Hugo Awards Need an Overhaul

Wow. The Hugo Awards are trash. I hadn't heard anything about this, but I follow this author as I'm reading their book at the moment. Jaw hit the floor. How can people like that be allowed to judge anyone's work? That's truly horrific - both their politically oppressive stance and their inability to spell the author's name. 

StokerCon

I'm posting this on behalf of a project I got involved in called Frightseers. I don't think the website has gone live yet, but it's a map of the UK pinpointing fictional works written in those places. So, people can traverse the horror history of the local landscape. I'll post more about this once it's up and running, but they're going to be at StokerCon in April.

Each year, the Horror Writer’s Association presents the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement, named in honor of Bram Stoker, author of the seminal horror work, Dracula. The Bram Stoker Awards were instituted immediately after the organization’s incorporation in 1987.

This year, StokerCon is coming to Scarborough in the UK and Frightseers will be hosting an event.

They sent out this message. I've never met them myself, but I love their project and perhaps some horror buffs reading this might like to learn more:

Hi,

Heide and I are off to Stokercon in Scarborough this Easter where we hope to meet up with a lot of writer friends and spend time discussing the kinds of fiction that we love the most.

We’ve booked a party slot and we want to use it to celebrate what we’ve all achieved so far with the Frightseers website, and spread the word out to others who might want to take part.

We’re hoping that some of you will be able to join us.

We’d love to see you on the day and throughout the convention weekend, but whether you are coming to Stokercon or not, you can support the event.

Here’s how:

- Spread the word on social media – there’s currently at Facebook event although the exact times need confirming.

- We’re planning a ‘Tour of Britain Horror Quiz’ at the party. Maybe you have something we can use as a prize?

If you have thoughts about how else we might push this project forward, both at the event and afterwards then please get in touch!

Hope to hear from you soon,

Iain (and Heide)
Frightseers

Oh Rwandan Child

Had a lovely time last night at Grand Legacy Hotel for the launch of Imagine We's first book: Oh Rwandan Child by former Miss Rwanda contestant turned author, Peace Kwizera.

It's a really lovely book. On each page there are examples of different careers, encouraging young people to pursue the things they loved as children. Each of the careers is modelled on someone the author knows. Her sister provided the inspiration for the pilot, and there are so many strong role models for girls as well as boys.

It's a really big deal, as so few books are authored and published in Rwanda. There are children's books on sale in Nakumatt, but they're mostly retellings of traditional stories. This book is modern and beautifully illustrated - thanks to Inkstain.

The event was full of music, song, poetry and praise. I turned up with Creative Kigali members Philippa (left) and Katie (right). We managed to snap a shot with the author herself.

And, of course, got our books signed. Though it's sad to think that, due to Rwanda's lack of PayPal, Imagine We can't currently sell this to an international market. I'm sure there's so many diaspora who would love a copy. If you would like to enquire you can drop them a line via their website, Facebook or Twitter. I'm sure they'd be happy to post it out. It's written in English, but there are also plans for a Kinyarwanda edition.

Spoken Word Rwanda

Went to my first Spoken Word Rwanda (Facebook/Twitter) event last night with my friend Philippa. It was a really interesting event.

The only problem was, as with most events in Kigali, the venue and theme were only announced the day before. Yet despite this, it was really well attended, and it was nice to see so many Rwandans there - far outnumbering expats.

The performances were really diverse: poetry and music from both amateurs and seasoned performers. One of the best sets of the night was by the guy above, whose name I'm afraid I've forgotten, but you can find him under his alias on Twitter. He performed a piece called #2YearsinKigali, involving the crowd and raising a lot of laughs.

I'm wondering whether I can build up the courage to perform. I sometimes sing at a fireside event at Iwacu Wellness Centre on Sundays. Slowly building up my confidence, as singing is not my forte - I'm never sure my voice will hold up when I open my mouth. I mostly sing jaunty Irish ballads, and each week I'm getting slightly better. The first week I played the tin whistle and shook so hard I almost dropped it. Last week I sang I'm A Man You Don't Meet Every Day, and did pretty well (well enough for someone to ask whether I was Irish). I didn't shake, but I got thumping nerves at the base of my spine.

