Tuesday 30 June 2015

Manchester Children's Book Festival 2015


Coming up at Manchester Children's Book Festival 2015:

2015 Manchester Children’s Book Festival

 

 

TV’s Sam & Mark 01/07/15

We’re absolutely delighted that TV presenters and now authors Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes – better known as “Sam & Mark” – will be joining our programme and launching their first children’s book, The Adventures of Long Arm, at the 2015 Manchester Children’s Book Festival. When Ricky Mitre, a young boy who is always in trouble, accidently gets his arm stuck down the U-bend of the staff toilet and emerges with a super long arm, his adventures as a brand-new “superkid” are just beginning… Meet the duo and hear more about the adventures of Ricky and his best friend Sam – and maybe also a little bit about two other best friends, who’ve had some pretty impressive adventures. 

Wednesday 1st July, 2pm, MMU Geoffrey Manton Building. £3.50 per ticket. Click here to book, or call our box office on 0843 208 0500. Special offers available for schools groups – contact mcbf@mmu.ac.uk or 0161 247 2424 for details.

 

Alex Scarrow at Central Library 02/07/15

In keeping with our Time Travel theme, we’re thrilled to have Alex Scarrow joining our 2015 Festival line-up. Alex’s TimeRiders series follows the adventures of Liam, Maddy and Sal, recruited by an agency that no-one knows exists with only one purpose: to fix broken history – to travel back in time and change the past. Join us at Manchester Central Library for this special MCBF event to hear Alex reading from and talking about the series – and signing books afterwards. There’ll also be an opportunity to browse the Library’s amazing Archives+ resources before the event begins. Thursday 2nd July, 6pm, Manchester Central Library. £3.50 per ticket. Click here to book, or call our box office on 0843 208 0500. Special offers available for schools groups – contact mcbf@mmu.ac.uk or 0161 247 2424 for details.

 

Meet “Queen of Teen” James Dawson 05/07/15

We can’t wait to meet James Dawson – author of teen thrillers including his new novel Under My Skin. His non-fiction includes Being A Boy, which takes a frank and funny approach to puberty, sex and relationships, and This Book is Gay, an inclusive and uncensored look at what it’s like to grow up LGBT. He has previously worked as a teacher, specialising in PHSCE and behaviour, and his work has been translated into more than ten languages. James is the reigning UK Queen of Teen and was appointed a Stonewall School Role Model in 2014. Come and meet him at Waterstones.

Saturday 4th July, 2.30pm, Waterstones Manchester Deansgate. £3.50 per ticket. Click here to book, or call our box office on 0843 208 0500.

 

FREE Manchester Children’s Poetry Weekend

With support from Arts Council England, we’re thrilled to be celebrating new poetry for children by letting its stars into Manchester on the weekend of Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th July. We’ll be taking over city centre venues for two full days of FREE readings and activities – Manchester Central Library on the Saturday, and Waterstones Manchester Deansgate on the Sunday. Drop in to see children’s poetry stars performing their work and join in arts and crafts. There’ll also be open floor slots, so you can come along and read a poem, too. Guest poets who'll be taking part include Dominic "Dommy B" BerryMandy CoeChrissie Gittins and Robert Paul Weston. We'll also be inviting bookshops, libraries, schools and reading groups to set up their own children’s poetry events across the city and beyond – and we’ll be out at Simply Books in Bramhall and Urmston Bookshop for special activities on Saturday 4th, too. For the full schedule of poetry events and to find out how to take part click “What’s On” or visit our MCBF “Get Involved” page. Come and join us as we let in the stars of children’s poetry.

Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th July. FREE – booking not required – just drop in.

 

MCBF in the City

Join our friends at Manchester’s museums, galleries, theatres, libraries

Watch out for some brilliant special MCBF events at our partner venues across the city during the 2015 Festival. There are Ladybird Books Football Badge Making and Going to the Match Family Tours at the National Football Museum, a whole day of Musical Tales at the Royal Northern College of Music, Family Book Day at Ordsall Hall, the Royal Exchange Theatre’s special production Flicker and the Flying Books, PuppetCraft presenting Michael Rosen’s Monkey! at Z-arts, storytime at Waterstones and Tiny Tots & Toddler Time and an Archive+ drop-in at Manchester Central Library. We’ll see you there!

