Lowdham Book Festival

Lowdham Book Festival Box Office sold over 1,000 tickets in the first week for events at this year’s Festival, which runs from 15-27 June. Visting writers include Roger McGough and Jenni Murray (both sure to quickly sell out), the poet Jackie Kay, novelist Gillian Slovo, the storytelling evening of “Hunting the Giant’s Daughter”, travel writer Carol Drinkwater and many more.

East Midlands’ writers taking part include John Harvey, Stephen Booth, Miranda Seymour, Duncan Hamilton, Antony Cartwright, Karen Maitland, Nicola Monaghan, Dan Tunstall… a total of 35 ticketed events and 25 free events, plus a schools’ programme headed by Kaye Umansky.

You want quirky? How about a rap guide to Darwin or a talk on the modern vampire myth?

If you can only come for one day, make it the last Saturday – all events are free, there is a children’s tent, a café and a large book fair.

This is Lowdham’s tenth year and programmes are available from

www.lowdhambookfestival.co.uk

Nottingham Poetry Series – Summer Workshop

NOTTINGHAM POETRY SERIES
SUMMER INTENSIVE WORKSHOP 2009

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

Where is poetry? And what is poetry? Who are we to make these judgments, whatever they may be, on a personal or social level? As we study together for two weeks, these questions will be among the most important that we will encounter and use.

This is an intensive, two-week-long poetry workshop, to be held for two hours in the afternoon three times a week. The workshop is designed for beginning and intermediate writers of poetry. Participants will be expected to work at an accelerated pace and an advanced level.

The workshop will incorporate readings (provided; to be retrieved before the first meeting), craft talks, writing exercises, discussion, memorization of poems, and peer critique sessions. It will be a place for deep investigation of texts—others’ and the workshop-goers’ own—in order to figure out what poetry does and what it can be. The success of the workshop in this form relies on the sincere participation of its members. It is imperative that each participant give the readings and his/her own writing ample time, as well as attend each of the six sessions.

The workshop will run in two identical sessions. Session I will take place June 8-19; Session II will take place June 29-July 10. Meetings will be from 2-4 p.m., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, on the University of Nottingham campus.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Éireann Lorsung holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota, where she also taught poetry and writing. Her first book, Music for Landing Planes By (Milkweed Editions), was published in 2007. A second, Projet linguistique, is forthcoming in 2010, also from Milkweed Editions. Other work can be seen in journals such as Prairie Schooner, Diode, and Barrelhouse. She lives in Nottingham, where she is pursuing a PhD in Cultural Studies.

FEES

Participation in the workshop is £60. A limited number of bursaries are available. If you are applying for a bursary, you must include a separate statement of no more than 200 words explaining your circumstances.

HOW TO APPLY

The Nottingham Poetry Series Summer Intensive Workshop application includes a statement of interest and a writing sample. Your sample should be recent work (please note if published). Please include your name and contact information (including email) on all copies. Documents must be typed on regular paper; no emails will be accepted.

Writing Sample: 6 poems.

Statement: No more than 300 words expressing your experience with poetry, and your interest in participating in the workshops in terms of your general, academic, and personal interest, as well as your goals for the two weeks.

DEADLINES:
For Session I: May 18 (notification week of May 25)
For Session II: June 1 (notification week of June

For postal delivery of materials:

Nottingham Poetry Series
Summer Intensive Workshop (specify I or II)
Trent Building Room B4b
School of Modern Languages and Cultures
University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham
NG7 2RD

An evening of poetry with Andrew Motion

Gartree High School
Wednesday 3rd June at 7.00 pm (doors open 6.45)
Tickets £3

Tickets can be bought from the school, or send a cheque made payable to Gartree High School together with a SAE to: Gartree High School, Ridgeway, Oadby, Leics, LE2 5TQ

Short Fuse seeks Submissions

3000 words max, email your story as a Word attachment with a combination of your name and the story title as the file name to:

polly@shortfuseleicester.com

Please send a brief biography about you and your writing life

There will be some themed and some un-themed events. For inspiration, themes for the year’s calendar will include the following:
The Gold Band / Neverland / Idol

And submissions for a themed evening’s worth of stories dedicated to Leicester Pride in September 2009:
Pride and Prejudice

Stories especially welcome by LGBT community writers.