It's so strange that I can hold a book talk or workshop without batting an eyelid, yet performance, even after training for five years in theatre, reduces me to a quivering wreck. As a novelist, performance poetry terrifies me. It's best done without paper, and for a long-distance writer, paper is your best friend. You feel adrift without it.

I shall continue to work on this.

Meanwhile, I do recommend the Spoken Word Rwanda event to anyone who happens to find themselves in Kigali on the last Wednesday of each month.

Literary Festival Guidelines

I read this with interest. The Society of Authors (‏@Soc_of_Authors)  has issued Minimum Practice Guidelines which they hope all literature festivals will adhere to in order to make sure authors receive fair treatments and proper rates for attending festivals.

(click to enlarge)

The SoA has also issued a number of rates guidelines and general guidance covering everything from translation to school visits.

10 Top Tips For Preparing a Book Talk

I'm quite a confident public speaker. I run a lot of training sessions for organisations, but I still find book talks a little intimidating. I think the difference is that when you're running a workshop about something like human rights or social media, it's not about you. You're all there to focus on something else. As a trainer you're often afforded a certain amount of respect on the subject - you can set the tone of a talk the moment you walk into a room. 

In contrast, I tend to feel as though book talks are less about the subject and more a personality test. People turn up to decide what they think of you as a person. It can make or break book sales. 

I know book talks and self-promotion is something that makes a lot of authors uncomfortable, so I thought I'd share my tips on preparing for one.

1. Find Out What Your Audience Want

First off, find out exactly what your audience are expecting. Are you talking to a group of mainly writers, or mainly readers? (The type of jokes you tell might be different). How long is it: one hour, two? Are you the sole speaker, are there others? Is there a schedule? Do they want a presentation, a reading, Q&As, a signing - a combination? How many people are they expecting? Where is the venue and what does it look like inside?

Knowing what your audience is expecting helps you to plan with confidence.

2. Prepare Your Spiel

Talks where you get to give a presentation are great. Or they can be great if you focus on the right things. Remember, you're there to promote a book that you wrote. That means you know the book really well. You're an expert on your book. What are the most interesting points about that book? Is it set during a time in history that's interesting? Or in the future? What sparked your imagination? What did you discover whilst researching? Where did you draw your inspiration from?

I love PowerPoint, but you need to use it right. Death by PowerPoint occurs when you use slides to write up chunks of text and long lists of bullet-points. Avoid this at all costs. Use PowerPoint to project images and short video snippets. Turn it into a visual prompt to jog your memory, like flash cards, rather than an autocue.

If you're really afraid you'll forget something, jot down some bullet-points to remind yourself what to talk about on each slide. But avoid writing a script for yourself. Having a script means you spend the whole talk staring at the paper in your lap, and if you miss a line you may panic and freeze up. Instead, practise and practise your talk. Trust in the fact that you know what you're talking about. This means that when you do talk, it'll sound natural and free-flowing, and you'll be able to make eye contact with your audience without worrying about losing your place.

3. Practise

I know I said it before, but I'll say it again because it's so important. Practise going through your talk. Practise formulating phrases you're happy with, ordering the information as though you're having a conversation with someone. The more you practise your speech, the more likely your long-term memory will leap in to save you if you run dry. 

4. Keep Calm

Consider what you'll do if you do forget something. This takes the fear out of forgetting. Have a little joke on hand if you freeze up and need a few seconds to find your place again. For example, if I trip over my own tongue whilst speaking, I'll say something stern to myself like 'call yourself an author!' Making a joke of the fact I can't get my words out. Little quips are really helpful - they buy you time, and they also make people laugh, and laughter equates to good will. People tend to be very forgiving of mistakes that make them laugh. Never be afraid of laughter. 

