Writing Eden update (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Writing Eden update

2:28pm Wednesday 28th January 2009

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WORD MARKET FESTIVAL

South Lakeland's writing development agency Word Market has been undergoing some organisational changes of late, but is back with a bang with its annual Word Market Festival from 7 - 14 February. Word Market chairman Loretta Blackburn says there is something to interest everyone at this year’s festival: “We really feel that in the present climate we have been able to put forward an exciting programme – with a workshop or a reading that will appeal to writers and readers of all genres."

There's a lot on offer, in a range of venues, including workshops with Maggie Norton, a poetry workshop with Kathleen Jamie in association with the Wordsworth Trust - but please note: this is now sold out, but Kathleen is also guest poet for A Poem and a Pint. However, rather than list all the events I have attached a PDF file in which you can see the whole brochure in all its glory, with full details of all events and information on how to book. NB: Word Market has now moved its base to Ulverston Library, tel: 01229 404151 email info@wordmarket.org.uk See also www.wordmarket.org.uk for details.

STOP PRESS: the Kathleen Jamie workshop at the Wordsworth Trust is already sold out! So your only chance to catch her will be when she is guest poet at A Poem and a Pint on Saturday 14 February at Forum 28 in Barrow.

CONTRATULATIONS TO...

Elizabeth Stott, who has a poem published in the latest issue of Mslexia magazine: I Grow My Hair. Poems and prose, on the theme of 'The Four Elements', were selected for this issue by poet Lavinia Greenlaw. She comments on the "sense of force in the transformations proposed by Elizabeth in her poem … where one element subsumes the other, almost like a game of scissors, paper, stone. Mslexia is available from larger newsagents, price £5.50. Elizabeth's poem is also on the Mslexia website at www.mslexia.co.uk/magazine/newwriting/nwpoem1_40.html

NEW BOOKS:

DATING @ 60 AND OTHER TRIBUTIONS

"It's fun, it's sexy, get over it.....A very entertaining read". That's what Judith Holder, producer of BBC TVs Grumpy Old Women says about the new poetry anthology from Mungrisdale Writers: dating @ 60 and other tribulations. The book is a witty and original take on the process of growing older - sometimes disgracefully - with both wisdom and foolishness. Taking an ironic look at life and love on the other side of sixty, it will make you smile, laugh and maybe even cry. It's already attracted the interest of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour - further details to follow.

Paula Lawrence wrote the poem Dating @ 60 which gives the book its title, and as the Mungrisdale gang say in their press release: "You might be surprised what the generation who grew up with the Beatles, Carnaby Street and Mary Quant is now getting up to!"

The book has been professionally produced: edited by Mary Robinson, with typesetting and graphic design by Mary Blood, printed by Ferguson’s of Keswick and published by Mungrisdale Press, ISBN No 978-0-9550249-5-5, and priced at £7.50. It will available through all good bookshops including Waterstone’s and Amazon as well as through www.mungrisdalewriters.org.uk

dating@60 and other tribulations will be launched at Waterstone’s Bookshop, Carlisle on Thursday 5 February - just in time for Valentine's Day - at 6pm. Everyone is welcome! For further information contact Chair of Mungrisdale Writers Dorothy Crowther 017687 74689 email dorothycrowther@aol.com or Dorothy Chalk 01697478770 dorothy.chalk@homecall.co.uk

THE EMBALMER’S BOOK OF RECIPES - ANN LINGARD

What do singing octopuses, dutch tulip-fields, herdwick sheep and a piece of music based on the letters ‘dna’ have in common? Lisa, a mathematician and achondroplasic, would be able to tell you; Ruth, a taxidermist and former nurse, might be able to work out the answer; Madeleine, widowed sheep-farmer, could not. And when the three women are brought together on Madeleine’s farm in the Lake District, less light-hearted questions are raised about the past.

