Chivers and Walker to be National Centre for Writing associate artists

Writer and publisher Tom Chivers, director of indie Penned in the Margins, and poet and theatre-maker Hannah Jane Walker (pictured) have been appointed as associate artists to the National Centre for Writing (NCW) in Norwich. 

Both Walker and Chivers will receive a package of support worth £10,000 to develop a new literary project. The funds will support them in spending time writing and in a residency at the NCW campus at Norwich's Dragon Hall.

Chivers will, in collaboration with director Russell Bender, write a play set during the British Civil War that he said “disturb the complex network of ideas around nationhood, and question who owns the history and myths of this land”. Walker meanwhile will create a show that questions society’s trust in extroverted speakers. “This opportunity allows me to scale up my ambition and create my first solo stage show to premiere in May 2019. I feel supported, inspired and encouraged,” she said.

Chris Gribble, chief executive at NCW, said: “We’re delighted to open our associate artist scheme with Hannah and Tom, both artists, producers and writers whose work we love and admire. They are also people who give a lot back to many communities of writers, performers and makers in their own right and the Associate Artist scheme is designed in part to enable the National Centre for Writing to explore how we ourselves can best support writers and artists and communities to make and create outstanding work.”

In total, NCW will appoint four associate artists over a three-year period backed by Arts Council England’s Ambition for Excellence funds.

In addition NCW is to host a new writers’ residency exchange in collaboration with Brussels literature centre Passa Porta and the Flemish Literature Fund. In April 2019 Flemish writer Kathleen Vereecken will spend a month at the NCW and later in the year UK writer Katie Hale will head to Brussels for a residency with Passa Porta.