tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5985581361607050072024-03-10T20:23:29.483-07:00VANESSA GEBBIE'S BLOGRuminations, amalgamations, and general stuff.Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.comBlogger243125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-71935285384920323102019-01-30T13:02:00.002-08:002019-01-30T13:40:32.815-08:00Fresh fields...I have decided to stop blogging - not that that changes much - the world of the blogosphere is pretty dead, no one is really bothering any more, it takes time, and most importantly, how many posts in 2018? None. And yet I've been so busy!<br />
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A few years back I'd have been updating this blog every few days - running this or that, judging this or that, new book on the chocks, a reading, a festival, a retreat - a fascinating visit to somewhere - and yet, I didn't. So... I'll leave this up in the hopes that some of the posts are interesting, and will sign off with:<br />
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10 years, 10 books. One each year, more or less. And for a women who was once told, by someone who was meant to know: 'Women over fifty working on short stories won't be published, so have fun, enjoy yourself..' that ain't bad. Not trumpet-blowing - I'm certainly not special, but I do work hard. That seems to be the key - there are very few short cuts.<br />
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One thing I am focussing on, waiting for book 11 to appear, is It's Never Too Late to Write - several residential courses are planned for 2019, and a rather exciting collaboration with a publisher - watch this space - or rather watch Twitter, I guess, as I no longer do Facebook either! The schedule on the right will be updated now and then.<br />
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Have fun - happy writing! And you can contact me if you wish, via my website. Thank you for reading.<br />
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<br />Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-65964682236380559542017-12-30T15:17:00.003-08:002017-12-30T15:32:50.974-08:00 75 books read in 2017<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Feeling creatively somewhat wrung out after 9/10 books of all sorts in ten years, I decided to put creating aside for 2017, and concentrate on other things, mainly teaching, mentoring and hugely important this last - reading. My own reading has taken such a back seat over the last few - time to catch up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I aimed at 100 books in the year, was joined by some friends, and we began a closed Facebook group - all with the same goal: to read as much as we could. We weren't all reading the same books, I hasten to add - not a 'reading group' - just a group of interested people, all reading, and all making a note - nothing more, of the books they'd read. A note, a word attached to an uploaded cover image soon increased to a line or two of subjective comment. And the group burgeoned to over 200 names. </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Did I make 100? No. I read 75. They are listed below in order of reading. Nothing planned - just following my nose and interests, some I ought to have read and somehow never did, others I stumbled across, some recommendations, others that has been on my shelf for decades...and occasional light humour as counterpoint. But it is interesting (to me) to see what categories they fell into:</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Novels: 29</span><br />
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Short Fiction: 9</span><br />
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Poetry: 14</span><br />
<span style="font-kerning: none;">History/Military History: 5</span><br />
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Biog/autobiog: 4</span><br />
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Humour: 3</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">the rest... all sorts - philosophy, journalism, religious analysis...</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I re-read some of my favourites by friends and colleagues, including The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry, Some of Us Glow More than Others by Tania Hershman, Dark Roots by Cate Kennedy, The Flood by Maggie Gee, The Redemption of Galen Pike by Carys Davies, and Voices from Stone and Bronze by Caroline Davies. All to be recommended highly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I chose some books by writers of colour - novels, poetry, short stories. </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The writer/book I am most pleased to have met/ best read of the year (thanks to a recommendation from one of the group members): Plainsong, by Kent Haruf </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I hated and discarded only one book: Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Here's the list for anyone who is interested. ( [R] means a re-read.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">[R]The Many Wyl Menmuir<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #1<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Salt<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> a </span>novel</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Speak, Memory Vladimir Nabokov # 2<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Putnam <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> autobiograpy</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Shock of the Fall Nathan Filer<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #3<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Harper/Collins<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>novel</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Sun Fish Eilean Ni Chuilleanain<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #4<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Gallery<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>poetry<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">[R]They Called it Passchendaele L MacDonald #5<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Penguin<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>military history<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Ways of Seeing <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> John Berger<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #6<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Penguin non fic<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">G<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> John Berger<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #7<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Bloomsbury<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Time's Arrow<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Martin Amis<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #8<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Penguin<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>novel</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">First Person &other stories<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Ali Smith<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #9<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Penguin<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>short stories<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Haunting of Hill House<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Shirley Jackson #10<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Penguin<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Too Loud a Solitude<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Bohumil Hrabal #11<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Abacus<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Sieze the Day<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Saul Bellow<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #12<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Penguin<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Book of Memory<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Petina Gappah #13<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Faber novel</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Way of the Strangers: encounters w Islamic State G Wood</span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-size: x-small; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> #14</span><span style="font-size: x-small; white-space: pre;"> </span>Allen Lane<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>religion/current <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Bright White Tree<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Joanna Seldon #15<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Worple<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>poetry <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A Life Discarded<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Alexander Masters #16<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 4th Estate<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>biography</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Plainsong<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Kent Haruf<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #17<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Picador<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>novel</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">[R] In Another Country<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>David Constantine #18<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Comma short stories<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Trump and me<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Mark Singer<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #19<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Penguin<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>journalism/bio<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">[R] Dark Roots<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Cate Kennedy<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #20<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Atlantic<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>short stories<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Hundred Fathom Curve <span style="white-space: pre;">/</span>John Barr<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #21<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Red Hen<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>poetry<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Portrait of the Artist as a Young Girl<span style="white-space: pre;">/</span>Grayson Perry #22<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Vintage<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>autobiography</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Havocs<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Jacob Polley<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #23<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Picador poetry<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Olive Kitteridge<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Elizabeth Strout<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #24 <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>S/Shuster<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>novel in stories</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">[R]Never Let Me Go<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Kazuo Ishiguro<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #25<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Faber<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">To Kill a Mockingbird<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Harper Lee<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #26<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Arrow<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Britty Britty Bang Bang<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Hugh Dennis<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #27<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Headline<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>non fic/humour/history<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">[R] The Flood<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Maggie Gee<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #28<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Saqi<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>novel<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">[R]The Essex Serpent<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Sarah Perry<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #29<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Serpent's Tail novel<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">lThe Runaway Jury<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> John Grisham<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #30<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Arrow<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Seven stories<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Gabriel Garcia Marquez<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #31<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Penguin short stories<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Beloved<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Toni Morrison<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #32<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Vintage<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Handmaid's Tale<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Margaret Attwood<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #33<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Vintage<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">After the Funeral<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Agatha Christie<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #34<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Harper Collins<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel crime</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Contemporary Black British Short Stories<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> ed. Jacob Ross<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #35<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Peepal Tree<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> short stories</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Riddle of the Sands<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Erskine Childers<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #36<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Dover<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Berlin Wall Cafe<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Paul Durcan<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #37<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Harvill <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> poetry<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Springlines<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Clare Best /Mary Anne Aytoun-Ellis<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #38<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Little Toller<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>poetry/art/essay</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Snow Child<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Eowyn Ivey<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #39<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Tinder<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In the Wild Wood<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Frances Gapper<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #40<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Cultured Llama short stories</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Boy in the Striped Pyjamas<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> John Boyne #41<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">[R]Twenty Prose Poems<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Baudelaire<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #42 City Lights prose poetry</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">His Bloody Project<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Graeme McRae Burnet<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #43<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Contraband<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Philip Larkin:Poems (selected by Martin Amis)<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #44<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Faber<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> poetry<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Wife - how it works<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> various<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #45 Ladybird/Penguin humour</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">[R]Voices from Stone and Bronze<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Caroline Davies<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #46<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Cinnamon poetry<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">[R]Candide<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Voltaire<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #47<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Penguin<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> classics</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">[R]Some of us Glow more than Others<span style="white-space: pre;">/</span>Tania Hershman #48<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Unthank short stories</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Travels of Lady Bulldog Burton Toksvig/Nightingale<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>#49<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Little,Brown<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> humour<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">On Writing<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Stephen King<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #50<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hodder memoir</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Lusitania<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> various<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #51<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Pen and Sword military history</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Disappearance of Adele Bedeaux<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Graeme Macrae Burnet #52<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Contraband novel</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">{R}The Redemption of Galen Pike<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Carys Davies<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #53<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Salt<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> short stories<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The 39 steps<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> John Buchan<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #54<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Samuel French novel spy <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Diary of a Bad Year<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> J M Coetzee<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #55<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Vintage<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Holy Wind in Navajo Philosophy<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> James Kale McNeley<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #56<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Uni of Arizona philosophy</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Strange Pilgrims<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Gabriel Garcia Marquez<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #57<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Penguin<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> short stories<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">[R]Somme unseen panoramas Barton/Banning<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>#58<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Constable/IWM history/military</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Night Sky with Exit Wounds<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Ocean Vuong<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #59<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Cape<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> poetry<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Do no Harm<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Henry Marsh<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #60<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> W&N<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> non fic medical</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">On the trail of the poets of WW1:E Blunden McPhail/Guest<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>#61<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Pen&sword biog/history/military<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Magic Toy Shop<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Angela Carter<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #62<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Virago<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Elizabeth is Missing<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Emma Healey<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #63<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Penguin<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">101 things with mexican sprayer<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Heinz Deppe<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #64<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> ? <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> humour<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Seasons of Cullen Church<span style="white-space: pre;">/</span>Bernard O'Donoghue<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #65<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Faber poetry<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Narcissistic Lovers<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Cynthia Zane/Kevin Dibble <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #66<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> New Horizon<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> non fic</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Wars<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Timothy Findley<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #67<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Penguin <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> fiction<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Very selected<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Mimi Khalvati<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #68 Smith Doorstop poetry</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">{R}The Spire<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> William Golding<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #69<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Faber and Faber novel<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Soul of Kindness<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Elizabeth Taylor<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #70<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Chatto<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> novel</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Into the Wild<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Jon Krakauer<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> #71<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Pan/MacMillan<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> non-fiction</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Once an Artist Always an Artist<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Capt C J Bloomfield #72<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Self pub (1921) memoir/milit hist</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Parrot the Horse and the man Amarjit Chandan<b><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></b>#73 Arc poetry<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;">An Anthology of Mine Rex Whistler #74 Hamish Hamilton poetry/paint'gs</span></span><br />
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;">Photographing the Fallen Jeremy Gordon-Smith #75 Pen & Sword military history</span></span></div>
Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-81287900855146652702017-12-20T08:27:00.003-08:002017-12-26T07:50:42.664-08:00Writers' HQ - the place to turn to for writing support<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Looking for something really interesting to add to this nearly defunct blogette, I decided to have a natter with Jo Gatford, who set up a brilliant organisation for writers called Writers' HQ. Why? Well - let her tell you - but it chimes with me, as I do worry that so many writing opportunities are geared to those with the cash, the confidence, the freedom and the chutzpah to go for it. What if you just don't fit that profile? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> That's exactly what I asked Jo...</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are 101 organisations for writers springing up all over the place. Why should a writer look closely/closer at Writers' HQ? What can your organisation do for them? </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Writer’s HQ was set up as an alternative for people who can’t afford/don’t want to/don’t have time to take a Creative Writing MA or go on longer residential retreats. There are indeed 101 organisations out there offering courses or retreats but a) many of them can be prohibitively expensive, b) many of them require significant time and dedication or attendance at a specific location that’s simply impossible for struggling writers trying to juggle work/life/study/kids, and c) the literary world can unfortunately sometimes give off a <a href="https://writershq.co.uk/when-creative-writing-courses-go-bad-a-bullshit-spotting-guide/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">somewhat elitist vibe</span></a>, and emerging/aspiring writers often suffer from imposter syndrome and/or feel that they need to be a ‘proper writer’ (whatever the hell that means) to take an expensive writing course or attend a retreat.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As parents/writers/low-income workers, we really struggled to find accessible courses or groups that would fit our needs, and Writers’ HQ really emerged to try to fill this gap. Our online courses are designed to fit in around work, life responsibilities, childcare, study, and whatever else gets in the way of writing – so people can take part online, tackle small chunks at a time, join a lively and friendly (and sweary) writing community and get their sh*t done at a pace that suits them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The central ethos of WHQ is to offer space and time to write, writing advice and expertise, and community support for writers no matter where they are, how long they’ve been writing, or how much time they have to assign to writing. We’re kind of the ‘scruffy nerf herders’ of the writing world. We acknowledge that writing is really bloody hard and the average writer spends a lot of time doubting their abilities. We also swear a lot and enjoy posting stupid gifs which seems to appeal to writers who tend to procrastinate online. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How does Writers HQ work?</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So. Our <a href="https://writershq.co.uk/online-creative-writing-courses/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">online courses</span></a> are available worldwide to anyone with an internet connection. You can sign up to individual courses or become a member and get ongoing access to ALL our courses (with new ones being released every month or so) – a bit like Netflix for writers. Once you’re registered, you’ll work through a series of exercises towards a tangible outcome (such as <a href="https://writershq.co.uk/plotstormers/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">plotting a novel</span></a>) at your own pace, with plenty of opportunity for flexibility, peer discussion and feedback. Our private Facebook group is open all hours for anti-procrastination pep talks and general writerly discussion (because, let’s face it, you’re all on Facebook anyway, so you might as well be reminded to write while you’re there).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A huge proportion of our students go on to take more than one course and often work their way methodically through the series – from plotting to editing to submitting a novel, or from idea generation to writing short fiction to submitting to lit mags and competitions. And we get results. Our <a href="https://writershq.co.uk/wall-of-fame-november-2017-edition/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">Wall of Fame</span></a> is testimony to the many successes our students have had in the last year – most recently we had FOUR students longlisted for the Mslexia novel award, a handful of writers landed literary agents or publishing deals, and a whole bunch more had their short fiction published, or were long/short listed for competitions. We are very proud literary mother hens and we love shouting our students’ achievements from the rooftops (or at least Twitter). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our <a href="https://writershq.co.uk/events/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">one-day regional retreats</span></a> are available in Birmingham, Brighton, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Portsmouth and Worthing each month (with more locations coming soon!). Essentially, at a WHQ retreat, we shut you in a room for 6 hours and ply you with unlimited caffeine and snacks, feed you a tasty lunch, and get everyone to set a tangible personal writing goal for the day. Then we work in small, manageable chunks of writing time, checking in periodically to see how everyone’s getting on, and awarding gold stars for good behaviour (it’s honestly quite remarkable how motivational shiny stickers can be for adults). It’s absolutely not competitive, but the average writer tends to get about 3-5,000 words down in a single day – though we have a few incredibly prolific outliers who have managed a staggering 10,000+ words in one session! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We’ve found one-day retreats are far more accessible for people who work full time or have kids or generally find it hard to carve out time to write. They’re also much cheaper than residential retreats and often more productive than informal writing groups, and around 80% of attendees are repeat offenders, meaning that you see a lot of the same faces each month, get to know other local writers, and keep up to date with how everyone’s projects are getting on gives them a really lovely community feel.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Many writing opportunities are only accessible to those who can pay/get childcare easily and so forth. How are you addressing these issues? Any plans to help with childcare by providing a creche, for example? </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We both have a couple of sprogs each, so we know how hard it is to get back into writing once you emerge from the daze of the newborn/toddler days. And we get A LOT of parents (mostly mums, actually, who seem to find it harder to prioritise their writing time) at our retreats and on our courses so we’re constantly looking for ways to accommodate people with kiddos. This is exactly why we decided to run one-day retreats, as it can be really tough to get away for a week-long retreat (not only logistically but also because of the never-ending parental guilt), while finding one day per month at a weekend is much more feasible. Similarly, our online courses can be done in the evenings or during nap times/when little ones are at nursery or school in small, manageable chunks.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We’ve actually been talking a lot recently about a possibility of organising a longer residential retreat avec childcare but obviously there are a lot of logistics to consider – it’s definitely on our list for 2018 though! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I happily added some video support - who else do you have in this series, and what sort of topics are they blathering about?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh how we love your videos (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdGXlQP-bBGxoNBcC6DjEB5LsyJHLiaLB"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">watch them all here</span></a>)! We’ve also had some fantastic advice from award-winning writers like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdGXlQP-bBGwe4ILRU8LMEP5V3Z7zRjW3"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">Paul McVeigh</span></a> (author of <i>The Good Son </i>and winner of the Polari Prize), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdGXlQP-bBGzuHn3DJpWBLUU4PK_jMCMy"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">Emma Healey</span></a> (author of <i>Elizabeth is Missing </i>and winner of the Costa First Novel Award), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdGXlQP-bBGwzPPUJPnxNkXUbvGOqPKEH"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">Catriona Ward</span></a> (author of <i>Rawblood</i>, Best Horror Novel – British Fantasy Awards 2016) and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdGXlQP-bBGytJ2eBSFPbBLd8w_4WeNmI"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">Ed Hogan</span></a> (author of <i>Blackmoor</i>, winner of the Desmond Elliot Prize), editor of Open Pen literary magazine <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdGXlQP-bBGwdAvrWSAHZYe1ZmiFhgdBL"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">Sean Preston</span></a>, and literary agent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdGXlQP-bBGxSuMSFTwKvibroZIuaghel"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">Samar Hammam</span></a>, so we have a huge range of experiences from the publishing world. We use all our author videos in our online courses covering all sorts of useful subjects such as: </span></span></div>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #0563c1; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"><a href="https://writershq.co.uk/plotstormers/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193);"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How to plot a novel</span></span></a></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #0563c1; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"><a href="https://writershq.co.uk/plotstormers-ii-the-editing-strikes-back/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193);"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How to edit a novel</span></span></a></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #0563c1; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"><a href="https://writershq.co.uk/publishing-101/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193);"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How to submit your novel to agents and get published</span></span></a></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #0563c1; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"><a href="https://writershq.co.uk/writing-short-fiction/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193);"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How to write short fiction</span></span></a></span></li>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How does running this add to/impinge on your own writing?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ah. Well. Do as we say, not as we do… The last year has been pretty manic for us – we were awarded funding from Arts Council England to help us set up our online courses and we’ve been busy training our regional retreat representatives to expand across the UK, as well as planning new courses and content for 2018 and supporting our existing writers. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We’re both currently writing/editing a novel each, with plans to get them finished (and published!) in 2018, so we’re going through exactly the same trials and tribulations as our students. One of the main intentions of setting up WHQ was to allow us to factor in writing time and we’re getting there slowly. Maybe we need to take some of our own advice and ‘stop f**king about and start writing’.</span></span><br />
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Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-38200792332018516982017-08-31T10:18:00.000-07:002017-08-31T10:18:58.404-07:00Teaching in Venice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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April in Venice - sharing my love for short fiction for five days was absolute magic. Participants came from as far afield as San Franciso - hi Deb! Based on the Giudecca, we worked hard, played hard, had a 'Paint your own Venetian Mask' session - and ended the workshops richer, all of us. A teriffic bunch, loved every minute.<br />
Thanks to Janys Hyde of Creative Retreats in Venice for the wonderful invitation, and it was so nice working for and with you. Look forward to 2018!Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-69807743867379412662017-08-31T08:41:00.002-07:002017-08-31T09:48:04.934-07:00Publication of A Short History of Synchronised Breathing <br />
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A few months late - but a catch up begins.<br />
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February 20187<br />
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The third short fiction collection, A Short History of Synchronised Breathing, came out from Cultured Llama in February. They bill it as:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lucida grande" , "lucida sans unicode" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Meta-fiction, fable, satire, instruction manual, or reportage? Sometimes all in the one story. </span><em style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">A Short History of Synchronised Breathing</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lucida grande" , "lucida sans unicode" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> is funny, sexy, original, heartbreaking, and with true insights to the human condition...</span></blockquote>
and who am I to argue? Indeed the lovely Paul McVeigh, author of The Good Son, gave me this glorious quote for the cover:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lucida grande" , "lucida sans unicode" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Charming and challenging, inventive and intelligent – a wonderful collection that is also laugh out loud funny.</span></blockquote>
Funny? Moi? Indeed, apparently. It's had a good reception, and among other quiet celebrations, was the focus of a private storytelling launch lunch which raised over £600 for Friends of Sussex Hospices.<br />
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It's a POD publication, which means the publisher doesn't have to find space waiting for copies to sell. It also means you can't find it in a bookshop. But can be ordered from Amazon and so forth, and from the publisher. I'd rather the latter, if you intend buying, please. Thanks.<br />
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Link here to the publisher's web page:<br />
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<a href="http://www.culturedllama.co.uk/books/synchronised-breathing">http://www.culturedllama.co.uk/books/synchronised-breathing</a>Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-34524910585954499752017-01-11T04:23:00.001-08:002017-01-11T10:58:35.606-08:00An interview with the author Jill Rutherford<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; min-height: 14px;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, hello there! Tis a while since I updated this thing, and SO much has been happening, it has been impossible to keep up. So a catch-up article is in the pipeline.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However. Before that, continuing in the tradition of occasional interviews with writers, I'd like to introduce you to <a href="http://www.jillrutherford.co.uk/">Jill Rutherford</a>, from Eastbourne, in Sussex. I met Jill some time back, and as writers do, we fell into conversation. I remember being fascinated by her own story - that of falling for Japan thanks to seeing a performance by a Japanese all-female theatre company - and moving there, living and working there for seven years. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was lucky enough to meet up with Jill more recently, and was delighted to discover that she had almost finished the third in an extraordinary trilogy of novels set in Japan - the Secret Samurai trilogy, a fantastical story of a female samurai. (Why should men have all the fun jobs...) And now she has indeed finished, and here they are! She has self-published all her books, and her Japanese work is beginning to be recognised by those who know - a tough journey, and I admire her sticking power. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Jill told me that her novels have been included recently on a list of Savvy Tokyo's 7 must-reads set in Japan. </span><a href="http://savvytokyo.com/7-must-read-japan-related-books-female-authors/">http://savvytokyo.com/7-must-read-japan-related-books-female-authors/</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They said she is: "<span style="color: purple; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: inherit;">a writer with great insight into Japanese culture and the power to deliver unique plots and marvellous characters"</span><span style="color: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: inherit;"> </span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: 19px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"> Savvy Tokyo Magazine</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: inherit;">- well that's some accolade, coming from a Japanese publication!</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, not to be outdone - we had another natter here. </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Me: Come in, sit down, have a cuppa! I love the title of your latest novel, the final one of the Secret Samurai trilogy - so tell us a little about Secret Samurai?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Jill: It’s not the usual kind of samurai book. The story is a time-travel adventure involving two women who become samurai and the two men they fall in love with and the women’s influence upon them.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>The first is a modern English woman who moves in and out of the mind of a samurai fighting in the civil war of the 1860’s which dragged Japan into the modern world. She lives two lives in parallel (modern and old Japan).</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIt4ojNVVXN-T0fEQPd39dMknBiAfaSxp85l3RfhBPubvD63vSS56KsRFllTZfMNJqhpRqsWvCXG0B1fRDYNSWg7ESkJ2KrVqL3W6cCUgy6XsGgJvYak2HMXeqRclbxP8ovZOF1kGzMg/s1600/4629619013_229x354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIt4ojNVVXN-T0fEQPd39dMknBiAfaSxp85l3RfhBPubvD63vSS56KsRFllTZfMNJqhpRqsWvCXG0B1fRDYNSWg7ESkJ2KrVqL3W6cCUgy6XsGgJvYak2HMXeqRclbxP8ovZOF1kGzMg/s320/4629619013_229x354.jpg" width="207" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>The second is an aristocratic woman of the 1860’s who is forced to disguise herself as a samurai in order to survive the war. Living as a samurai gives her influence and respect – things she has never experienced as a woman of her time. She becomes intoxicated with the power of it and this takes her down unprecedented paths.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>The historically accurate story revolves around the war and politics of the time, and they play an important part, but it is more about the relationships of the four main characters, their development, ambitions and perceptions and how their lives change.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8b2HhBkaS6fvcaJBLgfeBQV7rYm7yQ5MTUychyphenhyphenibPOifAUqa8HNDtQ8v8N8zk6eOD4vIqBOI2vLOUa0_vCI7IGDMXeY2f0KkZwVC2Rosb7_ABI4mJuUWE1_ZldIQ3Jyu-S_AwdUazvw/s1600/Secret+Samurai+Covers+plus+Cherry+Blossoms+cover+for+Vanessa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8b2HhBkaS6fvcaJBLgfeBQV7rYm7yQ5MTUychyphenhyphenibPOifAUqa8HNDtQ8v8N8zk6eOD4vIqBOI2vLOUa0_vCI7IGDMXeY2f0KkZwVC2Rosb7_ABI4mJuUWE1_ZldIQ3Jyu-S_AwdUazvw/s320/Secret+Samurai+Covers+plus+Cherry+Blossoms+cover+for+Vanessa.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Me: They sound absolutely extraordinary! What an imagination you must have. Tell me a little about your writing process, and where the books came from.</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3zwMjlTHEp8AZwGZG94njwQWvXU8Jc6sv_Sb1fv1fhW_yiNviK9zwMM6q6u-cgzucG4wVgQoOoUSK7zVjCplpeYiUHm6jJ5H8mpeg1E95vC7aQ4-lZu1pr1ww1-_YQl5EpFwnHRWgA/s1600/4629391216_224x359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3zwMjlTHEp8AZwGZG94njwQWvXU8Jc6sv_Sb1fv1fhW_yiNviK9zwMM6q6u-cgzucG4wVgQoOoUSK7zVjCplpeYiUHm6jJ5H8mpeg1E95vC7aQ4-lZu1pr1ww1-_YQl5EpFwnHRWgA/s320/4629391216_224x359.jpg" width="199" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Jill: It all took three and a half years to write and it proved to be a difficult story from the beginning. I thought I knew enough Japanese history to, with the help of a few history books, write the story. I soon found out that this period is the most complex in the history of Japan. Nothing stayed the same for long, factions changed, people altered their names, it was a convoluted war that lasted for fourteen years. As I didn’t want my books to be – or read – like history books, I had to simplify it. That was the hardest part, how to keep the history easy to follow and not bog down the reader. It took a lot of work as I wrote and re-wrote, paring it down each time. Finding ways round obstacles. I hope my readers will be totally unaware of this. If not, then I haven’t done my job.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>As to why I wrote this particular story. It started about four years ago when I had to have an operation. While I was at home recovering, groggy from the anaesthetic and pain killers, I closed my eyes one afternoon and suddenly, the story of Secret Samurai came into my mind. I went to my computer and, muzzy as I was, I started to write. The story got bigger and bolder and more exciting until it spread over three books. It was inspiring to write about these four special characters, especially the two samurai women and the way they influenced others. The story developed as I wrote, one thing led to another in a natural way. An organic process.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Me: And the books are published and making their way into the world? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Jill. Indeed - and I’ve had some very positive results. Now the trilogy is finished and people can read the whole story, I’ve been picked up by a couple of magazines in Japan. Recently, an author I don’t know approached me via social media saying she wanted to include the trilogy in an article she was doing for Savvy Tokyo Magazine, entitled, “7 Must Read Japan-Related Books by Female Authors”.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://savvytokyo.com/7-must-read-japan-related-books-female-authors/"><i>http://savvytokyo.com/7-must-read-japan-related-books-female-authors/</i></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>That exposure has made a huge difference. On the back of that, another magazine, Love Japan, is using my trilogy as one of the prizes for a writing competition they are doing.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Me: Fantastic. Congratulations. When did you first get interested in Japan?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Jill: When I saw a programme on BBC 2 in 1994 about a unique and rather strange theatre company in Japan. It’s called the <a href="http://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/english/">Takarazuka Review Company</a> and is an all female company with over 420 performers who play both the male and female parts on stage. (Off stage, the company is almost exclusively male run). </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7sEYrz1HnlJm7cqQuKj9U2rF6gsRjr7L9NSrii9eWeNwaUnOwiZfAoVm0Podi18dGts1wuoX-dAI1_nUE1QR1LfMFzExleQ5lHNqFDmtwVRRZxFX5_KzoaZcoHk68Rwu0f5QD62fIsA/s1600/top03_pc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7sEYrz1HnlJm7cqQuKj9U2rF6gsRjr7L9NSrii9eWeNwaUnOwiZfAoVm0Podi18dGts1wuoX-dAI1_nUE1QR1LfMFzExleQ5lHNqFDmtwVRRZxFX5_KzoaZcoHk68Rwu0f5QD62fIsA/s640/top03_pc.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>It’s full of fun, glitz, glamour, sequins, feathers – a real throw back to old Hollywood Movies and the Follies-Bergére . But also, it has its serious side and the Japanese history plays they perform are exquisite, many with sublime music and singing. A real gem of Japan hidden away from most foreigners.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>I went to Japan to see the theatre and much to my surprise (for I wasn’t interested in Japanese culture at that time) I fell instantly in love with the country, the people and the culture. Many holidays later, I wanted to live there, to experience, ‘the real Japan’. Alas, I lacked a university degree which is requisite to obtaining a working visa; therefore I couldn’t get a job. So I went for a year’s holiday and didn’t come home for seven. I found a way to open my own English school and prospered.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Me: I think that's something many people would love to do, but never do. Tell us about the book you wrote about your time there?</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_feVaD8rSyFP9PLnP0n-Mv97iu0GRexgr_CtvFFUV9J1kOSuhTIf4ef0Nh1ie_65pbFdw0I8WqMDcxqhIwkzxzpopVqDWlBgKiiwtGlesQLQWA9c-HTMII12ulfTE9wiZMQ5YkwY5A/s1600/CHERRY+BLOSSOMS+COVER+FOR+VANESSA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_feVaD8rSyFP9PLnP0n-Mv97iu0GRexgr_CtvFFUV9J1kOSuhTIf4ef0Nh1ie_65pbFdw0I8WqMDcxqhIwkzxzpopVqDWlBgKiiwtGlesQLQWA9c-HTMII12ulfTE9wiZMQ5YkwY5A/s320/CHERRY+BLOSSOMS+COVER+FOR+VANESSA.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Jill: Yes, I wrote, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cherry-Blossoms-Sushi-Takarazuka-Seven/dp/0956967914/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1484045665&sr=8-2&keywords=jill+rutherford">Cherry Blossoms, Sushi and Takarazuka, Seven Years in Japan</a> about eighteen months after my return to the UK. I realised I had a story to tell and an irresistible urge to tell it. So, I wrote it all down and haven’t stopped writing since.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The first draft flew off my keyboard. Then, when I went back and read it through, I realised it needed a re-write. It took eighteen months of hard work, but I got there in the end. I now know that all first drafts are just that. First drafts. You need to go back and hone and polish over and over until you have the best you can do.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Me: What would you say to new writers starting out?</b></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Jill. There’s a misconception that writing a book is easy. I heard of another writer who recently met a scientist at a party. He asked her what she did and on hearing that she was a novelist, he replied, “When I retire, I’m going to write a book”. She retorted, “And when I retire I’m going to write a paper on quantum physics.” Good for her. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It’s hard to write a book. I’d say you have to write, write and write. Read, read and read. Go on every writing course you can. Listen, learn and practice. Subscribe to a writing magazine. Join a writing group. Learn from the books you read, the good points and the bad. How they use dialogue, descriptions, start and end their stories. Look at the structure and start to analyse stories. Practice it yourself until you find your own style. Never stop writing even if it is only a few minutes a day. Always improve on what you have written. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I saw a play once about F. Scott Fitzgerald. Someone asked him what he was doing and he replied, “I’m working on a sentence”. That struck me as funny then, but now I write my own novels, I realise how pertinent that comment is.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Me: Great advice. Do you have anything else in the pipeline – anything more about Japan? Or will you go onto something completely different?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Jill. I’ll go back to the book I was writing before all this! It’s a family story set around a mystery. It starts at the turn of the 20</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> century in the Welsh Mining Valleys. It needs a complete re-write, but at least the story is there.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>I’m also playing with the idea of a mystery series, but it’s very early days yet.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>I’ve written several short stories about Japan which have won competitions including the Charles Dickens’ Fellowship Short Story Prize for my take on A Tale of Two Cities. Mine were Tokyo and London. Plus first prize and also runner up for Eastbourne Writes Festival 2012.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Me. Congratulations. Are these published?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Jill: Yes, in a book of short stories entitled, The Day After I Won the Lottery . . . and Other Short Stories.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Me. I do love your covers. They are very eye-catching. So - tell us a little about you, apart from ‘Jill the writer’, who else is she?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">J<i>ill. That’s a difficult one. How you perceive yourself is often so different from how others see you.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>I hope I am honest, straightforward, engaging, humorous and hard working, as those things are important to me, but I don’t know if my friends would agree !</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i> I try to remain positive in this increasingly spiralling world. I follow world affairs – via the BBC – where hopefully, the news is not faked ! I still love the Takarazuka Theatre.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>I wish I could master social media and be the Twitter and Facebook Queen with ‘friends’ and tweets everywhere. Alas, it is not my forte and I fear I am being left behind. I do try, but feel it’s a big failing of mine. Another generations’ adventure. So, if I’ve any fans out there, please forgive my strained efforts.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>I like to drink red wine, eat out, walk my dog, spend time with friends, go to writing groups. I’d like to be a best-selling author, but then, wouldn’t we all !</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Me: Thank you Jill. It's been a pleasure to natter, and I wish you so much good luck with all your books. </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So - if you are a fan of Japan, and would love to try these hugely imaginative stories about the life and loves of a female samurai - her books can be found in the usual places. Don't forget - independent bookshops will always order books for you!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.jillrutherford.co.uk/">www.jillrutherford.co.uk</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></div>
