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| What a busy times it's been! |
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In November, my Mum moved from Leicestershire to be in Shropshire - it was a big move for her but she is in a fab new house in Bridgnorth and has already made lots of new friends and joined in with the theatre-goers, the gardeners, the walkers, the dancers and goodness knows who else: we hardly see her!!
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| Bundle Of Joy |
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In February, Beth and Jesse had a beautiful baby girl, Abbie, who weighed in at 6lbs 13ozs and is thriving and gorgeous! Not having known what to expect of grand-motherhood, I can tell you that being Gr'anna has quite changed my life, and the bookshop is having to take second-place to this little bundle of joy:
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| Wenlock Poetry Festival |
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The first ever Wenlock Poetry Festival was held April 9th - 11th and was a huge success. Carol Ann Duffy, our esteemed Poet Laureate and founding patron of the festival said afterwards that the festival had "...wildly exceeded her highest expectations!" Many of the poets attending said how much they enjoyed it, and tributes and testimonials have been flooding in from the town.
The Chamber of Trade sent this: (click to enlarge)
We, or rather Ippikins, are still hard at work knitting away at our
knitted poem so please, please, please knit a square for us if you can. Call in to Ippikin and talk to either Lesley or June if you think you might be able to help.
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| In The Media |
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The bookshop has been enjoying some good publicity in the national media:
The Observer
The Guardian
The Telegraph [1]
[2]
[3]
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| Morville Flower Festival |
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I enjoyed my annual appearance at Morville Flower Festival over the Bank Holiday weekend - we all froze, that spell of lovely Spring sunshine in April had lulled us into a false sense of security - by Monday it was all thermal underwear and hats and scarves, but even so the event was delightful as always. I really recommend you go if you haven't ever been: all the Morville Hall gardens are open, including, of course, Katherine Swift's Dower House garden; there is a flower festival (compared favourably by those in the know to Harrogate); an excellent plant stall; one of the best refreshment tents around; second hand books; and on the Monday lots of stalls and events for children, too. Next year, we are looking forward to the launch of Katherine Swift's new book The Morville Year: hurrah!
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| Wendy Cope |
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Wendy Cope appeared at The Edge Arts Centre on Wednesday May 19th. Hosted by the Edge, in partnership with the Wenlock Poetry Festival, as part of the Festival's on-going programme of events throughout the year. If you'd like to be on the mailing list to get 'hot off the press' news about future poetry events please email to info@wenlockpoetryfestival.org
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| Poetry Festival Artist in Residence, Beverley Fry |
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We were thrilled that Beverley Fry was Artist in Residence at the Poetry Festival - you can see some of her drawings at
www.beverleyfry.co.uk
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| Reading for Pleasure |
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In May, the RfP group read Per Petterson's Out Stealing Horses. Here is a summary of their afternoon:
OUT STEALING HORSES. There were a mixture of feelings: some disliked it, others liked it after reading it twice or quickly, in one session. The themes of facing up to what has happened in the narrator's life and how that has affected what he is trying to do now, to live the rest of his life well and alone, were admired. We explored the relationships between Trond and his father, and the undercurrents of the events which keep Trond and Lars bound together.
We also focused on the way the author wrote about the horrific events quietly and softly, which didn't make them slighter but did make them more shocking.
We had a few qualms about the translation which didn't always seem quite appropriate or accurate (or maybe too American)
So by the end we concluded that we'd had a good exploration, and all of us liked it more than we had at the beginning!
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| Arvon International Poetry Competition 2010 |
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Win £7,500 in the Arvon International Poetry Competition 2010
The 2010 Arvon International Poetry Competition is open for entries. This prestigious biennial poetry competition was founded by Ted Hughes in 1980. This year the first prize has increased to £7,500 - the highest ever offered in the competition and one of the most generous prizes available for a single poem. The prize fund includes a special prize of £500, which is being offered in association with the Wenlock Poetry Festival. This new poetry festival is based in Shropshire, the county that was home to the First World War poet Wilfred Owen. Wilfred Owen famously wrote ‘My subject is war and the pity of war. The poetry is in the pity.’ The Wenlock Poetry Festival Prize will be awarded to the poem which, in the judges’ opinion, best addresses the theme 'The Pity of War...' The winner of this prize will be invited to read at the 2011 Wenlock Poetry Festival.
