Posts
A Writer’s Advent – Day 31
3 years ago
Monday, 8 February 2010
Review: The Loss Adjustor by Aifric Campbell
Where do I start with this book? The second novel from Serpents Tail author Aifric Campbell, inspired by the Sussex house she now lives in...
At once startling, moving and raw, this is very good prose draped over a very powerful story. If I am honest, it contains plenty of elements that, when put together, ought really to have a sense of the done-before. A city worker with a small-town past, a childhood friendship full of secrets and tragedy that continues to plague her into adulthood, an intoxicating first love that tails off without resolution and leaves our protagonist, Caro, unable to move on, that pain magnified by the object of her affection becoming a world famous rock star. Caro is left to replay the memories of his first guitar solos in their childhood bedrooms, and interrogate his lyrics for any mention of her.
Add this to the challenging and slightly antagonistic friendship Caro is forming with Tom, an elderly man she often sits opposite in a churchyard as they ritually pay their respective dues. It is this that drags her back into the history of the town in which she grew up, forcing them both to confront the demons that accompany them along their lonely paths.
It should be familiar. But somehow, due in no small part to the beautiful prose and commanding language, it is wholly new. The story is compelling, managing to be at the same time nostalgic and contemporary. Caro is likeable, but only just, making her a very three dimensional character - constantly dipping in and out of functionality in a way that we probably won't want to admit we can relate to. The landscape is well drawn, and the twist in the tale was, for me at least, completely unexpected.
A beautiful, riveting book that I hesitate not to recommend.
At once startling, moving and raw, this is very good prose draped over a very powerful story. If I am honest, it contains plenty of elements that, when put together, ought really to have a sense of the done-before. A city worker with a small-town past, a childhood friendship full of secrets and tragedy that continues to plague her into adulthood, an intoxicating first love that tails off without resolution and leaves our protagonist, Caro, unable to move on, that pain magnified by the object of her affection becoming a world famous rock star. Caro is left to replay the memories of his first guitar solos in their childhood bedrooms, and interrogate his lyrics for any mention of her.
Add this to the challenging and slightly antagonistic friendship Caro is forming with Tom, an elderly man she often sits opposite in a churchyard as they ritually pay their respective dues. It is this that drags her back into the history of the town in which she grew up, forcing them both to confront the demons that accompany them along their lonely paths.
It should be familiar. But somehow, due in no small part to the beautiful prose and commanding language, it is wholly new. The story is compelling, managing to be at the same time nostalgic and contemporary. Caro is likeable, but only just, making her a very three dimensional character - constantly dipping in and out of functionality in a way that we probably won't want to admit we can relate to. The landscape is well drawn, and the twist in the tale was, for me at least, completely unexpected.
A beautiful, riveting book that I hesitate not to recommend.
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Screenwriting Workshops
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Review : Tell It To The Bees by Fiona Shaw
I had expectations of this book. Knowing it was a Tindal Street Press title, and having noticed it featured in events during Birmingham's SHOUT Festival in November, and hearing good things about that, I was curious to see what all the fuss was about.
I wasn't disappointed, although I have to say the book did take a while to get going, for me. Once past the initial exploration of the book's main characters - young Charlie, his mother, and the town's new female doctor, it settled nicely into the painful disintegration of Charlie's family life, before moving into his and his heartbroken mother's respective lonelinesses. What the book does very well is harness the bleakness Lydia (Charlie's mother) faces, the lack of choices, the genuine struggle. It contrasts well with the relief Charlie, and later Lydia, find in the Doctor's house. The bees, Charlie's fascination, are a nice vehicle for the solitude and silence of these characters, bringing out the culture of keeping quiet that permeated Fifties society. This serves to subtly bring to our attention the theme of homophobia rather than assaulting us with it earlier on. In fact, in the end, the story revolves as much around class as it does around the relationship between the two women.
Charlie is well drawn - a harried young boy with plenty of sense, if not a clear understanding, of the world they are living in.
In short, this is a complex emotional plot wound into a very accessible, appealing story. Definitely one to read and recommend.