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Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-76763979959922734802016-06-22T13:18:00.006-07:002016-06-23T03:13:19.081-07:00Genesis of a poemToday is the centenary of the Red Dragon blow, in Givenchy, Pas de Calais. A visit to the spot and many others in 2011, in the company of military historian and battlefield guide, <a href="http://jeremybanning.co.uk/">Jeremy Banning</a>, sparked not just the draft of a novel, but poetry.<br />
Perhaps it might be of interest to see the story behind a poem? So here, tweeted this morning by Jeremy, and with his permission, is the story of William Hackett and Thomas Collins. Then, my thinking, and finally, my poem.<br />
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Today marks a special day in the tunnellers' war - the centenary of the Red Dragon mine at Givenchy <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WW1?src=hash">#WW1</a></div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745536506509484036">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The mine, blown at 2.50am, signalled the start of a German assault on the British trenches.</div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745536833757405185">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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For the men of the 2/Royal Welsh Fusiliers holding the line it was a vicious fight. Many RWF killed by the explosion or buried by debris.</div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745537145712967681">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The mine was the largest blown by the Germans against the British during the entire war.</div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745537492804206592">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Earlier that night a team of five tunnellers from 254 Tunnelling Coy had descended the Shaftesbury Shaft to a depth of 35ft.</div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745537759591309312">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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They were tasked with digging a gallery towards the German line - a risky venture at any time.</div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745538127553404929">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The gallery, measuring 4' 6" by 2' 3" was driven through what was known as 'running muck', difficult, wet ground.</div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745538270046523392">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The German mine blew in 25ft of the tunnel, cutting off the 5 men from the shaft and safety. Timbers were smashed.</div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745538586414460929">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The rescue party took two days to reach the five men, passing them food, water and pumping in fresh air.</div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745538823916945409">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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As the hole was widened three of the men were able to be rescued, making their way up to the surface - and light.</div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745539166109237248">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Of the two remaining, Thomas Collins, a young infantryman of the 14/Welsh was badly wounded - his ribs broken. <a href="https://t.co/M8y02YfczV">pic.twitter.com/M8y02YfczV</a></div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745540103032836097">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The other tunneller, 43 yr old William 'Youthey' Hackett, an experienced miner, opted to remain with Collins. <a href="https://t.co/qS341ZtRVL">pic.twitter.com/qS341ZtRVL</a></div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745540545531936769">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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His words were said to be 'I am a tunneller, I must look after the others first'</div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745540724129595392">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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With the difficult ground conditions, continued rescue work was proving almost impossible.</div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745540916878860291">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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By opting to remain with Collins, Hackett chose to be entombed, even though rescue and safety were there for him.</div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745541315270582273">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Rescue work continued for the next few days but then had to be abandoned. The ground conditions were too treacherous.</div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745541871481434112">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The two men either drowned, were crushed or asphyxiated in the heavily damaged and confined space of the broken gallery.</div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745542278119186432">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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William Hackett and Thomas Collins still lie together 35ft below the fields of Givenchy.</div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745542476757237760">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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For his selfless act, William Hackett was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross, the only VC awarded to a tunneller in the war.</div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745542643661189120">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>I found it impossible to stand and look at that field without feeling that time is wobbling, folding in on itself, and that those men are somehow there below ground, and not there, at the same time. See the field after harvest, after ploughing, and there is an almost imperceptible depression in the furrows. Below that, all those layers down, the space where a hugely brave man sacrificed himself for a fellow tunneller. On both sides of my family in south Wales not that long ago, there were miners. Maybe there is something echoing down the years?<br />
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But how to respond to this particular place in poetry, when I was working on a collection of poems responding to WW1 memorials and places? Maybe my background as a writer of prose, stories, allows me to imagine, try to share for a second the horror those men would surely have experienced, the fear, the pain, the hope, then the despair when they realised that rescue efforts had stopped? But then what? What words would be good enough? I didn't write for some time. For a couple of years at least.<br />
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My grandmothers, both of them from Merthyr Tydfil, lived in two of the many rows of terraced houses that cling to the valley sides. They both had great pride in their back gardens, little patches of dark soil. One grew produce, fruit trees along an old brick wall, and in the borders there were shallots, herbs, potatoes - the other had a rose or two, a straggle of flowers, a tiny lawn. An apple tree. What would I do if I knew time was short, and I was entombed underground? If I knew I was close to death. If all was dark, no light anywhere?<br />
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I had the poem.<br />
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So this is for both men, but in particular for Thomas Collins from Swansea. Who got no awards, but died in the most awful way in his efforts to do his bit. And whose injuries led to William Hackett's extraordinary, extraordinary comradeship and bravery, for which he was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. Here's to them both.<br />
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The spot seen through the yellow 'T' marks the site of the Shaftesbury Shaft <a href="https://t.co/zPtpFWcmdt">pic.twitter.com/zPtpFWcmdt</a></div>
— Jeremy Banning (@jbanningww1) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbanningww1/status/745546410670460928">June 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>To a Welsh tunneller killed in 1916 in France, whose body still lies 40 ft below ground</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Did you prefer your garden wild, </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">all edges softened, scented? Did grasses </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">seed for you </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">in the evening light, and </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Spanish daisies dance </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> down the old brick step? </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Did shallots wait in untidy rows, with </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">chives and parsley frills and leeks, and </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">on your two apple trees, did russets grow?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Was all stone mellow, </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">none bright, and in the ivy </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">were dunnocks nesting year on year, </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">and robins too, wood pigeons in the ash?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Everywhere was light, everywhere </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">the kindest shadow,</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">and when it rained </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">at night</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">did you stand at your open window,</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> the sweet air on your skin,</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">and listen</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">to the small sounds, </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> as though</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">you could hear the whole world, greening?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>From Memorandum, poems for the fallen. Published Feb 2016 by Cultured Llama. </i></span><a href="http://www.culturedllama.co.uk/memorandum"><i>http://www.culturedllama.co.uk/memorandum</i></a><br />
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<br />Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-73025431420363608842016-04-19T14:08:00.005-07:002016-04-22T10:12:54.660-07:00Passing it on...the importance of teaching and mentoring<br />
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Who was it said, 'Those who can't do, teach'? I don't agree with it, as a general statement, embracing all. Applied to writing, I reckon some can do it rather well and also teach. It is certainly one way in which writers can actually earn something, especially when you turn to poetry, which isn't exactly an earner for most of us. Some no doubt do one or both better than others - but all the writers I know who take time out to share what they do do it so well. Most of them, because they care. It is nice to pass things on.<br />
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Me, I care, sure - but I learned a lot from those who taught (or tried to teach) me. It was at times an object lesson in how not to teach - therefore wonderful grounding for later, when I would be passing on to the next generation whatever snips of wisdom I'd amassed along the way.<br />
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Mentoring too.<br />
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I have just finished a year-long mentorship with a novelist, through New Writing South. On her second novel, she wanted to be supported while she wrote a fair draft of her second.<br />
I am into mentoring another writer already - a partnership between NWS and Creative Futures, the writer is someone who might not otherwise take these things up, for her own reasons. <a href="http://www.creativefuture.org.uk/">http://www.creativefuture.org.uk</a><br />
And as good things come in threes, I am mentoring the brilliant <a href="https://about.me/divyaghelani">Divya Ghelani </a>through the equally brilliant Word Factory. Her novel Runaway made the longlist of the inaugural Deborah Rogers Foundation Prize. (Nowt to do with me!)<br />
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Mentoring is an interesting beast. It isn't teaching as such, in most cases. It is support, being a sounding board, an interested colleague. More of a guidance role. And that's fine.<br />
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Many years back, I spent a year abroad at a school, and it put me off teaching. That is sad - because actually, I think I'd have loved it - so long (and it is a big so long) as I loved what I was sharing, encouraging others to try, experiment, see if they loved it too. And that's what I see teaching as, now.<br />
Encouraging. Opening people's eye to what writing can be.<br />
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I ran a workshop a few weeks ago, on the short story. I started with one of my favourites - The Raft, by Peter Orner. Here it is in its entirety, all 1200 wds of it - in the archive of The Atlantic: <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2000/04/the-raft/378128/">http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2000/04/the-raft/378128/</a><br />
It never fails to give me enormous pleasure to see participants' faces when you unpack that story - and every time I do, I see new things myself, as they tease apart the threads, identify the craft elements.<br />
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My goal at a workshop is not to tell people how to do things, then pack up and go home. It is to show them the possibilities, open their eyes, fizz them up, strengthen their confidence in their abilities - and I hope they leave fired up with enthusiasm, full of ideas, and knowing that they CAN do this thing. <br />
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Later this year - workshops at Wordthing Festival, at Gladfest - and one or two others - then that will do. It does take a different bit of the brain to do this, and it takes a while to get back into creating mode, lovely and important as it is, for this writer. Next year, plans afoot already for fiction workshops in Venice, in Ireland and again, Gladstone's Library. Can't wait!<br />
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<br />Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-42567875951842531382016-04-03T13:00:00.000-07:002016-04-03T13:14:25.859-07:00Kate Dempsey's poetry collection, The Space Between. And other things. Including Thorium 238...<div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If you write creatively, whether poetry, plays, prose, you may well be aware of Kate Dempsey’s Emerging Writer blog - <a href="http://emergingwriter.blogspot.co.uk/"><span style="color: #021eaa; letter-spacing: 0px;">http://emergingwriter.blogspot.co.uk</span></a> a rather useful blog to say the least, containing a constantly updated drip feed of markets and opportunities for writers of all sorts, in depth interviews and interesting reviews. It is indeed rather brilliant stuff. And it's constant, and it's a free resource, even if occasionally someone drops in the cost of a coffee, I bet that doesn’t happen very often. Among other things, </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Kate is a poet. A poet who performs as well as sits in a darkened room. Who not just performs but is part of a group of women poets called Poetry Divas. I quote from one festival line-up I read: </span></div>
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<span style="color: #363636; letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>The fabulous Poetry Divas Collective are a glittery group of poets who read their own material at events and festivals all over Ireland including Electric Picnic, Féile na Bealtaine, Dublin Writers Festival, Dromineer Literary Festival and Kildare Reader's Festival. Each line-up and show is different, blended to the occasion but they guarantee a deliciously infectious show that's bound to touch a nerve and blur the wobbly boundaries between page and stage. The Divas include Barbara Smith, Maeve O’Sullivan, Triona Walsh and Kate Dempsey. </i></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Poetry Divas. Kate on the left. In tiara. </i></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #363636; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Kate </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">had her own debut poetry collection out at the end of last year, with Doire Press - The Space Between. I happened to be in Dublin thenabouts, happened to be staying in a hotel a stone’s throw from where Kate works, and she kindly whizzed down one lunchtime to deliver my very own copy. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I don’t review many books. However. This book is different. I don’t know Kate from Eve, apart from the fact that she is a hugely helpful person for other writers - but felt I ought to say I have met her for all of three minutes, in a Dublin hotel foyer, before saying that if you appreciate poetry that is by turns witty, funny, poignant, insightful, beautiful, strange, and above all memorable, you ought to be getting yourself a copy. I can’t lend you mine, it is covered in scribbles. Its the sort of collection that makes me want to write myself. High praise. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Look. Here’s the opening poem. (I have Kate’s permission to reproduce this one, and a couple of others, here.)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I<b>t’s What You Put Into It</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For Grace</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the last day of term</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">you brought home a present,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">placed it under the tree,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a light, chest-shaped mystery</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">wrapped in potato stamped paper</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">intricate with angels and stars.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Christmas morning</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">you watched as we opened it,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">cautious not to tear the covering.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Inside, a margarine tub, empty.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do you like it? eyes huge.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s beautiful.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What is it, sweetheart?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A box full of love, you said.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You should know, O my darling girl,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">it sits on the dresser still</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and from time to time, we open it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My heart does a backflip every time I read this one. I wish I’d written it.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Let’s move sideways, to something completely different. Dublin conjured from scents and sounds:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There’s fresh oranges on Mary Street,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">fresh words, fresh-sprayed on concrete walls</span><span style="font-family: "georgia";">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Or sideways again, one of my many favourites - a few couplets to give a flavour of </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Verbatim</b> (i m Barbara Ennis Price) :</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Its all the fault of the British, she said.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The cursing came in with the troopers,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(...)</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sure, weren’t we a gentle race</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">until the squaddies boated in?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(...)</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What did we have to swear about </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">until the British came?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I bet that one brings the house down. And sideways yet again to this, which had me laughing out loud on a Ryanair flight. (There’s not much to laugh about on Ryanair..)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Thorium 238</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am Thorium</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">luke on mi magnifisens an kwiver.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(...)</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">U can bild yr collider in a playgrown,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">bombard me wiv protons,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">thro evrything u hav at me,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">an 1 glorus day I will radee-ate 2 order. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am de answer, earthlings...</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I googled Thorium 238. This is what it looks like. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thorium 238. Great, isn't it? </td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span>I hope you are getting the point. This is not an easy collection to categorise. It is broad ranging, fascinating, and terrific. Sorry, but I love it. </div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Kate Dempsey was born and raised in the UK, seems to have lived all over the world, and now lives and works in Dublin. She once studied Physics at Oxford University. (See, we have a lot in common. Not that I went to Oxford, or indeed studied Physics anywhere - I dropped it before O Level. Long Story. But in the run up to the publication of I Am Because You Are, the short story antho in celebration of the centenary of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity (Freight Press, eds Tania Hershman and Pippa Goldschmidt) I went to Oxford Physics Dept for four private seminars for the commissioned writers, to be fodder for said Relativity themed creation. Yup. Moi.) </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Poetry Divas, her bio also says, blur the wobbly boundary between page and stage at events and festivals all over Ireland. The collection certainly contains poems I can ‘hear’ being read out loud, as well as those I want to curl up with and enjoy quietly (such as that first one up there.) So we nattered, remotely. I asked her about the two. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Moi: Performance and page poetry. Which came first, for you? How did the sideways shift occur? Can you pick one you define as a performance poem, and one that really belongs on the page? Why? What is it that pushes this divide?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Her: Well, page is always first. You have to write a poem before you can perform it. A poem that only works as a performance poem is only half a poem, and vice versa. If a page poem does not work out loud, then something’s wrong. Poetry started as recitation long before it was written down.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I do have poems that would lean one way more than another. I have quite a few poems I would not put in a book as on the page they are missing something. Maybe that something is the voice? I don’t know. If I could fix it and make the poem work on the page too, I would. And then again, I have poems that are good on the page but when I’ve read them to an audience, there’s too much going on on the page for a listening audience to get much out of it in the first run through. So those would be stay-on-the-page poems. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Moi: Some poems seem to straddle to divide neatly. For example: 'Tell me about your scar'. May I reprint this one?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Her: Sure, go ahead</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Tell me about your scar</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">that pucker of skin in the shape of an owl.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Was it an irritable pug,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a fight about a man, a look, the price of pie? </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Were you cursed by Minerva?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Did your knife slip making a rocket from a bottle?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Is it perhaps where you had a rash tattoo removed? I hear the laser hurts more than the needle.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Were you caught climbing barbed wire into somewhere,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">out of somewhere?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Did you fly into a window, smash a mirror?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Was it cancer, may I ask, a nasty melanoma?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Did a small owl-shaped alien erupt after one to many bad nights?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Was it self-inflicted?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Is there a matching half on your other arm,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">your leg, your brother?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Does it ache when storms are near?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do you still notice it? </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Does it disappear in sunshine, </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">in the shower, in the snow,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">when you sweat, when you fall in love?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do you have a story</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">or shall I make you one?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I can do that.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sit still.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This will hardly hurt a bit. </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Her: I started that one because I wanted to write a poem with a reference to classics, originally Athena but she changed to Roman Minerva. On top of that, I have taught creative writing in schools and one prompt I’ve used is to write the true story about a scar. Everyone has a scar with a story. And then to tell a story for the scar that isn’t real. Works well.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Moi: Specific question - it seems to me that humour is a fundamental for performance poetry, in whatever quantity - a flash thereof, or a lot.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Her: I don't think so. Maybe it is in mine but there is plenty of performance poetry that is fiercely passionate or angry with no humour at all. I'm thinking Kate Tempest as a terrific example and many other performance poets who think that anger on its own will make a poem, which it won't. I don't always intend to write funny poems but humour tends to creep in. In a performance environment, a funny poem or a poem with at least touches of humour is good to keep the audience on your side. A laugh relieves the tension of listening (or not)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Moi: I laughed out loud in the plane home, at Thorium 238. I love the humour that runs through the collection - favourites might be I Could Lie and Running Out. And Regeneration... despite the serious echoes underneath</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Her: Thorium is one of the more Science poems. I wrote it to be displayed in the Bodleian Science Library in Oxford, which was really cool. Thorium and Thorium 238 in particular some scientists believe have the potential to release very cheap clean energy but they haven't figured out how to do it yet. So I imagined Thorium as some kind of a partially literate superhero, sniggering as he watches humanity trying to work it out.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Moi: O Lord. Thorium 238 is now my favourite. It has to be. To celebrate... here is that pic of...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-J8jZSqzjWfeumfbjNa2TQPEvBMS8fW7CkXTG8IcjuKrQoqnh-E8yeW24QHlaG6eQMt-crNotXaEke4_ZVSaW_7IZiMcIyPM0mdTH3zNdsc2JdD6tBTBVcEZx7QRlxF8h-3ALI9Zyw/s1600/thoriumforyourlifetime1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-J8jZSqzjWfeumfbjNa2TQPEvBMS8fW7CkXTG8IcjuKrQoqnh-E8yeW24QHlaG6eQMt-crNotXaEke4_ZVSaW_7IZiMcIyPM0mdTH3zNdsc2JdD6tBTBVcEZx7QRlxF8h-3ALI9Zyw/s200/thoriumforyourlifetime1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Thorium 238. Still great...</i></td></tr>