For full details, including dates, times, venues and booking where required, see: http://www.mcbf.org.uk/whats-on/events

 

Get involved

To browse the full 2015 programme and book your tickets go to www.mcbf.org.uk and click “What’s On” or call our box office on 0843 208 0500. 2015 is one of our most interactive programmes yet, with lots of opportunities for you to use your imagination and share your creations, whether you're writing, drawing, reading out loud ... or even dressing up! And you don't have to come to Manchester to get involved. Why not imagine yourself as a time traveller and tell us a story about where – and when – you’d like to visit, whether it’s in the distant past or the far future. Download an entry form and enter our Compton Valance Time Travel Comic Strip Competition. And, wherever you are in the world, you can also take part in our International Reading & Writing Relay – tell us what you’ve been reading, and send us your stories, poems, drawings, photos - and keep the relay going. 

 

We look forward to seeing you there!

 

The Manchester Children's Book Festival Team

___________________________________________________________

The Manchester Children’s Book Festival

Manchester Metropolitan University

Rosamond Street West | Off Oxford Road | Manchester | M15 6LL

Tel: +44 (0) 161 247 2424

E-mail: mcbf@mmu.ac.uk

Browse our website: www.mcbf.org.uk

Join us on Facebook: “Manchester Children’s Book Festival

Follow us on Twitter: @MCBFestival 

Working with Readwell to put books onto shelves at Manchester Children’s Hospital School.

Monday 29 June 2015

Cleckheaton Writers Group meeting 29 June 2015

Cleckheaton Writers Group took place tonight where N, A and K were in attendance, M, L, J, P, P and M having passed on their apologies.

For our work in progress updates, K told the group that she had written a short story for the No Exit Press crime short story competition (deadline tomorrow) that was inspired by her novel.  N revealed that he had entered a short story of his own into this competition.

A had been writing poetry since the last meeting but had signed up to do CampNaNoWriMo hoping to work on PE2 (PE1 is at 60k words). N and K have also signed up and we are both going to be working on crime fiction, but N's will have a gory slant to it.  He has already written 4k words, so will be working on c2 onwards and it is about a detective chasing a cannibalistic serial killer on an unused oil platform.

For the feedback slots, N had sent around a new sci-fi novel that he and his girlfriend are working on.  A and K agreed that it did not need the prologue in that it was information that was useful for the writer to have, but too much backstory gives too much away to the reader and it would be better to put snippets of information into the story for a slow reveal to keep the reader hooked.  A said that the guide to prologue is that if you took it away would it matter. 

A told the group that if a writer completes CampNaNoWriMo there are various 'prizes' such as a reduction on scrivener, create space for Amazon where you would get 2 copies of a published book (therefore free proof copies) or Evernote.  He used the create space to get a couple of proof copies of VH the last time he won NaNo.

As there was a feedback slot free, K asked the group what they thought about her character having short, chaotic dreams that were not totally understandable, so that the reader knows they are significant but you can't work out why.  These could begin to increase and become more clear, revealing more and more to the character and the reader over time.  There was agreement that this was a plot device that could work well with her psychic protagonist.

There was then discussion about supernatural plot devices in both novels, film and television and A recommended the books Clovenhoof and Pigeon Wings and the television programmes Sense8, Unbreakable and Darknet.  N recommended Deadbeat.

The next meeting will take place on Monday 13 July 6-8pm at Cleckheaton Library.

Sunday 28 June 2015

New Writing North, The Listening Post

Here is the latest New Writing North The Listening Post newsletter:


June 2015
The Listening Post
Beryl
West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds: 27 June-18 July
Maxine Peake proves that she is not only a highly acclaimed actress but also an accomplished and compelling playwright with this play, first staged in 2014, celebrating the extraordinary sporting achievements of Morley cyclist Beryl Burton. Tickets £12-£23. To book and find more information visit www.wyp.org.uk/what's-on/2015/beryl/.
Hebden Bridge Arts Festival
Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire: 26 June-6 July
Hebden Bridge Arts Festival offers a mixture of art, music, drama, craft, nature and literary events as the town becomes a stage for the whole family, with a veritable cacophony of street entertainment, books, theatre and music. For more information, see http://hebdenbridgeartsfestival.co.uk/.whatson/whats-glance/.
Jennifer Klinec: The Temporary Bride
Whitley Bay Customer First Centre: Thursday 2 July, 7pm
Following a lifelong passion for food, Jennifer Klinec abandoned a corporate job and began a search for ancient recipes. Her quest led her to Iran, the secrets of the Persian kitchen and a love affair that pitted her against Iranian laws and customs. Join Jennifer for an evening discussing The Temporary Bride, a soaring memoir of being loved, being fed, and the struggle to belong inside one of the most fascinating nations on earth.Tickets: £3, refreshments included. Booking essential, please call 0191 643 5390.
The Ted Hughes Poetry Festival
Mexborough, Doncaster: 3-5 July
The festival offers a special chance to explore Hughes’s formative years in Mexborough while also engaging with performances by some of the best contemporary poets around, including Helen Mort, Kim Moore, Ian Duhig, Zaffar Kunial and Northern Writers’ Awards 2015 winner Steve Ely. Tickets are available for individual events or a full festival pass. For full details see www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ted-hughes-poetry-festival-tickets-16748278552.
In Conversation: A riverside walk with Michael Chaplin and Mikhail Karikis
South Shields: Saturday 4 July, 2.30pm-4.30pm
Join writer Michael Chaplin and artist Mikhail Karikis on a riverside walk, revealing the historical legacy and landscape of the shipping and ship-building industry in South Shields. Chaplin and Karikis will be in conversation as they lead you on a walking tour revealing stories, anecdotes and facts of this fascinating area which have creatively inspired the writer and artist in different ways. Michael is the author of Tyne View, an exploration of the social history, culture and soul of the river, published by New Writing North and the Port of Tyne, and featuring contributions from artist Birtley Aris, photographer Charles Bell, and poet Christy Ducker. Tickets: £4. For more information and to book, see www.tynesidecinema.co.uk/whats-on/art/events-exhibitions/riverside-walk.
Vane Women poetry reading
Poetry & Pints, Georgian Theatre, Richmond: Monday 6 July, 7pm Newcastle City Library: Wednesday 8 July, 6.30pm
Vane Women, a lively collective of writing, performing and publishing women, read from their latest poetry publication: Blue Horse by Joanna Boulter. Both events free. To follow this event, and other events hosted by the Vane Women, see www.facebook.com/pages/Vane-Women/298958800161474.
TEST DEPT: DS30 at the AV Festival
The Miners’ Hall, Redhills, Durham: Thursday 9 July, 5.45pm-7pm
AV Festival presents a special screening of Test Dept’s acclaimed film marking 30 years since the 1984-85 miners’ strike at The Miners’ Hall in Durham during the week of the Durham Miners’ Gala. DS30 is a political collage of sound and image by the music group Test Dept including archive film footage of mining communities with material from Test Dept’s own archive relating to the 1984-85 strike, when they collaborated with local activists and mining communities in support of striking miners. The film is followed by a Q&A session with members of Test Dept, Dave Temple (author of The Big Meeting: A History of the Durham Miners’ Gala) and Dr Katy Shaw (author of Mining the Meaning: Cultural Representations of the 1984-85 UK Miners’ Strike). For more information, see www.testdeptds30.co.uk. Free admission.
Durham Moot
Palace Green Library, Durham: Sunday 12 July
Durham Book Festival and Durham Miners’ Association, in association with Palace Green Library and The People’s Bookshop, are joining forces to create an exciting space for thoughtful discussion following the Miners’ Gala. This event will host a relevant debate about the North East’s social, cultural and political position in the media and society in general. Speakers include Owen Jones, Sean O’Brien, Cllr Simon Henig, Alex Niven, Ian Wylie, Heather Wood, Ros Rigby, Dave Temple, Julia Heslop and Dr Christian Liddy. For details see www.newwritingnorth.com/news_details-durham-moot-sunday-12-july-2015-details-3321.html. Tickets: £6/£4 concs for each session, or £15/£10 concs for the whole afternoon. Book online at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/durham-moot-2015-tickets-17335713586.
Joe Abercrombie: Half a War
Waterstones, Gateshead: Wednesday 13 July, 1pm
Joe Abercrombie brings the stunning, richly imagined Shattered Sea series to a close with Half a War. Meet the fantasy author when he signs copies of his new book. For more information, visit www.waterstones.com/events/meet-joe-abercrombie/gateshead.
Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival
Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate: 16-19 July
With Frances Brody, Lee Child, MC Beaton, Mark Billingham, Anne Cleeves, Lisa Gardner, Arnaldur Indridason, Eddie Izzard, Val McDermind, Sara Paretsky and Sally Wainwright. For a full programme and to book, see http://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/crime/2015-festival-events/.
Helen Cadbury: Bones in the Nest
Waterstones, York: Thursday 23 July, 7pm
Described by Mark Billingham as ‘a hugely assured and gripping debut’, Helen Cadbury’s novel, To Catch a Rabbit, was one of the winners of the inaugural New Writing North/Moth Northern Crime Competition. Now Sean Denton makes a highly anticipated return in Cadbury’s new novel about a murder on the Chasebridge Estate. Free event, but tickets must be reserved by phoning 01904 620784 or emailing york@waterstones.com.
NiddFest
Upper Nidderdale, North Yorkshire: 24-26 July
NiddFest’s patron is Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, who presents an intimate evening of nature, words and song with the National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke at 7pm-10pm on Friday 24 July. Other events include the Wishing Tree, hosted by Michelle Harrison, a published ghost story and YA novelist and editor in children’s literature at Oxford University Press. Piers Torday also discusses his new book, and how his childhood encounter with Roald Dahl inspired him to become a writer, which led to his success in children’s fiction and winning The Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. For more information and to book tickets, see www.niddfest.com.
Deadline for the next issue
The next edition of The Listening Post covering August's literature events will go out in late July. If you have events that you would like to submit for inclusion you will need to send information by 20 July to laurafraine@newwritingnorth.com.
While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this newsletter is correct at the time of going to press, things do change, frequently at the last minute and very often without our knowledge.

