Dudley Creates started as a Creative Black Country commissioned cultural programme designed to make possible a diverse and locally relevant programme of high-quality creative participation opportunities for local communities across Dudley Borough.

On a regular Monday morning in Dudley, just after the COVID restrictions had begun to lift, creative artist Gavin Rogers led a small group of women, POC and members of the LGBTQIA+ community into Netherton Tunnel.

This inclusive and inventive poetry and animation project consisted of a series of online writing workshops with poet and playwright Nafeesa Hamid and further online animation workshops with Sarah to bring the poems to life in an animated film

What do a freelance photographer and filmmaker, the front-of-house manager at a theatre, a touring company general manager, an art gallery visitor assistant supervisor, and a museum outreach manager all have in common? 

What do get when you bring together the Dudley Peoples Archive, the wonderful Growing Up In Dudley project, a stack of linen squares, an ambitious, creative community facilitator and a welcoming space at CoLab Dudley?

Bostin News edition 01 is available to read in full online and to download.

We’re kicking off 2021 by sharing some Bostin News - quite literally. We have copies of the Newspaper that collates some of the lovely work you might of seen already on here but also some special pieces of content that we have also saved JUST for the newspaper. Would you like a copy?

Bostin News: Meet Content Editor Anneka French

Bostin News: Meet Content Editor Louise Bloomfield

Bostin News: Meet Content Editor Tim Brinkhurst

Bostin News: Meet Content Editor HEATHER WASTIE

Bostin News: Meet Editorial Assistant Eve Orford

When we started to follow @busybee_amy (or Amy Holland as we now know) on Instagram we were instantly taken by her illustrations. From beautiful plants to detailed drawings of imaginary characters in busy rooms - we loved her style. So when we wanted some illustrations of our content editors we knew who we had to ask.

Sound artist and producer Tim Brinkhurst has produced 5 sound pieces for Bostin News that speak of and share creativity. The final one is Interrupted.

Rupi Dhillon is a British Indian artist currently based in the Black Country. In her work she explores relationships between (wo)men and their environment, exploring how culture is connected to belonging. Her current work reimagines cultural experience through participatory performance, collaboration, gifting and found objects.

During lockdown, when many of us wondered how we might fill our days at home, Bloom Creative Wellbeing CIC launched their 21-Day Rainbow Challenge via social media. It caught the attention of Rosie who was looking for something to do with her toddler Nova…

Sound artist and producer Tim Brinkhurst has produced 5 sound pieces for Bostin News that speak of and share creativity. The fourth is I Can Hear Your Inner Thoughts - Father Barry Starts the Day.

The Battle of Stourbridge by Heather Wastie was written using memories of Jeni Hatton, Jose Wyles and her mother, Sheila Smith, during Alarum Productions’ ‘I Dig Canals’ research project.

Like many people in 2020 artist Lou Blakeway has discovered and uncovered more about her local neighbourhood. For this piece, commissioned by Bostin News Content Editor Heather Wastie, Louise talks us through how lockdown walks inspired her work…

Three bridges, Four Tunnels by Heather Wastie is inspired by three bridges in close proximity on the canal at Bumble Hole, Netherton. Netherton Tunnel Bridge spans the main route while Boshboil Arm Bridge and Windmill End Bridge both lead to dead ends.

Exploring the challenges and opportunities for emerging musicians during Covid-19 - Scott Garrett explores the issues.

Hannah Taylor, live performance artist and facilitator, is one the many residents in the Midlands who has been shielding since March. Working from home, she was commissioned by Creative Black Country in May to run a project called ‘Fragments’.

Live music and performance has been hit really hard during the pandemic but that doesn’t mean people have stopped performing, playing and recording. We asked Head of MAS Records Scott Garrett to give us the lowdown on the musical talent from across the Black Country that we should be looking out for and supporting.

"Come on Home" was written by Ben George right at the beginning of lockdown when full restrictions were just about to be set in place. Ben's brother, Sam, performed and recorded the intimate track from his shark-themed lockdown bedroom as his voice was best able to faithfully evoke the bitter-sweet sentiment of the lyrics.

I need to bounce off someone to get to the nub of what I’m trying to say. To get to the real truth of my thoughts. Especially now that we are all self-isolating. I could argue that I’m still thinking the same way I thought three months ago. Because we’ve been forced to stay in one place, whereas before I chose to stay in one place.

Rising From A Pandemic - Written & read by Al Barz and commissioned by Bostin News Content Editor Heather Wastie.

Tim Brinkhurst with artist Fokawolf… If I go out there and keep putting fake posters around then hopefully it brings questions in people such as, if that’s fake what else around me could be fake? And if that has tricked me, what else in society has tricked me?

Sound artist and producer Tim Brinkhurst has produced 5 sound pieces for Bostin News that speak of and share creativity. The first is A Cough Or A Question. Listen or read.

In September 2019 16 members of Mossley Big Local community group walked to local Sneyd Reservoir to take photographs of the landscape which they later used as reference to make into drawings and paintings. Our co-editor Heather Wastie commissioned Alex Vann to produce a song and video. See the video…

‘Stay Up Your Own End’ was a series of six online events, each providing a platform for poets of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to share their work. Held on Monday evenings on the Prattlers Facebook page, fellow poets were encouraged to write about some aspect of life in their part of the Black Country.