5. Arrive Early

Get to the venue in plenty of time to meet the organisers and set up your equipment. There's nothing worse than trying to get technology to work in front of an audience. Try to maintain the magical illusion of everything being perfect when your audience arrive. And do take time to get to know your meet-and-greeters. These are your strongest allies on the night. Your friendly faces in the crowd, who want the event to be as big a success as you do. These are the people who can smooth over any hiccups and dig you out of a hole if no one asks any questions at the end. 

6. Speak Up, Remain Hydrated

Another advantage of arriving early is that you can lay out the room as you need it and practise projecting your voice. You don't need to shout, but people are coming to listen to you, so you need to be heard. Again, it's easier to project your voice to the back of the room when your head is up and you're facing forward, rather than reading from a sheet in your lap.

Readings often take place in quite intimate spaces, so if you're there before your audience, greet people as they come in. Even a little 'hello' helps to take the edge off your nerves, turning strangers into friends. 

Audiences are often as nervous about authors as authors are about audiences. Breaking the ice in this fashion also makes it more likely people will feel confident enough to ask you a question at the end, or approach for a book signing.

Do have a glass of water. Don't reach for that glass of water in the first ten minutes. The first few minutes of a talk are usually the most nerve-racking. You don't want to let your throat get parched, but at the same time, you want to feel relaxed before you take a drink. I was once so nervous at a meeting that when I reached for my glass I couldn't drink. It was shaking so hard I would have spilt water all over myself before it reached my lips. Instead I reached for a biro to fiddle with - and accidentally threw it across the room.

Take deep breaths. Do not be afraid of short silences and pauses. People are there to listen to you. Speak at a steady pace, and speak when you are ready.

7. Pacing

One of the most common reactions to nerves is to speed up. Try hard not to do that, otherwise you'll whizz through your forty-five minute talk in twenty and have nothing to fill the next hour with. Pacing again comes from practise. Rehearse your speech each day, and be mindful of the pace and pauses. 

Top Tip: If you start a PowerPoint presentation and right click, you should get the option to Show Presenter View. 

This is a fabulous tool. It allows you to project your presentation as normal, but to see which slide comes next (easy to forget on the spot) and to keep track of your time.

(click to enlarge)

The other thing to be careful of, especially if you're encouraging audience participation or questions, is not to get side tracked and waffle on about something so long that you don't have time to finish what you were supposed to be talking about. Try not to labour points. Assume your audience has understood you the first time. If they don't, they'll ask for clarification during the Q&A. Talking too much about the same thing tunes people out.

8. Consider Your Responses

If your audience are expecting a Q&A, for goodness sake start talking to yourself in the shower. Ask yourself really random stuff like 'what is my favourite colour?', 'who has influenced my work?', 'what was my route to publication?', 'what advice would I give new authors?'

If you've been promoting yourself for a while, you'll know most of the stock questions from doing interview blogs, but there will always be a curve ball. Try to work out where you stand on political issues, creative issues, issues of interior design... Just get used to the sound of your own voice, and again, have a couple of polite next-subject quips in your pocket, ready to pull out if you can't think of a suitable answer to something, like 'how do you get fudge out of the carpet?'

9. Read with Confidence

One of my most dreaded activities is giving readings. I dislike it intensely. Partly because I write a lot of books with words I'm not sure how to pronounce (seriously, I have to listen to the audiobook of Rosy Hours to know how to say çocukcağız), and partly because it's the point at which I fear I'll freeze up entirely. 

Often people think they need a written script to talk publicly. I argue that's actually unhelpful. If you know your subject, just talk about it. Don't be afraid to amble a little. Rely on your inner knowledge (and plenty of practise). The problem with a script is that it's something very exact - like a reading. You either get it right, or you don't. That's a lot of pressure.

I did tank once. With one of my early novels, a member of the audience laughed at something they found funny, and I glanced up and laughed a little too - then panicked when I returned my eyes to the page and realised I'd lost my place mid-sentence. There was an awkward moment whilst I found it again.