Whereas Short Fuse usually pre-selects work in order to ensure its quality, there is the possibility for a micro-fiction slot where writers can take their flash fiction to the open mic. By flash fiction we mean complete stories of 500 words or less.

If interested please email to let us know you’d like to read so we can book you in, and just send a brief bio so we can introduce you on the night. Don’t submit flash fiction by email though, just bring your stories along on the night and speak to the compere.

The Book Doctor

Leicester’s Book Doctor – Alison Dunne – will be running creative writing sessions at four libraries:

Westcotes 10-12 on May 12th
Aylestone 2.30 – 4.30 May 12th
St. Barnabas 10 – 12 May 13th
Knighton 2 – 4 May 13th

So come and lubricate your creativity with fun exercises suitable for all levels of experience.

Consultant for Lowdham Festival

Lowdham Book Festival is looking for someone to work with us on planning for the future

Consultant: Lowdham Book Festival
Location: Lowdham, Nottinghamshire
Closing date: 5 June 2009
Remuneration: £6,000 fee

Lowdham Book Festival is Nottinghamshire’s main literature event. This year’s Festival is the tenth and we are looking for someone to work with us, to work out where we go from here. The project will involve talking with other organisations primarily in Nottinghamshire who may be interested in developing some kind of linked Festival in the City and elsewhere.

For further information please email Ross Bradshaw at info@fiveleaves.co.uk

Lake District Writing Retreats

Offers you the time and space to write without distractions, in the beautiful surroundings of the Lake District. Superb, peaceful retreat near to Windermere. Next retreat takes place 17th-23rd July 2009 from only £200 per person, homecooked meals included. Optional excursions include trip to Dove Cottage, Mirehouse, and The Home of Beatrix Potter. Writing facilitator available for feedback. Group discounts may be available. Email shaikhf@hotmail.com for further details.

Phrased and Confused in Derby

Feat. Woodpigeon, Murray Lachlan Young, Aoife Mannix & Janie Armour, Dead Poets

Hello Hubmarine 0509

Hello Hubmarine presents ‘Myth’ – a visionary night of words, music and film at Big Blue Coffee Co, Sadler Gate, Derby, on Saturday 30th May. Star spangled with such delights as Mark Gwynne Jones, the Time Travel Opportunists and Ms. Mischief, and more including music and open mic from 8pm.

We are awed to welcome Mark Gwynne Jones to Hello Hubmarine 0509. If you’ve never seen performance poetry before, come and experience his ‘mind-altering’ journey of words and ideas. ‘Inspired…one of the most accomplished performance poets in the land…drawing the audience into a world where things are not quite what they seem’ *The Guardian*

The Time Travel Opportunists are Emma J. Lannie, Richard ‘Biff’ Birkin, and Nathan Good. They all live in Derby, write stories and publish them. They are rather good.

Antoinette Burchill, aka Ms Mischief, is primarily a visual artist and has been making mischievous artworks (including edible sculpture, video and projections among other things) since 1993. The work is often humorous, licentious and direct. When her ideas need to be communicated by language, rather than in images, she writes. In ‘Ms. Mischief’s quest for the Golden Fleece’ she time-travels back to Ancient Greece with the intention of meeting Jason and bartering for a snippet of wool from his Golden Fleece…

As always, add some awesome live music and a selection of largely unseen magical and inventive short films from around the world, and that is that.

Contact: Hello Hubmarine info: 07973 480098 | info@timetravelopps.co.uk www.timetravelopps.co.uk

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