The Embalmer’s Book of Recipes is the latest novel from Ann Lingard - also known as Ann Lackie, founder of SciTalk www.scitalk.org.uk, the popular and free resource that encourages fiction-writers to use science in their writing. It's described by Jenny Uglow as "an intriguing novel in a haunting setting, rich in texture, humorous and concerned, raising important questions about science and our relation to the natural world, to the individuals we know and to the communities we live in. A lovely book. “ With an endorsement like that, it's obviously a 'must-read'. The Embalmer’s Book Of Recipes is published by Pen Press ISBN 978-1-90671-017-0 price £8.99. See www.annlingard.com for further details.

THE ANARCHIST'S ANGEL - GARETH THOMPSON

Fifteen-year-old Samson Ashburner has always felt like an outsider, even before the accident that left his face scarred and his confidence shattered. With the jeers and taunts of the local children and his mother ringing in his ears, Samson malingers like a dark cloud over the Cumbrian landscape. His only refuge is his ancestor's charcoal-burning hut deep in the nearby woods and it is here that he encounters Angel Obscura, a gypsy girl who teaches Samson that not everybody takes him at face value. But Angel is not all she seems … and Samson is drawn into a web of deceit and shady dealings with an explosive outcome.

The Anarchist's Angel is the third novel in a quartet of books set in Cumbria and with the common themes of rites of passage and the experience of the outsider written by Gareth Thompson, from Coniston. Featuring green politics, a first love affair, savage and raw emotions and the all-pervasive taut atmosphere of a great thriller, the book is a cracking read for adults despite being aimed at the children/teen market it is.

Gareth’s last book Sunshine to the Sunless is on the longlist for this year's Carnegie Medal, and a UK Literacy Award. The Anarchist's Angel is published by Definitions (a Random House imprint), ISBN 9781862304680, price: £6.99 on 5 Feb 2009.

IOTA MAGAZINE

Iota Magazine has been re-launched a new Editorial team lead by Dr Nigel McLouglin. The first issue will be published in March at the University of Gloucestershire as a double issue, with ninety six pages of poetry, reviews, interviews and listings. Future issues will continue to enjoy this additional space, publishing excellent writing from both new and established authors from the British Isles and beyond and in October 2009 Iota will feature its first fiction issue with a selection of short fiction, reviews, interviews and comment, under the new Fiction Editor, Jane Weir.

If you are interested in a literary magazine with a refreshing contemporary approach take a few moments to view the re-launched Iota website at www.iotamagazine.co.uk And if you are a writer interested in submitting your work for consideration or in outlining proposals for future features then do get in touch: contact details are on the website.

OPPORTUNITIES

COMPETITIONS

WIGTOWN POETRY COMPETITION

Last call for The Wigtown Poetry Competition - the largest such competition in Scotland - with a 1st prize of £2500. Full details at: www.wigtownbookfestival.com/poetrycomp. Deadline: 5pm Friday 30 January.

CARDIFF INTERNATIONAL POETRY COMPETITION

Last call too for the annual Cardiff competition. Entry fee is £6 per poem: download entry form from website www.academi.org/cipc/i/132712. Deadline: 30 January.

WORDS BY THE WATER / MIREHOUSE POETRY COMPETITION 2009

The theme of this year's competition is a quote from Tennyson's Morte d’Arthur (partly written at Mirehouse): “What is it thou hast seen? or what hast heard?” (to be interpreted freely) Judge: Grevel Lindop; prizes: 1st Prize £350 and the prize-winning poem and eight highly commended poems will be displayed on the Mirehouse Poetry Walk, and appear on the website. Highly commended poets will also receive a box of new books (value £100). There will be a reading of all nine poems at a special event with Grevel Lindop at Mirehouse on Saturday 7 March at 11.30am, as part of the Words by the Water Festival.

Conditions of entry are detailed in the brochure, which can be downloaded now from the Ways with Words website (from the Cumbria page) at www.wayswithwords.co.uk. Cheques, payable to ‘Words by the Water’, should be sent with entries to:Mirehouse Poetry Competition, Droridge Farm, Dartington, Devon TQ9 6JG

Closing Date: Thursday 12 February.