Lessons learned on this include: 

• Whilst talking to your audience, make eye contact. Whilst giving a reading, forget the audience entirely. Don't be tempted to look up between sentences. It's perfectly okay - and preferable - to focus on the page and just read. Your audience have slipped into their own private listening space anyway, they don't need your eye contact.
• If you're at an event where they want a talk as well as a reading, make the talk longer, keep the reading brief. By the time you've finished your presentation your audience will have been listening to your voice for a while, and they'll be eager to get onto questions. So just give them a brief, tantalising teaser of a reading and move on. The shorter the reading, the less likely you are to slip up.
• Something magical tends to happen with readings. You can practise and practise your reading, and you'll almost always make a mistake. But everything will be 'all right on the night'. I mess up about 90% of the time when rehearsing readings, but perhaps 1% of the time at the event. I'm not sure why this is, but a part of your brain kicks into gear when there's an audience present (quite possibly the adrenaline), and you're likely to get through it unscathed. If you do trip, don't worry about it. Nobody else will remember tomorrow. Just find your place and carry on.

Above all - rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. 

10. Name Notes

If you're giving a signing afterwards, have post-it notes ready. I observed this at Cheltenham Literature Festival one year, whilst queueing to get a book signed. The author distributed post-it notes for people to write out their names and messages ahead of signing. This ensured that the author was 100% certain of the spelling of the name, and the message. When you're on the spot, it's really easy to mishear something, and there are many names that can be spelt differently or aren't obvious to decipher. Avoid embarrassment, and wasted books, by getting it in black and white before you commit to the page.

Above all, have fun. Yes, it's nerve-racking, but it does get easier with experience, and although I said it's about people making up their minds about you as an author, there's a lot in your favour. People usually turn up in a spirit of good faith. They're usually on your side to begin with, and everyone likes to learn something new, so if you can interest people and get them enthused about your topic, they're even more likely to back you (and hopefully buy a book). 

And, if it doesn't go to plan, well, you're unlikely to meet these people again. 

Which leads me to my final suggestion on the topic of friends and family. F&Fs are often the first people who want to come to an event, but it's my experience that it's often more comfortable talking to a room full of strangers, somewhere far away from home, than it is to a room full of strangers plus your family and friends. 

When you're giving a book talk, paid or otherwise, you're working. You're doing your thing as an author. Yes, it's nice to have friendly faces in the audience, but it can also be inhibiting. Most of us, when we're talking publicly, have a certain level of alter-ego that kicks in to get us through it. 

As mentioned above, it's also comforting to know that if it doesn't go well you can go home and leave it behind you, like a day at the office. But when friends and family are in the audience, it can add an extra level of tension. If you write horror, can you talk so openly about how you envision murdering a character's mother when your own mother is in the room? What if the audience ask about your upbringing, or whether you draw inspiration from real relationships - could you answer? Even if your family and friends love your books, does their presence support you or gatecrash your fourth wall, blurring the line between your professional persona and your private self?

I'm not saying it's bad to have friends and family at talks, certainly not (if I ever make it to Hay I'll resurrect my granny!), but I also think it's okay to say no. Whatever makes you most comfortable and allows you to do the best job you can.

If you've got any personal experiences you'd like to share, or tips I've missed out, I'd love to read your comments below.

Folkestone Weekend

Well, it's over and out from me for a few days. I'm off to Folkestone tonight to stay with my mate Jenny. I'll be giving a talk on Saturday at C@feIT (also known as Five Youth Centre) as part of Folkestone Book Festival. If you're aged between 13-18 and interested in writing, come along. I'm more than a little amazed to be appearing on the same bill as Lionel Shriver!

After that I'm headed back via London to catch up with some friends. Last time I was there, I went drinking with author buddy Will Davis and ended up winning a £100 bar tab at Public House in Islington. As I hardly drink at the moment, one cocktail will probably floor me. I'm so not a party animal these days, but hoping some friends will help me out. Should be a nice way to round off the weekend.