I wasn't disappointed, although I have to say the book did take a while to get going, for me. Once past the initial exploration of the book's main characters - young Charlie, his mother, and the town's new female doctor, it settled nicely into the painful disintegration of Charlie's family life, before moving into his and his heartbroken mother's respective lonelinesses. What the book does very well is harness the bleakness Lydia (Charlie's mother) faces, the lack of choices, the genuine struggle. It contrasts well with the relief Charlie, and later Lydia, find in the Doctor's house. The bees, Charlie's fascination, are a nice vehicle for the solitude and silence of these characters, bringing out the culture of keeping quiet that permeated Fifties society. This serves to subtly bring to our attention the theme of homophobia rather than assaulting us with it earlier on. In fact, in the end, the story revolves as much around class as it does around the relationship between the two women.
Charlie is well drawn - a harried young boy with plenty of sense, if not a clear understanding, of the world they are living in.
In short, this is a complex emotional plot wound into a very accessible, appealing story. Definitely one to read and recommend.
Friday, 22 January 2010
Clare Morrall Book Launch
Join us in launching Clare Morrall's fourth novel
Monday 22 February 2010
6.45 - 8.45pm
The Electric Cinema, Station St, Birmingham, B5 4DY.
For a free place, email me (sara[at]birminghambookfestival[dot]org or call 0121 246 2792.
For more information about Clare, go here.
Sponsored by Sceptre and supported by the Electric Cinema.
Wednesday, 20 January 2010
New books and ideas for 2010.
Things are happening in the Book Festival offices. The general pace of things is go, go, go. Which, for January, is interesting.
Perhaps word has filtered through, perhaps not - we are changing slightly as an organisation in order to do more. As well as the Birmingham Book Festival we are now also the new literature development agency for the West Midlands, Writing West Midlands (WWM). Jonathan Davidson, previously Director of the Birmingham Book Festival (now Associate Director and Chief Executive of WWM) is focusing on WWM and Write On, the Festival's education strand. This means that I am now focused solely on the Festival, and, as of January 2010, am full time - a whole five days a week to work on the Festival - a luxury.
I have been spending a lot of that time on the train, in meetings and on the internet finding out what is happening in the world of books and publishing in 2010. Here are a few of the (many) things that excite me:
New books for 2010 that I am already thinking about:
Add to this the heady combination of poet Jo Bell and novelist Jenn Ashworth, who are introducing a new show they like to call Too Much Information - a mix of short stories and poetry, wicked, wise and witty words about the bitter side of love, nightmare dates, friends and dead people, among other things.... knowing these two it promises to be dark, different and definitely funny. It will be part of our Spring Thing on Saturday May 29th, details of which will be appearing here in late February/early March.
Tomorrow I am off to London to meet with colleagues at the RSA, with whom the Festival has been happily working for several years now, to chat over ideas for 2010. It's then on to Serpent's Tail Publishers, who publish the excellent Bethan Roberts, Amanda Smyth and Aifric Campbell among others, to find out what they have to offer this year, and then along to Random House for an intensive two hour run through of their publishing calendar.
Come back here soon for reviews aplenty, including Raphael Selbourne's Costa First Novel Award winning novel Beauty, and Fiona Shaw's Tell It To The Bees.
Stay Well
Sara
Perhaps word has filtered through, perhaps not - we are changing slightly as an organisation in order to do more. As well as the Birmingham Book Festival we are now also the new literature development agency for the West Midlands, Writing West Midlands (WWM). Jonathan Davidson, previously Director of the Birmingham Book Festival (now Associate Director and Chief Executive of WWM) is focusing on WWM and Write On, the Festival's education strand. This means that I am now focused solely on the Festival, and, as of January 2010, am full time - a whole five days a week to work on the Festival - a luxury.
I have been spending a lot of that time on the train, in meetings and on the internet finding out what is happening in the world of books and publishing in 2010. Here are a few of the (many) things that excite me:
New books for 2010 that I am already thinking about:
- Lionel Shriver's new novel, So Much For That, is out in March.
- The Room Swept White is the latest from Sophie Hannah, also out in March.
- A second novel from Catherine O'Flynn to follow the brilliant What Was Lost comes our way in July.
- New Tindal Street titles including Maria Allen's Before The Earthquake, in February, Lesley Glaister's Chosen in May and Richard Francis' The Old Spring in July.
