Hame, or hyem, yem:
noun, home; place of family, comfort, sanctuary; North-East England, from Scandinavian and Old English
Hame - My Durham is the title of a new collection of writing by Sid Chaplin set in and around the mining villages by the River Wear in which he grew up and later worked underground.
The book is edited by his son Michael Chaplin, who has written a commentary on his father’s early life and work and an essay in which he revisits these places to tell the story of how they have fared since his father left them, accompanied by a photographic essay by Karen Atkinson.
Contributors
Hame - My Durham is a book enriched by the work of three collaborators - a writer, Sid Chaplin's youngest son Michael, photographer Karen Atkinson and artist Birtley Aris.
Michael Chaplin
Writer & Editor
A playwright, screenwriter and non-fiction writer living in Newcastle, Michael has many credits in television, radio and the theatre. He has also written three works of non-fiction about the North East, in collaboration with New Writing North: There Is a Green Hill; Tyne View: A Walk Around the Port of Tyne; and Come and See: The Beguiling Story of the Tyneside Cinema. He is the youngest child and literary executor of Sid Chaplin.
Karen Atkinson
Photographer
A photographer and musician, Karen is particularly known for her long exposure work, such as the award-winning trio of Sage Gateshead images in black and white abstract forms and her Nexus commission A High Place Beside the Water, inspired by the history of Hebburn, for the town’s Metro station. Karen is currently working on a digitisation project at Newcastle University’s Special Collections Department of the Robinson Library, where she also curates exhibitions.
Birtley Aris
Artist
Originally a designer and craftsman in stained glass, Birtley began exhibiting as an artist in 1967, and has been painting full-time since 1982. Born in Sunderland and now living in Northumberland, much of his work is based on poetry and he has worked with a number of contemporary poets. Many years ago he collaborated with Sid Chaplin, and has previously worked twice with Michael Chaplin on Tyne View and There Is a Green Hill.
The publishers of Hame - My Durham
Learn more about Mayfly Press, the publishers of Hame - My Durham and the work they are doing with New Writing North