POSTPONED: LINES FOR THE CITY

Sadly, this project is having to be postponed as the books have been lost at sea! The Post Office, in their infinite wisdom, have sent the books back to the publisher in Minneapolis (without actually leaving a delivery note or attempting to contact us).

So, all in all, we thought it was best to postpone the reading groups rather than attempt to fudge it without the books!

Apologies for the inconvenience – new dates will be posted as soon as we can rearrange them.

———————————————————————————————–

Lines for the City is a joint project of Nottingham City Libraries and the Nottingham Poetry Series, with the collaboration of Milkweed Editions (US). Between August and October 2009, Melissa Kwasny’s book of poems Reading Novalis in Montana will be available to loan from every Nottingham City Library, as well as Beeston and West Bridgford libraries, along with a list of suggestions, questions, and ideas for guided reading. During the last week of August three reading groups will meet to discuss the book in an informal but guided setting.

Who can participate?
Anyone! If you’re a student, teacher, reader, writer, thinker, or just someone who’d like to find out more about poetry, Lines for the City is for you. The book we’ve chosen, Reading Novalis in Montana, is probably best suited to readers over age 16.

How can I get involved?
Just borrow the book from your local library, pick it up from our official bookseller or order it online (http://www.milkweed.org or on Amazon). Then read it, think about it, maybe even re-read it, and come along to one (or all) of the reading groups and enjoy a discussion with other interesting and interested readers. The official Lines for the City bookseller is The Bookcase, Lowdham (0115 966 4143, www.thebookcase.co.uk).

But I’ve never read poetry before
Reading Novalis in Montana is poetry-that’s true-but the ideas and themes it deals with are ones you’re probably familiar with already: love, death, nature, aging. It also incorporates stories and myths that pervade our culture, seeing them in new ways and asking us to do the same.

Come along to a reading group
• Clifton Library: Monday 24th August, 2pm
• Wollaton Library: Tuesday 25th August, 7pm
• Nottingham Central Library: Thursday 27th August, 7pm

For further details …
Contact Kate Wilkinson, Literature Development Officer, on kate.wilkinson@nottinghamcity.gov.uk or 0115 9151170 (Wednesdays and Thursdays).

Stanley Middleton

Ross Bradshaw remembers and reflects on Stanley Middleton, Nottingham’s Booker Prize winning author, who died on Saturday 25th July. Read more

Big game hunting in the bookshop

The Internet is wonderful thing. So wonderful that it’s easy to forget how much fun buying books in the real world can be. Read more

Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Annual Poetry Prizes, 2009

Deadline: 17 Oct 2009 – International
Prizes ranging from $1,000 up to as much as $25,000 will be awarded for the finest lyric poems celebrating the human spirit. read more…

EMIT July 2009 – Polyverse and Lyric Lounge

Connecting the literature community
A Literature Network publication
http://literaturenetwork.org

After months of work and gathering excitement, the mighty Polyverse poetry festival and wonderous Lyric Lounge are finally here! Its not often that two poetry festivals happen at the same time in the same county, but it is a thing worth celebrating. Tickets for both events are selling fast, so book now to avoid disappointment. And even as those festivals are happening another is in the planning. The second Writing Industries Conference is scheduled for early 2010, let us know what you would like to see included in the conference by completing our online survey.

For all this and more, read on!

Damien Walter, Literature Network Coordinator

ARTICLES and NEWS

Writing Industries Conference 2010
As we build up to the second Writing Industries Conference in early 2010, please let us know your thoughts about what you would like to see as part of the Eats Midlands regions major networking event for writers and literature professionals. Read more.

• Poet Laureate at Southwell
• Two new novels from Graham Joyce
• New website from Cathy Grindrod

Read more News

BLOGGERS

The best libraries in the world? Probably…
What’s the best library in the world? Here are my top three inspirational places. What’s your view? Read more

• “Most book festivals ignore most people.”
• Page vs Stage – Poetry says ‘Write me!’
• Page vs Stage – People are listening to your voice

Read more blogs

EVENTS

The Polyverse Poetry Festival
Carol Ann Duffy, children’s workshops, published poets and much much more at the Polyverse poetry festival. Get your tickets now whilst there are still a few left! Read more.

• The Lyric Lounge
• Lyric Lounge Workshops
• Breeze and Fegan at Southwell

Find more events near you.

OPPORTUNITIES

Fantastic opportunities for writers at the Lyric Lounge
If you want to come along and have a one to one about your writing or your reading then you can book a session with Bookdoctor Alison Dunne, Festival Patron Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze or Artistic Director, Lydia Towsey. Read more

• Poetry Biz Book and Pamphlet Contest
• Literary Assistant / Junior Agent

Many more opportunities for writers.

*****

You are receiving this mail as a subscriber to the EMIT newsletter, a publication of the Literature Network.

To UNSUBSCRIBE please send an email with Unsubscribe in the title to: emit@literaturenetwork.org

The Poetry Business Book and Poetry Competition

The Poetry Business is now inviting entries for its twenty-third Book & Pamphlet Competition.

Deadline:
29 Nov 2009

The competition was established in 1986 and is now recognised as an important event in the poetry calendar. It has been judged by poets such as Carol Ann Duffy, Simon Armitage and Michael Longley; and previous winners have gained PBS Recommendations, been named PBS Pamphlet Choice and shortlisted for the Forward and T S Eliot Prizes. Many, including Mimi Khalvati, Michael Laskey, Daljit Nagra, Catherine Smith and Moniza Alvi, have gone on to earn national reputations.

Entrants are invited to submit a short collection of poems (up to 24 pages). Four of these are selected as first stage winners, and the poets offered pamphlet publication and a share of £1,000. Winners may then submit a longer manuscript for the overall prize of book publication.

