The New Writing / Literature Regional project works in three main areas: Literature and Publishing, New writing for theatre and Medi-café. The project aims to provide links and opportunities for collaboration for publishers, translators, writers and playwrights and also to strengthen the playwriting skills of emerging young playwrights in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region and the UK, through organising a series of activities that includes workshops, cultural programme, conference, online mentoring sessions, and several other activities in the NENA region and the UK.

Who is involved?

Publishers, translators, writers and playwrights from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, Syria and the UK are taking part in one or more aspects of this project.

Project activities

Literature and Publishing, we are supporting the participation of the Arab World as the Market Focus in the London Book Fair (LBF) 2008 by organising a three days cultural programme to celebrate the strength and diversity of Arabic literature. In preparation for LBF Market Focus, we are also organising a round table between UK and Arab publishers to discuss practical ways of doing business across cultural, linguistic and economic barriers, in addition to a series of training workshops for Arab publishers to enable them to market their books effectively in the UK market through participation in LBF.

New Writing for Theatre aims to strengthen the playwriting skills of emerging young playwrights from the NENA region and introduce their work to audiences in the UK. Earlier this year, 30 young playwrights were selected from seven Arab countries to work with two acclaimed playwrights from the UK, David Greig and April De Angelis who are working with the young talents on developing their own plays and writing techniques. The first workshop took place in Damascus in April 2007 and two more are scheduled before March 2008 in collaboration with the Royal Court Theatre in London. This will be concluded with public readings/presentation of their work in the region and at the Royal Court with the possibility of producing one or more of the participants’ plays.

Medi-Café this aspect of the project brings together young writers from the Maghreb (Morocco and Tunisia) who write together with UK mentors from the University of London in Paris, University of Durham and De Montfort University in a unique form of inter-cultural dialogue.

The project specializes in three key areas reportage, fiction and poetry and it includes a series of workshops, readings and online mentoring sessions. These activities will culminate in a conference and a UK-based live web event sponsored by the British Council and the University of London Institute in Paris.