Christopher Barnes

Bewildering Stories biography

to Bewildering Stories bibliography

In 1998 I won a Northern Arts writers award.

In July 2000 I read at Waterstones bookshop to promote the anthology Titles Are Bitches.

Christmas 2001 I debuted at Newcastle’s famous Morden Tower doing a reading of my poems.

Each year I read for Proudwords lesbian and gay writing festival and I partake in workshops.

2005 saw the publication of my collection Lovebites published by Chanticleer Press, 6/1 Jamaica Mews, Edinburgh.

On Saturday 16th August 2003 I read at the Edinburgh Festival as a Per Verse poet at LGBT Centre, Broughton St.

I also have a BBC webpage and at Gay History. If the first site does not work, click on Section 28 on the second site.

Christmas 2001: The Northern Cultural Skills Partnership sponsored me to be mentored by Andy Croft in conjunction with New Writing North. I made a radio programme for Web FM community radio about my writing group.

October-November 2005, I entered a poem/visual image into the art exhibition The Art Cafe Project, the piece Post-Mark was shown in Betty’s Newcastle. This event was sponsored by Pride On The Tyne.

I made a digital film with artists Kate Sweeney and Julie Ballands at a film making workshop called Out of the Picture which was shown at the festival party for Proudwords, it contains my poem “The Old Heave-Ho.”

I worked on a collaborative art and literature project called How Gay Are Your Genes, facilitated by Lisa Mathews (poet) which exhibited at The Hatton Gallery, Newcastle University funded by The Policy, Ethics and Life Sciences Research Institute, Bioscience Centre at Newcastle’s Centre for Life.

I was involved in the Five Arts Cities poetry postcard event which exhibited at The Seven Stories children’s literature building. In May I had 2006 a solo art/poetry exhibition at The People’s Theatre. Why not take a look at their website.

The South Bank Centre in London recorded my poem “The Holiday I Never Had,” I can be heard reading it on Poetry Magazines

REVIEWS: I have written poetry reviews for Poetry Scotland and Jacket Magazine and in August 2007 I made a film called ‘A Blank Screen, 60 seconds, 1 shot’ for Queerbeats Festival at The Star & Shadow Cinema Newcastle, reviewing a poem; it can be seen on MySpace.