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But doing an about turn, I am wondering, as there are many very insightful, hilariously sharp poems about blokes in the collection, is this a feminist collection? I am thinking of Karl, poor poor man, ghastly man, in his very own poem.. .</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We weave around conversational sinkholes, as he ploughs</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">into his half-a-bloody cow, chewing open-mouthed </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">as if we all want to savour the flavour...</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">and </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He’s all for diversity so long as the service industry</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">speaks English with no accent.</span></span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Her: Now there's a question. I come from a generation where it is almost taken as read that if you are a woman, you are a feminist. Of course I'm a feminist! And feminist beliefs will inevitably pop up in some of my writing. But I don't think anyone gains anything by forcing doctrine down other people's throughts. Subtlety and light humourous undermining of assumptions is my main weapon. But if I had to pick out an overtly feminist poem, I would be hard pressed. Perhaps While It Lasted, about a mother taking some time off from running the house and family. Actually my mother worked too, but that's not mentioned specifically. Or Running Out. I may have to address feminism more overtly in some new poems, I think.</span></blockquote>
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<div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Moi: Love that one too. here it is, on writing.ie: <a href="http://www.writing.ie/guest-blogs/poem-for-mothers-day/">http://www.writing.ie/guest-blogs/poem-for-mothers-day/</a></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On to Physics.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Can you say a bit about how this (and broader science) does or doesn't inform your poetry? Noted: Hydrogen, Equations on Waking. Again, may I use Hydrogen on the blog?</span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Her: I am fascinated with Science, specifically Physics from my Physics degree so I think it is inevitable that some science will creep into poems, even if they are not specifically about science. For example Schroedinger's famous, much maligned and misunderstood cat appears in a poem about a lump in a breast. I sometimes read at Science events so I specifically tried to write a few really science-y poems. I also collect interesting science facts for future poems, I jhave notebooks bulging with ideas waiting for time to craft them into something more than scratchy notes. I wrote a sequence of poems about elements represented as women, which was much fun to research and imagine. I should thank my daughter who is a Chemistrry graduate as well as Wikipedia. Hydrogen addresses varoius attributes of the element, the lightness and flammability. In a lab, the test to see if Hydrogen is released is to set it alight so it will pop. And it commonly occurs as H2, in a pair, two protons, no neutron, so that went into the poem too.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Moi: I knew it. Honest.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Hydrogen.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You can’t hold me down for long,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">buouyant, I’m ready to burn bright, pop.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Simple? Say straight forward,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I say what I mean and I am what I am</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a singular girl and </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a star in the making.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you think about it,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">it’s your all-natural pairing --</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">no need for a gooseberry neutron</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">my twin and I hold it together just fine.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia";"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Still Moi: You were at Oxford University. One line that sticks in my head from the poem entitled ‘Pure Class’ is this,</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Poetry won’t get you outa here,’ my da says. </span></span></div>
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<div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Is the 'City with stones of gold' form the poem of that title, Oxford? Can you talk a bit about the class boundaries and their blurring - how class becomes an education thing as opposed to a money thing? Did you feel you were the chosen, ‘shucking the limits of hometown grime’ (your lovely phrase)?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Her: Yes. Oxford, a beautiful place that I loved for my 3 brief years. I made life long friendships there as well as the education. I went up there from a very ordinary Midlands comprehensive school and the class divide was a shock to me as was suddenly not being the cleverest person in the class. But also working with people who were as interested in science (and reading) as you were. I literally still dream about it. But not everyone managed to survive it. People failed, dropped out, someone from my school killed himself. So there's a price. It's not for everyone. University is not for everyone at that age.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Moi: Lots more I could ask, but I know you are busy.</span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Her: I am! Apart from working full time, I am running an 8 week online poetry workshop with 7 other poets where we take turns to give a prompt each week and then write a poem to respond to it. So each week I have a poem to write and 7 to respond to. It's a hard slog but very rewarding. We're all going to meet up in Dublin at the end in person.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Moi: Sounds wonderful! No rush. Am off to Gladstone's Library to write from 25th to 1st.</span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Her: How lovely. How do you get that gig? I would love a week off to write ...soon soon.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Moi: But you can. Anyone can go - its now a terrifically unusual hotel, with this Victorian Gothic library, Gladstone’s memorial, attached. I am hooked. I ran a workshop for them last autumn, and my payment is two blissful weeks of my own this year, glorious.</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Ok, peoples. If you only buy one poetry book this month, make it this one. You can buy Kate’s collection direct from Doire Press.<a href="http://www.doirepress.com/writers/f-k/kate_dempsey/"> http://www.doirepress.com/writers/f-k/kate_dempsey/</a> Support quality indies! <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OK. We know... Thorium 238, right? Byeee!</td></tr>
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Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-5616079254282943862016-02-09T03:13:00.002-08:002016-02-10T11:57:09.236-08:0019th March, New Venture Theatre, Brighton Our Sons As Well - poems and prose<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<blockquote>
“I am the enemy you killed, my friend.”<br />
Wilfred Owen’s ’Strange Meeting’ reminds us of the human cost of the Great War, and of the individual personalities behind the wartime propaganda and the faceless military uniforms.<br />
An evening of poetry and writing from and about a conflict which affected millions - men and women, parents and children, sweethearts and lovers. The event will feature a selection of poems, letters and prose - some contemporary, some modern - read by New Venture actors and special guests. There will also be a short extract from the forthcoming production of ‘How Many Miles To Babylon’.<br />
The image usually brought to mind is of the trenches of the Western Front - but WWI was truly a World War, sweeping up citizens of many nations. European soldiers of all nations, Indian soldiers of Empire (in France and Belgium as well as Mesopotamia), Turks and Anzacs at the Dardanelles. And all these combatants were supported by families and loved ones, as well as the industries and medical services that underpinned the war effort.<br />
‘Strange Meeting’ was written from the Western Front, but the shared humanity of soldiers is universal. The monument at Gallipoli reads - “your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.”</blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I am delighted that some of my own work will be performed during this event by New Venture Theatre actors, including Poem for Seven Voices. This long poem, first published in The Half-life of Fathers, is part of Memorandum: poems for the fallen, from which my work will be taken. Far more importantly, poems by Rupert Brooke, Wilfred Owen, Isaac Rosenberg, Sarojini Niadu and many more, form an integral part of the event. I am privileged to be reading Rosenberg's wonderful poem, Break of Day in the Trenches, and the Naidu, The Gift of India. Caroline Davies also has a poem in the lineup, from her forthcoming collection Voices from Stone and Bronze (Cinnamon, May 2016). </span></div>
Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-47536726877347405212016-01-31T10:30:00.000-08:002016-01-31T11:32:14.946-08:00Interviews are like bloody buses... :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A few interviews - I seem to be pixellated - scattered liberally all over the internet:</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One just up on Storyscavenger website looks at the writing process - and asks, among other things, what advice I’d give to newer writers. Hmm... </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’ve had all sorts of advice from all sorts of people - some rubbish. Some sort of OK, sometimes. The only advice that really stands the test of time is: </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Writing well is hard work. Don’t expect it to be easy. The writing world is hard. Don’t expect it to be easy. If you aren’t prepared for hard work, and for knock back after knock back, you’re in the wrong job.”</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span>Whole interview here, a natter with Wendy Ann Greenhalgh: </span></div>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><a href="http://www.storyscavenger.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/interview-vanessa-gebbie.html#more"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">http://www.storyscavenger.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/interview-vanessa-gebbie.html#more</span></a></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">An interview also appears on The Short Story website - </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0px;">“In my work poetry </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">and prose do a kind of dance, in that sometimes they are so far apart they turn their backs and refuse to have anything to do with each other, and conversely sometimes they move so close that they are almost indistinguishable.”</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span>Interview here, with Lindsay Stanberry-Flynn:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.theshortstory.co.uk/the-short-story-interview-vanessa-gebbie/"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">http://www.theshortstory.co.uk/the-short-story-interview-vanessa-gebbie/</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On Litro, a fascinating article about the totemic articles that writers surround themselves with, and which, in some cases, become inspiration for their work, includes my version of Dalou’s ‘Le Grand Paysan’. The original, in the Musee d’Orsay, is huge. A bit like this one... but darker: </span></span><br />
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And they might have noticed if I nicked it. Couldn't get it under my coat...but this wonderful work certainly became a huge inspiration, and is the genesis of the town statue of a coal miner in The Coward’s Tale. I love it so much I bought my own mini-version...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“The poet Selima Hill once described going for long walks along the Dorset coastline as part of her creative process, collecting stones and shells or any interesting object that caught her eye along the way. For poet and novelist Vanessa Gebbie the inspiration for her first novel, <i>The Coward’s Tale</i>, set in a Welsh mining village, was a larger than life bronze statue, Dalou’s <i>Le Grand Paysan</i> which stands in the Musee D’Orsay in Paris.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As a surrogate, Gebbie acquired a much smaller bronze replica of a similar statue, Picciole’s <i>In Labore Benedictio</i>, to connect her to her story.”</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span>Full article here, by Niyati Keni:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.litro.co.uk/2016/01/story-totems-stuff-litters-writers-desks/"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">http://www.litro.co.uk/2016/01/story-totems-stuff-litters-writers-desks/</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On Brighton Retreats website, I was interviewed about procrastination - there’s a laugh. The best way to procrastinate is to spend time on these questions... (!). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Q: Do you listen to the interminable Inner Critic? How do you keep him/her quiet?</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A: We argue. Constantly. I remind him (it IS a bloke) that he is very useful indeed at the right times. Indeed, indispensable. Like blokes are. Some of the time. This one is indispensable when I am rewriting, editing, because he lets me see the work as others will. Other times, I shut him up by turning off the screen when I type, or turning the font to white.”</span></span></blockquote>
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Interview here, natter with Jo Gatford:<br />
<a href="http://www.brightonwritersretreat.co.uk/how-to-procrastinate-11-vanessa-gebbie/">http://www.brightonwritersretreat.co.uk/how-to-procrastinate-11-vanessa-gebbie/</a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On Chester University’s digital repository, I am also in pixels - you can download an interview that appeared in Short Fiction in Theory and Practice, entitled ‘As of on a magic carpet...’ - about the importance of flash and the flash process. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Writing flash fiction was and still is absolutely crucial to my development as a writer - an ongoing process. I initially wrote a lot of flash with other writers to tight time constraints, inspired by prompts - a single word, phrase or line of poetry. I found a great strength and a creative buzz in knowing that unseen others were tackling the same prompts at the same time. The concision, the need to examine every word was a great discipline. The creation of character through hint rather than description was a great skill to learn.”</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span>Interview here, with the editors of</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Flash: The International Short-Short Story Magazine</span>,</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Peter Blair and Ashley Chantler: </span></div>
<a href="http://chesterrep.openrepository.com/cdr/handle/10034/592823" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">http://chesterrep.openrepository.com/cdr/handle/10034</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">/592823</span></a><br />
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That's probably enough! </div>
Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-20099068594360441542016-01-24T10:46:00.000-08:002016-01-24T10:46:21.216-08:00Memorandum - poems for the fallen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My poetry collection is on the chocks from the lovely Cultured Llama - here is the book's page on their website: <a href="http://www.culturedllama.co.uk/memorandum">http://www.culturedllama.co.uk/memorandum</a><br />
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Lovely publisher, terrific cover based on an original image by Michaela Ridgway - Memorandum has had some wonderful endorsements. I am a lucky person.<br />
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Vanessa Gebbie’s First World War poems evoke memory and battle, ranging from memorials and Armistice Day parades to stabbing pain. From the idea of a shell reverting to its unmade, peaceful state to dead men buried in Brighton and France being mourned by their mother in Glasgow, she shows the often agonising and transformational effects of war. There are heartrending images such as the Tower of London’s ceramic poppies seen as callow recruits, doubts about a corpse’s identity and how dregs at the bottom of a cup can be reminiscent of the deadly Flanders mud. Blunden and Rosenberg, witnesses and war poets, are here. But this is a modern view, wise and compassionate, of Europe’s fatal wound.</div>
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Max Egremont, author of <em>Siegfried Sassoon: A Biography</em> and<br /><em>Some Desperate Glory: The First World War the Poets Knew</em></div>
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Vanessa Gebbie is that rare breed of poet who understands the trials and tribulations of the ordinary Tommy. Often based on her own research, her annual battlefield visits and inspired by soldiers’ personal stories, these poems are multi-layered, intelligent and deeply moving. They will strike a chord with those who not only read history, but want to understand it.</div>
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Jeremy Banning, military historian and researcher, battlefield guide</div>
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<em>Memorandum</em> is a haunting and sharply focused collection that summons voices from the shadows of the First and Second World Wars. In spare, poignant language and a range of forms, the dead who linger around memorials and battlefields slowly step again into the light. History may remember them collectively, but Gebbie’s achievement is to present, with sensitivity and without sentimentality, lives rooted in the particular rhythms of hometowns, families, memories. Dialogues are resumed between friends and enemies, between grieving survivors and the lost. War is never truly finished, cannot be tidied away. <em>Memorandum</em> attends to such complexities throughout with an unflinching eye.</div>
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John McCullough, author of <em>Spacecraft</em> and <em>The Frost Fairs</em></div>
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From the beautifully tender opening poem, ‘Cenotaph’, these poems rise like ghosts from a scarred landscape as Vanessa Gebbie responds to war memorials and those whose lives were cut short by war. These poems display her deep knowledge of the terrain, chalk, clay and woodland where they fought, and all in the voice of a natural poet.</div>
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Caroline Davies, author of<em> Convoy</em></div>
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Praise for Vanessa Gebbie’s previous pamphlet, <em>The Half-life of Fathers…</em></div>
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This is haunted, haunting poetry that both arrests time and attests to its power.</div>
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<em>Times Literary Supplement</em></div>
Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-19722526061378528092016-01-06T05:32:00.000-08:002016-01-06T05:34:32.858-08:00Children’s Books 2015: Market Commodities or Meaningful Stories? A Writer’s Tale<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10px; min-height: 16px;">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Please see the following as a New Year gift, intended to set the record as straight as it can be for aspiring writers of fiction for younger audiences. This is perhaps what they don't tell you when you go fresh-faced and dewy-eyed to writing courses. It is also relevant for writers of literary fiction across the board, methinks - a salutary recent lesson forced by the publishing world on <a href="http://nickysinger.com/new/">one of our best writers for the younger reader, Nicky Singer. </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Nicky is no stranger to controversy. Her novel The Innocent's Story caused a stir - you can read about the events surrounding its publication on her website, above. I know Nicky. She does not pull her punches. She does not talk down to anyone, especially children. She knows, as do I, that children are thinking beings who need literature for the same reasons we all do. </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">She was invited to address The</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i> </i>International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Conference, in London, on 14</span><span style="font-size: 8.7px; letter-spacing: 0px;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> November 2015. This is the text of her speech. It is long. Impassioned. Worth reading right through. </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Today I’m going to do something rather un-British. I’m going to talk about money. Not the sort most writers earn – that would clearly be a pretty short speech – but the swing from editorial to marketing power that I’ve witnessed in the 25 years I’ve been writing and publishing. I’m going to ask: what happens to children’s books when the definition of success is how many units you can sell, rather than how many souls you can nourish? What happens to language? What happens to the sort of stories that can be told? And what, if anything, can writers do about it?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> It’s not going to be an academic paper. It doesn’t have footnotes or PowerPoint. It’s going to Old School, personal, anecdotal. It might occasionally descend into a rant.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> So, let’s begin where I began. In 1992 – the publication date of my first novel (a book for adults) called <i>To Still the Child</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">(...) In those Neanderthal pre- e-mail days you wrote to your publisher and, believe it or not, they wrote back. This file contains the total correspondence that passed between us. For the record there are 9 letters from the Publishing Director of the company Robin Baird-Smith, 5 letters from my editor, 2 letters from the jacket designer and 1 from press and marketing. I’ll repeat that, 1 from press and marketing. It was Robin, the Managing Director, who chose the book, valued it, wrote me encouraging letters, put the thing into print and then (and only then) delegated it to the marketing team (though team’s a bit of an exaggeration, I think there were two people) to try and get it noticed. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It’s all rather different nowadays. Editorial teams have got smaller and marketing teams have got larger. Much, much larger. The power has shifted in the same ratio. Nowadays, small teams of editorial staff go to acquisition meetings to ‘pitch’ book ideas to - marketing people. And the marketing people make judgements about whether the title will – or won’t – shift units. And, if it will, how <i>many</i> units it will shift. For publishing, you see, is no longer some collegiate Gentlepersons Club full of bookish folk seeking higher things. Of course not. It’s a business like any other. There’s money to be made. Big Money if you hit it right. The reach is potentially global. The economics become supermarket. Or, as one MD of a major publishing house put it to me, recently: ‘Publishers are not charities you know, Nicky.’ </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> Right. Got that. So let’s see how this Brave New Marketing World impacts on the humble writer. This year I have been working on two different books. One is my new novel Island – turned down by virtually every major publisher in London – the other my re-telling of Wind in the Willows – forthcoming in Jan ’16 from just one such major. Let’s begin with Island. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> Island started life as a play, a special commission for the National Theatre</span><span style="font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0px;">. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It played to sell-out audiences in the Cottesloe, did a 30 school London tour and enjoyed a raft of 4* reviews. This is what the Independent said about it:</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>The National Theatre’s terrific new play for over-eights is set on what we call Herschel Island in Northern Canada (the Inuit have another, much older name for it). The one-hour play explores the impact of global warming – think Frozen Planet brought to life for children with characters the audience identify with and care about. Island explores the conflict between scientific and metaphysical truth, colonialism, the exploitation of other people’s environment, the role of religion and the power of storytelling. So it isn’t short of issues for children to think about afterwards, but at the same time it avoids any sense of worthiness and stands up well as a piece of compelling, moving drama. </i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I never planned to re-write it as a novel but I failed to factor in the speed of the melting ice-caps. Five people rang me up in the same week: our young people need that story more than ever, they said. Don't you understand? They have to have the chance to engage with what’s going on in the arctic. Write it as a novel. Now! </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> So I did. And I fell in love with my characters (a grumpy Western boy, a local island girl, an ice bear) all over again. I liked the extra space in the book. I believed I made a pretty good fist of the re-write. In fact, I rather thought the last 100 pages were some of the best I’d ever written.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My long-term publisher disagreed. ‘It’s too quiet,’ they said, ‘for the current market’. I’m not sure this particular publishing term has made the OED yet but, roughly translated, I think it means: ‘this book will not make the required shed-load of money’. Leaving aside the fact that, if publishers really knew what makes a shed-load of money, eight of them wouldn’t have turned down Harry Potter, I thought, in <i>Island</i>’s case, they were probably right. But guess what, I didn’t write Island to make a shed-load of money, I wrote it because it seemed a story which still needed to be told. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Still, if a work never sees the light of day, you might just as well have not bothered. So it behoved me, I thought, to find out a little more about ‘quiet’. I asked a few people who should know, the managing directors of three London publishing houses. They said (to a woman)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">1. Quiet means that the story cannot be summed up succinctly, cannot be rendered in a single sentence. For the marketing people.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I had a think about that. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And what it might do to complexity. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Hamlet: bloke dithers about whether to avenge his father’s death. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Alice in Wonderland: curious child falls down rabbit hole. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Or, as a top-flight London agent put it to me: ‘the literary end of children’s fiction is contracting at the moment. There’s a lively mainstream - but it’s not very challenging.’ Yup. You can begin to see why.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Quiet also means, apparently, that although the book might be nicely written, it doesn’t have the necessary pulsating action required by the modern child. In fact one of the particular criticisms levelled at Island was that it wasn’t an adventure story and it ‘should be’. Should be? Who says what my books ‘should be’? My books, in my view, should be whatever they need to be to best tell the story I’m trying to tell. Although, ironically enough, Island <i>is</i> an adventure story, it’s just not of the (current fad) Boy’s Own Adventure sort. It’s an adventure of the mind, of thoughts and dreams.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Cue Ursula Le Guin’s blistering address to the US National Book Awards last year as she accepted the Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et9Nf-rsALk"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et9Nf-rsALk</span></a>) There is, she said, a difference between <i>‘the production of a market commodity and the practice of an art’</i>. She went on to wonder at us – the writers and creators - ‘<i>who let profiteers sell us like deodorant and tell us what to publish and what to write’</i>. This address has been viewed over 300,000 times – so it must be hitting some buttons other than those on writers’ shirts. Le Guin finishes by demanding, not shed-loads of money – but freedom. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> What might this freedom look like for someone like me? To be able to publish powerful, meaningful stories in powerful, meaningful language. For young people. Yes – young people. For being too ‘quiet’ was not Island’s only sin. It was also, apparently ‘too literary’ for these supposedly lesser mortals. I’ve felt this chill before. Not least when I was asked to expunge the word ‘bonnet’ from a previous novel, on account of the fact that no self-respecting 12 year old would know such a word. The publisher was unmoved by my assertion that, at the same age, I was required to be able to spell and define words like ‘sinecure’. Does this matter? I think so. Put simply, we think in language. It there isn’t a word for something, or that word is not in our vocabulary, it impairs our ability to know - and also to communicate. And no, Beatrix Potter would not get away with <i>soporific</i> today. She might even have trouble with <i>lettuce</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> So - what do you do when you book is too quiet and too literary for your long-term publisher? Try a new publisher, of course. Only that’s not quite so simple these days either. Because of Branding. Yes – how is New Publisher to position you in the market if you are so closely associated with Old Publisher? Branding costs, you see. Shed-Loads of Money. And that’s another problem with Nicky. She can’t be branded. She writes too many different sorts of thing. She started off writing for adults. Then she switched to children. She writes novels for 8-12 year olds. She write YA fiction. She writes plays. She writes musicals. She even writes opera, for heaven’s sake. How are you going to pile that on a shelf next to 21 identikit David Walliams’? Or, as my agent once famously put it, <i>the problem with you Nicky, is that you always write what you want to</i>. Which, for the record, I thought was the job of the creative artist. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Anyway, it wasn’t too long before said agent was running out of possible publishers for Island and I was running out of cornflakes.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> There seemed to be three options 1) lie down and die (only I’m not very good at that) 2) lie down and die (I seriously considered it) 3) put up or shut up. I decided on 3) and began exploring crowdfunding platforms. Crowdfunding is not to be confused with vanity publishing – although many people do confuse them. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Crowdfunding is actually more akin to eighteenth century subscription publishing. Vis you would find out how many friends and family wanted to buy your new collection of poetry, ask for money upfront and print the relevant number of copies. Only now – with the internet, the concept has the potential (emphasise <i>potential</i>) for global reach. Enter Kickstarter. One of several on-line platforms where you can hawk your creative wares. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> I did some homework (not least with a friend of mine who raised £10,000 to make a film about the plight of illegitimate children in Morocco which the BBC had turned down) and launched a Kickstarter campaign. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> For months my job description changed. I wasn’t a writer any more (we’ll come back to that). I was a film-maker, an administrator, a mail-chimper, a twitterer. I had to get to grips with my website, with technology. I had to self-promote. Puff myself up. Again and again and again. I’m probably more naturally bullish than the average Brit. And certainly more bullish than the average writer. But even so. It was humiliating. As was asking for money.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> And I still didn’t have any cornflakes. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It was at this moment that my agent rang again: she knew it was terrible money but did I want to do a re-telling of Wind in the Willows? I should have said ‘no’. Of course, I should have said no. If you take a sublime classic like Wind in the Willows and re-tell it at 4000 words, there’s going to be blood on the carpet. But I was poor and, to be frank, I had no idea how much of the blood was going to be mine.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> I left the Kickstarter to simmer and turned my attention to Mr Grahame. The contract said nothing about how I was to approach the project – only that there was a word count and a deadline. I thought I could be faithful to the original, do a radical edit, but keep the colour and rhythm of Grahame’s language. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Wrong. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> I was back in the land of bonnet. The motorcar that knocks the four friends off the road couldn’t be a ‘dark centre of energy’, there was to be no ‘poetry of motion’. Toad was not allowed to ‘expand’ on anything. And as for the snow in the Wild Wood, it couldn’t be a ‘gleaming carpet of faery’. It had to be ‘a gleaming carpet of - white’. My heart began to break. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> And that was before the diktat came about weapons. I wasn’t to have any. The animals weren’t to have any. The book was to be a weapon-free zone. No brace of pistols for Ratty. No guns for the ferrets. No great cudgel for Badger.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Because why?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Because, Nicky, weapons are violent. And some countries – notably the United States of America, (which incidentally is big <i>market</i>, Nicky) – they don’t like violence. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Well - not in books anyway….</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I contemplated my task. Grahame has Toad, Ratty, Mole, and Badger explode out of the secret passage-way into Toad Hall, ‘bulging with weapons’ and ‘whacking every head they see’. What was I supposed to do? Send the friends in to dispatch 400 stoats and weasels with a landlord and tenant eviction notice? </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> I brooded in my lair. I would have liked to have had a conversation with my supposed editor. But guess what – for ‘market’ reasons (ie it’s cheaper), much of this sort of work is no longer conducted in-house. The person I was dealing with (or rather <i>through</i>) was a freelancer. She was decent, she was sympathetic but she didn’t sit anywhere near the seat of power. It was all too easy to fend me off with the call centre tactic: <i>sorry, it’s just the way it is. It’s the rules. </i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i> </i>I felt a letter coming on. The ban on weapons gave me practical problems in telling the story. It also touched something much deeper in me. I’m going to quote from the actual letter I sent. Because, until this year, I could never have imagined having to write such a letter to a fellow children’s book professional.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Dear X, I began:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Taking the weapons out of Wind in the Willows gives me major narrative problems. I know because I’ve tried! Please see the exchange below:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Current text:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Standing guard at the gate of Toad Hall was a long, yellow ferret.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>With a gun.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>‘Who goes there?’ said the ferret sharply.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>‘Stuff and nonsense!’ said Toad, angrily.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Without a word, the ferret brought the gun up to his shoulder. Toad (sensibly) dropped down flat in the road.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>BANG.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The bullet whistled over Toad’s head.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Toad scrambled back to the river - a slightly wiser beast.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: line-through;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Possible replacement text:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Standing guard at the gate of Toad Hall was a long, yellow ferret.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">‘Who goes there?’ said the ferret sharply.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>‘Stuff and nonsense!’ said Toad, angrily.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Without a word the ferret stepped forward. His stick was very much larger than Toad’s.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Toad looked…</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And looked…</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And then…</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>…bolted right back to the river-bank.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>You don’t have to be Shakespeare,’ </i>I continued<i>, ‘to spot the difference. The first is succinct and funny and truthful (both about Toad’s character and the power relations between the Toad and the ferrets) and the second is flabby and untruthful. Would Toad back off because the ferret’s stick is larger? What about Toad being physically larger than the ferret (which he is)? What in any case does this say ‘morally’ about people with larger sticks? </i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I then went on to tackle the deeper thing. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>‘For the record,’ </i>I wrote,<i> I don’t subscribe at all to the theory that ‘violence in children’s books encourages real children to be violent’ In fact part of my problem with dispensing with weapons for ‘politically correct reasons’ is that it attacks the heart of what I believe stories are actually for and why human beings tell them. Vis to test morality in a safe space, ie you can shoot or even murder people between the pages of a book and no-one actually gets hurt. This is why fairy tales are full of swords and poisonings and tramping people to death’</i> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I ranted on for another couple of pages before concluding thus: </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Ps Meanwhile please also purchase large tractor and drive it over me before taking ‘humbugged’ out of the piece again</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For the record, they took it out three more times and I put it back three more times. This was one of the few ‘tricky’ words I finally won on.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> But we weren’t done yet. There was also the knotty problem of religion. We weren’t to have any of that either. Toad was allowed to shriek and protest as he was dragged away to prison, but he was not allowed to pray. Even if – or rather particularly because – those prayers were self-serving and ironic. And that, you see, is about as close as you can get to blasphemy without bumping into a fatwa. Which brings us to the No-Pork Rule. In the original, Badger has hams hanging from his rafters. So I hung some there. They came back as ‘meats’. Why? Because if there are hams in the book we can’t sell it to Muslim countries or even to UK schools with a large number of Muslim or Jewish children. We can’t? No, Nicky, we can’t. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As it happens, this edition of Wind in the Willow is being sold, predominantly, to schools. It’s an educational text. So what exactly are we saying here? That our profits are more important than teaching a child that different cultures have different ways of doing things and that we need to be respectful of that? </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> I began to think it was me down the rabbit hole, that I’d arrived in some parallel universe. But <i>was</i> it only me facing these sorts of issues? I started to ask around. Had other writers fallen foul of the new Dark Arts of Global Children’s Publishing? Oh – actually they had. Then why wasn’t anyone talking about it? Because of the gagging orders, of course. Hm. Guess what? There was one in my contract. I quote it verbatim. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Clause 21. CONFIDENTIALITY</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>The Author shall not disclose, reveal or make public except to his/her professional advisers any information whatsoever concerning the Work (that’s Wind in the Willows, by the way) or this Agreement, all of which shall be strictly confidential, nor shall the Author make any public statement in connection with the Work or commit any act which might prejudice or damage the reputation of the Publishers or the successful exploitation (my italics) of the Work unless otherwise mutually agreed in good faith.</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> So how come I’ve just told you what I’ve just told you? Because I haven’t signed this contract, of course, and I don’t intend to. My husband, who is a lawyer, says I may never work again. But then I’m not working much at the moment, at least not for money. And if you pay writers peanuts, or don’t pay them at all, you make pretty powerful monkeys out of them. Besides – what is this clause about? It’s global corporation speak. It’s the sort of clause you force on someone when there’s a million pounds worth of sensitive commercial information at stake. It is not, in my view, an appropriate clause to put in a contract between consenting artistic collaborators. Not to mention the fact that it would also preclude me (so my lawyer husband confirms) from talking about Wind in the Willows in a school, for instance - with children. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Meanwhile – back to Island. The campaign was gathering pace –mainly due to people way smarter at social media than me (thank you, Candy Gourlay, thank you, S F Said). Many people donated to the campaign. People from the world of children’s books - editors, agents, translators, writers. Some I knew. Many I didn’t. Imagine how I felt the day when the legendary writer Geraldine McCaughrean came on board. Swiftly followed by Beverley Naidoo. I felt a message coming. And then there were the librarians, the teachers, the environmentalists (workers, activists, writers, advisors to government); not to mention musicians, composers, theatre-makers, film-makers. And total strangers, people from all over the world (Canada, Belgium, France, The Philippines) they took a punt. Said this book, on this theme, is something we want to read. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The campaign also caught the eye of Trevor Wilson. Trevor runs an outfit called Author’s Abroad, which pretty much does what it says on the tin. Puts authors into schools (often actually abroad) to fire children’s imagination about books. He also arranges for those books to be sold in schools. And here’s another piece of the changing publishing landscape jigsaw. It’s much cheaper to print now than it ever was. Trevor realised, if he did some publishing himself, he could get a cut of the school visit <i>and </i>of the books. So he started a small imprint – Caboodle Books - to do just that. In the first instance he used the back catalogue of writers like Alan Gibbons. And he published notable non-shed-load-of-money fiction such as short stories. Trevor saw the potential for Island at once and offered to put in money to extend the print run. He also started the virtuous circle of school visit planning – getting the books into the hands of the really important people. Children. At the end of this month I will be in Switzerland for a week. In January – in the Sudan.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> So I should have been feeling great, right? Everything going swimmingly. But, in the midst of all the pre-publication excitement, I had a Massive Loss of Confidence. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> This happens to writers. Some days we are bullish. We have to be in order to get up and go to our desks and work there in silence for seven hours a day with no-one to praise (or blame…) us but ourselves. Sometimes we are not quite so bullish. The days when, for instance, we remember that conventional publishers can - and do - publish great writers and great stories. And soon Island will be out. There’ll be real books. And real readers. And what if I’ve written a turkey, after all? </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> My head is hurting. I can’t work. I take myself off to Waterstones and I’m just sitting there with my cup of tea and Someone Else’s Book (oh blessed relief), when this vandal comes in and starts drawing on the walls. He says his name is Chris and he’s allowed. The pictures are quite good. In fact they’re very good. Which is not surprising on account of the fact that he turns out to be the illustrator Chris Riddell, newly appointed UK Children’s Laureate. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Anyway, we fall into conversation and Chris asks what I’m currently working on and I tell him about <i>Island</i> and also do some DGB (Doom, Gloom and Bitching) about the current state of children’s publishing and he says suddenly – I’d like to do a few illustrations for your book. And I think, the coffee’s well gone to his head. But the next day, on my Facebook page these appear: </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And he’s SERIOUS.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> And I send him the book and a little while later he writes me: <i>Just finished reading your beautiful text and am now rather in love with 'Island'.</i> And after everything that has gone on, you will understand why this makes me cry.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So anyway. He draws 20 illustrations. He designs a beautiful polar bear face cover. And now you see - in marketing terms - my ante just raised quite a bit. Suddenly this quiet, challenging, literary, non-Boys Own Adventure book by some totally non-brandable author has the imprimatur of one of the most influential people in Kids literature right now. And everything’s getting a little noisier. Not to mention the fact that Chris has decided to donate any proceeds due to him to Greenpeace. And Greenpeace swings behind the project. And they have clout and reach and plenty of people who care about the Arctic and plenty of people who understand that children need to have a voice, have to be involved in the debate. It is, after all, their future we are currently trashing. So more word gets out. Our initial print run of 3000 is extended, within a week, to 5,000. I get a call from Italy about Italian rights. I get a mail about Japanese rights. A mainstream London publisher invites me in for a ‘no-agenda’ conversation. The wheels are turning, the supermarket is almost in business. So I’m happy, right? I’d do it all again?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">No. I wouldn’t.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Of course, I’m grateful. Of course I’m thrilled about what’s happening for the book. But crowdfunding is not a sustainable model for a writer. The money pledged came initially from my family and friends. There is a limit as to how many times they will be prepared to pay £30 for £6.99 paperback. And a limit to how often I would be prepared to ask. But much more than this, the campaign sucked away 9 months of my life. During that time, other than Wind in the Willows, I did no writing. I am a writer. If I don’t write, I die a little.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Besides the model is also not sustainable for other writers. Not for first-time writers, not for writers of other quiet books who don’t happen to have my sort of track-record, not for writers without the serendipitous luck I had on this campaign. So if I was waving a wand for the future of powerful, meaningful stories for young people over what would I wave it?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> I’d wave it over a Farmer’s Market model of publishing. I’d hope for an imprint – for argument’s sake I’m going to call it Quiet Books – where, if you were an imaginative, hopeful child (or the parent of such a child) it would be your go-to publisher because you’d know that, in the pages of a Quiet Book you’d always find a powerful, meaningful story. And yes, A Quiet Book might not look as shiny as its supermarket cousin, it might even have a little challenging dirt on it. But hopefully, that dirt would signify the passion of the person who’d created it. And yes, you might have to pay a little more for your Quiet Book but, hopefully, you’d be prepared to do that, in order to bring home something you knew would nourish your family. As for the writers – I hope they (we) would come from all over the world to stand proud on your Quiet BookShelves. I hope we’d bring you stories to touch the deep places in you, stories which would linger, stories which would make you wonder at and question the world we live in. And yes, we the writers, might have to deal with smaller print-runs and even less money. But, you know what, we’d have something we prize more. Ursula Le Guin’s freedom.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Nicky Singer 13/11/2015</span></div>
Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-12826008451190112092015-11-18T06:37:00.001-08:002015-11-18T07:07:56.895-08:00The Gladstone's Library Character Questionnaire<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLVXmTUu2pcL6uvoNHdzod0aUdrJtLoS3F9Jxzq5pCpFL4QfaQAzqTtrmKq1ZLqpkUT4ynh6doRvW4auLbrkhO7sIVx53k6eKHuglZw0ypdxiB5MVvtXUbbsdqHSzRjaJlVrQjorO0A/s1600/1062077210.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLVXmTUu2pcL6uvoNHdzod0aUdrJtLoS3F9Jxzq5pCpFL4QfaQAzqTtrmKq1ZLqpkUT4ynh6doRvW4auLbrkhO7sIVx53k6eKHuglZw0ypdxiB5MVvtXUbbsdqHSzRjaJlVrQjorO0A/s640/1062077210.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gladstone's Library, Hawarden, Nr Chester</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Oh, character questionnaires... interesting things - often saying more about the inventor than the character. 'What colour hair have you got? Eyes? What is your favourite animal? What do you wear to go out on a Friday night?' and so on. There may well be interesting things to discover about a character behind those questions, but quite honestly, do I care?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And yet, hot-seating a character can be a very useful thing to do, for some writers. So - on my recent short fiction course at the glorious <a href="https://www.gladstoneslibrary.org/">Gladstone's Library</a>, thirteen writers invented their own - what did they really want to know about their newly emerging characters? What might open up stories? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">In no particular order, then, here it is. Let me know if it's useful!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>The Gladstone's Library Character Questionnaire. </u></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">What are you carrying?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Can you keep a secret? Are you? What?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Where is your heart?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Where do you gravitate to in a room full of people?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What is your default behaviour under pressure?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What was your last big decision?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Who is your nemesis?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What is your biggest regret?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Who would you most like to say sorry to, and why?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What is your earliest memory?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Do you believe in a god? </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Are you spiritual? Give an example?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What is your worst nightmare?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What do you cherish most?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Who do you cherish most?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">How did your parents meet?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What would you most like to change about yourself?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Why do you dress like that?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">How do you travel?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Who and what, from your past, are you still angry with?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What is the most significant event of your life?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What do you do for pleasure?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When and where were you most happy?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What do you think of yourself?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">How do you believe others see you?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">How would you like to be remembered?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If you like this, perhaps you might also like the responses the writer Marcel Proust gave to similar list of questions posed by a friend. He is talking about himself of course, but actually, this is a lovely list too. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.openculture.com/2014/06/the-manuscript-of-the-proust-questionnaire.html">http://www.openculture.com/2014/06/the-manuscript-of-the-proust-questionnaire.html</a></div>
Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-20600578616870206412015-09-17T02:14:00.000-07:002015-10-01T03:05:38.207-07:00Call for submissions, Refugees Welcome short fiction anthology<div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">UPDATED SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES - SIMPLER!! EMAIL YOUR STORIES TO <span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; line-height: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> submissions@coboox.com</span></span><br />
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The indomitable Greg McQueen, who was the driving force between 100 Stories for Haiti anthology, after the Haiti disaster some years ago, is organising another charity anthology - this time to raise funds for the Red Cross in their efforts to help the refugee crisis. </div>
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Here is Greg, talking about this new initiative. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yofxe1YWFCI?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></div>
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I'm delighted to be part of the selection team for the anthology - look forward to reading your stories! Here are the guidelines for submission. </div>
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Refugees Welcome Anthology call for subs, via <a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2FCoboox.com%2F&h=pAQEk5V7bAQEpDnIi6JrPrnHUSOQEkj5esZnRBCkZrv7emw&enc=AZO6a95M8rCpPbh-XjZgLgJf8Xz9dlTzI5AMBFkx4SGnk9GIiY8cQSKju4AbGrpSbdTGDfyaXhMhDhrUUFng4LBi7gFnz-Q8RzJJJ7f1fNRf62o-BOQcIJi3pg37xNDL9Ne4aueN3U_0o-UaTPE_avu0yH5FcbC_prqc6pFY-8iIxfmphCAfOT6nybVm7lkzspg&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Coboox.com</a> - Submission Guidelines<br />
* Short Stories<br />
* 3,000 words (maximum)<br />
* We want stories of any genre that are about happiness, friendship, community, and humanity. Stories with a dash of humour and lots of hope. </div>
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Stories that somehow shine a light of hope in a dark situation.<br />
* We DO NOT want stories about death, destruction, or war.<br />
* Stories must be submitted through the Coboox system. We will not accept submissions via email.</div>
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How to submit your story</div>
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* Make a profile on Coboox<br />
* Create a project on the Coboox system<br />
* Choose the <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/refugeeswelcome?source=feed_text&story_id=10153910197295353" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl" style="color: #627aad;">#</span><span class="_58cm">RefugeesWelcome</span></a> Anthology workflow<br />
* Find a reader and editor on the Coboox system to help get your story ready for the selection panel who will choose the stories for inclusion in the anthology</div>
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DEADLINE: Stories must be submitted and ready by OCTOBER 1st, 2015.</div>
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If you have any questions, please contact: greg@coboox.com</div>
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Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-55711485743690791902015-09-07T02:50:00.003-07:002015-09-07T02:55:40.554-07:00Ed's Wife and Other Creatures has landed!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilmPyGqF5lo1uzeyh4qGwSN4-MOf2dStZI0_QZEx2MclHStFMH_tMZWBaLKh59AZRmwlJRrwL1x4jT8AKLXPwDSJ-johyuw_cfsTXINt4tRBnWQ4uNdBWjRq6iqDygKNZL0NwqjMKLHg/s1600/20150907_093207_resized_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilmPyGqF5lo1uzeyh4qGwSN4-MOf2dStZI0_QZEx2MclHStFMH_tMZWBaLKh59AZRmwlJRrwL1x4jT8AKLXPwDSJ-johyuw_cfsTXINt4tRBnWQ4uNdBWjRq6iqDygKNZL0NwqjMKLHg/s640/20150907_093207_resized_1.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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Stunning - a gorgeously produced book, a real fizz to open my copies and sit on the floor going "Hey! Look who's here!"<br />
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="il">Weird</span>, <span class="il">wonderful</span> and full of poetic truth.</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> We like to think we know our partner but this funny collection of stories shows just how complex our nearest and dearest can be. For some people, it can be a horrifying idea but Ed's Wife shows how </span><span class="il" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">wonderful</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> 'different' can be.</span></span></blockquote>
<a href="http://andrewgmarshall.com/">Andrew G Marshall </a><br />
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<span style="background-color: blue; color: #d9d2e9; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This gorgeous book of beautifully illustrated short texts excavates the deep love between a man and a woman using insect and animal behaviour as a brilliant way to articulate the complexities of affection, bonding, intimacy, attraction, sex, loneliness and loss. A fabulous blurring of short-short fiction and prose poetry, which cumulatively creates a novelistic experience as well as being a delightful dip-in dip-out box of bite size chunks you can enjoy on their own.</span></blockquote>
<a href="http://www.davidgaffney.org/"> David Gaffney</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This collection of beautifully-illustrated, funny and poignant </span><span class="il" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">miniatures</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> illuminates one of life's essential challenges: recognising that, although we look similar, The Other (even The Other who shares our bed), may actually be as different from us as another species. If you love me, Ed's wife is saying, don't pin me down, fix me in amber. Just let me be this... and this ... and this. Ed wakes up not knowing who - or what - will be there, struggling to understand, to accept, to just be.</span></span></blockquote>
<a href="http://taniahershman.com/wp/"> Tania Hershman </a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1zFpyuWwgp_sJdzsJbmcV6BL10gLLcfOTd1eBn96s_5L6iwZxh9ZtEbP2A6XWzp5aVLkPmYvvnYkCGTE5JzbRQqBd1N2VgfD2sOeMIPI-zAChoWLNSGKiIvJ6PTepInWJte5kq0t1g/s1600/lfish_logo_web.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1zFpyuWwgp_sJdzsJbmcV6BL10gLLcfOTd1eBn96s_5L6iwZxh9ZtEbP2A6XWzp5aVLkPmYvvnYkCGTE5JzbRQqBd1N2VgfD2sOeMIPI-zAChoWLNSGKiIvJ6PTepInWJte5kq0t1g/s320/lfish_logo_web.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Ed's Wife is published by<a href="http://www.cinnamonpress.com/index.php/liquorice-fish-books/about"> Liquorice Fish Books, a new imprint of Cinnamon Press.</a> <br />
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<span style="color: #11171d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22.75px;">Liquorice Fish Books</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.419608); color: #11171d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22.75px;"> is a new imprint from Cinnamon Press to promote the </span><span style="color: #11171d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22.75px;">innovative and idiosyncratic</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.419608); color: #11171d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22.75px;"> in contemporary writing: writers who are passionate and committed to finding an </span><span style="color: #11171d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22.75px;">individual voice and approach</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.419608); color: #11171d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22.75px;"> to their writing; who are restless and want </span><span style="color: #11171d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22.75px;">to explore</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.419608); color: #11171d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22.75px;"> the many possibilities inherent in language and the written word; or who wish to </span><span style="color: #11171d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22.75px;">celebrate and extend</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.419608); color: #11171d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22.75px;"> the vibrant and varied traditions — and anti-traditions &8212; that emerged during the 20th Century but which have been too often marginalised and belittled by the world of corporate authorship</span></blockquote>
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If you would like a copy, Ed is £8.99 plus p and p from all the usual suspects, but please support the indie presses by buying direct! </blockquote>
<a href="http://cinnamonpress.com/index.php/hikashop-menu-for-products-listing/fiction/product/104-ed-s-wife-and-other-creatures-vanessa-gebbie-ill-lynn-roberts">http://cinnamonpress.com/index.php/hikashop-menu-for-products-listing/fiction/product/104-ed-s-wife-and-other-creatures-vanessa-gebbie-ill-lynn-roberts</a><br />
<br />Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-47966340341185138972015-08-27T09:10:00.000-07:002015-08-27T09:13:35.279-07:00‘Shall we draw a house?’ Something about creativity. <div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjak4kAHGz4BL3OSablJtC7rT6xIy-e2n3MO8S908HCA0jOP1yzwBJx3RFFVWB3b3JkUJIQAySdbFGUM5HL_KspYpidTVQiK-YU-u-WQQusO4jbHoXgA3w2Wea3KACPB0Vp8y9afhtF2w/s1600/tour_house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjak4kAHGz4BL3OSablJtC7rT6xIy-e2n3MO8S908HCA0jOP1yzwBJx3RFFVWB3b3JkUJIQAySdbFGUM5HL_KspYpidTVQiK-YU-u-WQQusO4jbHoXgA3w2Wea3KACPB0Vp8y9afhtF2w/s400/tour_house.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Those who have read the post below, added here back in April after a brilliant workshop in Ireland, will know the significance of ‘Shall we draw a house?’ The moment when I revisited for the first time, a formative event - a rainy day when my mother set me and two friends, all of us aged three or four, the task of drawing a house. And the best was to win a biscuit. The others drew normal houses, rectangles with a roof, windows, door, chimney, garden path. Fences. I, on the other hand, drew an enormous edifice, so big it had to go round to the other side of the paper. It had hundreds of chimneys, so many rooms the windows overlapped. It has doors everywhere, even at first floor level and in the roof. It was all the colours I could get my hands on. I remember scrabbling across the table for the red, the blue, the yellow.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Judgement time, and I saw disappointment all over my mother’s face. ‘That’s not a house, she said, and awarded the biscuit to a drawing that approximated what she had in her head.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A lightbulb moment, that workshop, and realising that I was affected so deeply by that occurrence, one I hadn’t so much as thought about for decades. My house was a good house. So were the others. The mistake was/is in having my house compared with the others, and Mum expecting someone else’s creation to mirror her own idea of what it should be. And showing it.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">If your 'house' happens to be what 'Mummy' wants, (for 'Mummy' read any of the following: publishers, agents, editors, competition judges, other writers, friends, well-meaning or not, family, well-meaning or not) that is terrific. If not, and you are a fragile three-year old somewhere inside, you are walking into difficult territory. Territory you will have to learn to manage. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Have a think. Are you still ‘drawing the house in your mother’s head...’? Or have you freed up, and are now happily drawing your own, what you want to draw? </span></div>
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Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-32236753641586598042015-04-29T07:15:00.003-07:002015-04-29T10:19:01.060-07:00PROPRIOCEPTIVE WRITING<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-B9AeZqnur45wYRNoV5nQlVIW8jG_FUqwdg_8w4oHaIDlD-xy2CgP0vNhS6zPZNe70DBcf1A3rDS2MlN7WMRdh5Wk0yxRxqqy7uI1aIpfq-uA_EaSElsdxgaN9KoY3FflY6zOV4DiLw/s1600/candle-flame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-B9AeZqnur45wYRNoV5nQlVIW8jG_FUqwdg_8w4oHaIDlD-xy2CgP0vNhS6zPZNe70DBcf1A3rDS2MlN7WMRdh5Wk0yxRxqqy7uI1aIpfq-uA_EaSElsdxgaN9KoY3FflY6zOV4DiLw/s1600/candle-flame.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Always fascinated by our creativity and how it can be encouraged and so easily closed down, and because I have a growing collection of books exploring the writing process, a while ago I bought a copy of a book about Proprioceptive Writing: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Writing-Alive-Metcalf-Linda-Trichter/dp/0345438582">Writing the Mind Alive by </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Writing-Alive-Metcalf-Linda-Trichter/dp/0345438582"> Linda Trichter Metcalf and Tobin Simon</a></span>. I dipped into the theories of a process in which a writer slows down, focuses, has music playing in the background (baroque music works best, it said), lights a candle and listens to their thoughts. The book made great claims for the process - I am quoting here:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's what you can expect:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">opening the floodgates of expression</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">unburdening the mind</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">resolving emotional conflict</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">liberating the imagination</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">increased capacity to focus</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">increased awareness, confidence and self-trust</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">growing sense of intelligence</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">burgeoning creativity</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">following thought flow to its source in story and emotion</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and this reader, being a sceptic, leaped in, scanned, cherry-picked like crazy. "I have never been able to write with music on," I said to myself, so ditched the musical element immediately, never tried it. I lit a candle on my desk, and waited for inspiration to hit. A few minutes later I blew the candle out, felt utterly silly, and the book slipped into its place on the shelf, to be revisited in due course. As and when. Or rather, forgotten about. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fast forward a few years. I arrive at my lovely writers' retreat, Anam Cara, in Ireland (where I am writing this). Staying there too is a lovely woman called Ginny Keegan who has just been leading a week-long workshop on guess what... Proprioceptive Writing. You can find a description of the workshop that had just finished here, together with a link to Ginny's website: <a href="http://www.ginnykeeganwatercolors.com/anam-cara-retreat-april-2015.html">http://www.ginnykeeganwatercolors.com/anam-cara-retreat-april-2015.html</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ginny had agreed to run an afternoon workshop for some local writers and kindly invited me to join in - so, with some trepidation, and not completely convinced but trying to keep an open mind, I did so. What follows is a description of my first experience of doing a proprioceptive 'write', together with a snippet of the result. I ought to start by saying I'd been feeling creatively wrung out, finding it hard to fight through (as I always have to) the negative voices all writers experience, I'm sure, at one point or another -<i> no one wants this - forget it - this is rubbish. </i></span><br />
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<i>Also - importantly, I don't like to write at a table with other writers - just a 'thing' of mine. I am hugely aware of the other writers, their writing/not writing movements. And I don't write to music -see above. I have always found it very intrusive. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a brief introduction and explanation, we all moved, in silence, to the dining table. Plain, unlined paper awaited us, and small candles were set by every place. We followed our instructions and lit the candles. No speaking, no interacting - just slowing down, calming down.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgk5-FARC8ymKi7v95W6GRY3LNvRmcuRS6IJ8pReHRMWqtI39tLLC-043A5mM5Wrh0rMgkCA29ucf9HBE3MWz9krSDjo78GxoBCcy-OTigzV8BrWe2RthKoFJAXKl6IHG1RXQ5TLFng/s1600/candle-flame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgk5-FARC8ymKi7v95W6GRY3LNvRmcuRS6IJ8pReHRMWqtI39tLLC-043A5mM5Wrh0rMgkCA29ucf9HBE3MWz9krSDjo78GxoBCcy-OTigzV8BrWe2RthKoFJAXKl6IHG1RXQ5TLFng/s1600/candle-flame.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ginny had told us she would start the music, and we should listen to our thoughts, and write them down. Every so often, she said, if a word seemed resonant, holding deeper possibilities, we should question it as we wrote: 'What do I mean by 'deeper'...' for example. And let that question take you where it would. Not to censor. Not to write for feedback, for publication, for anything other than an exploration.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The music began. Baroque music which apparently works alongside the brain's own rhythms, echoes the heartbeat, calms you. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCFmRxPhQOr2hhhrK8pB8MiLNmfXrFxLamlnElDl7HipyDzuUWnd4veNlY4q1WaVHCLZaFcJyqU-885ZWZ52KZRGFDXae4YjmmC7V_F-YUaQFrkLgDi8cKfe5J_cjEtORV_Yk_tAftg/s1600/BaroquePicture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCFmRxPhQOr2hhhrK8pB8MiLNmfXrFxLamlnElDl7HipyDzuUWnd4veNlY4q1WaVHCLZaFcJyqU-885ZWZ52KZRGFDXae4YjmmC7V_F-YUaQFrkLgDi8cKfe5J_cjEtORV_Yk_tAftg/s1600/BaroquePicture.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whatever it does, my own thoughts and connections started flowing and I duly wrote them down, with no real expectations of this being useful but still. I'd give it a good go. At no time was the music anything other than a gentle accompaniment. I was aware of it running alongside me, but that is all - no intrusion.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The process of slowing down and questioning one's choice of words was a rather potent one, utterly surprising, occasionally emotional. I was completely but <i>completely</i> unaware of time passing, and the 25 minutes were gone in a flash. I hadn't noticed the other writers round the table.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the process, I found myself revisiting a scene from my early childhood that I hadn't thought about consciously for decades - and this is that snippet.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am remembering being in our kitchen, at the table, aged three or four, with two friends, and my mother has got us drawing a house - she will tell us which house is the best house.<br />Mine is multi-layered, and I use ALL my crayons - there are hundreds of windows, five chimneys because I can 'do' five, and smoke rising into the sky. It covers the paper and I have to turn over to finish the house on the other side.<br />My friends have drawn careful houses, two chimneys, two windows for bedrooms, two windows downstairs and one front door - just like we are shown at school when they say 'Shall we draw a house?'<br />I see my mother looking at the drawings. I see her struggle with herself. I see her say the other houses are lovely, and what was I doing? I know how to draw proper houses, don't I?<br />And the others get a biscuit. </span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had revisited for the first time a formative moment when my creativity was 'not good enough', judged wanting by someone important. I had been working round a table, on 'safe' ground which turned out to be the opposite. It was absolutely astounding. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Later, we shared our writes in a session during which there is no feedback, during which our words were listened to, acknowledged. But no comment, no critique, no feedback apart from the session leader (Ginny) who would only reflect on the process as evidenced by the write. Not a word about the content. The content, our thoughts, are ours.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's certainly not an end in itself. But now, thanks to one session of Proprioceptive Writing, I have learned a new way of opening up - I can begin to unearth where my struggles with creativity come from, the hard work it always is to get through. Isn't it through looking at where we've come from that we can understand where we are, and go on ahead on more solid ground?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More importantly, maybe I can point other writers towards a process that will do good things for them too. And, less importantly perhaps, I know the foundations of my dislike of working round a table...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you Ginny!</span><br />
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Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-89067024059649347882015-04-16T00:04:00.001-07:002015-04-16T08:19:25.884-07:00Paul McVeigh's 'The Good Son' launches in London<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container tr_bq" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author, signing books!</td></tr>
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Hmm. The moral of the story seems to be don't have a rather nice carafe of Sancerre rose before attending a book launch, so you end up arriving late, as an Eminent Poet support act is about to begin reading. But that's what happened, so Nancy and I stumbled in quietly as possible, to find the cafe at Waterstone's Piccadilly packed, and we had to stumble through the audience, and to the back to find seats! Ah well. We got there, to celebrate the launch of a smashing book, one that has already garnered great reviews, so don't go by what I say - just read it before everyone asks if you have.<br />
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It's funny, it's poignant, clever, grabs you from page one and won't let you go until the end, when believe me, you won't forget the story, or the central character, young Mickey Donnelley. What more can you ask of a book? Mr McVeigh kindly agreed to answer a few odd questions for the blog in celebration of the launch - so here you go.<br />
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VG: If you could choose a scene from The Good Son and have it painted, which scene would you pick, who would you choose as the artist, and why on both counts.</div>
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Paul: Most of the novel takes place in a couple of streets in a housing estate in Belfast during the Troubles, so one of the scenes that stands out for me visually is the first time the main character Mickey leaves Ardoyne. He stands on Napoleon's Nose (a high point on Cave Hill, Belfast) and from this view he sees Belfast Lough and a ship leaving, heading out of Northern Ireland and away from the Troubles. Quite pivotal for him. I would chose Turner to paint it because he is one of my favourite artists and his paintings of the sea are incredible. </div>
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VG: When The Good Son is made into a film, who would you like to play in particular Ma, Da and Paddy? </div>
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Paul: Ha! I wish. It's hard to be obvious. And not just chose your favourite actors and make them fit. I loved Imelda Staunton in Vera Drake and I think she would play Ma to perfection.<br />
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That stoic quality she captured so well, the no nonsense working class mother and the understated compassion. She would be brilliant.</div>
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For Da, Daniel Day Lewis is one of my favourite actors. So intense. I think he would bring out the hopelessness and despair of the man, behind the simplicity of how Mickey sees him. He could also play the darker, violent side. <br />
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He'd make a deep impression of a character who isn't in the novel for a long time but has a huge effect on the family.</div>