FRANCES LINCOLN DIVERSE VOICES CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD

The Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children's Book Award is for a manuscript that celebrates cultural diversity in the widest possible sense, either in terms of its story or in terms of the ethnic and cultural origins of its author. For more information visit www.sevenstories.org.uk Following a number of late enquiries expressing interest in this Award, the closing date for all entries has been extended to Wednesday 25 February 2009.

FLARESTACK POETS PAMPHLET COMPETITION

The competition is for collections of 20 - 30 poems. Prizes: two equal prizes of publication and £250; anthology of best single poems. Winners receive 20 copies of their pamphlet plus invitation to read. Entry fee: £8. Flarestack Poets Competition, PO Box 14779, Birmingham BT13 3GU. See www.flarestackpoets.co.uk

Deadline: 28 February.

LITERATURE EVENTS IN CUMBRIA

First Wednesday of every month:

SPEAKEASY AT THE SOURCE

Upbeat, funky open mic night at The Source Café in Nelson Street, Carlisle. For details of times and special events, contact Nick Pemberton: nick.pemberton@cumbria.ac.uk

Saturday 31 January, Saturday 28 February, Saturday 28 March 7.15pm

The Brewery and Apples & Snakes present: SPOKEN WORD OPEN MIC.

A night for lyricists, comedians, storytellers and poets to reel out rhymes, punch out parodies and spit some sonnets in a relaxed cabaret environment with comfy chairs. Come and listen or get up and be heard, take to the stage with your spoken word - performers sign up on the door by 7.15pm - and each month will feature a different artist. Free admission, but due to limited seating space tickets must be booked: phone Brewery Arts Centre Box Office on 01539 725133 Info: www.applesandsnakes.org

… and the first of these new open mic. nights is …

Saturday 31 January 7.30

Apples & Snakes and The Brewery present: SPOKEN WORD OPEN MIC NIGHT

This month Emma McGordon will read from her new book Those Who Jump (Tall Lighthouse Press), and fabulous uke playing fast patter poet Gary Bridgens will also be performing, with Ann Wilson as compere. Tickets: Free Admission but tickets required due to limited seating please book to avoid disappointment Booking: 01539 725133 www.breweryarts.co.uk Info: ann@applesandsnakes.org

Tuesday 3 February 6.45pm

ROBERT WOOF MEMORIAL READING: TONY HARRISON

Grasmere Village Hall. Admission: £7 on the door, £6 in advance. Book on 015394 35544 Internationally acclaimed poet Tony Harrison makes a welcome return to Grasmere to read his own work and a selection of the poems of Robert Woof.7 - 14 February

WORD MARKET FESTIVAL

See www.wordmarket.org.uk for downloadable brochure. Saturday 14 February 2 - 4.30pm

STARTING TO WRITE: Course led by Nick Corder

If you think you have the ability to write, but think you haven't the time or are unsure how to start then this course might be just the thing to give you a little momentum. Nick Corder will be looking at where to find ideas, developing them into something worthwhile, planning your writing, what to write and how to revise your work. Higham Hall College, Bassenthwaite Lake, Cockermouth CA113 9SH. Tel: 017687 76276 or email admin@highamhall.com for booking details. Cost: residential £170, non-residential £115. www.highamhall.com

WORDS BY THE WATER 2009

The Words by the Water literature festival at Theatre by the Lake in Keswick goes from strength to strength, and certainly seems to have an exciting programme in prospect for 2009. Festival patron Melvyn Bragg features on the first weekend (book early: he always sells out!) talking about the relation between autobiography and fiction, and writers of the calibre of Kate Atkinson, Jill Dawson, Jenny Uglow, Sara Maitland, Lionel Shriver and Louis de Bernieres all feature, alongside the usual clutch of national broadcasters and celebrities. Local writers include Josephine Dickinson, Andrew Forster, Ann Lingard and Keith Richardson. There's also a local history day in the studio The 2009 brochure is downloadable from the Ways with Words website NOW - on the Cumbria page: www.wayswithwords.co.uk/festivals/cumbria-11 Print brochures will also be available from libraries, bookshops and TICs from mid December and can be ordered from: Ways with Words - tel 01803 867373.

