You may have seen posters up in the library advertising sessions with the Jesmond Library Writer in Residence. That’s me – Amanda Quinn – and I thought it’d be a good idea to introduce myself and explain what I’ll be doing over the next six months.

I’m from Birmingham, but have lived in Newcastle since the mid-nineties. I lived in Jesmond when I first moved here and, looking back, it feels like I spent most of that time either in Jesmond Library or reading library books. I started writing while on maternity leave and now work full time as a freelance writer and facilitator. I write short stories and poems and have had these published in print and online. Recently, I’ve been writing stories for The People’s Friend magazine – you can read about my experiences as a People’s Friend writer and more about how I got into writing here. I’ve been teaching creative writing since 2015 and have delivered courses and workshops online and in community centres, libraries, museums, galleries, day centres, and schools across the North East. I love helping people express themselves and be creative and I try to make sure my sessions are enjoyable and accessible to everyone.

What will I be doing as writer in residence?

The short answer is getting you to write! It doesn’t matter if you’ve never written before or have been widely published – I’m here to help and support you. The residency is also about inspiring local people to write about the library and what it means to them and I’ll be encouraging you to share these memories for a publication to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of the library becoming entirely volunteer run.

I’m looking forward to celebrating the joys of libraries, books and writing with as many people as possible during my residency. A lot of what I’ll be doing will develop as I get to know people and groups, but I’m starting off with the following activities which I’d love you to get involved in:

National Poetry Day Drop In.

I’ll be in the library on 5 October between 9.30am-11.30am to celebrate National Poetry Day. No need to book – just pop in to talk about poetry or add a line to a communal poem about the library.

Introduction to Creative Writing Workshop.

I’m running an introductory writing workshop at the library on Saturday 14 October (10.30am-12.30pm). It’s free to attend, but you need to book a place by emailing me or events@jesmondlibrary.org.

Saturday Writing Surgeries.

I’ll be in the library every Saturday morning (from 21 October onwards) and will be using some of this time to offer one-to-one appointments for anyone wanting writing advice or support. Appointments are free, but you must email me to book a time in advance.

Please get in touch if you’d like to find out more. To do this (and to book workshop and surgery places) email me at anpquinn@gmail.com. You can find out more about me and my work on my website www.amandaquinn.co.uk. I’m also on Twitter/X and Instagram as @amandaqwriter and Facebook as Amanda Quinn – Writer, Tutor & Facilitator