Ruth Borthwick, Arvon’s National Director said:
"Arvon's competition is a truly international celebration of poetry. We encourage and receive entries from all over the world. That international outlook is reflected in the 2010 judging panel. I'm also delighted by our association with the Wenlock Poetry Festival, whose chosen theme will, I think, inspire some moving entries. We look forward to a vintage competition to mark thirty years since the prize was founded by the great internationalist and Arvon supporter Ted Hughes."
The competition will be judged by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Elaine Feinstein and Sudeep Sen. Poems must be written in English, on any subject, and can be a maximum of 42 lines long. Closing Date: 16 August 2010 Enter online at www.arvonfoundation.org
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| Venice 2011 |
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As you know, we had to cancel our annual trip to Venice this year due to imminent arrival of grand-child number 2! However, I would love to reinstate this trip next year, and as soon as baby is born we will fix a date (I obviously don't want to clash with the first birthday!).
This is a trip that always sells out so if you are at all interested in a trip to this most beautiful of cities, with our excellent hosts Anne and Michael, please let me know - provisionally, it will be sometime in May or June next year.
To whet your appetite, you might like to visit:
www.veniceliterarylions.com
wenlockbooks.blogspot.com
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| The Birmingham Book Festival's Spring Thing: A Festival In A Day |
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Saturday 29 May 2010 at Birmingham Conservatoire, Paradise Place, Birmingham B3 3HG, 10:30am (for a 10:45 start) – 5:30pm. Sponsored by Newman College.
Booking is now open for this day long literature fest featuring Carol Ann Duffy, Helen Dunmore, Stuart Maconie, Amanda Smyth, Samantha Harvey, Aifric Campbell, Jo Bell & Jenn Ashworth.
List of Events:
- National Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy returns to Birmingham for another much-anticipated reading
- Novelist Helen Dunmore talks about her new novel Betrayal
- Novelists Amanda Smyth (Black Rock), Aifric Campbell (The Semantics Of Murder, The Loss Adjustor) and Samantha Harvey (The Wilderness) talk about their writing experiences
- Writer, Presenter and Broadcaster Stuart Maconie talks about his Adventures on the High Teas and that elusive 'middle England'
- Poet Jo Bell and Novelist Jenn Ashworth come together in Too Much Information, 'wise wicked and witty words from two lively writers'
More detailed information on writers and events is available on the website. Tickets are for the whole day and entitle you to a place at each event. Day Tickets: £29, £25, £19 (Concessions £26, £22, £16) To Book call 0121 303 2323 or visit birminghamboxoffice.com.
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| Literary Evening: Merlin Unwin Books |
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Friday 25th June
Tine: 6pm - 8pm
venue: Shipton Hall (with kind permission of Nicholas and Jane Bishop)
Admission: £10
Sponsored by Oakleys
Wenlock Books have worked their magic again and arranged for Karen and Merlin Unwin to present this year’s literary evening.
Merlin Unwin Books are based in Ludlow and have over 20 years experience of independent high quality publishing specialising in countryside, wildlife and field sports.
This year sees them launch "It Happened in Shropshire" by Bob Burrows, a vibrant and compelling account of the county's diverse heritage from 10,000BC to modern times.
Merlin and Karen will tell us about this and other new books they are promoting as well as entertaining us about their many and varied experiences in the publishing world.
During the evening drinks and refreshments will be served in the wonderful Corvedale surroundings of Shipton Hall nestled in those "blue remembered hills".
Book on-line at www.muchwenlockfestival.co.uk
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| Now the 2010 Wenlock Poetry Festival is over |
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Now that the Wenlock Poetry Festival is over, and before we get too busy with the next one, I am enjoying being in my shop and doing the day-to-day bookselling that I love. I will be cutting down on extra-curricular activities as my second grand-child is due at the beginning of June and the Poetry Festival kind of uses up all of my 'extra events' energy, but the bookshop will continue to host a regular afternoon reading group for adults; monthly reading groups for children, and our weekly children's poetry club. Doubtless, every now and then something will come up that I just can’t resist, but forgive me if for the time being my grand-children and the Poetry Festival prove to be the limit of my energies!
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