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The Rotting Spot (Red Squirrel Press) is one of a shortlist of 6 for the 2010 McKitterick Prize, a £4,000 prize for a first novel by a writer over 40. The judges were Frances Fyfield, Lindsey Davis, and Russel Celyn Jones. http://www.societyofauthors.com/soa-news/mckitterick-prize-shortlist-announced
Valerie has been working with eminent neuroscientist Professor Elaine Perry at IAH, Newcastle University, to co-write an article on out of brain consciousness which is published in the June issue of journal NEUROQUANTOLOGY, in a special edition they are guest editing. See
http://www.neuroquantology.com/journal/index.php/nq/issue/current, click on Table of Contents, and download pdf of the article listed. A chapter they co-wrote on shamanic plant use and effects on brain chemistry is to be published soon in a book on consciousness edited by Elaine.
Valerie's poem Lifting the Lid won a Commended Prize in the 2009 National Poetry Competition, which had record entries of 10,400+. http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/competitions/npc/
Two other poems from her planned This Fatal Subject collection, Benign and In the Dissecting Room, also won Commended prizes in the 2009 Hippocrates Poetry Competition, for poetry with a medical theme.
Valerie was selected for the first International Writers' Residency in El Gouna, on the Red Sea, for the whole of February 2010, working on her poetry collection, arising from her Pathology Museum Residency, her work and Residency at Newcastle University's IAH, and her Wellcome Trust Arts Award funded project This Fatal Subject, while being involved with cultural activities and readings with writers from other countries and cultures. And swimming/snorkeling of course!
Valerie is working with scientists as Writer in Residence at the Institute for Ageing and Health during their special 'Changing Age' year, also working with children, older people, dementia patients, families etc, to produce a book about ageing, dementia and dying, linking the generations, and linking scientific accuracy with creative poetry. She has given a PERFORMANCE/SEMINAR at Newcastle University, IAH, a presentation of multi-media work resulting from Wellcome Trust funded project 'This Fatal Subject', during which Valerie worked with scientists at IAH and ION at Newcastle, as well as Kings College London.
Valerie featured in WHY POETRY MATTERS, a documentary by Griff Rhys Jones, activating a new random haiku in Hackney Lido, on inflatable beach balls. She is keen to try this on a bigger, oceanic even, scale. Valerie specialises in public art/science/poetry projects and commissions, site-specific, using new forms of moving, changing, visual poetry in which form fits meaning and location. (see Quantum Sheep).
National Poetry Day, 8th Oct 2009: Royal Festival Hall, London, 2-5pm, BBC/Poetry Society Centenary Event. Valerie was invited to recreate her beach ball random haiku (as seen on BBC2's Why Poetry Matters) live, in the august company of Carol Ann Duffy, Roger McGough, Lemn Sissay, and many more.
'a fresh and talented new voice in crime-writing,' Ann Cleeves. 'a darkly intriguing debut,' Val McDermid.
'...opens with a bang...a suspenseful story with graphic extracts from the Skull Hunter's Blog...Laws brings her locations vibrantly to life.' Time Out.
THE ROTTING SPOT profiled in CRIME TIME: (http://www.crimetime.co.uk/mag/index.php/showarticle/1325 )
The Rotting Spot was featured at Theakstons Crime Festival, Harrogate. Valerie's first crime novel is published by Red Squirrel Press (http://www.redsquirrelpress.com/index.php?rottingspot). It's about skull hunting, binge drinking Geordie charvas, William Blake, and features Erica Bruce, homeopath detective. It was one of New Writing North's Read Regional titles promoted across the region. Valerie won a New Writing North 'Northen Writers' Award' (Northern Promise) for the novel, including mentoring by top agent and editor Lisanne Radice, and has also had editorial advice from CWA Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award winner, Ann Cleeves. Valerie has had successful book signings and readings at Blackwells Newcastle, Borders Newcastle, London, York, Team Valley, Edinburgh, and many libraries, inc. Newcastle Central, Morpeth, Whitburn, Whitley Bay, South Shields, North Shields,Hartlepool, many as part of New Writing North's Read Regional.
Valerie has been working with a group of young people in the north east, with science explainer Rella LaRoe from the Centre for Life in Newcastle, to evolve (see what I did there?) a performance of their poems, raps and songs, inspired by Darwin and his Origin of Species. This nationwide project, helmed by Elizabeth Lynch, is funded by Wellcome Trust. The group performed as part of Centre for Life's Newcastle Science Festival, at Customs House Theatre South Shields, Theatre Royal Studio Newcastle, Cumberland Arms Byker, and at York. They were broadcast on Prague radio, and featured in a short film of their poetry and performance. The culminating performance with other regions' poets was on November 19th 2009, in London at the Wellcome Collection.
Our This Fatal Subject exhibition at Old Operating Theatre Museum, London, Jan 27-Feb 27 2009, was listed as a Guardian Guide Pick of the Week! More details below or http://www.thisfatalsubject.org/weblog/ . AWellcome Trust Arts Award funded this project resulting in some new multi-media work, by Valerie and artist Susan Aldworth, both resident artist/writer at Gordon Museum in London. Fab animated poetry film by Susan of Valerie's kinetic poetry sequence, which undergoes 'cell death' (apoptosis) to change meaning, projected art and poems.
BBC Radio 3 play: 'NOWT TO LOOK AT' by Valerie Laws, was broadcast Saturday 25th Oct 08. The severed head of a disfigured Tyneside woman speaks from a jar, giving a wry, often funny, look at the two young people who find her body... Directed by David Hunter.
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