- Clare Morrall's fourth novel, The Man Who Disappeared, which we are launching on February 22nd, at the Electric Cinema, Birmingham, at 6.45pm. If you'd like to come, just email or call us (sara [at] birmingham book festival [dot] org, 0121 246 2792).
Add to this the heady combination of poet Jo Bell and novelist Jenn Ashworth, who are introducing a new show they like to call Too Much Information - a mix of short stories and poetry, wicked, wise and witty words about the bitter side of love, nightmare dates, friends and dead people, among other things.... knowing these two it promises to be dark, different and definitely funny. It will be part of our Spring Thing on Saturday May 29th, details of which will be appearing here in late February/early March.
Tomorrow I am off to London to meet with colleagues at the RSA, with whom the Festival has been happily working for several years now, to chat over ideas for 2010. It's then on to Serpent's Tail Publishers, who publish the excellent Bethan Roberts, Amanda Smyth and Aifric Campbell among others, to find out what they have to offer this year, and then along to Random House for an intensive two hour run through of their publishing calendar.
Come back here soon for reviews aplenty, including Raphael Selbourne's Costa First Novel Award winning novel Beauty, and Fiona Shaw's Tell It To The Bees.
Stay Well
Sara
Friday, 15 January 2010
A workshop opportunity for poets...
EVERY NEW IDEA - POETRY WORKSHOP - with Roz Goddard.
Venue: Birmingham Central Library (Shakespeare Memorial Room)
Date: Saturday 6 February
Time: 10am-12.30pm
Price: £25 (£20 concs) Call 0121 303 2323 to book.
We all occupy writing territories, some grown dusty with intensive farming.
This workshop will look at ways we can re-seed the ground we love to produce fresh, exciting poems. You will look at startling beginnings, expressing feelings in dazzling images and moving beyond your habitual holding bay.
Some places still available - don't miss out.
Venue: Birmingham Central Library (Shakespeare Memorial Room)
Date: Saturday 6 February
Time: 10am-12.30pm
Price: £25 (£20 concs) Call 0121 303 2323 to book.
We all occupy writing territories, some grown dusty with intensive farming.
This workshop will look at ways we can re-seed the ground we love to produce fresh, exciting poems. You will look at startling beginnings, expressing feelings in dazzling images and moving beyond your habitual holding bay.
Some places still available - don't miss out.
Monday, 23 November 2009
The Writers' Toolkit 2009
Saturday was our annual writer networking conference, the Writers' Toolkit 2009. 130 writers and others working in the writing industry came from all over the UK to meet and mingle, enjoying panel sessions on everything from Business Sense for Writers and Agents and Contacts to Performing your Poetry and Pitching Ideas. There was a lot of useful networking, chatting, tea drinking and, despite a rainy grey day in the city, bundles of enthusiasm for the matter at hand.
The day began with an excellent keynote speech from Archers writer Mary Cutler, and ended with a closing address from Director of Literature Strategy at Arts Council England, Antonia Byatt. Antonia's words about the need for activity and networking and open lines of communication between the funders and the writers about what the writing community needs struck a great chord with all those who had come to the conference with just such a thought in mind.
Antonia was followed by Jonathan Davidson, whose announcement of our new umbrella body, Writing West Midlands, was, therefore, timely. WWM is now the new Literature Development Agency for the West Midlands, formed out of a desire to emulate the good work being done by other regional agencies - Writing East Midlands, New Writing North, for example.
The West Midlands has long needed the same treatment, and now, although a fledgling iniative at present, WWM is the banner term for the organisation encompassing the Birmingham Book Festival, its education programme Write On!, and all the other work we do.
Find out more at the new Writing West Midlands website.
The day began with an excellent keynote speech from Archers writer Mary Cutler, and ended with a closing address from Director of Literature Strategy at Arts Council England, Antonia Byatt. Antonia's words about the need for activity and networking and open lines of communication between the funders and the writers about what the writing community needs struck a great chord with all those who had come to the conference with just such a thought in mind.
Antonia was followed by Jonathan Davidson, whose announcement of our new umbrella body, Writing West Midlands, was, therefore, timely. WWM is now the new Literature Development Agency for the West Midlands, formed out of a desire to emulate the good work being done by other regional agencies - Writing East Midlands, New Writing North, for example.
