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

Inspiring Books

Cultural Exchanges at DMU has been brilliant this week and has exceeded all of my expectations for it (they were high anyway). 

Today, I went to an event called: What book changed your life? I didn't totally know what was going to happen or if it was going to be interesting but I really enjoyed myself.

It was really thought-provoking when people shared their experiences in what books have inspired them or had an impact on them and it seemed that books meant different things to different people. However, a central theme was that a view or perspective had been shifted after reading their chosen book - weird to think a book can do that to someone!

What was even better was that some of the books I'd never heard of! Books can connect with people in a variety of ways but the passion for books is still there. 

I was sure to write down all of the books for future references and to add to my "To Read" list!

Sarah Sarsby

A lifetime's work in Tesco bags

Thousands of pieces of paper, catalogued and waiting in his front room to be taken to the archives in the British museum; this was one of the first photos we were shown during the interview with David Rudkin, as he recounted what can truly be described as a lifetime of work.

I'd never heard of Rudkin before, but I was fascinated by his tales and the vivid images he created. I particularly loved how he described himself at a young age asking his mother how books were held together. When she told him they were sewed, he sat with darning needle and bright red thread, carefully stitching his pages together.

But it’s more than just an endearing story; it shows a dedication and a passion to his craft that is evident throughout his career. It was wonderful to see a writer speak with such high enthusiasm for his profession after so many years - and this is something I hope I will witness again in the future.

Katie Bamford

A question of survival - please kill trees

I just have to say how IMPRESSED I am by Simon Perril's collage work. Of course, I loved the poetry but I've always been interested in multi-tasking. His combination of the visual with the written/spoken word - not to mention his brilliant reading - has completely inspired me to get cutting and sticking again, something that I haven't done in forever!

One of the favourite and probably most successful creative writing tasks I ever set myself was to come up with Itunes to accompany a collection of black and white photographs I'd taken. It sounds easy but it's so hard to get it right when your word count is so severely restricted.

I also really enjoyed the talk by Chris Hamilton-Emery of Salt earlier in the day. It made me want to go out and buy as many books as I could carry - a bit unfortunate when I've already spent x amount on Amazon this week.

There is nothing quite like holding a book, having it in your hands, smelling it and touching it. I'm all for iTunes - I couldn't live without my iPod - but I really don't get behind eBooks. How many books can you read on one train ride anyway?

If there ever comes a day that I cannot walk around a bookshop, drinking coffee and delicately stroking the spines of a million different editions than I might as well be dead.

Books must survive! The internet is fucking incredible but please, kill trees and print books!


Emma Wood

Salt of the Earth

Salt has historically been linked to money; past empires have been built on the back of the salt trade.

Salt Publishing needs our money. Co-founder, Chris Hamilton-Emery spoke candidly about the financial troubles of his company, yet he has lost none of his passion for publishing literature by both new and established writers.

The company enjoyed a boom period thanks to Arts Council funding, however, when they needed it most, the funds dried up. In 2009, just to rub salt in the wound, the company faced bankruptcy (I must stop making salt puns).

A campaign on Facebook rapidly spread the word, raising £30,000 and saving the company from ruin.

Chris told us some hard and sobering facts: out of every 1,000 books published by Bloomsbury, only 6 make money, more bookstores will disappear from the high street thanks to the recession, and the Arts Council's own funding has been cut.

However, the world will always need writers; it is how work is published that is changing. As technology develops, publishing must and will adapt, with more of a focus on self and community publishing projects.

I found this talk inspiring; times are hard yet Chris and his team work relentlessly to keep the company going, for the love of books and writing.

If we all buy Just One Book, we can help save them. Please visit their website.


Sally Jack

Don't Stop Believing

Attending Chris Hamilton-Emery’s talk about Salt Publishing’s 10 years in the business made me realise that I should never stop believing. Faith is what makes you carry on and the end result is all worth it.

Chris is a wonderful chirpy person, full of laughter and charisma. He talked candidly about the problems he faced with being a publisher which included a ton of financial difficulties such as being in debt and receiving no support.

His story was quite sad and, even though at times I felt that any person would have given up after being knocked down, he gave me a sense of belief that if you believe in something so passionately you should take the risks involved and keep on fighting as he did.

His story does not have a happy ending as he will encounter problems such as the internet taking over, eBooks and the closure of some major bookshops because of the recession. I don’t think it will worry him that much as he has overcome issues time after time. I know he will carry on battling.


M. Khalifa

Happy 10th Birthday, Salt ... I hope

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I turned up for the Salt 10th Anniversary Talk by Chris Hamilton-Emery. I thought he might talk about how wonderful his company is and why I should try to get published by them.

It was actually a heart-warming speech about all of the troubles his publishing house has gone through since its beginning. Chris Hamilton-Emery was a very emotive speaker and I felt quite honoured that he was being so truthful with us about how hard the profession is.

He drew on his valuable experience to point out both the good and bad points of the industry, such as the Internet taking over book distribution to the point where publishers are on the verge of extinction. That definitely made me think about where these careers are heading. It's definitely very worrying for a bookshop wanderer like myself.

I feel truly touched by the story of his struggles and I may just have to go buy a book to keep him afloat…


Rachel Robson