DR LOUISE POWELL

Credits

Awards

  • Sid Chaplin Award Winner 2023, Northern Writers’ Award, New Writing North. Awarded for novel-in-progress.
  • National Lottery Project Grant 2024-25, awarded for the Coal Face combined arts project.
  • National Lottery Project Grant 2023-24, awarded for the Dogpeople combined arts project.
  • Writer of the Year Award Finalist 2023, North East Culture Awards.
  • Peter Lathan Award for New Writing 2022, awarded for Grown Up Writin’, The Customs House.
  • National Lottery Project Grant 2022, awarded for the Counter Culture art film.
  • Arts Council Developing Your Creative Practice 2020, awarded for novel-in-progress.

Commissions

  • Coal Face: Sunderland (2025), exhibition of poetry, plus a poetry collection, published by Redhills CIO, funded by an Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant and delivered in partnership with University College London, The Cultural Spring and Sunderland Culture.
  • Coal Face: 3 x 15″ Poetry Soundscapes (2025), dramatic readings and soundscapes built around 15 of my poems, funded by an Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant & delivered in partnership with Redhills CIO, University College London, The Cultural Spring and Sunderland Culture. Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
  • Coal Face: 3 x 20″ Audio Documentaries (2025), funded by an Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant and delivered in partnership with Redhills CIO, University College London, The Cultural Spring and Sunderland Culture. Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
  • ‘It Was Out of This World’: A Social History of Hartlepool Greyhound Stadium (2025), 1,200 word essay for the North East Heritage Library Collection, Vol. 4.
  • ‘If Someone Falls, We’re There for Them’: Stories from Sacriston’ (2024), 2,000 word essay, commissioned by New Writing North and Redhills CIO for the ‘North East Now’ Series.
  • Coal Face: Washington’s Mining Heritage (2024), poetry collection, published by Redhills CIO, funded by an Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant.
  • Dogpeople (2024), 8 episode podcast series, Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant and ‘Untold Stories’ Commission, No More Nowt. Available at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dr-louise-powell
  • ‘First Stage’ (2024), creative research report, Tees Valley Combined Authority.
  • ‘Born Flapping: The Independent Greyhound Racing Scene’ (2024), Guest Blog, Betting and Gaming Council.
  • Coal Face (2023), book, published by Redhills CIO.
    Coal Face (2023), 57 minute podcast, Redhills CIO, The Cultural Spring & University College London.
  • Grown Up Writin’ (2023), 75 minute play, The Customs House Theatre.
  • Impulse (2023), short play for Your Voice, Your World: North East, Live Theatre.
  • ‘A Short History of Flapping in the North East’ (2023), essay, NE Heritage Library.
  • Introduction (2023), ‘Indelicate, Ungenteel, Vulgar & Outrageous Women’ exhibition, Durham University.
  • Dogpeople (2023), 20 minute podcast, Durham Culture County.
  • Creases (2022), short play for Haddaway & Write, Blowin’ A Hooley Theatre Company.
  • The Pitmen Flappers (2022), BBC New Creatives (broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra).
  • Counter Culture (2021), art film, Durham Book Festival & Arts Council England.
  • This Used To Be A… (2021), art film, Hartlepool Little Waterfronts Festival.
  • This Place is Going to the Dogs (2019), short film, Durham Book Festival.