The West Midlands has long needed the same treatment, and now, although a fledgling iniative at present, WWM is the banner term for the organisation encompassing the Birmingham Book Festival, its education programme Write On!, and all the other work we do.
Find out more at the new Writing West Midlands website.
Monday, 2 November 2009
Another (Festival) year over, really?
The Birmingham Book Festival is over for another year. Festival years seem to be like dog years. There must be several per human year - surely it isn't November already?
Another year wrapped up as the cold begins to set in, and the Festival is still very much in our minds. The final week began with our brilliant Readers Day. This was a fantastic, intensive session with four brilliant novelists - Jenn Ashworth, Mark Illis, Jeremy Page and Amanda Smyth.
Rather than the usual hour and a bit format, this event took up almost an entire afternoon, punctuated with coffee and tea, and allowed the audience to really get to know the writers. Guided by former Midlands Today broadcast journalist Sue Beardsmore, the writers talked and were questioned extensively about their reading and writing lives.
It was interesting to find out the true life stories behind their work, the influences on them as youngsters that drove them to be the readers and writers they are today, to know their favourite (and least favourite!) books, and to hear about their personal relationship with the written word.
I highly recommend all of their books:
A Kind of Intimacy by Jenn Ashworth
Black Rock by Amanda Smyth
Tender by Mark Illis
The Wake by Jeremy Page
Tuesday the 27th October saw some other unique events - an extraordinary lecture on Clouds from Richard Hamblyn, good poetry from Helen Mort and the Postcard Poets, and a very popular panel of writers, editors and producers of The Archers. On the final night we saw emerging talent from the National Academy of Writing's current students, storytelling bringing to life the mother-daughter relationship in Some Girls' Mothers and the launch of the latest R J Ellory novel. The night, and the Festival, were rounded off with the Keynote Address by the incredible George Monbiot.
The full text of that lecture will soon be available here and on our website.
We would like to thank everyone who participated in this year's festival. As ever it has been a labour of love and of enthusiasm for great writing and the need to read. We welcome feedback from those who have participated or attended, and if you didn't manage to fill in one of our questionnaires but have something to say, you are welcome to email me at sara at birminghambookfestival dot org.
And it isn't entirely over, as we still have the November Writers' Toolkit to look forward to. This takes place on 21st November at South Birmingham College and is aimed at all emerging and established writers. If you would like to know more or book a place, email joanne at birminghambookfestival dot org.
Thanks for all your support this year - and yes, we're already thinking about 2010...
Sara
Another year wrapped up as the cold begins to set in, and the Festival is still very much in our minds. The final week began with our brilliant Readers Day. This was a fantastic, intensive session with four brilliant novelists - Jenn Ashworth, Mark Illis, Jeremy Page and Amanda Smyth.
Rather than the usual hour and a bit format, this event took up almost an entire afternoon, punctuated with coffee and tea, and allowed the audience to really get to know the writers. Guided by former Midlands Today broadcast journalist Sue Beardsmore, the writers talked and were questioned extensively about their reading and writing lives.
It was interesting to find out the true life stories behind their work, the influences on them as youngsters that drove them to be the readers and writers they are today, to know their favourite (and least favourite!) books, and to hear about their personal relationship with the written word.
I highly recommend all of their books:
A Kind of Intimacy by Jenn Ashworth
Black Rock by Amanda Smyth
Tender by Mark Illis
The Wake by Jeremy Page
Tuesday the 27th October saw some other unique events - an extraordinary lecture on Clouds from Richard Hamblyn, good poetry from Helen Mort and the Postcard Poets, and a very popular panel of writers, editors and producers of The Archers. On the final night we saw emerging talent from the National Academy of Writing's current students, storytelling bringing to life the mother-daughter relationship in Some Girls' Mothers and the launch of the latest R J Ellory novel. The night, and the Festival, were rounded off with the Keynote Address by the incredible George Monbiot.
The full text of that lecture will soon be available here and on our website.
