Northern Voices
We are pleased to share with you that we will once again be collaborating with Manchester Collective on their Northern Voices project.
Manchester Collective is an experimental arts organisation known for pushing the boundaries of classical music programming. You can read more about the collective in our interview with their co-founder Adam Szabo.
This year we are looking for two pitches from Greater Manchester based writers. The first is a thoughtful piece of feature writing relating to Manchester Collective’s show WEATHER and the second is an investigative piece diving into an aspect of Greater Manchester’s contemporary music scene.
Please read the following information carefully. You are welcome to apply to both call-outs should you wish to.
The deadline for both callouts is midnight on Thursday 15th September.
The chosen writers will be paid £250 each for their piece.
You can apply via this Google Form.
Northern Voices Brief #1 – WEATHER
We are looking for a thoughtful piece of feature writing which explores ideas around weather, art and culture in response to the themes raised in Manchester Collective’s project WEATHER.
WEATHER will be shown on Friday 23 September at the Royal Northern College of Music. The show will include an immersive multimedia performance of Michael Gordon’s piece ‘Weather’ with sound artist Chris Watson and Spanish filmmaker Carlos Casas. Alongside the show there will be a display of new works made by Manchester-based artists in response to the music, you can read more about the local artists taking part.
The selected writer will be invited to the show before working closely with editors at Salt and the team at Manchester Collective to develop their ideas into a final piece which will be published on Salt’s website and socials.
For pitches, we are looking for no more than 200 words on your interest or relationship with weather. We are purposefully keeping this call out broad for writers who are looking to experiment with the form and content of their work. We would like to see up to two examples of previous work (published or unpublished) if possible.
Resources
Northern Voices Brief #2 – Manchester Music Scene
We are looking for a Greater Manchester-based writer to cover an interesting and exciting part of the city’s current music scene. This piece will be an investigation and you report on a section of the music scene in Manchester as it stands today. Whatever the genre, as long as you capture the people and culture of the scene, we are keen to hear from you.
Gig-goers, concert fans, ravers and music lovers alike are invited to submit a 200-word proposal outlining what they would like to cover and why. You are advised to include proposed interviews, research or points of interest.
We are especially interested in how the music or scene you choose connects with other aspects of our city’s life, whether that be politics, art, or history. However, we would like to keep it open to interpretation and hear what you have to say on the music scene in Manchester at this point.
How to submit?
Please submit via the Google Form linked here.
You have until midnight on Thursday 15 September to pitch your idea and if successful, you’ll be invited to attend the show on Friday 23 September. The successful writers will be invited to discuss their ideas with our editors and will receive help and guidance throughout the whole process. They will also have access to Manchester Collective’s artistic team, should they wish to.
We encourage people who are currently underrepresented in the visual arts sector to apply, including those of Black or Asian heritage, those who have faced socio-economic barriers, disabled artists and those who identify as LGBTQI+.
We can work with you on accessibility needs. If you have any questions or require further guidance please do not hesitate to get in touch via editorial@saltmagazine.co.uk with Re: Northern Voices in the subject headline.
What does a feature look like?
A feature is an in-depth piece of writing which gives the reader insight into something they may not be familiar with. Think of the piece as a window for the reader through which you can convey your research and perspectives.
You should plan out the structure of your piece beforehand: think about what you would want to know if you were reading an article.
You may wish to have interviews, or you may wish to keep them very personal. Keep asking yourself questions: why am I telling this story? What is my angle? How do I keep the reader interested and engaged?
You will have your own style of writing, but we would recommend using language that is accessible to all readers.