Julia Darling

Julia Darling was a poet, playwright and fiction writer. In March 2003 she became the second winner of the the UK's biggest literary prize, the £60,000 Northern Rock Foundation Writer's Award. Fiona Ellis, the Foundation's Director, paid tribute ater Julia's death: "We were incredibly proud when Julia became the second holder of our Award. She was a wonderful writer and a quite extraordinary ambassador for writing."

She was Royal Literary Fund Project Fellow at Newcastle University, where for two years she was also doing a poetry MA, which she obtained with a distinction in 2002. She was also writer-in-residence for Live Theatre, Newcastle in 2002. Plays include Attachments; Cold Calling; Doughnuts like Fanny's; Eating the Elephant; Head of Steam; The Last Post and Posties; Manifesto for a New City; NE1; Personal Belongings; and Venetia Love Goes Netting. Darling died in 2005, after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 50 years old.