BOOKING OPENS IN JANUARY. Festival Passes are £130 (for half a week - see brochure for details), and tickets for individual events are £8 or £7, with young person's (under 24s) standby tickets priced at £4, if purchased less than 24 hours before start time. Tickets available only from Theatre by the Lake (NOT Ways with Words): Box Office open 9.30am-8pm, telephone 017687 74411, or online at www.theatrebythelake.com

Dates from 25 March to 24 April IAN MCMILLAN & TONY HUSBAND: A CARTOON HISTORY OF HERE Poet, broadcaster, comic and professional Yorkshireman Ian McMillan joins forces with cartoonist Tony Husband to present a unique, improvised evening in which you – the audience, the village - are the stars. A fast-flowing, rapid-rafting adventure with reflections on local stories, legends, rivers and romance. Hilarious live action, comedy, cartoonery and poetry. Promoted by Cumbria's rural touring schemes: to the west of the county, Arts Out West, and to the east and south Cumbria, Highlights. For booking details and prices, phone individual venues: Kirkgate Centre Cockermouth Wed 25 March 8pm - 01900 826448 Globe Hall Ireby Thursday 26 March 7.30pm - 016973 71863 Ullock Village Hall Friday 27 March 7.30pm - 01946 861136 Appleby Public Hall, Thursday 23 April 7.30pm - 01768 52210 Arnside Educational Institute, Friday 24 April 7.30pm - 01524 762254 Tuesday 10 February 7pm. WRITER EVENT - KENDAL LIBRARY Helen Towers of Cumbria Libraries has been successful in a bid to host an event with American writer John Grogan at Kendal Library. John wrote the international best-seller Marley and Me and his new book, a memoir of childhood called The Longest Trip Home, has just been published. He is coming over from the States so the library is really pleased to have been able to book him on what is only a two week tour of the UK. He will be be will be talking about his work, answering questions and also signing copies of his books at the event. Tickets are available from Kendal Library at a cost of £2, which includes a glass of wine/fruit juice and nibbles. See www.johngroganbooks.com/index.cgi for more details about John Grogan and his books. Wednesday 1 April 7pm OPENSTAGE AT ROSEHILL The first Openstage night of the year will now take place on Wednesday 1 April and since this showcase falls on April Fools day this will be the theme for the evening. The Open Stage is an opportunity for performers to share, unveil, experiment with and perform their creative work. Past events have included drama, prose, poetry, magic, music … and the indescribable. Professionals mix with amateurs and the acts range from mainstream through esoteric to the left-field. The night is always informal, lively and entertaining. Performers must book a slot in advance: the average time slot is twenty minutes, which usually works out at five acts per night plus interval. The event is free with doors opening at 7pm. Performers can book by calling 01946 853038 or email david.chapple@copeland.gov.uk Open Stage is part of Copeland Borough Council’s Pathways to Art Programme. Monday 8 June - Friday 12 June 10am - 4pm daily GEORGE WALLACE AND GERALDINE GREEN POETRY WORKSHOP This week long course will take place at Geraldine's home - Pendower, Portinscale, Keswick. The cost will be £25 per person per day, including a light lunch. There'll be time for walks in the Lakes, including visits to Kurt Schwitters’ MerzBarn at Chapel Stile; Southey and Coleridge’s house, Greta Hall in Keswick; WH Auden’s cottage at Wescoe and poetry readings at The Wordsworth Trust, Grasmere - as well as a Poetry Reading mid week at Bluebell Bookshop in Penrith. Accommodation, if required, is available in Portinscale Village, Keswick and surrounding area - information can be found on: http://www.visitcumbria.com/kes/kestic The five day workshop is limited to eight people, so early booking is advised: £50.00 deposit secures a place, with full payment of £125.00 required by 31 March. Information about the tutors, New York/Cumbrian Poets and University Lecturers George Wallace and Geraldine Green is on websites www.poetrybay.com and www.poetrypf.co.uk/geraldinegreenbiog. For more details about the course or booking enquiries, please email geraldinegreen1@aol.com

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