This year’s judge is Andrew Motion FRSL, former poet laureate and Professor of Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, University of London.

The postal entry fee is £20 (for Friends of the Poetry Business and subscribers to The North magazine) and £25 full price. A £1 surcharge is applied to entries submitted online via The Poetry Business website.

The deadline is last posting on 29 November 2009.

For full conditions of entry and an entry form, go to www.poetrybusiness.co.uk or email office@poetrybusiness.co.uk

Virtual Writer in Residence

Scottish Book Trust is seeking a dynamic teen fiction writer as our virtual writer in residence.

This would involve:

* Devising 6 creative writing tasks for teenagers, providing examples for teenagers of how you would complete them (tasks would go out monthly during term time as part of the relaunched Scottish Book Trust teenage website, and tasks would become bigger from month to month, eg month 1 may be ‘write a novel in 6 words’, month 2 ‘blurb for a book you would like to read’, culminating in short story competition for month 6). Where appropriate, Scottish Book Trust may film you talking about tackling some of these tasks as content for the Scottish Book Trust website. This programme would be devised in a planning meeting with Scottish Book Trust at the beginning of the project.
* Writing simple notes for secondary English teachers to accompany each creative writing task to help them involve teenagers in the tasks
* Monthly contributions to the Scottish Book Trust blog
* Take part in 3 or 4 live webchats with teenagers about creative writing
* Helping to judge the final creative writing task (short story writing competition) in conjunction with Scottish Book Trust
* Leading events and creative writing workshops for teenagers (approx 7), including a creative writing masterclass for shortlisted entrants to the final competition, all taking place within a day’s travel from the central belt.

Term: late August 2009 – 31st March 2010

Fee: £3,500 + event fees (£150 per event + travel expenses)

Person specification

* Published teen fiction writer
* Passion for inspiring young people to write, and innovative ideas about how to do this
* Significant events experience for young people, including experience of running creative writing workshops for teenagers
* Available for approx 7 events with teenagers in Scottish schools within a day’s travelling distance of the central belt between October 2009 and March 2010
* Resident in Scotland

Apply

To apply please send an outline of how you meet the above person specification together with a bibliography to Anna Gibbons, Children’s Programme Manager, Scottish Book Trust: anna.gibbons@scottishbooktrust.com by 31st July 2009. For any questions about the post don’t hesitate to get in touch with Anna at the above email or on 0131 524 0160.

We regret that nominees for the 2009 Royal Mail Awards are not eligible to apply.

Organization:
Scottish Book Trust
Sandeman House, Trunk’s Close
55 High Street
Edinburgh
EH1 1SR
0131 524 0160
www.scottishbooktrust.com

Literary Assistant/Junior Agent

We are looking for a dynamic graduate or undergraduate willing to go the extra mile, for a hands-on training and work experience programme.

The successful candidate will assist an agent/writer in his weekly duties and gain invaluable insight into the worlds of publishing, literary agencies and writing. This is a perfect opportunity for would-be writers, publishing professionals or journalists.

Work will include: helping to organise and run creative writing workshops with an established writer and agent; making editorial suggestions to manuscripts; writing and distributing promotional materials; liaising with press, media and publishing contacts; writing articles; assisting in the development of creative writing course exercises and programmes; organising workloads and assisting with general admin.

Hours of work are flexible and reasonable expenses will be paid. There will also be a small amount of compensation for hours worked, although this is primarily a work experience role. Payment may increase in future and we will assist any successful candidate in applying for Arts Council funding for the duration of their apprenticeship. After a 3-month trial period, the candidate may be taken on permanently. The candidate will also get exclusive opportunities to write for a range of magazines and newspapers, to attend press trips and promotional launches, to make important industry contacts and to build the necessary skillset to establish a successful career in the arts, media and/or publishing.

Contact: adam@adam-lowe.com

Poet Laureate at Southwell

Carol Ann Duffy opened Southwell Library Poetry Festival on Friday 10th July, her reading attracting just under 400 people – the highest attendance at any poetry reading in Nottinghamshire in living memory! This was actually her first reading as Poet Laureate as Carol Ann had met the Queen the previous day to be formally appointed. The Festival was opened by Cllr John Cottee, the new Cabinet Member for Culture and Community at Nottinghamshire County Council, with several other Councillors in attendance. With the authority changing hands at the recent election it was good to see the new team supporting the Festival in such a prominent way. The reading was well received, clearing out the bookstall, with Carol Ann spending as much time talking to individuals in the signing queue as the reading itself. Carol Ann was introduced by Derbyshire poet Cathy Grindrod, who started the series of Southwell Poetry Festivals in 2000.

The reading was held in The Minster School in Southwell, which also hosted a recent “rap guide to Darwin” performance as part of the Lowdham Book Festival.

The Southwell Library Poetry Festival continues until 19 July with everything from Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze reading to Newark and Sherwood Concert Band, all thirty of them, playing “stirring music” with readings of “stirring poetry”.

The full programme appears on www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/southwellpoetry.pdf

Breeze and Fegan at Southwell Festival

Jamaican born Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze and British/Irish Kevin Fegan join forces for an international night
at Southwell Library Poetry Festival

Saturday 18 July, 7.30-9.30 at Southwell Library, King Street, Southwell
Tickets: £6 (£4.50 concessions, £3.00 school students)

Both writers are excellent readers of their own work. Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze now lives in Leicester, Kevin Fegan in Mansfield, means a strong showing for East Midlands writers. Both have drawn on their past in their work and have been reading at poetry events for many years. Kevin Fegan is also known for his verse plays on Radio 4.

Tickets can be reserved from Southwell Library on 01636 812 148

Please email info@fiveleaves.co.uk if you would like a copy of the full Festival programme

Next Page »