Inkerman Writers, aka The Inkers, were originally creative writing students at Darlington Arts Centre, County Durham, England.

Since the centre's closure. they meet at the Friends' Meeting House in Skinnergate, Darlington.

Tracey Iceton took over the courses from John Dean in January 2018.

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John Dean posted a blog post

Writing competition will help celebrate historic journey

Authors are being asked to help celebrate the 200th anniversary of the world’s first passenger railway by entering a rail-themed writing competition.The Stockon and Darlington Railway was the setting for the historic journey in 1825 and a whole range of celebration events are being arranged to mark the occasion in 2025. See More
Jul 18
John Dean posted a blog post

Eric's second novel is published

The second novel written by author Eric Foster, a member of the Darlington-based Inkers writing group, has been published and is the latest stage in his fictional re-telling of the life of Ireland’s patron saint.Becoming St Patrick – His Mission (Troubador) sees Patrick’s ten-man mission arrive by boat in the Irish Kingdom of Brega, where they are immediately expelled by…See More
Mar 1
John Dean posted a blog post

Alwyn goes into print with new book

Inkers member Alwyn Foden has gone into print with his new book Queues A Life Line.The book tells the story of Stanley McEwan, a pun on ‘Standing and Queueing’, who despairs at his life spent in queues. As a youngster, life is full of promise but rapidly descends into a frustrating humdrum.  He falls out with his son and his wife, she becomes seriously ill, he reaches a…See More
Dec 16, 2023
John Dean posted a blog post

New anthology is published

Inkers, a long-established collection of writers who gather fortnightly in person at the Friends’ Meeting House in Darlington, as well as online, have published their latest anthology.A Thread of Raindrops and Other Stories contains short stories in various genres, many of them featuring a satisfying twist.From crime to romance, and science fiction to a hilarious romp…See More
Sep 3, 2023
Keven Shevels posted a blog post

A Song of Ice and Haddock Book Review

I’ve just received back the first of three reviews that I’m expecting back from the American website Reader’s Favourite. All the reviews will be for my second novel, a fantasy titled A Song Of Ice And Haddock. Suffice to say that it is a lot better than I thought it would be. The review in full is below. I guess the reviewer liked it.‘A Song of Ice and Haddock is the second book in The Dogsbreath Histories. Keven Shevels continues to chronicle the history and exploits of the Dogsbreath family…See More
Feb 16, 2023
John Dean posted a blog post

Author to stage book event

Darlington author Eric Foster is to stage an event to promote his first novel, which has recently been published and is based on a fictional re-telling of the life of Ireland’s patron saint.Becoming St Patrick has been published by Troubador Publishing and Eric will talk about the book during the event on Wednesday March 15 at The Quakerhouse, in Mechanics Yard, 6.10…See More
Feb 13, 2023
John Dean posted a blog post

Author’s debut novel tells patron saint’s story

The first novel written by Darlington author Eric Foster is due to be published on January 28, based on a fictional re-telling of the life of Ireland’s patron saint.Inspired by a long-standing love of Ireland, Becoming St Patrick has been published by Troubador Publishing and is based on extensive research conducted by Eric over several years.Eric, a member of…See More
Jan 4, 2023
John Dean posted a blog post

Books raise funds for hospice

Author Keven Shevels, a member of Darlington-based Inkerman Writers, has now published three novels in his darkly comic Dogsbreath series, which are available on Amazon.  Proceeds from sales are donated to St Teresa’s Hospice in the town.The books are:The Haddock Flies At Midnight - A contemporary novel tracing thirty days in the life of a small town hall official who…See More
Aug 20, 2022
John Dean posted a blog post

Arts festival appearances

Group members are delighted to be taking part in this year’s Darlington Arts Festival, featuring in two events.Inkers Creative Writing Collective presents ‘The Other Side Of The Door.’ An entertaining hour of prose and poetry.  A door represents a world of possibility, a passageway from one world to another. Come and listen to tales of confusion, comedy, intrigue and…See More
Apr 11, 2022
John Dean commented on Keven Shevels's blog post A Song of Ice and Haddock
"Excellent!"
Apr 11, 2022
Keven Shevels posted a blog post

A Song of Ice and Haddock

Don't know if anyone is interested, but my latest comic novel in the Dogsbreath Histories is now available to download from Amazon price £1.99. Titled 'A Song of Ice and Haddock' it is a fantasy and traces the history of the earliest known ancestor of the Dogsbreath family, one Ivor the Dogsbreath. Suffice to say Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and Conan the Barbarian all have the mickey taken out of them. As usual all proceeds will go towards St Teresa's Hospice in Darlington.Kev Shevels See More
Apr 2, 2022
John Dean posted a blog post

Bud talks sense of place

Interested in crime fiction? Then check out Inkerman Writer Bud Craig talking about his craft in the latest instalment of the free Tall Tales Mysteries Mug Shots series of films. Bud, one of the Book Folks stable of writers, talks in particular about sense of place. You can watch the interview at https://youtu.be/AO-81NwdYvwSee More
May 11, 2021
John Dean posted a blog post

Hats off to Bud

Inkerman Writer Bud Craig is celebrating after his short story Hats Off to Larry was commended in the Elmbridge Literary Competition. The theme of the competition was music.In the story, in 1960 Salford teenager Jack finds the girl of his dreams. Over the next three years, Jack changes as does pop music, the Everly Brothers and Del Shannon giving way to the Beatles.Jack plans a year in France after A levels and sees a whole new world opening up. Girlfriend Cathy, who left school at fifteen, is…See More
Apr 1, 2021
John Dean posted a blog post

A wander down the street that gave the group its name

One of the anthologies produced by Darlington-based Inkerman Writers gives a clue as to how they got their name.The anthology of short stories, titled Inkerman Street, was based on the demolition of a fictional northern street and the stories of the people who lived in it.The book, which features a variety of stories ranging from horror to comedy, begins like…See More
Feb 26, 2021
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Feb 25, 2021
John Dean posted photos
Feb 24, 2021
 

Blog Posts

Writing competition will help celebrate historic journey

Authors are being asked to help celebrate the 200th anniversary of the world’s first passenger railway by entering a rail-themed writing competition.