We would like to thank everyone who participated in this year's festival. As ever it has been a labour of love and of enthusiasm for great writing and the need to read. We welcome feedback from those who have participated or attended, and if you didn't manage to fill in one of our questionnaires but have something to say, you are welcome to email me at sara at birminghambookfestival dot org.
And it isn't entirely over, as we still have the November Writers' Toolkit to look forward to. This takes place on 21st November at South Birmingham College and is aimed at all emerging and established writers. If you would like to know more or book a place, email joanne at birminghambookfestival dot org.
Thanks for all your support this year - and yes, we're already thinking about 2010...
Sara
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
Creative Writers - Starting Young!
Week Two is upon us, and started well with a lovely evening celebrating young creative writers in Birmingham.
The second annual Write On Adventures In Writing Awards recognised the progress and enthusiasm of the participants of the Summer Term's Write On Project.
Write On is a Birmingham Book Festival project, and it focuses on placing professional writers in schools across Birmingham and the West Midlands. Its aims are not academic, rather inspirational and aspirational, bringing to life The Writer as a career choice, and the writing as a valuable way to express imagination.The four prize winners were:
Elijah Madourie and Adelle Raymond of Holyhead Secondary School, Ophelia Wilkinson of Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School and Megan Courtney-Jones of Tiverton Primary School.
The children all read from their work and joined Write On writers Roz Goddard and Philip Monks on stage for a chat about the project and how their writing has evolved.
Elijah Madourie and Adelle Raymond of Holyhead Secondary School, Ophelia Wilkinson of Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School and Megan Courtney-Jones of Tiverton Primary School.
The children all read from their work and joined Write On writers Roz Goddard and Philip Monks on stage for a chat about the project and how their writing has evolved.
Each child has shown great promise and enthusiasm for writing, and their work was excellent. It was humbling and warming to hear such 'new' writers generously giving of their work.
Well done all! From the Birmingham Book Festival/Write On team.
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Tristram Stuart - Waste - Special Video Report by William Shaw
Here is a great video of Tristram Stuart's Waste event, last Thursday 8th October.
Thursday, 8 October 2009
Day Two - John Boyne, Janette Jenkins and a weird and wonderful Ophelia story...
John Boyne & Janette Jenkins
The Festival was delighted to welcome John Boyne (Boy In The Striped Pyjamas) to the Festival. John's work has been on our radar for a long time, and we were pleased to finally manage to invite and welcome him this year. Even better was his introducing us to friend and fellow novelist Janette Jenkins (Angel Of Brooklyn), who, like John, studied creative writing at the University of East Anglia and has had several successful novels since.
The conversation soon turned to labels and the feelings each writer harboured about being slapped with a particular genre. Both, technically, write historical fiction, but only in the sense that the stories they fell in love with the idea of writing were set in the past, rather than from a great desire to write (or rewrite) history.
Both talked of the process of writing and getting published and offered some great advice for aspiring writers.
Let Me Tell You : Ophelia In Her Own Words
This strange and beautiful Ophelia story came to our attention months ago thanks to its author Paul Griffiths, who sent us a copy and explained his idea, which was to rewrite the story of Ophelia using only the 492 words Ophelia was given by Shakespeare in his Hamlet.
Helen Monks, Archers actress and former young poet laureate for Birmingham was a perfect Ophelia, performing sections of the book to an audience last night, bringing to life the text and the craft of weaving the limited vocabulary into a coherent narrative.
A unique, interesting and thoroughly enjoyable event.
Tonight : KATE MOSSE, TRISTRAM STUART, POSTGRADUATE POETRY PLATFORM, TINDAL STREET BOOKER TRIO, WRITE ON SISTER.
Tickets available on the door or on 0121 303 2323.
The Festival was delighted to welcome John Boyne (Boy In The Striped Pyjamas) to the Festival. John's work has been on our radar for a long time, and we were pleased to finally manage to invite and welcome him this year. Even better was his introducing us to friend and fellow novelist Janette Jenkins (Angel Of Brooklyn), who, like John, studied creative writing at the University of East Anglia and has had several successful novels since.
The conversation soon turned to labels and the feelings each writer harboured about being slapped with a particular genre. Both, technically, write historical fiction, but only in the sense that the stories they fell in love with the idea of writing were set in the past, rather than from a great desire to write (or rewrite) history.
