Julia Darling (1956-2005)

Julia Darling began her writing career as a poet and worked with The Poetry Virgins for many years, touring and writing for performance. In 1995 she published a book of short stories Bloodlines and many of these stories were broadcast on Radio Four. In 1998 her novel Crocodile Soup was auctioned by six publishing houses and published by Anchor at Transworld, and went on to be published in Canada, Australia, Europe and the States. She wrote many stage plays, beginning with youth theatre, which included Venetia Love Goes Netting, Personal Belongings, Sea-life (broadcast live on Radio 4) and The Last Post all produced by Live Theatre in Newcastle upon Tyne. Julia’s play Personal Belongings was performed at Edinburgh in 2002. She worked with glass designer Cate Watkinson to produce words on glass and marble benches throughout Newcastle in the spring of 2002. Also a glass window for the Port of Tyne Building in South Shields.

Julia Darling worked in the School of English at the University of Newcastle and developed work around the area of creative writing and health, running day workshops open to medical practitioners, carers, academics, patients. She developed writing exercises to be used by people who work in health care. She also published a collection of poems, Sudden Collapses In Public Places (Arc Press) which explores her own treatment for breast cancer.  Much of the work she did in collaboration with writers Cynthia Fuller and Rima Handley at the English School. This exciting and positive work helped health professionals to be more creative and patients to be more confident.