Saturday 27 June 2015

Ilkley Literature Festival 2015

The first names of those appearing at Ilkley Literature Festival 2015 have just been announced:


 

2015 Festival Highlights

We are excited to announce the first names appearing at Ilkley Literature Festival this October.
Former Business Secretary Vince Cable, novelists Karen Joy Fowler, Sophie Hannah and Caryl Phillips are just four of the many authors coming to Ilkley this October, along with campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez and Bake-Off Stars Frances Quinn and Howard Middleton who will all be making their first appearence at the Festival.
Find out more about the first 7 names announced for ILF15.

The full programme will be announced on 10 August with tickets on sale from Tuesday 1 September.
 
 

New Look Festival Website

After months of hard work behind the scenes we have just launched our redesigned website and we think it looks fantastic!

As well as sharing all the latest Festival news and selling tickets, we'll be posting lots about our development work in schools latest projects and blogs about books and literature, so check back regularly for updates.

Click here to visit the website.
 
 
 

Philippa Gregory

Don't miss the chance to hear the Queen of Historical Fiction, Philippa Gregory discussing her new book The Taming of the Queen at the Kings Hall in August.

Philippa Gregory
7.30pm, Wednesday 19 August
Kings Hall, Ilkley
Book your tickets now.

 
 
 

Ilkley Young Writers Events

Ilkley Young Writers have two great events coming up in July:

The Mighty Write Workshop
1-3.30pm, Sunday 5 July
The Space, Hebden Bridge Town Hall
FREE

As part of the Hebden Bridge Arts Festival, the Young Writers will be running a writing workshop for anyone aged 12-18.
A fun and inclusive workshop based around the senses. Create a mighty landscape of sights, sounds, smells, and even feelings and tastes! The workshop also includes a chance to share your work.
More information

Voices of a New Generation Slam
7.30pm, Tuesday 7 July
West Yorkshire Playhouse
FREE

The Young Writers will also be performing in the youth poetry slam festival produced by Leeds Young Authors. Come and celebrate the power of spoken word and live performance in the city of Leeds. Featuring performances from guest judge Hollie McNish.
More information
 
 

Young Poets Network Competitions


Young Poets Network have got some great competitions running for poets aged 25 and under running at the moment.

You could try your hand at translating poetry for a new prize supported by the British Council or submit your own work responding to WWII poetry for the Timothy Corellis Poetry Prize.

More information
 

Inscribe Poetry Residential with Jackie Kay


Interested in an inspiring, intensive, long weekend? Working on your poetry? Developing your critical and editing skills?

This is fantastic opportunity to gather with other poets from around the country who are your creative peers, to spend an intensive two and a half days on your craft.

31 July - 2 August
More information
 

Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival



Harrogate is welcoming a host of exciting authors for the Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival from 2 -5 July.

Alan Johnson, Jenny Eclair, Sadie Jones and Noddy Holder are among the names appearing at the weekend long festival at the Crown Hotel.


2 -5 July
More information
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Ilkley Literature Festival
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01943 601210
info@ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk

Registered in England and Wales Company No: 1061343
Ilkley Literature Festival ltd. is a registered charity. Charity No: 501801

 
 
 
 
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