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Paddy. I don't know many young actors. Do you have any suggestions?</div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri;">VG: Erm, nope, come to think of it. Sorry! Next question, she said, sidestepping neatly. Is Mickey </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Donnelly a heroic character in the classical sense? (Wikipedia - "a</span><span style="color: #252525; line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> hero is a </span></span><span style="color: #0b0080; line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">character</span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: #444444;"> who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, displays</span> </span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">courage</span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> or </span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">self-<wbr></wbr>sacrifice</span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">—that is, heroism—for some<span style="color: #0068cf;"> </span></span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 19px;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_411577634"><span style="color: black;">g</span></a>reater good</span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">.<span style="color: #0068cf;"> </span>Historically, the first heros displayed courage or excellence as </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">warriors</span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">. The word's meaning was later extended to include </span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">moral</span></span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> excellence."<span style="color: #0068cf;">) </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 19px;">(I think he is... but over to the creator...)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Paul: Yes, I think he is. That's been on my mind recently. As writers we can show someone's true character by putting them under extreme pressure. How they react reveals who they are, or are to become. When you have a character like Mickey, who refuses to give in to the despair of poverty and war, fights to maintain his dignity when all around them are losing theirs, in a society where everything he stands for is mocked or brutally destroyed and yet stands in front of them all and says 'I don't care what you think. I know who I am,' then I think you have a hero. He is only a small boy, fighting on all fronts and living in fear, but he is fearless when it comes to protecting the ones he loves. He will take on his older brother, his father, the boys in the street and even the IRA if he has to. He protects, without them even knowing, never wanting to embarrass or trouble them (with Ma), or for them to the evil exists (with his little sister Maggie). </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: small;">Mickey sacrifices his own moral integrity to allow the ones he loves to keep theirs. But he's not a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Saint</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: small;"> either. He has flaws and a wicked sense of humour, and that keeps him from being too perfect or overly sentimental.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: small;">VG: I wish the book so much success, Paul - but suspect it doesn't need my good wishes. Here is just one review, from the eminent Booktrust:</span></span><br />
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Whatever your age, gender or nationality, so compelling is this narrative that while you read it you're eleven or twelve, on the cusp of puberty: a boy discovering your identity one summer holiday in Catholic Belfast at the height of The Troubles.<br />
To grown-ups, Mickey Donnelly's the archetypal good boy. Polite and amenable, he'll do anything to help his mammy. It's just as well. Mickey's da is oppressed and floundering. He's an alcoholic, free with his fists, and prone to slipping his hand into Mickey's ma's purse to buy his next drink. That's why she keeps checking it's in her pocket. Mickey was heading for grammar school till lack of money ruined his chances. His brother tells him he's so soft he'll never survive the rough local school. If Mickey can't escape via grammar school, he'll escape to America through acting.<br />
Paul McVeigh's Belfast is emotionally raw and brutal. The streets are barricaded, Brit soldiers drag children from their beds in the middle of the night, and their play parks are bomb sites. This is Troubles-era Belfast, though it could equally represent children's experience of warzones anywhere. <i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Good Son</i> is a triumph of empathy and the understanding of human dynamics, yet to say that is to vastly understate the range of McVeigh's writing. Mickey is the funniest, most endearing human being for whom we feel huge compassion as he faces each adversity. This novel envelops the reader with its humanity and its down-to-earth humour leaves you laughing.</blockquote>
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The Good Son is published by Salt, and is available from all good bookshops. Support the indies!Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-89112810717384511692015-03-11T09:32:00.005-07:002015-03-17T03:33:29.200-07:00Rap, by Danny <br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Danny isn't an author, and the rap isn't a book - he is a young man I met today at the <a href="http://www.national-crimebeat.org.uk/">National Crimebeat Awards</a> in London. He is a member of the <a href="http://www.respondacademy.com/">Respond Academy</a> team from St Leonard's on Sea, East Sussex, who won third place - and we are hugely proud of them all. Chris had put this brilliant initiative forward for the awards - and we are delighted they were not only finalists but prizewinners!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Danny was going to perform a rap as part of the group's presentation - but for one reason or another, he was not able to. He was kind enough to give me a copy of the words, which tell how important music has been in helping him turn his life around when 'home' is not the place of safety we like to think it is. </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>The minute people realised I was a big kid who could throw a mean slug</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>people would stop turning round and labelling me as a thug.</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>After that day I would go home and never receive a kiss or hug</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>and never receive a single ounce of love</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>‘til I turned round and said that’s it. </b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Enough is enough.</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Because I turned round and walked away,</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>that’s the reason I can talk the way I talk today.</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>See, I was taught to be a criminal and commit crimes every day,</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>until one day I woke up and realised crime isn’t the way.</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Back then I was a confused little kid, so I focused on my music.</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Music is like therapy helping me and that’s why I use it,</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>so now I been given this opportunity I’m not going to abuse it.</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Music is my life, and that’s why I choose it. </b></span></div>
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<b>Brilliant. Thanks to Danny and the whole team. </b></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">All the winners were taken off for a fab trip to the London Eye - a lovely day for it! </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Read on for more about Respond Academy, which helps young people who for one reason or another aren't fitting into the education system...</span></span><br />
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Pablo & Jc McFee 2006 devised a specialist education programme using the Arts, Music & Media that gave young people a thirst for learning and helping them to find new ways of working within the creative fields to create employment or work along side other Artists and professionals on incredible high profile or local events or projects. Jc realized that the Arts Award in 2007 was the way forward to obtain qualifications for our Community members as well as some of the most excluded challenging Students from EBD schools giving them 2 Gcse’s to enable them to go towards their further education.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Respond Academy has a proven track record from 2004 that has given numerous life changing opportunities to young people in our community to learn art, dance, photography, writing lyrics, learn how to use apple iMacs inc ;Numerous software for Film, Production, Vocal Booth, Sound Desk, Live instruments Music Music, IT,ART mixed media ,Painting or Drawing</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Here is a short-list of just some of the achievements some of the young people who attend either as part of the alternative education project or the community project.</span></span></span></div>
<ul style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px;"><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; margin: 0px 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">At university to study; law, Film,multi-media, drama, art, & business studies</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Returning to mainstream school and maintaining behaviour to continue at college. .</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">100+ young people starting at college and completing their courses.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">50+ young person going to college at 18 years of age – after no formal education since they were 13/14 years old</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">50+ employment in their chosen fields various jobs including , Teaching assistants, Legal secretary, Admin / Welfare officers, Manager of print/graphic design company, WebDesigner, Global Dj & Mc , Film maker, Web designer, Graphic designer,</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">12 gained training and employment on film’s working with a mainstream film producers and commercial film company</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">59 students gaining GCSE level qualifications (Silver Arts Awards)</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2 students gaining AS level qualifications (Gold Arts Awards)</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">12 Bronze Arts Award</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">11 BTECs in 1st Certificate Music Production. 1 student obtained a Double Distinction after having been excluded from EBD unit School and dispite not able to read or write but having a natural ability for iMac programmes and software .</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">100+ Learning to understand their behaviour and consequences</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">30+people attending various training courses</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">15 Peer trainers gaining paid employment for workshops they had devised and delivered</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2 young people sought their own funding for music/art projects they had devised. Both these projects exceeded all expectations</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A core group of 4 successfully co-event managed Parklive 2007 a youth music festival linked to The Annual Beer Festival in Hastings</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A group of 10/12 facilitated various music/dance/mc-DJ events throughout 2007 through 2012 in East Sussex</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A group of 4 devised & delivered short reels, an innovative film project in conjunction with Children’s Services, Youth Development Services, and local schools in 2009 .</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2 members sought funding from Youth Bank and started an incredible successful youth monthly Disco event called VIBES in 2007-2009 VIBES founder Lauren was so innovative that she Booked Tynchy Stryder the WEEK before he went into NO1 & then she booked Tinie Tempah & the next week he was A Star and a few other exciting Artists .Everything was run and managed by a an amazing team of young people aged from 14-21 years old.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">we have a selection of Respond Academy LIVE Up & Coming Artists</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Devonerri & Sully won MAKING TRACKS with a tune called {I like Hastings } Southern Railway in 2011</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> we have a in house z1 Film Crew</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">JUNE 2012 our Youth Ambassador went to Sierra Leone to make new Links with other Youth Groups Watch this Space.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Members are commissioned to run multi/ mixed art /live music workshops with CAMHS young people in-house at The academy & then Eastbourne in 2012</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Members are commissioned to run Dance workshops at Specialist schools in Bexhill on Sea</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Members are commissioned to event manage and host community events.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Members are commissioned to make flyers for Companies and Artists.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Members are offered film extra roles .</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Members have been commissioned to make live soundtracks for Films 2012 .</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Members have been asked to sit on numerous forums to give their opinions as young people .</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Members have been asked to perform live at numerous community events since 2007 -2012</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Artists Rebecca Youssefi hosted numerous art exhibitions and events on her own and members work whilst in house Curator for The Academy and Coastal Currents in Hastings 2011</span></span></span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Numerous innovative In – house video shorts including dancing, singing</span></span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">You can read more about the National Crimebeat Awards here: </span><a href="http://www.national-crimebeat.org.uk/">http://www.national-crimebeat.org.uk</a></span></div>
Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-57447845408032149052015-02-25T14:44:00.002-08:002015-02-25T14:44:27.168-08:00Two books...two indie publishersContracts flew backwards and forwards a couple of weeks ago, between two lovely indie publishers and meself.<br />
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First, then, Ed's Wife and Other Creatures, the illustrated flash collection, my collaboration with the terrific Lynn Roberts, will be published by a new imprint of Cinnamon called Liquorice Fish Books, and with a fair wind will appear in early October. <a href="http://www.cinnamonpress.com/home/liquorice-fish-books/">http://www.cinnamonpress.com/home/liquorice-fish-books/ </a><br />
I loved the name when I heard it, love liquorice as anyone knows who has read The Coward's Tale! I looked at the website to see what they were going to publish...and it said this: they were here to:<br />
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"<span style="background-color: #cfecf2; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, ' Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">promote the </span><span style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, ' Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23.399999618530273px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">innovative and idiosyncratic</span><span style="background-color: #cfecf2; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, ' Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> in contemporary writing: writers who are passionate and committed to finding an </span><span style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, ' Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23.399999618530273px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">individual voice and approach</span><span style="background-color: #cfecf2; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, ' Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> to their writing; who are restless and want</span><span style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, ' Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23.399999618530273px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> to explore</span><span style="background-color: #cfecf2; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, ' Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> the many possibilities inherent in language and the written word; or who wish to</span><span style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, ' Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23.399999618530273px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> celebrate and extend</span><span style="background-color: #cfecf2; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, ' Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> the vibrant and varied traditions — and anti-traditions — that emerged during the 20th Century but which have been too often marginalised and belittled by the world of corporate authorship."</span></blockquote>
Would they like this strange collection which didn't seem to fit anywhere?<br />
Suffice it to say they did, am enjoying working with editor Adam Craig on the final manuscript, and can't wait to see ED in print!<br />
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This is what they say about ED's Wife:<br />
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<span style="background-color: #cfecf2; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, ' Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">"Described by Tania Hershman as “funny and poignant”, this exquisite collection by well-known poet and writer, </span><span style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, ' Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23.399999618530273px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Vanessa Gebbie</span><span style="background-color: #cfecf2; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, ' Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">, and illustrator, </span><span style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, ' Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23.399999618530273px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lynn Roberts</span><span style="background-color: #cfecf2; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, ' Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">, explores the ever-shifting face of relationships and what it means to allow another person into your life. Delicate and disturbing by turns, gently surreal yet anchored in the everyday, </span><span style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, ' Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23.399999618530273px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ed’s Wife and Other Creatures</span><span style="background-color: #cfecf2; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, ' Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> is a book not to be missed."</span></blockquote>
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Next, a full poetry collection has been accepted for publication by the lovely Cultured Llama. <br />
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Based in Kent, this great publisher is very local to me, and I have briefly worked with Maria McCarthy and Bob Carling, the owners. I am so delighted to be working with them on 'Memorandum' - a collection of poems inspired by war memorials of the Great War. The book should be out in the Spring 2016.<br />
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My calculations make that books number seven and eight since 2008. That'll do for now, although there is another on the chocks with Cultured Llama - number nine, due out in 2017. I'm still working on that one, details later on.<br />
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So here's to the independents. Support them, readers. Buy their books, keep the guardians of originality afloat. And writers - get your work out there!<br />
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<br />Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-40159122770853588832015-01-27T13:56:00.002-08:002015-01-27T13:56:17.695-08:00Reading, working with friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Thursday evening last week, and a chance to read poetry with poetry buddy Caroline Davies at a rather terrific event in Bedford, called Ouse Muse. Organised by poet <a href="http://www.ianmcewen.co.uk/about-ian/">Ian McEwen</a>, this friendly, well-supported event also is a chance for local poets to take one of the open mike slots available - and it was great to hear such a range of work. Poetry really is alive and kicking in Bedford!<br />
Staying overnight with Caroline, in Wing, about an hour away - such an historic place - and spent a couple of hours the next morning running a creative workshop for members of her writing group who meet in the village library.<br />
I love this side of the writing life - sharing readings, sharing tips, giving permission to other writers to open up and enjoy their gifts.<br />
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The next event planned is this:<br />
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Niyati Keni is a terrific writer - her debut novel <a href="http://www.andotherstories.org/book/esperanza-street/">Esperanza Street (Andotherstories)</a> is a beautiful, poignant exploration of a community in danger, in the Philippines. I know, I endorsed it! It is being launched in Brighton at a triple writer event also celebrating those works of art that inspired three novels - Esperanza Street, my Coward's Tale, and <a href="http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/a-lady-cyclists-guide-to-kashgar-9781408825143/">Suzanne Joinson's 'A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar'</a>. Look forward to this one very much!<br />
It is free entry, with a cash bar - so if you are in Brighton - come along and say hello.<br />
<br />Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-84370555731489208642015-01-02T09:35:00.004-08:002015-01-02T13:13:06.491-08:002014 round up, with special mentions.<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">From March onwards, 2014 was always going to be on the slow side writing-wise thanks to The Other Half becoming a High Sheriff - a great honour, but something which was going to impinge on our lives for a twelvemonth. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">Poetry seems to have taken a front seat, no matter how much I tried to ask it to move the back of the room. Here then, a month by month look at the "quiet" year that was 2014...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">January</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Half-Life-Fathers-Sussex-Series/dp/1906309620">‘Half-life of fathers’</a> is reviewed by The Inflectionist <a href="http://theinflectionist.com/2014/01/12/vanessa-gebbie-the-half-life-of-fathers-a-poetry-review/">http://theinflectionist.com/2014/01/12/vanessa-gebbie-the-half-life-of-fathers-a-poetry-review/</a></span></li>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">February </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Poem ‘Cenotaph’ up on Matter Press Journal of Compressed Arts: </span><a href="http://matterpress.com/journal/2014/02/03/cenotaph/#more-2952" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://matterpress.com/journal/2014/02/03/cenotaph/#more-2952</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Gladstone’s Library: my own writing for a whole ten days!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</span>I managed to 'finish' the second novel in a final blast of creative energy. It was great fun to research and write, and a brilliant challenge, while it lasted. However, ‘Kit’ is staying put for the moment - it’s not quite there. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">Oxted Book Festival, reading with Dan Powell, Alison Macleod and Tom Vowler. Nattering over tea.</span></li>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">March</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">Winner, Sussex Poetry competition <a href="http://www.bh-arts.org.uk/2013-sussex-poets-competition">http://www.bh-arts.org.uk/2013-sussex-poets-competition</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">A commission, together with a group of poets, to use a Royal Academy exhibition as inspiration, write and then perform a poem at The RA. The exhibition, Sensing Spaces, was a collection of monumental installations in all the exhibition spaces, created by eminent architects from all over the world. The challenge was to respond to one, some or all of these in whatever way we wished.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The brainchild of novelist, poet, actor and academic Emer Gillespie, and poets Catherine Smith and Abegail Morley - a team called Ekphrasis. This was a marvellous opportunity, one that came to life on the performance night - as we all interacted with the visitors, performing our poems in situ. The event was filmed, and a booklet was published - it really was the most extraordinary thing to do for a first poetry commission. Follow that, as they say. See here for the Royal Academy blog writeup: </span><span style="color: #021eaa; letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/wandering-words" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/wandering-words</a></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Interviewed by Bath Short Story Award : </span><a href="http://bathshortstoryaward.co.uk/interview/" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://bathshortstoryaward.co.uk/interview/</a></span></li>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">April</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Don't know what happened in April...<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">May</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">Honno poem of the month: <a href="http://www.honno.co.uk/potmmay14.php">http://www.honno.co.uk/potmmay14.php</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Featured poet on Abigail Morley’s Poetry Shed: </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://abegailmorley.wordpress.com/2014/05/02/vanessa-gebbie-featured-poet/" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">https://abegailmorley.wordpress.com/2014/05/02/vanessa-gebbie-featured-poet/</a></span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">June</span></div>
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<li><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">London Short Story Festival, a terrific series of events organised on behalf of London’s Spread the Word by Paul McVeigh. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I ran a series of fun freebie writing thingummies in the basement of Waterstones Piccadilly and chairing a panel discussion: getting secrets out of publishers and agents...</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">Runner up in Adlestrop Poetry comp</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">Poems accepted by Onslaught Press for ‘Poems for Gaza’ publication</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Gave a masterclass on character at Waterstones Piccadilly, and read ‘Dodie’s Gift’ for The Word Factory, alongside Carys Bray and Val McDiarmid.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">July: </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Thirteenth International Conference on the Short Story in English, held for the first time in Vienna. I attended thanks to marvellous invitations to teach, to read, and to participate in a panel discussion.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">To go to writerly receptions and readings hosted by the US Cultural centre, the Irish ambassador, the Canadian Australian and Austrian embassies. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzB6fq6qyX4Z8HhBlkATrFoVFmcXHb3UFXzhX2KM-bBSfXXXJfqzw0qpMQrqlbARLGsjW-bJ3TfEUBZhEkNZ9D_q3OiE3229F2lkfE-nkBvGA_qgN1XDj6HHOSnoxCvZBzwe93YGIWQ/s1600/2014-07-19+11.26.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzB6fq6qyX4Z8HhBlkATrFoVFmcXHb3UFXzhX2KM-bBSfXXXJfqzw0qpMQrqlbARLGsjW-bJ3TfEUBZhEkNZ9D_q3OiE3229F2lkfE-nkBvGA_qgN1XDj6HHOSnoxCvZBzwe93YGIWQ/s1600/2014-07-19+11.26.21.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