Both talked of the process of writing and getting published and offered some great advice for aspiring writers.
Let Me Tell You : Ophelia In Her Own Words
This strange and beautiful Ophelia story came to our attention months ago thanks to its author Paul Griffiths, who sent us a copy and explained his idea, which was to rewrite the story of Ophelia using only the 492 words Ophelia was given by Shakespeare in his Hamlet.
Helen Monks, Archers actress and former young poet laureate for Birmingham was a perfect Ophelia, performing sections of the book to an audience last night, bringing to life the text and the craft of weaving the limited vocabulary into a coherent narrative.
A unique, interesting and thoroughly enjoyable event.
Tonight : KATE MOSSE, TRISTRAM STUART, POSTGRADUATE POETRY PLATFORM, TINDAL STREET BOOKER TRIO, WRITE ON SISTER.
Tickets available on the door or on 0121 303 2323.
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
Fabulous First Night
The Festival's first night began with the excellent, lively (sometimes raucous) final of the BBC Radio 4 Poetry Slam.
Slamming Style:
Slamming Style:
BBC Radio 4 Producer Sara Davies introducing the event.
Festival Director Jonathan Davidson opening the evening.
The Slam attracted a huge audience of friends, family and poetry fans for a recording of the finalist battling it out for the elusive top spot. The winner, to be announced on National Poetry Day, tomorrow (Thursday 8th October 2009), showed great talent and personality and was the eventual successor of a very good field.
Judges, contestants and audience alike enjoyed almost two hours of pure poetry and performance, all of which promises a great broadcast. Don't miss it, 11pm, Thursday 8/10/09, BBc Radio 4.
Excellent fiction:
Elsewhere at the Festival, the first of our brilliant collection of great literary names arrived in Birmingham. Outcast novelist Sadie Jones, whose new book, Small Wars, is out now, was in conversation with author Kate Pullinger, whose latest novel Mistress of Nothing follows numerous other great works, including one of my favourite books, A Little Stranger. Both novelists have an understanding of the nuances of emotional destruction, particularly in a domestic or familial context, and this brought together their writing experiences in a great conversation.
You may have seen Sadie Jones before, at our Orange Readers Day back in May, where she joined other literary authors including Catherine O'Flynn (appearing at the Festival on Thursday 8th October as part of the Tindal Street Booker Trio celebration, as a contributor to Paint A Vulgar Picture - the anthology inspired by the music of the Smiths on Wednesday 14th October and as a guest on BBC Radio 4's A Good Read on Tuesday 20th October).
And if you missed this, Kate Pullinger will also be a guest on A Good Read, along with Catherine, David Edgar and novelist Helen Cross.
Tonight is now fast approaching, and we are gearing up to welcome Boy In The Striped Pyjamas author John Boyne, in conversation with Angel of Brooklyn author Janette Jenkins at the Birmingham Conservatoire. There are still tickets for this, available by calling 0121 303 2323 or on the door.
WIN FREE TICKETS! BE THE FIRST TO CLAIM!
Tomorrow we are excited to be welcoming Orange Prize founder and great novelist Kate Mosse, with a brilliant new book. We are offering free tickets to this event for the first twenty people to email us : if you would like a pair of tickets, email sara@birminghambookfestival.org now!
Monday, 5 October 2009
Guests and Books announced for A Good Read, 20th October 2009
The BBC Radio 4 recordings of A Good Read on Tuesday 20 October 2009 at the Birmingham Book Festival will feature the following guests, and their chosen books:
EDITION ONE:
Sue MacGregor - The End of the Affair by Graham Greene, Vintage Classics £7.99
David Edgar - The Warden by Anthony Trollope, Penguin Classics £6.99
Helen Cross - The Treehouse by Naomi Wolf, Virago Press £8.99
EDITION TWO:
Sue MacGregor - Chicago by Alaa Al Aswany, Harper Perennial £7.99
Catherine O'Flynn - Alma Cogan by Gordon Burn, Faber & Faber £7.99
Kate Pullinger - White Noise by Don DeLillo, Picador £7.99
EDITION ONE:
Sue MacGregor - The End of the Affair by Graham Greene, Vintage Classics £7.99
David Edgar - The Warden by Anthony Trollope, Penguin Classics £6.99
Helen Cross - The Treehouse by Naomi Wolf, Virago Press £8.99
EDITION TWO:
Sue MacGregor - Chicago by Alaa Al Aswany, Harper Perennial £7.99
Catherine O'Flynn - Alma Cogan by Gordon Burn, Faber & Faber £7.99
Kate Pullinger - White Noise by Don DeLillo, Picador £7.99
Friday, 25 September 2009
Birmingham Post article
Here is a link to an article in the Birmingham Post about the upcoming Festival - good stuff!
