Festival in a Day

What do fairies, Vikings, a Rocket Dog and Ursula Le Guin have in common?

No, this isn't Only Connect so you won't lose points when I give you more clues:
The Federation of Masked Booksellers; Dahlia Press; Demon Crew - DMU Creative Writing Students.

Yes, I knew that would do it - you're right! It's the 9th Annual States of Independence Day at Leicester's De Montfort University and those are just some of the organisations providing stalls and panels.

This incredible FREE event on Saturday 10th March 2018, organised and sponsored by Five Leaves Bookshop, Nottingham  and the Creative Writing Team at the University, is not to be missed. 

With something for everyone, this Book Festival in a Day is a wonderful opportunity to meet and listen to established authors and new talent, to take part in workshops and seminars as well as show your support for 'independent thinking, independent writing and independent presses'. 

There will be ample opportunity to purchase new and pre-loved books and - if you're lucky - you may even have the opportunity to share some 'Big Birthday' cake with Dr Simon Perril as he launches In the Final Year of My Forties on the day. 

The event runs from 10.30am - 4.30pm at Clephan Building, De Montfort University, Leicester. For directions please click here  

Helen Abbot

An extraordinary talent

The highly anticipated annual display and presentation of work by final year Creative Writing students at De Montfort University, Leicester, as part of Cultural Exchanges 2018, did not disappoint. As always, the standard was extremely high, giving inspiration to up and coming students and showcasing the wealth of local talent that abounds. 

However, one particular collection, Meaningless Destruction by Shannan Mitchener, stood out for me as being truly exceptional and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to talk to the poet individually. 

Shannan’s enthusiasm and engagement are infectious; she is forthcoming about the challenges she has faced over the years, her initial preference for prose over poetry, and generous with her advice on how to keep an open mind. Thank goodness that she persevered with her talent for contemporary poetry, as this wonderful collection of over 50 poems speaks from, and to, the heart. From the evocative 'Brown Eyes' to the heart-rending 'Alone', the narrative progresses through the elation of new love to the desperation of dependence via self harm and domestic violence, and shines a spotlight on the dark corners behind closed doors. Moreover, the inclusion of a list of organisations available to offer help for anyone affected by the issues raised, reflect an acute awareness of mental health and elevate this collection even more.

The Demon Crew, always superb, have this time, I believe, produced an extraordinary talent and I’m positive this is the start of an incredible career.

Shannan’s collection Meaningless Destruction is available from Amazon priced £5.99

Tickets for the festival can be found by clicking here: Cultural Exchanges 
And you can also hear from members of the Demon Crew - and buy their publications - at the States of Independence Festival on Saturday, 10th March.

 
Helen Abbot

Students on show

Although some of the students presenting their work were nervous, the student publications event with 3rd-years from the Demon Crew was excellent.  You could tell that they were all very passionate about their final product, whether it was, a set of leaflets, a website or an audio-show.

 

The audience warmed to the crowd and, as the event progressed, the authors became at ease when talking about their work. 

Humour was a frequent feature of the publications but each group was unique and the presenters highlighted the element that made their publication stand out from the rest.  Some talked about their collaboration with artists outside the course or their negotiations with printers and all worked hard to achieve the visual impact they wanted. 

I enjoyed this event and recommend it to next year's first years - especially those on the Creative Writing course.  The launch highlighted the hard work and team-work needed to achieve a professional appearance for the final publications. This event would also be of interest to the Leicester community as it illustrates the talent and intelligence of students at De Montfort University.

The Cultural Exchanges Festival allows the students to present their work and also view other aspects of the arts; it also opens-up the university for the community. 

There will be a further opportunity to see some of the publications at States of Independence, the "book festival in a day" on Saturday, 16th March, also in De Montfort's Clephan Building.  This also features a huge range of panels and publishers' stalls.




A. Birch

Cultural eXchanges returns

De Montfort University's Cultural eXchanges festival returns. It runs from Monday, 27 February - Friday, 2 March and the majority of events are still free. Highlights include a poetry evening with Geraldine Monk and Alan Halsey, a Q&A session with actor and director Adrian Lester, and visits from choreographers Matthew Bourne and Sonia Sabri.

You can learn more from the website - and booking goes live on Monday, 13 February.

You may also be interested in the return of States of Independence, the independent publishers' day, which takes place at De Montfort's Clephan Building on Saturday, 17 March. Once more there will be stalls from booksellers and publishers as well as a choice of panels, talks and performances to attend. Admission to all talks remains free - a bargain in this age of austerity.

There will be sex

I read somewhere that if you put sex in the title of an article, people have been scientifically proven to be 78% more likely to read it. Or something like that.

Well, I can confirm at 12 o’clock, Saturday 19th March 2011 at the States of Independence Independent Press Day at De Montfort University, you will get sex. How’s that for a sure thing?

It’s all above board though. Nicola Monaghan’s talk, Sex and Sensibility, is just one of the 27 different workshops, readings and book launches at this press day event, a fantastic opportunity to meet and hear writers and their work, or establish new contacts with independent publishers.

The timetable is impressively eclectic: from the Moomims to anarchism, Arts funding cuts to crime writing. And, of course, poetry readings.

This is the second year Five Leaves Press and the Creative Writing team at De Montfort University have organised this special event. Even better, it is free.

I went last year with my daughter Sarah (as I don’t remember any sex on the timetable). Highlight for her was having three of her bedtime story books signed by their author, Berlie Doherty. Sarah was awe struck, “Mummy, that lady is famous!”

So, take advantage of this rare opportunity for fledgling and established writers, and interested readers, to share work and experiences, to talk to publishers and editors. You never know where it may lead.

The obvious way to round this off would be to somehow mention sex again. But I wouldn’t do that, would I?


Sally Jack