Writer's Block: Conversations with Writers from the Royal Literary Fund

What is writer’s block? Does every writer experience it? What really happens when the words dry up – and how do writers find their way back?

Beating Writer’s Block: Conversations with Writers from the Royal Literary Fund
with Bridget Deane, Tahmina Ali and Harry Man

The fourth in a series of eight events taking place across 2026, this session brings together North East writers and Royal Literary Fund Fellows to explore one of the most familiar – and frustrating – challenges of creative life.

How do writers work through a creative block? Can it be prevented? And how do they stay motivated, inspired and excited about their work over the long term? You’ll hear practical ideas, personal experiences and simple ways to kick-start your creativity.

Bridget Deane, Tahmina Ali and Harry Man will begin by reading short pieces from the RLF archive, before opening up a lively conversation about the realities of the writing process, followed by a Q&A.

They will also share how they keep their own creative momentum going. Whether you are just starting out, finding it hard to return to writing, or are simply curious about the life of a writer, this event offers a rare and generous insight into the working lives of some of the North’s most exciting contemporary writers.

Please note: the venue is the Discovery Space on the second floor of Middlesbrough Library. It is accessible via both stairs and lift.

Book your free place today.
Free tickets will also be available from the library on the day.

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Tahmina Ali is a Newcastle-based British-Bangladeshi spoken word poet and storyteller whose work centres wellbeing, identity, and the power of language as a tool for expression and healing. Rooted in lived experience, her poetry explores culture, motherhood, belonging, and resilience with emotional honesty and vivid imagery.

Tahmina is the founder of Freespill, co-editor of Thresholds — an anthology by South Asian women in the North East — and a two-time ABC Arts & Culture Award winner. Tahmina has performed on stages including the Glasshouse, the BBC, and Wylam Brewery, where she opened for Hollie McNish. Her work invites audiences to slow down, reflect, and reconnect.
https://tahminaali.co.uk/

Bridget Deane is a working-class, dyslexic writer based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, who has written for TV, film and theatre. Before becoming a writer, Bridget worked for twelve years as a Bafta winning producer/director on primetime network documentaries, both in the UK & USA. After leaving documentary producing, Bridget completed John Yorke’s first Showrunner Training Programme and the EastEnders BBC Shadow scheme which lead her to a writing position on Emmerdale where she was an episodic writer. Bridget has various projects in development with BFI, Hattrick, Pett Productions, Bonefide Film. Most recently, Bridget won a script commission from ITV Studios via their Disabled Writers Programme, her original drama ENDELL STREET was selected from hundreds of entries and is currently in development at Tall Story Pictures. The returning tv series is based on the life of queer suffragette general surgeon Dr Edith Myrtle who ran a hospital during the first world war, at a time when queer relationships were a secret and female surgeons were not considered equal to their male colleagues.

Harry Man won the UNESCO Bridges of Struga Award, and has been shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry. His co-collection authored with Endre Ruset, Deretter (‘Thereafter’, Flamme Forlag, 2021) won the Stephen Spender Prize for Translation and was a Dagbladet and Broken Sleep Books Book of the Year. He has also translated Endre Ruset’s poetry collection Noriaki (Broken Sleep Books) into English which contains a foreword by bestselling crime novelist Jo Nesbø. His latest book, Popular Song was published by Nine Arches Press (2024) and has been shortlisted for a Gladstone’s Library Writer in Residence Award 2026. He teaches at the University of Oxford and lives in the Tees Valley. He is the RLF Reading Round Fellow in Darlington and an RLF Bridge Fellow. To find more of Harry's work visit: www.manmadebooks.co.uk