THE INKY The Inky Writers Newsletter Spring 2006 No. 37 INKY NEWS Longbarrow Press Launches in Sheffield A diverse group of writers and artists will be appearing at The Red Deer in Sheffield to celebrate the launch of Longbarrow Press, an exciting new venture in printmaking and poetry publishing. Matthew Clegg, Chris Jones, Andrew Hirst and Brian Lewis have come together to produce the first in a series of hand-crafted works that combine poetry, etching, photography and prose. This is a rare opportunity to hear them read and discuss their poems and practices in intimate surroundings. Longbarrow Press was founded by Andrew Hirst and Brian Lewis with the aim of developing new writing in close collaboration with its authors. It is committed to a mode of production that places equal emphasis on the printed word and the materiality of the object; to achieve this end, each of its titles has been designed, printed and assembled by hand. The first fruits of the press are Matthew Clegg’s Nobody Sonnets, a new sequence of eight poems with original artwork by Andrew Hirst, and The Frome Sampler, a boxed edition of postcards comprising poems and photographs by Andrew Hirst and Brian Lewis. Both titles appear in special packaging and have been produced in strictly limited editions; a small quantity will be available to buy at the launch. These will be followed later this year by Chris Jones’s Miniatures, a cycle of short poems recently commissioned by Longbarrow, and the audio version of Andrew Hirst’s celebrated performance work, The Snail Drunk. The Longbarrow Press launch is at The Red Deer, Pitt Street, Sheffield on Thursday, 27 April at 8 pm (admission £1). For more info’ about Longbarrow Press please contact: Email: karlHurst05@aol.com or write to: Brian Lewis, 6 Tenby Close, Swindon, SN3 1LN. Avant-Garde Antics In May, Spoken Word Antics celebrates the avant-garde and its continuing impact on contemporary poetry and performance. Live performances will be interspersed with archive recordings of avant-garde practitioners such as Maiakovskii, Schwitters, Dada, and Ginsberg. There will be special appearances from Scott Thurston, Bruce Barnes, and Roland Miller. The work of these three can be thought of as bearing on language in different ways; Scott's work exposes the reader to unexpected juxtapositions of words and unorthodox syntactic patterns; Bruce explores the sounds of language and the suggestion of meaning; and Roland's work toys with the presence and absence of language. Also expect to hear from Matt Black, Andy Hurst, Chris Brownsword, and Jonathan Baxter. Avant-Garde Antics is connected with the launch of a new pamphlet anthology by Chris Brownsword, which will be launched later in May. This special event is a one off and on this occasion there won’t be an open mic. The event takes place on Tuesday 9th May at The Red Deer, 18 Pitt Street, Sheffield, and doors open at 8.00 pm for an 8.30 pm start. For more information on this event, the artists performing, or for Spoken Word Antics please contact Robin: Email: antics@lowtech.org Tel: (0114) 2587 270 Web: http://access.lowtech.org/antics/9_may.html Carillon Magazine Competition To celebrate Carillon Magazine’s 5th Birthday they are running an open competition with two categories — poetry and very short stories. The theme is to be “Five” and the deadline is 1st November 2006, plenty of time to submit your work. There are prizes in each category of 1st: £80.00, 2nd: £40, and three prizes of £20.00 and all prizes include a year’s free subscription to the magazine. Winning entries will be published in a special edition of the magazine, price £3.20 inc. postage (uk) or £4.00 (international). For a copy of entry details and rules either pick up an entry form from the Writers Resource Centre (details on the back page) or contact Graham Rippon, 19 Godric Drive, Brinsworth, Rotherham, S60 5AN. New Poetry Collection A new poetry collection from local writer Liz Cashdan has just been published. The Same Country, Liz’s second work for Five Leaves Publications, was launched at the Sticky Bun Writers’ Club at the beginning of April. The Same Country brings together many of Liz Cashdan’s poems on paintings and sculpture together with two sequences representing her interest in archaeology, landscape and history. Liz Cashdan lives in Sheffield and teaches creative writing at Sheffield University, for the WEA and in schools. She has been editor for many years of the National Association of Writers in Education Journal and is the poetry editor of Jewish Renaissance. The new collection is available by post from 36 Sterndale Road, Sheffield, S72 LD. Please enclose a cheque for £5.00 made payable to “Liz Cashdan” together with your name and address. For more information: Tel: (0114) 2368361. Email: cashda@onetel.com Web: www.fiveleaves.co.uk A Big “Thank You” To Inky Readers To all of the readers who responded to the “Challenge to all Writers” article in the last Inky, a big “thank you” on behalf of Char March. Char issued the challenge to write some positive, direct poetry or very short prose that would be suitable for her to use in non-religious funerals. She was astonished by the number and range of responses and may well be using some of the material