Tell us what you think, comment here!
Tell us what you think, comment here!
Tuesday, 22 September 2009
Review of Black Rock by Amanda Smyth
Amanda Smyth is taking part in our Readers Day on Saturday 24th October. I've had her book on my 'to read' pile for some time, after it was recommended to me by Amanda's editor at Serpents Tail (after a while, they get to know what kind of books you like, and send them to you without you even having to ask - reason #4305834634608945 why this just might be the best job in the world).
When the book arrived, I had my nose buried in something else, and while I was reading that, as sometimes happens, a few events appeared on the horizon which demanded me to read other books that were not Black Rock. In the run up to the Festival (absolute worst time to try and do this, I know) I am trying to catch up on my reading list, and so picked up Black Rock - and am I glad that I did.
Black Rock is a pleasure, a surprising and sorrowful novel full of great language and with a genuinely thorough plot. I'm not going to tell you what it's about, because I don't want to give it away - and because perhaps, like me, you quite relish the slight recklessness of jumping into the world of a book knowing nothing more about it than that your colleague/dad/best friend/a random man on the train really loved it. I will tell you, however, that it is a beautiful story of survival, of changing times and of loss. Smyth writes of the deepest betrayals and long kept secrets as though they happen everyday - which, of course, they do, we just don't always know about it. The book is warm, and mature in its telling, so much so that you find yourself struggling to accept the realities faced by the main characters. They, however, do a much better job, or rather Smyth does in her creation of them.
The book skirts some very old and tender issues rather succinctly - managing to both remind us that bad things have always happened and yet not give itself over to those causes entirely - a clever balance that, for me at least, helped create a book I could enjoy, mindfully, but without feeling like I was being clubbed over the head with the 'moral of the story' .
If you've read this book, I'd like to know what you thought. If you haven't, I urge you to read it.
You can see more about Amanda here .
Sara
When the book arrived, I had my nose buried in something else, and while I was reading that, as sometimes happens, a few events appeared on the horizon which demanded me to read other books that were not Black Rock. In the run up to the Festival (absolute worst time to try and do this, I know) I am trying to catch up on my reading list, and so picked up Black Rock - and am I glad that I did.
Black Rock is a pleasure, a surprising and sorrowful novel full of great language and with a genuinely thorough plot. I'm not going to tell you what it's about, because I don't want to give it away - and because perhaps, like me, you quite relish the slight recklessness of jumping into the world of a book knowing nothing more about it than that your colleague/dad/best friend/a random man on the train really loved it. I will tell you, however, that it is a beautiful story of survival, of changing times and of loss. Smyth writes of the deepest betrayals and long kept secrets as though they happen everyday - which, of course, they do, we just don't always know about it. The book is warm, and mature in its telling, so much so that you find yourself struggling to accept the realities faced by the main characters. They, however, do a much better job, or rather Smyth does in her creation of them.
The book skirts some very old and tender issues rather succinctly - managing to both remind us that bad things have always happened and yet not give itself over to those causes entirely - a clever balance that, for me at least, helped create a book I could enjoy, mindfully, but without feeling like I was being clubbed over the head with the 'moral of the story' .
If you've read this book, I'd like to know what you thought. If you haven't, I urge you to read it.
You can see more about Amanda here .
Sara
Monday, 21 September 2009
Book Festival in the news...
Check out this interview with the Festival Directors in yesterday's Sunday Mercury.
http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2009/09/20/birmingham-book-festival-is-jordan-free-66331-24731698/
http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2009/09/20/birmingham-book-festival-is-jordan-free-66331-24731698/
Friday, 18 September 2009
Special offers on festival events - save money, bring friends
NEW! Special offers available for Festival events:
You can now book a group ticket for some events.