Travel & Writing Talk

Just looked at the calender and realised it's one month today until my appearance at Five Youth Centre (formerly Cafe IT) as part of Folkestone Book Festival.

I'm giving a talk about how travel influences writing. If you're aged between 13-18, get yourself down there for 4:30pm.

For more information, contact Jenny: jenny.luddingon@kent.gov.uk 

Looking forward to it!

CheltLitFest 2013: Roundup

And so ends another year, with a few more signed copies to add to the bookshelf. Top left, clockwise: Linwood Barclay, Jennifer Saunders, Jack (right) and Michael (bottom left) Whitehall and Ian Rankin. Plus we also saw Sir Derek Jacobi speak, and attended a political debate on social mobility.

Another good year at Cheltenham, though somewhat subdued. It felt a little quiet this year. Many of the big names were returning from the previous two years, and there was a distinct lack of free whisky, cheese and biscuits. They seem to have scaled back a bit after expanding to the racecourse in 2012. Perhaps it was the grizzly weather that's set in after the last of the summer sunshine, but it didn't feel its usual bustling self.

The online booking system has also gone a bit squiffy this year and people were complaining that they couldn't find what was on as easily. Hopefully they'll sort it out for next year and, now that they've introduced allocated seating, it would also be good if you could book your exact seat online so that people who don't deal well with stairs don't have to, and people with longer legs can stretch them in the aisles.

It's still a good event though, and there aren't many places you would get to meet so many of your favourite authors and actors in one place. Plus, Cheltenham has some very scrummy restaurants and patisseries to keep your strength up between shows.

Wonder who's on next year...

CheltLitFest 2013: Jacobi & Saunders

Telegraph Interview

Last night of Cheltenham LitFest. Decided to go and see the legendary Sir Derek Jacobi. He was an absolute pleasure to listen to, and we had seats right up front, third row centre. A bit like Jenny Agutter last year, he seems to have led a completely blessed career and loved every moment of it.

Stories of Laurence Olivier, the early days of the National Theatre, sugar lumps and, more recently, Doctor Who.

Very much looking forward to Last Tango in Halifax returning.

We arrived a little early, so took a wander round Waterstones, where I was asked if I would like to join the tail end of a queue.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Jennifer Saunders."

You're not going to say no to that, are you?

So, I went to see Derek Jacobi talk, and came away with a signed copy of Bonkers. There's a reason the British like queueing.

CheltLitFest 2013: Jack & Michael Whitehall

After the brain bender of party politics, it was time to return to celeb spotting.

Incidentally, I had a tweet favourited by comedian Paul Foot, which I think was probably the least he could do after the distress caused:

Your face, Cheltenham Town Hall ladies loos, back of door, eye-height, looking displeased. #slightlydisturbing #holdingitin

Anyway, moving on to hashtag YOLO (yes, I admit it, I'm a Bad Education fan), spent an awesome afternoon watching Jack Whitehall and his dad Michael delivering an extremely funny double act to promote their book Him & Me.

There's an interview with them in The Telegraph.

They were kept in line by Nick Hewer (of The Apprentice and Countdown), and we were luckily on an aisle seat, so managed to make it to the front of the signing queue afterwards, avoiding the stampede.

Fun way to end the day.

CheltLitFest 2013: Political Party

Davis, Johnson, Neil

 

Started today's trip to the festival with a political discussion involving Tory politician David Davis, Labour trade unionist Alan Johnson, and journalist Polly Toynbee being mediated by presenter Andrew Neil.

The topic was:

How can we create a fairer, more open society? Can government policies make a real difference, and if so, how?

It was an interesting, and surprisingly packed, debate. I'm usually pretty quick at picking up political arguments, but my brain had to run to catch up with the concept of 'social mobility,' a term which was used a lot. Once they started referring to it within the context of 'equality of oportunity' I understood perfectly, but it did make me realise how very inaccessible political language is to people who don't work in that sector or study it. 