in future ceremonies. For those who emailed their work to Char she will have already responded, but to those who wrote in, she has asked The Inky to pass on her thanks for putting their minds to the task so eagerly. Please contact The Inky if you missed the article and would like a back copy. Wanted - Memories of Work? Can you write a short article about how life at work has changed over the years? (Perhaps going back as much as fifty years). If so your memories could become part of an archive being built up by the “Memories of Work” project, supported by the Sheffield Occupational Health Advisory Service. Points to consider are: How did you find your first job? Did you do a job which no longer exists? Have you had to cope with redundancy? What sort of working conditions did you have to work under? What were your hours and wages? The project hopes to cover as wide a range of Sheffield trades and occupations as possible. If you are interested in this project then contact in the first instance: Naomi Brent Sheffield Occupational Health Advisory Service, 55 Queen Street, Sheffield, S1 2DX. Secrets for Writers Are you baffled by publishing jargon? Does your work keep getting rejected? Do you think that the book world is a closed shop? Do you wonder how you’ll ever get published? If your answer is “Yes” to any of the questions above then you need to read the Secrets for Writers pack, a new fifty page information pack produced by Sheffield writer Daniel Blythe. The pack is full of hints, tips and inside information about the writing game. It includes essential advice on structuring a novel, editing, presentation, agents, query letters, writing a synopsis, the markets for fiction and non-fiction and much more - plus recommended reading and useful websites. Daniel has collated this information from his own experience and the advice of London editors and agents, and describes the pack as covering “all of the things I wish I’d known when I was starting out.” Daniel Blythe lives in Sheffield and has had eight books published over the last decade. He has worked with several different publishing houses (Penguin, Hamish Hamilton, Virgin, Capstone-Wiley and Alison & Busby) and is represented by a leading London literary agency. He is also a writing tutor and occasional BBC local radio presenter. The cost of the information pack is £4.00 and is only available by email from Daniel. For further information please contact Daniel: Email: danielblythe@btinternet.com Web: www.danielblythe.moonfruit.com/ Peak District Writing Retreats Ann Atkinson is hosting weekend writing retreats and mid-week poetry courses in her home in Derbyshire's beautiful Peak District National Park. The house has room for three writers. Accommodation can also be arranged nearby should more than three wish to book. Couples and non-writing partners can also be accommodated. For further details on the retreats and courses contact Ann: Tel: (01433) 631949. Email: atkinsonannie@aol.com 'Camaraderie of Dust’ Exhibition Camaraderie of Dust is a touring exhibition of work by poet Michael Wilkinson and artist David Wilders. Both men worked in the mining industry at Fryston Colliery, and have subsequently used their experiences at the pit to inform their art. This collaboration shows the atmosphere and life of the mine through poetry and artist’s prints. There will be a poetry reading as well as a creative writing workshop linked to the exhibition and based at the National Coalmining Museum, Caphouse Colliery site in Wakefield. Michael Wilkinson was born in Castleford into a family who worked in mining for three generations. His stint down the mine makes that four generations, before moving on, and in the process gaining a degree from the Open University. His first collection was the well received Dancing Fish (Spout Publications). He has performed his poetry at venues all over the country, and has set some of his work to music. He is widely published in magazines, including the highly respected Blue Nose and Writers Inc, and has won prizes in both prose and verse. He is currently working on a novel and is a trustee of the Yorkshire Arts Circus in Castleford. His collaborative project with visual artist Dave Wilders, Camaraderie of Dust, first opened in Castleford in 2004 with an exhibition and a book. It has since toured, most notably at the town hall Bishop Auckland, where workshops for children and adults proved very successful. The culmination of this tour is the exhibition based at the National Coalmining Museum for England. The poetry evening, held on Wednesday 7th June 6.30 - 8.30 pm, will give everyone the opportunity to discover the ideas and inspiration behind Michael Wilkinson’s work. The writer will read some of his work and invite participants to join a discussion about his poetry. The aim is for guests to gain an insight into the links he has made between local mining history and literature. The evening is free of charge and to book your place or for more information call (01924) 848806. The creative writing workshop, held on Saturday 10th June 11.00 am - 1.00 pm, also led by Michael Wilkinson, gives participants the opportunity to practice their creative writing skills, and gain tips and advice from the writer. Tickets