zine and Yellowzine have sought to make media and its reporting more diverse, recent events show just how much work still needs to be done in order to create a more representative media landscape. 

For L’Oréal, a regular contributor to online platform Bustle, the roadblocks to success were apparent very early on. “It took me a while to really understand that media is a business before anything else,” she says. “From the SEO, to the clicks and links and everything like that, as much as some media organisations want to show themselves as quite radical, or tell the kind of taboo stories, you know the reality is they’re quite scared – scared of offending their core audience.”

Just a few weeks earlier, L’Oréal had written a piece for Bustle, who she credits as one of a number of platforms giving writers such as herself, a space to write about her own experiences and those of other women of colour, about the lack of mental health provision for black women and why it is imperative that this is put on the agenda. Exploring the narrative that Black women are stronger than others, L’Oréal sought to show that this doesn’t tell the whole story and that provision, access and representation with regards to mental health services is simply not where it needs to be to positively help and support women of colour. 

 L’Oréal explains that she feels now is the time to delve deeper into these subjects, which, in the past, she didn’t feel she could because the conversation wasn’t yet open enough. “Obviously the industry has changed. I would still write about mental health but in a broad way, but as a  journalist it now feels like the right time to talk about something that does resonate with me but also with a lot of people,” she explains. “It’s great when I’m working with Bustle or other womens’ magazines, they’re open to sharing a wealth of stories, so I feel empowered by that. I feel comfortable writing about those things.  I’m pleased to be able to speak about something that can be quite difficult in the black community.”

Part of the reason L’Oréal remains hopeful – in spite of both the racism and sexism she has faced in the industry – is because of her strong relationship with her family, who have always supported her dream to be journalist or fashion editor. “Maybe it’s a weird naivety in me but sometimes I feel I will always succeed, it’s been drummed into my head from my parents,” she says with a smile. “I never thought I couldn’t do something, but I did realize soon enough that it might be slightly more difficult. I wouldn’t say I’m thick skinned but I am so determined.” This dedication to her craft is supported wholeheartedly by her family who she credits for always inspiring and uplifting her, especially during the earlier phases of lockdown – a time that gave her the chance to press pause and consider her next steps.

Despite her year not getting off to the start that she had planned, the arrival of lockdown set off something inside of L’Oréal, who after taking some time out to focus on her health and wellbeing, through running and outdoor workouts, began to consider new ways to channel her media skills, which eventually resulted in the creation of The Edit podcast. 

“Not to diminish what the virus is at all, but lockdown has grounded me and made me think about what I do. I think of ideas all the time and I don’t know where to put it sometimes,” she says taking a sip of her freshly brewed coffee. “You like talking so just do the podcast. I started there and just focused on one project. I centered in on the things I want to do and the podcast has been a natural fit and also a great distraction; what a time to explore another facet of yourself that you’ve never had time to do.”

Applying what she had learnt from her time in broadcasting, L’Oréal began to ask, what does it mean to have an influence in today’s digital world, speaking to guests such as Haçienda legend DJ Paulette, designer of positive vibes Zara Khalique and tech entrepreneur Melissa Snover about their experiences of influence, the sacrifices they have taken to keep up appearances and what it means to have a voice in today’s society. The podcast has also led the esteemed journalist to examine her own online presence and the side effects of time spent online.

“Instagram is a minefield, especially when it’s so image-led. I struggle with that. I love fashion, music, all of it, but I love to write and read, but I don’t always know how to marry it,” explains L’Oréal. “With the podcast, that’s me being me, you have to be yourself. That’s what a personal brand should be.”

Having seen the good, the bad and the ugly side of social media it seems like L’Oréal is already understanding what it means to have a significant degree of influence and has made sure to use it to challenge stereotypes and ask the difficult questions that need to be answered in these particularly polarized times. Meanwhile, she advises those looking to pursue a career in media to use Instagram and other platforms on their own terms. “There’s so many more opportunities for journalists now thanks to social media. Go get more than you ever could, whether it’s talking on panels, speaking, doing courses – you can supplement your income using it,” she concludes. “So don’t be afraid, don’t be controlled by how everyone else is using it, don’t let it be a negative thing, because it doesn’t have to be.”

You can read more of L’Oréal’s articles here and listen to the latest episode of The Edit here.

Interview: Jenna Campbell

Images: Courtesy of L’Oréal Blackett