From Columbia Records to Creative Writing: Victoria Flemming wins Northern Writers’ Award

A Northumbria University Creative Writing student who built a career at Columbia Records and on television productions in the United States has won the Northumbria Student and Alumni Award at the Northern Writers’ Awards 2026.

Victoria Flemming, who is studying for an MA in Creative Writing at Northumbria, was recognised for a portfolio of poetry exploring themes of home, identity and belonging – work that draws on her experience of living across multiple US states and relocating to the North East of England.

Now in their 27th year, the Northern Writers’ Awards are England's largest and longest-running writer development programme, run by New Writing North. The awards identify some of the best unpublished writing in the North of England, supporting new work-in-progress at a pivotal stage, often before an agent or publisher is involved.

The 2026 awards attracted over 1,500 entries, with 27 winners sharing a total support package of approximately £75,000, including £64,300 in cash bursaries going directly to writers.

Northumbria University has been a partner of the awards since 2012, sponsoring the Student and Alumni Award, which is worth £2,000 and is open to final-year students and recent graduates of Northumbria University in any discipline, for a single standalone piece of fiction, narrative non-fiction or poetry, or an extract of a longer work.

This year's awards ceremony was hosted at Northumbria University, bringing together winners from across the North of England. Previous winners of the Northern Writers Awards have gone on to be shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, win the Goldsmiths Prize for fiction, and win the Forward Prize for Best Collection.

We spoke to Victoria about her award-winning work, her remarkable career history, and what drew her to Newcastle.

Your background is in the music and television industries in the US. What made you want to study creative writing at Northumbria?

"I'm extremely proud of those professional roles. They allowed me to work alongside artists, producers and crew at the top of the industry, and because of that, they inspired me to keep growing myself. I was fortunate to have a songwriter/artist career in LA as well, through live shows, TV syncs, and music videos; all built on collaboration. I've always been someone who wants to keep learning from others and adding skills to my repertoire, so while this move may look like a 'stepping away' from the outside, it feels like expanding to me. The heart of my previous work and choosing to study creative writing is the same: finding connection through storytelling.

"Like a lot of major decisions, the move to Newcastle was influenced by multiple factors. Along with sharpening a new creative discipline, I had desired to live abroad for years. Studying creative writing in England felt like the necessary move, and the more I looked into the North East, the more it felt like the right fit."

What was it about Northumbria's Creative Writing MA specifically that drew you?

"Northumbria's MA made it clear that we'd be able to try different formats across the programme, even if we weren't quite sure what our dissertation focus would be just yet. As someone who isn't the 'traditional' student and wasn't a creative writing or English major during my bachelor's, the challenge to explore multiple approaches that still felt accessible was a major draw.

"When finalising my decision, it also became apparent just how many different I was also drawn to Northumbria’s relationships outside of the university. Their network of partner organisations, across the region and beyond, is a major plus for employability post studies."

Can you tell us about the work you submitted?

"I submitted poetry for this award. The first section included a sequence following seven of the US states I've lived in. Alongside this, there were a few pieces from a larger project emphasising the similarity between our physical bodies and patterns we find in nature. The other stand-alone poems submitted have their own voices but are still rooted in place and what that means to us moment by moment.

"Even though they may not all be intentionally related, my writing, especially in poetry, tends to centre around themes of home, identity and belonging. Writers are observers, and as someone who has picked up and moved several times in my life, observation has become a tool to translate complex emotions."

How has your background in music and television shaped the way you write?

"In some ways it's laid the groundwork for a natural transition, especially with poetry. I consider songwriting and poetry siblings, but just like siblings, they still have their own identity. Poetry can break a lot of the rules that songs typically follow, so it's been fun to stretch myself as a writer without those same borders.

"When it comes to brainstorming, I usually start each writing project, regardless of format, with a playlist to help inspire the themes I want to focus on. I pushed this concept even further in my poetry sequence, MOVEMENT, BEFORE, where each poem, highlighting a different US state, has a corresponding footnote with a song relating to the poem's intent.

"My work in TV, and at the record label, definitely influences how I visualise the finished product, especially with script. Even before it's fully written, it's hard not to call back to all the pieces that need to come together for its second life: actors, director, costumes, setting. There is so much that develops after the words are written."

What does winning this award mean to you?

"Going back to school after years away isn't always the easiest decision, especially if it feels like you're adding a whole new discipline to your credentials. There's also an added weight when you choose to do so internationally. Winning this award, in this moment, is encouragement for the future and validation of that decision to 'jump' over a year ago. It feels like I landed right where I needed to be."

Has the North East surprised you?

"The biggest surprise was how quickly the North East won me over. Prior to moving here, I had actually never been to Newcastle or this part of the country at all. Having lived in major creative hubs like LA and New York, it's encouraging to see art being supported and funded here in the way that it is. You can also feel a priority on community building from both the university and wider organisations in the region.

"As a lover of nature and history, I've been surprised at just how beautiful this part of the world is – countryside, seaside and cities. It's hard to think of my life without it now. One of the poems in my submission, ‘A Sunny Interlude’, was written in Saltwell Park in Gateshead."

What are your plans after the MA?

"I do feel like I'll always be a bit of a blend – certain moments will be for certain mediums. Music is my first love, so I'll always write songs. Poetry has quickly become a part of my routine, and I hope to have my pieces published.

"As far as my current focus, I'm working on an original stage musical for my dissertation. I love musical theatre, as a participant and consumer, so it's very much a combination of my past and present. My goal after the MA is to continue developing the musical, get it ready to pitch, and one day see it performed on stage. This project stretches me in so many new ways, but at the same time, feels like coming home."

What would you say to students who don't see themselves as 'traditional' writers but have creative ambitions?

"With something as vulnerable as creative expression, it's easy to feel intimidated when you open yourself up to a new discipline. Not having the same kind of academic exposure that a lot of creative writing students have prior to a master's, I wasn't quite sure how I was going to 'catch up'. But I've learned that in areas where I felt I lacked, I’ve brought something else to the table: a unique life experience and a genuine desire to be a better writer.

"Regardless of age or background or catalogue, no person has more claim on storytelling than another. Ultimately, if you show up with an open attitude and engage, no one can fault you and not call you a writer."

Find out more about the New Writing North and the Northern Writers’ Awards.

A Sunny Interlude - by Victoria Flemming

what an influence, the sun.

rays that pull people

who pull companions

to sister ocean, brother mountain,

and lovers park

with limited hours in a day to bathe,

one by one,

creed, lens, phase,

sprinkle over grass

during a shared respite from rain

each hub, often idle in winter,

wait to be summoned

on blue skies command,

for blue skies sit at the sun’s right hand

as the air opens up and lets light in

healing medicine, communal vitamins,

green spaces shine in their humble vitalness.