And what a joy it was to be with friends, to meet many new ones, and to spend the best part of the week immersed in talks, readings and discussions about one of the best forms of fiction. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggj0r2U7Qt75kIPhFiJMjLeU2OxxS77UCZHj5TaH8MQsKSeHVAiyT7ghUktq2lGJPDpaGZEdqByCXuC6ueVmm7-m7rwmBAvZ5PlFID9M0JgZUyLLQ8b0NlGCzq-5Ab0yWzqmhUgnBaNQ/s1600/10485743_10152209199932401_8519459192403362937_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggj0r2U7Qt75kIPhFiJMjLeU2OxxS77UCZHj5TaH8MQsKSeHVAiyT7ghUktq2lGJPDpaGZEdqByCXuC6ueVmm7-m7rwmBAvZ5PlFID9M0JgZUyLLQ8b0NlGCzq-5Ab0yWzqmhUgnBaNQ/s1600/10485743_10152209199932401_8519459192403362937_o.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
There was also a stonking great anthology! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCczu3OLCJq-AaCnIQMTTuBDE4CTK9GX7CquD98SqVJx7yhC3gDFgT17rWoEHHStSilzsGV37Uwyx5zoANjAter0pr5FHGqhx_BeL9GGXom9oGPdLfe9Yk1ehRDpTKp3wtoJRByMqswA/s1600/51fSg16YxrL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCczu3OLCJq-AaCnIQMTTuBDE4CTK9GX7CquD98SqVJx7yhC3gDFgT17rWoEHHStSilzsGV37Uwyx5zoANjAter0pr5FHGqhx_BeL9GGXom9oGPdLfe9Yk1ehRDpTKp3wtoJRByMqswA/s1600/51fSg16YxrL.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
Thank you, thank you for an unforgettable week to Sylvia Petter.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">August</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">Adlestrop poetry comp organisers to publish an anthology.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">‘Poems for Gaza’ poetry book published by <a href="http://onslaughtpress.tumblr.com/titles">Onslaught Press</a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wDN2G6-xHJpH6mMBe74DIaBSntrzejus_HIfL8NdcA-kKqrFnvIPg95e0zYJs0oOAYx54We10rgVjFHH4rrjVj_F_sJXqov3hTRw72-zKo02xZp1hCyup8h4bZUrzk4-HNio2AL6nw/s1600/tumblr_inline_nb10aeY9bg1srrsie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wDN2G6-xHJpH6mMBe74DIaBSntrzejus_HIfL8NdcA-kKqrFnvIPg95e0zYJs0oOAYx54We10rgVjFHH4rrjVj_F_sJXqov3hTRw72-zKo02xZp1hCyup8h4bZUrzk4-HNio2AL6nw/s1600/tumblr_inline_nb10aeY9bg1srrsie.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
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</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">September</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Gladfest! Ran a workshop on running a writing group, and interviewed the marvellous Sarah Perry (above) about her debut novel “After me comes the flood”.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">Judged Cinnamon Press’s short story competition</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">‘Ed’s Wife and Other Creatures’ accepted for publication by <a href="http://www.cinnamonpress.com/home/liquorice-fish/">Liquorice Fish, a new imprint</a></span><a href="http://www.cinnamonpress.com/home/liquorice-fish/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">from Cinnamon.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Joined the Board of Trustees of <a href="https://www.newwritingsouth.com/">New Writing South</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://www.newwritingsouth.com/"> </a></span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">October</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">2-6 - Writers’ Pals trip to the Somme and Ypres, guided by the redoubtable Jeremy Banning. Two days on the Somme, one day visiting Loos and the Boar’s Head among others, and two days in and around Ypres.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">9-17 - Poetry Masterclass week with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_O'Donoghue">Bernard O’Donoghue</a> at Anam Cara.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">November</span> </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">A prose poem ‘Ocean to Drop’ is published on Visual Verse <a href="http://visualverse.org/submissions/ocean-drop/">http://visualverse.org/submissions/ocean-drop/</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">A poem “Stages of Remembrance” is published in the lovely print magazine <a href="https://confingomagazine.wordpress.com/">Confingo</a>, and read at their launch.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">11th: a great salon event at Brighton University, invited by writer-in-residence <a href="http://clarebest.co.uk/">Clare Best</a>, debating and mulling on the subject of Remembrance, Resistance and Writing, together with <a href="http://www.neil-bartlett.com/">Neil Bartlett</a>, followed by a smashing supper with all the creative writing staff - so good to catch up.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">15th- a visit to Bristol for a special WW1 event, and the launch of </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> a very special project, a series of beautifully produced postcards - the culmination of a collaboration between two friends, battlefield guide and military historian <a href="http://jeremybanning.co.uk/">Jeremy Banning</a> and writer <a href="http://taniahershman.com/wp/">Tania Hershman. </a><a href="http://www.bristol2014.com/arts-projects/jeremy-banning-and-tania-hershman.html#.VKaIAVrKYzU">http://www.bristol2014.com/arts-projects/jeremy-banning-and-tania-hershman.html#.VKaIAVrKYzU</a></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">19th” a lovely poetry event - a very impromptu last-minute arrangement, thanks to <a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/sasha-dugdale">Sasha Dugdale,</a> a poets’ walk from various points to the Chattri, the Indian memorial on the Downs above Brighton. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Modern Poetry in Translation was focussing on the poetry of WW1 - and <a href="http://www.arcpublications.co.uk/writers/400">Punjabi Poet Amarjit Chandan</a> was the guest of honour. He read a eulogy to the departed, and his translations of Punjabi songs written by those women whose men left to fight for us in the Great War. Readings and soup!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">19th: Dinner at Nat Liberal Club to celebrate the winners of the 2015 Gladstone’s Library Residencies.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">20th: the launch of ‘Letters to the Unknown Soldier at the RCA, edited by <a href="http://www.katepullinger.com/">Kate Pullinger</a> and <a href="http://www.neil-bartlett.com/">Neil Bartlett</a>- such a good event - as many of the 120 writers as could make it - including several youngsters and their parents. My highlight was hearing a letter read out by Andrew Motion - to discover the writer was a besuited young lad aged about 10, knee high to the proverbial, parents proud as anything. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">20th: The biggest surprise - <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Half-Life-Fathers-Sussex-Series/dp/1906309620">The Half-life of Fathers</a> was</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">reviewed, and included ‘among</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">‘the best pamphlets of 2014’ by the TLS.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">22: Fab workshop from The Word Factory at Waterstones’ Piccadilly by the unparalleled <a href="http://davidvann.com/">David Vann</a></span></li>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">December</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">Poem ‘Timeline’ accepted for publication by the print publication Acumen, in January.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Two poems accepted for Poems for a Liminal Age anthology (Sentinel, 2015).</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">One of the joys of this writing stuff is being in the company of others on the same but different journey. (They will know what I mean!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">2014 special mentions:</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><a href="http://www.andrewgmarshall.com/">Andrew Marshall</a>, hugely valued writing buddy, whose career spans so many facets. And <a href="http://brightonandhoveindependent.co.uk/gail-louw-a-playwright-with-a-passion/">Gail Louw</a>, playwright extraordinaire and member of the same writing group - whose plays are now hitting the stage all over the place - UK, South Africa, USA. Amazing people both. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Poetry buddy <a href="http://advancingpoetry.blogspot.co.uk/">Caroline Davies</a>, whose steady incisive feedback has been so valuable too, and with whom I’ve had such fun and interesting times this year, tracking down war memorials, among other things.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><a href="http://sarah-crawl-space.blogspot.co.uk/">Sarah Hilary,</a> the hardest working, most tenacious writer, whose debut thriller, “Someone Else’s Skin” has just been an amazing star, and it’s going to be on telly and everything! <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Someone-Elses-Skin-Marnie-Rome/dp/1472207688"><span style="color: #021eaa; letter-spacing: 0px;">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Someone-Elses-Skin-Marnie-Rome/dp/1472207688</span></a> Sarah visited the blog here:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Perry">Sarah Perry</a>, whose debut “After me comes the Flood” from Serpent's Tail is simply wonderful, storywise and writingwise. I was so glad to endorse it with a cover quote and then to interview her at Gladfest this year. (see above) <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/After-Comes-Flood-Sarah-Perry/dp/1846689457">http://www.amazon.co.uk/After-Comes-Flood-Sarah-Perry/dp/1846689457</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><a href="http://www.sylviapetter.com/">Sylvia Petter</a>, the whizziest person I know, and a fantastic writer, who organised the Thirteenth Conference on the Short Story (see July) with such aplomb, and whose company is absolutely magical, a stream of endless interest. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><a href="http://taniahershman.com/wp/">Tania Hershman</a> and her co-writer <a href="http://courttianewland.com/">Courttia Newland</a>, whose terrific text book on writing the short story has just been published by Bloomsbury -</span>http://bloomsbury.com/uk/writing-short-stories-9781408130803/</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><a href="http://www.sueguiney.com/">Sue Guiney</a>, whose writing has led her down very inspirational paths. Her work among the young people of Cambodia is seriously changing lives : <a href="http://www.sueguiney.com/">www.sueguiney.com</a> . </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Sue is the founder of <a href="http://www.writingthroughcambodia.com/"><span style="color: #021eaa; letter-spacing: 0px;">Writing Through Cambodia</span></a>, a program which uses the creative writing of poetry and short stories to develop English fluency, conceptual thinking and self-esteem for Cambodian students and teachers.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><a href="http://ashfeldt.com/">Lane Ashfeldt</a>, whose short story collection Saltwater was published this year by Liberties Press. The collection contains a few prizewinners among its twelve stories and a novella. Lane runs a rather lovely bookish B and B in Knighton, if anyone enjoys walking, writing, mulling. http://ashfeldt.com/shop/</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><a href="http://www.sarahsalway.net/welcome/">Sarah Salway</a>, who not only makes me giggle, but who (via Cultured Llama) published the most beautiful book I’ve read this year: Digging up Paradise <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digging-Up-Paradise-Potatoes-England/dp/0992648564"><span style="color: #021eaa; letter-spacing: 0px;">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digging-Up-Paradise-Potatoes-England/dp/0992648564</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><a href="http://clarebest.co.uk/">Clare Best</a> and <a href="http://www.catherinesmithwriter.co.uk/">Catherine Smith</a>, who, with the above-mentioned, made up the best company for a nutty foursome weekend writing retreat - and I do hope we do it again! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Here's to a Happy New Year! </span></div>
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Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-85762309223284512932014-12-01T03:40:00.002-08:002014-12-01T03:45:18.403-08:00Remembrance, resistance, writing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A new kind of war memorial, the brainchild of Neil Bartlett and Kate Pullinger, went live earlier in the year. Focussing on the statue by Charles Sargeant Jagger on The Great Western War Memorial at Platform 1, Paddington Station, this was an initiative which, like the ceramic poppies at The Tower of London, burgeoned into something bigger than at first envisaged. The statue represents a Tommy in a hand-knitted scarf reading a letter. The public were invited to write that letter...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The initiative, pump-primed by 50 well known writers, attracted a huge response. Almost 22,000 letters came in, up to the closing date of 4 August 2014. Some direct into the website. Some handwritten and posted 'To the statue, Paddington Station.' The posties got to know where to send them. Letters from all over the world. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Letters from children, from adults of all ages, the very old, letters from veterans and serving soldiers, from politicians and teachers. From writers too. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Initially, that was it - the website where all the letters are available to read, and subsequently archived by the British Library - a clever war memorial for today. But then along came publisher <a href="http://corporate.harpercollins.co.uk/imprints/william-collins">William Collins, </a> and the anthology was born. 120 of the letters were selected for multifarious reasons, and bound in a rather great hardback. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Unindexed, you have to read wherever the book opens. You might stumble across a letter from Ed Milliband or Dawn French, Stephen Fry or a ten year old schoolboy. From 1914 Sikhs or a schoolgirl, Benjamin Zephaniah, Daljit Nagra or Andy McNab. Mark Haddon. Or David Cameron. And a mass of others, including 10 Anons, and one by me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here it is on the Book Depository: <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Letter-Unknown-Soldier/9780008116842">http://www.bookdepository.com/Letter-Unknown-Soldier/9780008116842</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And here is the start of my letter:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Things you do not know:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> When you leave, you will leave a child, growing. When night falls on the day you die, your officer will write two letters to two families, your and his own. He will say to his mother that he has never had to write a letter like that. He has never knowingly lied before. He helped three of his men bury what was left. He will ask does his mother think, under the circumstances, he did the right thing when he said 'it was quick'?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You can read all the letters here:</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_930110696" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </a><a href="http://www.1418now.org.uk/letter/">http://www.1418now.org.uk/letter/</a><br />
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A few weeks ago, I went to see another memorial - Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red - the ceramic poppies filling the moat of the Tower of London. Because each poppy was intended to represent one death of a British soldier in WW1, I waited to go on the penultimate day when all but one or two were in situ. It was an extraordinary sight, and one I won't forget.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It is a brilliant work of art. It looked extraordinary from ground level, and even more extraordinary from The Shard - the day was so sparklingly clear on Monday 10th November that it was worth spending the cash to travel up in a lift to grab the views. But for me, something was missing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The way they'd allowed the installation to be used for political purposes by the Prime Minister for example, and Ed Milliband - who happened to plant poppies surrounded by a battalion of the world's press - cheapened it for this viewer. A shame. That overshadowed the day. But a brilliant work of art, still. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On 11th 11th, we spent most of the day at Seaford, starting with a service at a windswept cemetery which contains the graves of men who died at the training camp in WW1. They include the graves of soldiers from the West Indian Regiment who died of the flu. You can read a somewhat disturbing account of how we used the West Indian Regiment here: </span><a href="http://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/index.php/updates/cat/blogs/post/unsung-heroes-of-the-First-World-War">http://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/index.php/updates/cat/blogs/post/unsung-heroes-of-the-First-World-War</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> There are also the graves of two Irish soldiers who drowned off the beach a matter of a few weeks after arriving: one got into trouble, his friend tried to save him and they both drowned. And another - the grave of a man who was known to be a dreadful bully, and who made the lives of the new soldiers hell. He was shot by one of those young soldiers, who gave himself up immediately. And oddly, he was only given a three year prison sentence...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We then joined the members of the Seaford branch, Royal British Legion in their club for lunch. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I was particularly moved to meet an Irish veteran. For the last twenty years, he told me, the Irish Veterans had marched at the Cenotaph on Remembrance day, and laid a wreath. This year, they had not been allocated any places in the line-up, or on the march. Thinking it was an oversight, he had repeatedly tried to contact the organisers to rectify the situation, to no avail. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Watching the ceremony on the television, they saw the Irish Prime Minister laying a wreath, for the first time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Again, a political move, this time sidelining veterans in order that someone might make a political statement. A shame.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The evening was spent in Brighton University, invited with Neil Bartlett of Letters to the Unknown Soldier fame, and many other fames, to a literary salon called Remembrance, Resistance and Writing. The invitation came from writer-in-residence Clare Best. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The event opened out the resistance I'd been feeling to how these things can be manipulated. Neil was very impassioned about Remembrance - very keen to show that without action it becomes questionable - "yes, he said, you are moved by these things. And?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> He pointed out how poor it was that the organisers had not protected the Tower art installation from exploitation. How easy it is to manipulate a population...as an example, he cited an image that I'd found disturbing since Remembrance Sunday - a child in uniform placing the final poppy at the Tower. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I asked the student audience to place that image alongside the recent 'Passing Bells' - a series on the BBC aired in the evening, aimed at young people. The reconstruction of battles was so pretty, so bloodless, literally - lots of smoke, lots of men lying in artistic poses on the ground afterwards - with not so much as a cut. No shattered limbs. No split skulls. No blood. No bone. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> And according to the BBC, there was utter silence after the first day of the Somme, apparently. Maybe not utter - a few slight groans from a few perfectly whole men in shell-holes - as if they had hangovers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Not good enough. Bringing up a generation of kids to think that war is not as terrible as it actually is. And patronising in the extreme - most of the viewers of that programme have far more violent and bloody games on their phones.</span><br />
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Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-598558136160705007.post-41636270508570960162014-11-04T09:47:00.002-08:002014-11-04T09:49:57.787-08:00September/October catch-up - Western Front, Poetry, Physics, call for short story submissions, Holidays...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Caroline Davies at Pigeon Ravine Cemetery, one of the prettiest and most poignant cemeteries on the Western Front. </span></i></span></td></tr>
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On 2nd October, the 2014 Writers' Pals met at Lille Europe for the annual trip to the trenches with military historian Jeremy Banning. Five days, four nights to The Somme and Ypres this year, with a flying visit to Mons and the Boar's Head en route between the two - it was another unforgettable trip. We'd asked to walk as much as possible, thus the cemetery above became to start of a very hot walk up the 'Gloucester Road' up to Lonsdale Cemetery, Authuille. We had extraordinary weather this year!<br />
Caroline Davies and I are collaborating on a collection of poetry inspired by the memorials of the Great War, and these trips are always such a rich source of ideas.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Unveiling of the monument to the Royal Sussex Regiment, at Priez</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <i>The regimental badge, the wreaths</i></td></tr>
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Back in time a few weeks, to 10th September, and we (Chris and I) were in France as well, at a village called Priez, for the unveiling of a monument to the Royal Sussex Regiment. The village is tiny - blink and you'd miss it, as they say - but 100 years ago to the day, Sussex lost its first men on the Western Front right here. It was poignant in the extreme to be with many ex-servicemen of the Sussex Regiment, who marched down the hill from the ridge on which the battle was fought, into the village - man in their eighties, seventies - veterans of the last war, many of them.<br />
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The Western Front holds many such memorials, most of which were put up after the Great War. It was a huge privilege to be there to witness this one being unveiled - and when the French band played Sussex by the Sea with great gusto, this Sussex-dweller certainly felt it.<br />
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Backwards again - my husband isn't the keenest of battlefield visitors - but on our way down to Priez, I managed to introduce him to a few places, not just British/English memorials, but Vimy Ridge (Canadians), Mametz Wood (The Welsh), the Ulster Tower (Ulstermen), Ayette Cemetery (Indian and Chinese and a German grave), McCrae's Battalion memorial (Scots), and Thiepval memorial (Commonwealth and French). <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dieppe marina</i></td></tr>
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Fast forward - having enjoyed our Dieppe trip (see previous post) in August, C and I also grabbed a few days later in September, just the two of us, and went back to this terrific city - so often, I think, rushed through by visitors arriving off the ferry, on their way somewhere else. The harbour is surrounded by bistros and restaurants, there are fascinating cultural visits to make - a converted theatre holds a wonderful exhibition on the Dieppe raids, for example. Art galleries, castle, gardens - sea, beaches, plenty for the kids - what more do you want for a decent place to stay in for a while?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Church, Varengeville, with Monet's view of the same church from the valley...</i></td></tr>
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Not far away, the cliff-top church at Varengeville, where Claude Monet found inspiration. While C sketched in the graveyard, I took myself off on a walk down the same track Monet went all those years back. Magic.<br />
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Writing things have not taken that much of a back seat - (despite the fact I'm not meant to be writing much, opportunities keep popping up, too good to miss!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hershman and Gebbie, Oxford. </i></td></tr>
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Yes, that says 'Physics' - and it is the Physics Dept at Oxford University. Let's put this into context - I was so hopeless at it, for reasons which will become clear - that I did not even take O Level Physics. It was fine by the way, until I had the temerity to ask what electricity was and exactly how it worked. The teacher could not answer, blustered and said I didn't need to know that. Yes I did! Hence, no more working, pen down, dig in. However. Friend and writing colleague Tania Hershman is co-editing a short story anthology to be published on the centenary of Einstein's Theory of General Relativity next year. And a group of writers have been approached to contribute stories. Thus, we all had four rather stunning (and in places completely incomprehensible) lectures, after which we will extrapolate, and mull, and produce a piece of short fiction for this initiative. Freight Publishing is producing the anthology - and there is an open call for submissions - details on Tania's blog, here: <a href="http://blog.taniahershman.com/2014/11/we-want-your-general-relativity.html">http://blog.taniahershman.com/2014/11/we-want-your-general-relativity.html</a><br />
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And, also with writing, I had a wonderful wonderful week at Anam Cara Writers and Artist's retreat from 11 to 19 October. Goodness me - what a lot I learned. Led by Bernard O'Donoghue, and in the company of some stunningly good writers from the US, Ireland, UK and Switzerland, it was the sort of week that should be prescribed on the NHS and after which all would be well for years.<br />
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Other writing bits - poetry getting written, a poem due out in Confingo Magazine, and nice news about the illustrated collection Ed's Wife and Other Creatures, which has found a publisher - but more of that when contracts are finalised. Vanessa Gebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088301040602803489noreply@blogger.com0