The…

Continue

Posted by John Dean on July 18, 2024 at 1:35pm

Eric's second novel is published

The second novel written by author Eric Foster, a member of the Darlington-based Inkers writing group, has been published and is the latest stage in his fictional re-telling of the life of Ireland’s patron saint.

Becoming St Patrick – His Mission (Troubador) sees Patrick’s ten-man mission arrive by boat in the Irish Kingdom of Brega, where…

Continue

Posted by John Dean on March 1, 2024 at 7:05pm

Alwyn goes into print with new book

Inkers member Alwyn Foden has gone into print with his new book Queues A Life Line.

The book tells the story of Stanley McEwan, a pun on ‘Standing and Queueing’, who despairs at his life spent in queues. 

As a youngster, life is full of promise but rapidly descends into a frustrating humdrum.  He falls out with his son and his…

Continue

Posted by John Dean on December 16, 2023 at 9:45am

New anthology is published

Inkers, a long-established collection of writers who gather fortnightly in person at the Friends’ Meeting House in Darlington, as well as online, have published their latest anthology.

A Thread of Raindrops and Other Stories contains short stories in various genres, many of them featuring a satisfying twist.

From crime to romance, and…

Continue

Posted by John Dean on September 3, 2023 at 1:56pm

Forum

What is art?

Art is an intellectual exercise that results in people seeing and thinking differently.'Art is the presentation of art and form in such a manner as to delight and inform.' Horatio.An artist is…Continue

Started by Alwyn Foden May 9, 2015.

Tuesday group stories 23 Replies

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Started by John Dean. Last reply by John Dean May 1, 2014.

Wednesday group stories 11 Replies

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Started by John Dean. Last reply by John Dean Mar 9, 2014.

The Self Publishing Conference 2014

Hello there my fellow Inkerman Writers. I realise that there are those of you, who like me, have already dabbled in the self-publishing field, but you may still be interested in attending the…Continue

Started by Tom Benson Mar 8, 2014.

 
 
 

DfC

The Inkerman Writers are members of Darlington for Culture (DfC), which was set up  in 2010 to help save Darlington Arts Centre from closure.

Its members include representatives of arts and community groups.

DfC was established after the centre’s owner, Darlington Borough Council, announced that budget cuts meant that it would have to withdraw its subsidy from the Arts Centre.

Although the centre closed, the organisation remains active - more at www.darlingtonforculture.org

 

Publications

Welcome to the site created by the Inkerman Writers to showcase our work.

Based in Darlington, North East England, and having celebrated their tenth anniversary in 2013, members have enjoyed success in a variety of arenas, including winning, and being shortlisted and highly commended, in short story competitions, having novels published and publishing the short story anthology A Strawberry in Winter, which can be obtained by visiting the website www.blurb.com

The group's second anthology of short stories, Christophe's Farewell and Other Stories, can be obtained, cost £4.95 plus postage and packing, from

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/2173759/4a79a32f5cf205f6bfd37b6f1df30e33900a5ab0?utm_source=TellAFriend&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2692827

The Inkerman Writers latest book, Out of the Shadows, which was launched as part of the 2013 Darlington Arts Festival, is on sale. The book can be ordered direct from

http://www.blurb.co.uk/b/4204019-out-of-the-shadows

The group also produced The Last Waltz, a double CD of short stories, available by contacting deangriss@btinternet.com, cost £5 plus p and p.

Several of our writers wrote original one-act plays in a collaboration with the Green Theatre company, which were performed at Darlington Arts Centre early in February, 2012.

 

Darlington-based Inkerman Writers have produced their latest anthology of short stories, Inkerman  Street, based on the demolition of a fictional northern street and the stories of the people who lived in it.

The book, which features a variety of stories ranging from horror to comedy, was launched to a large audience at the Darlington Arts Festival Literary Day on Saturday May 26 and begins like this:

Inkerman Street is still and graveyard-hushed tonight, the terraced houses cold behind boarded-up windows, silent sentinels among a sea of wasteland. No one lives here now and tomorrow the bulldozers will move in to flatten the houses to make way for the Council’s Grand Plan.

“Although the people are long gone, the houses still have life. Peek into one of the bedrooms and see on the wall a painting of a seaside scene, brightly-coloured boats bobbing in the harbour, fishermen pipe-smoking in the noonday sun and seagulls wheeling high above the choppy waters. In the roaring silence of the night, you can hear the screeching of the birds and taste the salt air, acrid and herring-sharp at the back of your throat. It is an illusion; the bedroom is empty and the blooms on the faded wallpaper have long since wilted.

“The air in the houses is musty with neglect yet but a few months before, these were bustling homes filled with frying bacon and steaming irons, whistling kettles and playing children. The houses witnessed all these scenes for more than 150 years. Behind their curtains were enacted a thousand stories but tomorrow they will be destroyed because Inkerman Street is the last of its ilk.

“Now, on the eve of the street’s death, the people who once lived here have returned, gathering solemn and silent in the mist, the ghosts of the past come to pay final tribute….”

The anthology can be purchased at http://www.blurb.co.uk/bookstore/invited/7524452/bae89c993c98ec8c8b37b12d6b9b37ecced5dec3

 

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