Social mobility, in layman's terms, simply means 'a person's ability to change their circumstances' by, for instance, getting a better job (or a job, in the current climate) and accessing education. Sure 'social mobility' is a much quicker way of saying that, but I tried to imagine whether I'd have kept up with the debate had I not already had the education and sector experience that I have.

No wonder people are put off engaging with politics.

It was interesting to note that social and financial inequality continues to widen; an ever increasing gap which previous Labour measured have helped to stem rather than stop. It's at odds with my own perception of a fairer society where information technology gives everyone greater access to knowledge, and the welfare state helps to prevent the very poorest (or most unlucky) from hitting rock bottom.

Yet, as Polly Toynbee pointed out when referring to the recent numeracy and literacy statistics, as a nation, we're very good with the top 30%, possibly even 50%, but we're very bad with the bottom 20%, which is what affects our overall figures. Again, a sign of great social immobility and inequality.

Sadly, we were sitting in front of a row of Cheltenham Tory councillors and every time Toynbee opened her mouth to speak, they started spewing rage. At one point I had to turn and look at them to shut them up. I felt like saying 'excuse me, we paid to listen to their debate, not yours.' Inconsiderate bunch.

Most of the panelists talked about education, nobody really addressed employment. Toynbee felt it all needed to begin with society agreeing that it wanted to be fairer and more equal, rather than immediately trying to define the exact parameters of what fairer constituted. Davis felt that it was impossible for government to play any role in creating a more equal society, that equality couldn't be controlled and therefore we shouldn't bother trying. Johnson was extremely well researched and put Davis to shame on that front. He seemed to think we should cut the inequality between top earners and bottom earners and get back to the lower income disparity of the (I think it was) 60s and 70s.

Andrew Neil eventually asked Polly Toynbee why she, out of all of the panelists, claimed not to be socially upwardly mobile (her family had remained the same economic and social status for generations, whereas the other two had worked their way up through the ranks), to which she became self-deprecating and said something to the effect: "probably because I didn't have the brains or the ambition."

As Dad quickly pointed out, perhaps her reply would better have been: "I'm a highly successful journalist and the only female member on this panel. What more do you want?"

They didn't even bother including her picture in the online programme (above). Says a lot, really.

Anyway, an interesting debate. Though I sort of came away feeling that you could probably have swapped any member of the panel with almost any member of the audience and had pretty much the same, or possibly even a slightly better, debate. Which leaves the question: if politicians are there to debate, and we can do that well enough for ourselves, what else are they there to do?

So, for now, at least under the ConDems, I think much of the good work done to slow social inequality is likely to be undone. Only one thing for it: tea and cake at Dimkin's.

CheltLitFest 2013: Barclay & Rankin

Linwood Barclay

How fast it comes around!

Cheltenham Literature Festival time again, although not such an inspiring line-up this year as most of the big names like Lionel Shriver, Victoria Hislop and Sabastian Faulks we've already seen in previous years.

Still, we had a lovely evening with a meal at Cheltenham's best Italian, Gianni. It's an institution. Delicious smoked Salmon tagliatelle with caviar, and my first glass of red since Ireland.

Then it was on to the Sky Garden Theatre tent to see Ian Rankin interview Linwood Barclay. Dad's recently started reading Barclay and very much enjoying him. I was just rather stoked to get the chance to thank Ian Rankin personally for introducing the word mondegreen into my vocabulary. Apparently there's an entire book of mondegreens!

It was kind of nice too because, when I was selecting a book for him to sign, I took the first one I pulled off the shelf, which happened to be the book he was writing whilst they were filming the documentary about him writing a book in which he mentioned the word mondegreen. Kookie.

Anyway, Barclay was very entertaining. GSOH. Certainly raised a few laughs.

Their top tip for being a writer: read lots, write lots. 

Ian Rankin

Kofi Awoonor

Kofi Awoonor

Celebrated Ghanian Poet Kofi Awoonor Among the Dead in Kenya Attack

Kofi Awoonor, a well-loved Ghanaian poet, was killed and his son wounded at the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday. Awoonor, 78, was also a statesman — he served as Ghana's representative to the United Nation from 1990 to 1994. He was in Kenya for the Storymoja Hay literary festival.

