Jump to content

Beda Higgins

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Beda Higgins is a poet and writer living in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Biography

[edit]

Beda Higgins is an Irish writer from Lancashire who lives in Newcastle upon Tyne, where she works as a Psychiatric and General Nurse. She completed a masters in creative writing from Northumbria University in 2000. In her career as a nurse she has been awarded the Queen's Nursing Institute Awards for her work using creative writing with patients. She is also a poet and short story writer who has won the Northern Writers' Awards on multiple occasions as well as the Geoff Stevens Memorial Prize.[1][2] Her work is published in anthologies as well as two collections of short stories. In 2021 her work was shortlisted for the Pigott Poetry Prize.[3][4][5][6][7]

Publications

[edit]

As Sole Author[8]

  • Higgins, Beda (2020). Ourselves. Indigo Dreams Publishing. ISBN 978-1-912876-42-6.
  • Higgins, Beda (2014). Little Crackers: Tales from the edge. Saraband Press. ISBN 978-1-908643-68-1.
  • Higgins, Beda (2011). Chameleon. Cullercoats: Iron Press. ISBN 978-0-9565725-0-9. Collection of short stories.

Anthologies and collections: Prose and poetry [8]

Articles in Journals and Magazines

Multiple articles and opinion pieces published in Independent Nurse.

Awards

[edit]

2019 VS Pritchett short story prize longlist

2018 Hippocrates Poetry Award commendation

2016 Northern Writer New Fiction Bursary

2015 Edgehill Prize longlist

2015 Frank O’Connor Prize longlist

2012 Luke Bitmead Novel Award shortlist

2012 Edgehill Prize longlist

2011 Read Regional Recommendation

2010 Northern Writer Award

2010 Cinnamon Press novel Award shortlist

2009 winner Mslexia short story competition

2007 Residential Prize winner Biscuit Publishing

2004 Northern Promise Award

2004 Novel shortlisted Lit Idol national competition

[9]

Projects

[edit]

2022 Speaker at Sunderland Symposium: Humanities in Medicine

2016–2020 BBC 2 500 words children’s competition Judge

2013 Writing mentor for New Writing North Cuckoo project

2010 Art’s council representative Toronto short story conference

2010 National Short Story Day commissioned story ‘Cinderella’ broadcast

2008 Queens Nursing Institute Award Creative Writing as a therapeutic tool

2007 Writing mentor regeneration project/New Writing North 2007

2006 Writing mentor Creative centre/New Writing North 2006

Regular contributor to Independent Nurse (Journal for Professional Nurses)

[9]

Sources

[edit]
  1. ^ "Beda Higgins". Northern Writers Awards.
  2. ^ "Beda Higgins and Jane Lovell win Geoff Stevens Memorial Prize – The Poetry Society". poetrysociety.org.uk.
  3. ^ Crowley, Sinéad (14 April 2021). "Trio of Irish poets shortlisted for Pigott prize".
  4. ^ "Beda Higgins". Inpress Books.
  5. ^ "Listowel Writers' Week : Literary Festival". Listowel Writers' Week Literary Festival.
  6. ^ "Eight local authors unveiled as Read Regional 2011 campaign launches at Hexham". New Writing North. 7 May 2011.
  7. ^ Hodgson, Barbara (7 November 2014). "Newcastle nurse's new novel helps fight the stigma of mental health". ChronicleLive.
  8. ^ a b "Publications". Beda Higgins. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Awards/Projects". Beda Higgins. Retrieved 7 March 2022.