for this event cost £5.00 (which includes light refreshments) and can be obtained by calling the same number. For more information on the National Coalmining Museum log onto: www.ncm.org.uk Tel: (01924) 848806 Jack Mapanje Poetry Workshop & Readings There’s a chance to work with Malawi’s celebrated poet, human activist and linguist Jack Mapanje in this workshop and reading organised by the Scarborough Poetry Workshop group. Jack Mapanje’s poetry offended the Malawi dictator, Hastings Banda, and in 1987, without a trial and without being charged, he was imprisoned in the famous Mikuyu Prison in Zomba. For almost four years he was held by the authorities before being released principally because of the world wide protests from writers and human activists. On his release, fearing for his life, he fled with his wife and family to Britain and settled in York and is now the senior lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Newcastle. The workshop and reading will be held on Saturday 13th May at Scarborough Library, Vernon Road, Scarborough. The charge for the workshop, which runs from 10.00 am until 12.30 pm, is £3.00. The reading will be from 2.00 pm until 4.00 pm and is also £3.00. If both sessions are booked at the same time the charge will be just £5.00. Booking is essential for the events. If you wish to take advantage of this opportunity to meet and work with Jack Mapanje then please contact Kate Evans: Tel: (01723) 360628 Email: kateevans@tinyonline.co.uk Or for further information please contact Bill Hammond: Tel: (01723) 365562 Email: hammondbill@tiscali.co.uk Last year Chris Jones completed a series of poems about the River Don — At the End of the Road, a River - Here, Chris describes the close connection between the river’s journey and the growth of Sheffield. Beginnings. The River Don begins in the Pennines on the gritstone moors above Penistone, and ends its seventy mile progress easing through the wide flat-lands of Humberside, joining the River Ouse at Goole. The section of the river that interests me, that I wanted to depict in a sequence of poems, swings in through northern Sheffield, angling toward the city centre, then breaks in a north-easterly direction through what was historically the main industrial corridor toward the Tinsley Viaduct and two towers, leaving the city's boundaries in sight of the huge retail parks centred on Meadowhall. When I first arrived in Sheffield I didn't see it as a river city. It took me a while to realise there were a fleet of rivers, with the Don as the foremost waterway. Later on, I came to understand the River Don was like the skeleton on which the body of the town was hung, or perhaps more viscerally, it was the gut of the city carrying everything spent and buckled that was thrown into it. When I was digging around for information on the valley I soon realised how readily history comes down to the river. Think of Thomas Paine, radical and pamphleteer, turning up just east of the town with plans to build a new style of iron bridge, or George Orwell commenting on the miserable health of the city in the 1930s by describing the sick river in his book The Road to Wigan Pier. Then there's Robert Carlisle attempting to drag the girder from the canal at the beginning of The Full Monty; water is used here to show a city lost to dereliction. Think of Sheffield's dark histories: the dam flood of biblical proportions in 1864, the bombs built in the city that were subsequently banned or achieved world records for being the heaviest ever made; think of the super-gun, or that (now fading) connection with Union Carbide. But some of the journeys I came across were from darkness into light. Jarvis Cocker in his song ‘Wickerman’ contemplates a ride on a boat through the subterranean channels of the city surfacing in a place surrounded by grass and trees, with birds that ‘explode at the slightest touch’. And now the city's post-industrial (whatever that means) and is no longer treating its rivers like sewers, the Don is on the rise. Stretches beside the water are being developed, gentrified. Conservationists discuss species influx, and hold out the dream that one day otters may encroach on the city's boundaries again. For me the excitement of it was seeing kingfishers whirr from bank to bank. Copies of the pamphlet At the End of the Road, a River are available from the author for £3. For more information contact him via email (cwjones@mac.com) or write to 7 Mona Road, Crookes, Sheffield, S10 1NF. Here’s a short piece taken from the sequence of poems by Chris. Drift When I think of rubbish chucked from bridges I number blue bins, car tyres, half-sunk fridges. The strangest thing? A typewriter scrolling water. The most obscene? Two armchairs and a sofa. Fenced around these reflections and stones are the wasted attempts at home: picture this yard with a bricked-up Cortina, a swollen ceiling where rain pours in. Chris Jones The South Yorkshire Page Barnsley Wanted - Penistone Writers Penistone Writing Group, which used to meet in the local library, has moved a few yards away across the road to St. Andrew’s Church Hall, and they are looking for new members. The writing group is suitable for both new and more experienced writers, and whether