Research Team / Workshop Leaders
Ellen Phethean
Ellen Phethean (Exploring Short Stories & Poetry) grew up in SE London. She studied English and Theatre Studies at Lancaster University, before moving to Newcastle in 1978. She worked with Julia Darling, in The Poetry Virgins, producing Sauce (Bloodaxe, 1994), and they co-founded a north east women’s press called Diamond Twig.
Ellen’s radio poem 'Witnessing Westgate Hill' and her verse play Journey with a Golden Lady have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Her teen novel in poems, Wall, (Smokestack, 2007) won joint first prize in the Bishop Auckland Crossover Novel competition, 2004. Her collection of poetry, Breath, (Flambard, 2009) was shortlisted for the London Fringe 1st Collection Award 2010. She co-wrote Cain and Abel with her son Fred Phethean, in Hip Hop style, for the Durham Mysteries Cycle, May 2010. Her novel for teenagers, Mulberry and the Blue Hands, was long listed for the Times/Chicken House novel competition 2012. She teaches Creative Writing at NECLL and Northumbria University.