This means, that for £20, you can have six tickets for any one of these events, saving money on even the concessionary rates!
Tuesday 6th October - Sadie Jones & Kate Pullinger
Thursday 8th October - The Giant Reading Group with Kate Mosse
Wednesday 28th October - R J Ellory
To take us up on this great offer, just call our Box Office on 0121 303 2323.
If you are bringing more than TEN people we can offer you even MORE discount - just email sara@birminghambookfestival.org.
We look forward to seeing you at the Festival.
You can now book a group ticket for some events.
This means, that for £20, you can have six tickets for any one of these events, saving money on even the concessionary rates!
Tuesday 6th October - Sadie Jones & Kate Pullinger
Thursday 8th October - The Giant Reading Group with Kate Mosse
Wednesday 28th October - R J Ellory
To take us up on this great offer, just call our Box Office on 0121 303 2323.
If you are bringing more than TEN people we can offer you even MORE discount - just email sara@birminghambookfestival.org.
We look forward to seeing you at the Festival.
Change to the advertised programme
Change to the programme:
Nick Hornby & Lynn Barber: Thursday 15th October.
Regrettably, Lynn Barber is unable to attend this event. The event will still happen, as advertised, but will feature only Nick Hornby. It will still be a fantastic opportunity to meet one of the UK's favourite writers, and get books signed.
If, however, you have bought a ticket for this event and wish to have it refunded, please contact our Box Office on 0121 303 2323.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Nick Hornby & Lynn Barber: Thursday 15th October.
Regrettably, Lynn Barber is unable to attend this event. The event will still happen, as advertised, but will feature only Nick Hornby. It will still be a fantastic opportunity to meet one of the UK's favourite writers, and get books signed.
If, however, you have bought a ticket for this event and wish to have it refunded, please contact our Box Office on 0121 303 2323.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Thursday, 17 September 2009
The Annual Mailing Party
Every year the Festival team faces with horror the mammoth task of posting out thousands of brochures to thousands of loyal, lovely Festival-goers who wait anxiously for them to drop onto the doormat. It always seems to happen that our trusty team is at its thinnest on the very day this has to be done.
Over the years we have approached this task in many different ways: from hiring in staff for a day of mad stuffing, to bribing volunteers with cake and coffee, to simply staying late into the night until the last one is done.
This year, we decided to abandon all gimmicks and simply clear our diaries, stock up on coffee and plough our way through, regaling one another with stories of similarly vast mailshots of the past. New Admin Assistant Joanne won hands down with the tale of the all singing all dancing mailing machine at a previous workplace. We remain misty-eyed at the lofty prospect of one day owning such a beast. In the meantime, here is the evidence of our labours...
Here are our shiny 2009 brochures, resplendent in their many, many, many boxes....
Oh how we look forward to ripping these cartons open and popping each and every little glossy item into a little white envelope...
And trolleying them down through the maze-like depths of the Custard Factory for a man in a red van to come for them (and give us *that* look - "you've got *how* many bags?).
So if anyone did not receive a 2009 brochure, or would like some more, just drop me a line and I'll pop one in the post for you.
Over the years we have approached this task in many different ways: from hiring in staff for a day of mad stuffing, to bribing volunteers with cake and coffee, to simply staying late into the night until the last one is done.
This year, we decided to abandon all gimmicks and simply clear our diaries, stock up on coffee and plough our way through, regaling one another with stories of similarly vast mailshots of the past. New Admin Assistant Joanne won hands down with the tale of the all singing all dancing mailing machine at a previous workplace. We remain misty-eyed at the lofty prospect of one day owning such a beast. In the meantime, here is the evidence of our labours...
Here are our shiny 2009 brochures, resplendent in their many, many, many boxes....
Oh how we look forward to ripping these cartons open and popping each and every little glossy item into a little white envelope...
And trolleying them down through the maze-like depths of the Custard Factory for a man in a red van to come for them (and give us *that* look - "you've got *how* many bags?).
So if anyone did not receive a 2009 brochure, or would like some more, just drop me a line and I'll pop one in the post for you.
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