All Writing Credits

  • Coal Face: Sunderland (2025), exhibition of poetry, plus a poetry collection, published by Redhills CIO, funded by an Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant and delivered in partnership with University College London, The Cultural Spring and Sunderland Culture.
  • Coal Face: 3 x 15″ Poetry Soundscapes (2025), dramatic readings and soundscapes built around 15 of my poems, funded by an Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant & delivered in partnership with Redhills CIO, University College London, The Cultural Spring and Sunderland Culture. Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
  • Coal Face: 3 x 20″ Audio Documentaries (2025), funded by an Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant and delivered in partnership with Redhills CIO, University College London, The Cultural Spring and Sunderland Culture. Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
  • ‘It Was Out of This World’: A Social History of Hartlepool Greyhound Stadium (2025), 1,200 word essay for the North East Heritage Library Collection, Vol. 4.
  • ‘If Someone Falls, We’re There for Them’: Stories from Sacriston’ (2024, forthcoming), 2,000 word essay, commissioned by New Writing North and Redhills CIO for the ‘North East Now’ Series.
  • Coal Face (2024, forthcoming), book, published by Redhills CIO, funded by an Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant.
  • Dogpeople (2024), 8 episode podcast series, Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant and ‘Untold Stories’ Commission, No More Nowt. Available at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dr-louise-powell
  • First Stage (2024), 45 page playwriting report for Tees Valley Combined Authority.
  • ‘Born Flapping: The Independent Greyhound Racing Scene’ (2024), Guest Blog, Betting and Gaming Council.
  • Coal Face (2023), podcast for Redhills CIO, The Cultural Spring & University College London.
  • A Classic Night at Sunderland (2023): blog for Premier Greyhound Racing.
  • Coal Face (2023), book, published by Redhills CIO.
  • Grown Up Writin’ (2023), 75 minute drama, The Customs House Theatre.
  • Impulse (2023), short play for Your Voice, Your World: North East, Live Theatre.
  • ‘A Short History of Flapping in the North East’ (2023), essay, NE Heritage Library Zine.
  • Introduction (2023), ‘Indelicate, Ungenteel, Vulgar & Outrageous Women’ exhibition.
  • Dogpeople (2023), 20 minute podcast, Durham Culture County commission.
  • Grown Up Writin’ (2023), 15 minute rehearsed reading for PLAY 2, The Customs House.
  • Creases (2023), short play for Haddaway & Write, The Exchange Theatre.
  • Creases (2023), 5 minute script-in-hand reading for Papatango GoWrite, Theatre Hullabaloo.
  • The Pitmen Flappers (2022), BBC Radio 4 Extra audio drama.
  • An Advertisement for Moorfields / A Dirge for the Dogs (2021), for Counter Culture art film
  • Counter Culture (2021), 25 minute art film, producer, co-director, co-writer, script editor.
  • This Used to Be A… (2021), art film for Hartlepool Little Waterfronts Festival.
  • Posh Cups (2020), monologue for Novo Productions.
  • This Place is Going to the Dogs (2019), art film for Durham Book Festival.
  • Fit for Work (2019), drama, The Chapel Playhouse.
  • Fit for Work (2019), drama, Durham Assembly Rooms’ Spare Room Festival.
  • This Place is Going to the Dogs (2019), memoir in Common People, ed. Kit de Waal.
  • Fit for Work (2019), drama, The Tristan Bates Theatre.
  • Are You Alright? (2016), comedy sketch, Bolton Octagon Theatre.

Talent Development Schemes

  • Clore Leadership Tees Valley Mentoring (2024), Clore Leadership.
  • ADAPT Screenwriting Working Group (2024), New Writing North.
  • Northern Writers’ Awards Talent Network (2023), New Writing North.
  • PLAY 2 (2022), The Customs House Theatre.
  • Haddaway & Write (2022), Blowin’ a Hooley Theatre Company.
  • GoWrite (2022), Papatango Theatre Company.
  • BFI Weekender (2021), British Film Institute.
  • Writer Development Scheme: Screenwriting (2021), Portopia Productions.
  • BBC New Creatives North (2020), BBC Arts and Tyneside Cinema.
  • Common People Programme (2019), New Writing North.
  • Significant Ink: Screenwriting (2017), New Writing North.

Award-winning author & playwright

Louise Powell is the author of UNDERDOGS, a literary fiction novel to be published by the JM Originals imprint of John Murray Press on 2nd July 2026.

She is an award-winning working-class writer and socially-engaged practitioner who works across forms, including prose, plays, podcasts, poetry, creative non-fiction and research projects. She has experience in public speaking, creative writing facilitation, and project management.

A domestically and internationally published scholar, she has a PhD in English from Sheffield Hallam University and has held a Greyhound Board of Great Britain Professional Greyhound Trainer’s Licence.

Contact information

@louise__powell

@louisepowellauthor

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