New Northern Voices: Louise Powell, Sufiyaan Salam and Shaun Wilson

Three exciting new authors introduce their powerful debut novels. Northern communities are vividly brought to life through the young son of an ex-miner in 1990s County Durham in Underdogs, three brown boys on Manchester’s Curry Mile in Wimmy Road Boyz, and a Cumbrian teenager rebelling against his fearsome publican father in Malc’s Boy.

Louise Powell is a working-class writer from Middlesbrough. Louise was published in the Common People anthology. She won the Sid Chaplin Award at the Northern Writers’ Awards in 2023 for Underdogs.

Blackburn-born Sufiyaan Salam was named as one of The Observer’s best debut novelists of 2026 for his #Merky Books New Writers Prize-winning debut, Wimmy Road Boyz. He is a novelist, former animator, and an award-winning screenwriter.

Shaun Wilson is author of the novel Malc’s Boy, which won a Northern Writers’ Award in 2021. Shaun’s work was also published in the Common People anthology alongside Louise Powell. He lives in Cumbria.

Chaired by Degna Stone

New Northern Voices: Louise Powell, Sufiyaan Salam and Shaun Wilson

Saturday 10th October 1430 - 1530 £5 The live-stream of this event will be available to watch until 31 October Book Now Watch Live Stream

How It Works

How It Works

This is Gala Durham’s streaming service, and the place where we present all our live streamed and on-demand videos.

First Things First…
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Can I Watch on My TV?
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Recommendations

We recommend watching with an internet connection speed of at least 5Mbps.
Update your device’s operating system to the latest version.
Update your browser to the latest version.
Uninstall unnecessary toolbars on your browser.
On iPhone or iPad, if you’re getting just a black screen with controls, but no picture, try hitting the full-screen button. iOS has a built-in video player that sits on top of web players like ours and can improve stability, but only kicks in when full screen.
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Problems?
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The show may need some time to buffer, especially during busy periods, so let the video load for a couple of minutes and then try to play.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often can I watch the show?
You can watch as many times as you like.

Can I share the video link with other households?
Access to watch this video is linked to your customer account. Currently, our paywall system cannot accommodate gifting of the show – but we are working on this.

Is the event available to viewers outside the UK?
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Can I watch with captions?
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I’ve been logged out – why?
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I’ve read the FAQs and tried everything and I’m still having trouble…
Don’t worry, we’re committed to getting this right for you. If you are struggling to purchase a ticket, contact our Box Office, as below. If it’s a technical issue, we will do our best to resolve your issue as soon as possible and will definitely find a way for you to enjoy the content you have bought. Contact us on technical@durham.gov.uk.

Box Office, 03000 266600
Monday to Saturday, 10.00am – 8.30pm
Sunday, 2.30pm – 8.30pm