you are interested in poetry or prose, you will be sure to find help and encouragement together with an opportunity to share your writing with others. This WEA group meets once a fortnight, on Thursdays between 7.30—9.30 pm at St. Andrew’s Church Hall, High Street, Penistone, and is tutored by Phil Simmons. For further details contact the WEA: Tel: (0114) 2423609. Access Poetry Barnsley Workshop Access Poetry meet on the 2nd Monday of each month and, on Monday 8th May, they are putting on a workshop with poet, writer and writing tutor Ann Hamblen. The evening is open to writers, new or experienced, and you don’t even have to be a member though there is a small charge for non-members. The workshop will be held in the meeting room, in Barnsley Central Library at 7.00 pm. For further details please contact Access Poetry Tel: 01226 232604. New Writing Group? Are you interested in being part of a new writing support group? Do you want the opportunity to read what you write, get feedback, try exercises to enhance your creativity, share ideas with peers and meet new people? If you want to be part of this innovative, democratic, writing group that will be run by members for members then you need to contact Vasiliki who is planning to set up this new writing group. For further details please contact Vasiliki: Tel: (01226) 722571. Email: vasiliki@scurfield.fslife.co.uk Rotherham The Secrets of Swinton Writers! Fancy writing for fun, fancy swapping notes on creative writing, do you fancy hearing a few secrets on how you could develop your writing, and can you get to Swinton on Wednesday mornings? If your answers are “yes” then you need to go along to Swinton Library where the Swinton Writers’ Group will be happy to welcome and to share their writing secrets with you. The group meets every Wednesday from 10.00 am to 12.00 noon and is for beginners as well as more advanced writers. For more information give Peg a call on (01709) 760645 and she’ll give you all of the details. New Writing Course There’s a new WEA writing course that has just started at Treeton Community Centre. The course is being organised by Steve Ruffle, is open to all writers and, even though it has already started, new members are welcome to join at any time. The course is held at Treeton Community Centre, 1 Pit Lane, Treeton, Rotherham, on Tuesday evenings between 6.30 – 8.30 pm. For further details please contact the centre Tel: (0114) 2889191. Rotherham Metro Writers The Metro Writers have organised their programme of meetings for the next few months; here are some brief details. April 19th - A chance to read your own work May 3rd - Poetry fun & games night, led by Graham Rippon May 17th - Take along a monologue or 5 minute script June 7th - WEA writers entertain, then a read-around June 21st - Another opportunity to read your latest work The group meets on the 1st & 3rd Wednesday of the month at Nellie Dene’s Public House, situated between Rotherham’s Bus and Rail stations. Doncaster Calling Doncaster Writers If there are any Doncaster writers, writing groups or writing organisations who would like their details included in The Inky then do please contact us. The Inky Interview Marion Haywood, playwright, children’s writer, oh, and she walks with ghosts as well! The Inky delves deeper into the details. Where are you from? Feltham in Middlesex. I came to Sheffield as a student, and like a lot of students I studied and stayed. Sheffield at that time was capital of the Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire and I liked it. I’ve still got the T-shirt from that era! How long have you been a writer? Ages. I had stories published in the 'Middlesex Chronicle' when I was still in pigtails, and I put on plays on the green for the local carnival. It seemed a doddle then, being a writer. When I moved north I began to write for radio – originally for Northern Drift – and I had my first play staged at the Crucible Studio. I've gone on writing for radio and the theatre, and I love both these media, but working for television was a bit of a bummer, in spite of the mad money you get paid. In the 1980s I was involved in the Friday Show at the Leadmill, thanks to Rony Robinson. It was great fun, and maybe that's why I decided to set up my own theatre company, Loose Theatre. That's been up and running for almost fifteen years, performing all over the place – at festivals, in shopping malls, city centres, cemeteries, along seaside proms, etc. However we've yet to perform in a public toilet – unlike Matt Black! Have you had much published? Mostly books for children. One – Spud and the Jokers – was short-listed for the 'Guardian Children's Fiction Award’ – it didn't get it. My most recent book is Haunted. It's based on the very popular series of Ghost Walks I've scripted and directed in and around Sheffield, mainly for the excellent 'Off the Shelf' Festival. In Haunted there are stories about Spence Broughton, Spring-Heeled Jack, Charlie Peace, Black Dogs and Green (and Grey) Ladies. I did a lot of research in Sheffield Archives for the Ghost Walks and the book, and I really enjoyed running a workshop on Victorian childhood with staff from Archives. Maybe there's a book in there too. Have you ever seen a ghost? I would say ‘felt and heard’ rather than ‘seen’. As I’ve said in the introduction to Haunted, I had my first direct contact with a poltergeist when I was a teenager. A classic situation that – teenagers and poltergeists go together like spots and adolescence! It was at home in Feltham and it involved fairly typical poltergeist antics – shifting furniture, unoccupied toilets that flushed, crunching gravel paths with nobody on them, loud banging on the back door, coal flying from a coal scuttle and peculiar broadcasts from a long-dead radio. After a while we just learned to live with it. Hearing some gibberish from the defunct radio once, my Dad said wearily, “Why can’t it learn to speak English, for Pete’s sake!” What are your thoughts and feelings about spiritualism in general? That's a very big question. Belief in some sort of afterlife seems pretty much universal, though of course that doesn't mean it's true. I've gone to spiritualist churches and sat in at séances, and by and large I've been struck by how trivial the messages are from the other side. I just hope the spirit world – if it exists – isn't one long, wet Sunday. Still, as one medium remarked, "When you pass on, love, you don't suddenly become an Einstein". Fair enough. On a personal note, I did once receive a message from Arnold Freeman, who was involved in the setting up of the Little Theatre in Sheffield early in the twentieth century. I was told to go on seeking. Right! Will do! Have you got any plans? I usually like to work on several projects at once. Just now I'm on with a play, plus another children's book – or two. As for Haunted I see the book as an ongoing project. I hope it turns into the first in a series. If anyone has any first-hand accounts of ghostly encounters I’d like to hear from them. No doubt I'll be directing more Ghost Walks. Great fun, and I really like working with some pretty gifted actors. Haunted – Marion Haywood – ISBN 978-0-9525722-1-3 – Bogle Books, Bad Bear Publications, Sheffield, 0114 268 6746 – Price £3.00p. Thanks to Marion Haywood ~ Interview by Dave Sissons LIVE LISTINGS April / May 2006 In April Tuesday 25th April Creatovate - Performances from musicians, comedians, poets and storytellers Showroom Bar, Paternoster Row, Sheffield. 7.00 pm start, free. Info & to book open mic slot- Email:rebecca_virgo@hotmail.com Thursday 27th April The Longbarrow Press Launch - See front page article The Red Deer, 18 Pitt Street, Sheffield. 8.00 pm start May Tuesday 2nd May The Sticky Bun Writers Club Sheffield Writers & Glass Mountain Writers read for all F.O.B., Church Street. Free. 7.30 pm. Info: (0114) 2366 225 Wednesday 3rd May Metro Writers Group- Poetry fun with Graham Rippon Nellie Dene’s public house, Rotherham. 7.30 start. Info: Tel (01709) 559 144 Monday 8th May Access Poetry Barnsley Workshop with poet & writing tutor Ann Hamblen Barnsley Central Library, Shambles Street. 7.00 pm Info: Tel (01226) 232 604 Tuesday 9th May Antics Upstairs @ The Red Deer Avant-Garde special - see front page article The Red Deer, 18 Pitt Street, Sheffield. 8.00 pm for 8.30 start. Info: Tel (0114) 2587 270 Saturday 13th May Barnsley Writers Resource Centre – 2nd Saturday of each month at the Central Library, Shambles Street, Barnsley 11.00 am—1.00 pm Info: Tel (0114) 2634 787 Sunday 14th May Waterstone’s Sunday Reading Group - Memento Mori by Muriel Spark Waterstone’s Bookshop, Orchard Square, Sheffield. Free. 2.00 pm start. Info: Tel (0114) 2728 971 Wednesday 17th May Metro Writers Group - take along a monologue or a five minute script Nellie Dene’s public house, Rotherham. 7.30 start. Info: Tel (01709) 559 144 Wednesday 17th May Sheffield Writers Resource Centre - Drop-in Centre, free writing information and advice Sheffield Central Lending Library, Surrey Street. 5.15 - 7.30 pm. Info: Tel (0114) 2734 726 We always welcome entries for our listings page - If you have anything that you want us to include then please send us the details Barnsley Writers Resource Centre For information & advice The 2nd Saturday of each month 11.00 am to 1.00 pm Barnsley Central Library more info — 0114 2634 787 Sheffield Writers Resource Centre For information and advice Wednesdays 5 pm - 7.30 pm The Central Lending Library Surrey St, Sheffield, S1 For more info - 0114 2734 726 To be included on The Inky’s Listings - Email: signposts@lineone.net or contact us at the address below. The Inky acknowledges support from: The Inky is a Signposts Project - Signposts Writing Development Project www.signpostsonline.org Please send contributions for the next issue to: The Inky SIGNPOSTS 4th Floor, Furnival House, 48 Furnival Gate, Sheffield, S1 4QP For more information - Phone Geoff Briggs on 0114 2634787 or Email: signposts@lineone.net If you would like to receive a hard copy of The Inky then please contact us at the above address, we will need your address details and your permission to keep your details on our database. If you wish to receive the email version of the Inky we will require your email address together with your permission to keep your details on our database. *Please note* - The hard copy of The Inky may well precede the e-version by a number of weeks and some articles may be out of date by the time the e-version is received.