There are currently entries coming in on the Hay Festival blog, commemorating him, and an obituary in The Wall Street Journal by fellow poet Kwame Dawes.

You can listen to him read one of his poems about 'love, death and evil' on the BBC:

Weep not now my love
for as all die, so shall we
but it is not dying that should pain us
It is the waiting, the
intermission when we cannot act,
When our will is shackled by tyranny.
That hurts.
Yet somehow, I know
the miracle of the world
will be wrought again,
the space will be filled
in spite of the hurt
by the immensity of love
that will defy dying
and Death
Goodnight, my love.

Hay Festival

Went to Hay Literature Festival today for the first time. Generally a regular visitor to Cheltenham, but hadn't been to Hay before. It was certainly very busy. 

Couldn't quite decide how big it was in comparison. Cheltenham is spread over two gardens in the centre of town, so it feels a little more spacious. Though there are more art and craft shops at Hay, as well as many of the houses in the village opening up to sell refreshments and souvenirs. Gives it more of a community feel.

We didn't book to see anything, just wanted to go and soak up the atmosphere. It's perhaps the most famous literature festival in the UK, and regularly attracts big name authors, actors, and world politicians. Hay itself has something like the most number of book shops per capita of any town in Britain, perhaps the world? We wandered into one incredible second-hand book cellar that seemed to go on for miles.

Stopped for tea at a tent selling the best homemade Welsh cakes ever. They also deliver via post, the perfect treat to nibble whilst you're writing. Get your order in: goldenoak18@hotmail.co.uk / 07827778344

On the way back to the car, I picked up the above retro typewriter. A Remington Rand DeLuxe Model 5, I believe. I've read a little about them on ozTypewriter. Model #EBT120433 - any help dating it would be much appreciated. Circa 1952/3?

Not sure why they called it 'portable'. Weighs a ton. Guess you can call anything 'portable' if it comes with a case? Love it, though. The whole room smells of ink ribbon.

It's been a glorious, sunny day. The drive to and from Hay was like a trip through Middle Earth. Such beautiful, rolling green countryside. We stopped off at Arthur's Stone on the way back.

World Poetry Day

To mark World Poetry Day 2013, here's a wee poem about not being able to write poetry.

Frustration

© Marion Grace Woolley

Scribbling like a teen

Fervent and frustrated

Pen slipping through my sweaty palm

First efforts all cremated

I bite my lip and mop my brow

I’ve lost my own campaign

There’s just no way of putting it

I frown and start again

My rhymes are cheap and childish

My haikus half as high

My sonnets non-existent

Limericks make me cry

All this verse and reason

Hides the naked truth

I fit words into order

Like pulling out a tooth

I try too hard, I squish them in

Make sure each one has an end-ing

Couplets, pairs, and courting verbs

Nouns, full stops, and drunken slurs

Each dot dot dot, each dash dash dash

Each exclamation, quote and hash

Each ampersand and glottal stop

Each semi-colon, there or not

My thoughts run dry, my tongue is tied

I hide the things I feel inside

Behind a wall of Gothic Script

Arial Wide and Arabic (Traditional)

I bash the keyboard left and right

Change pace at every stanza

Scream my rage into the screen

Slave to (awkward) pentameter

My gifts have all abandoned me

My talents all took flight

Once my fingers drew the sun

Now they beckon night.

Every time I try to pen

The thing I need to say

It withers on the papyrus

Ink muddies up like clay

Inside I feel those wistful winds

That blew through Byron’s mane

Shelley’s tender sentiment

Blake flowing through my brain

A poet I shall never be

But, please, I beg you, pity me

For talents, of them, I have few

To tell the things I wish you knew

Until such time my odes take flight

I’ll burn the oil both day and night

I’ll sweat it out

I’ll scream, I’ll shout

I’ll write until I’m written out.