The Creative Writing Launch... Creative Huh?

By Hester...

The Creative Writing Launch for cultural exchanges was good, even though I was daunted by the fact that we were told we had to do it next year. I found some particular pieces fascinating and if I could remember any of the names or websites, I would have recommended them. If you want to know more about my opinion and what Cultural Exchanges is then let me know by posting a comment.

Thanks for reading : )

xxxx

Andrew Davies

by Colin.

It was the Nuns, I also had always wondered about the Nuns.

Andrew Davies explained about the Nuns and so much more.

Here was a writer at ease, at peace with himself and his craft.This is writing at the sharp end, needing consummate skill, rewriting fiction, creating images, bringing literature to life on the small screen.

This was a journey that took the audience from a most Peculiar Practice, to little Dorrit, Sense and Sensibility,Tipping the velvet, House of cards, Bleak house, a treasure trove of adaptations.

Over and over during cultural exchanges I have seen writers like Andrew Davies explain their success. Work, application and tenacity.

It was an extremely interesting talk.

Adele Parks

By PJH

I particularly liked Adele Parks because she seemed like a woman in touch with reality. I know some would say that, as a writer of chick lit., (as she was frequently reminded) that she may be a hopeless romantic, someone with her head in the clouds or in Cloud Cuckoo Land maybe? I think not. She was down-to-earth, friendly, honest and witty.

Her feelings for the term 'chick lit.' are mixed, she feels this is a name given to the genre by men. This is a patronising title, to a large extent, and can unnecessarily cut off a large percentage of the potential readership (i.e. men). She then, with a broad grin, told stories of rather embarrassed men telling her, at book signings, that they were only buying for their wives / girlfriends. This was OK until she asked to whom she should address the signed copy - here came the problem - an embarrassed throat clearing and an abrupt change of mind, ' Oh no, it's OK...er, I'll leave it for now.'

She said that she has always been drawn to Romance, even doing her dissertation on seduction. Even more interesting,then, to be told that she has never read a single Mills & Boon story - preferring instead to go her own way, find her own romantic voice. She reminded us that her contract states that she is a 'writer of contemporary women's fiction' rather than of chick lit., and that, anyway, she doesn't find glamour comes easily enough to live up to the latter brand. She feels so much more comfortable in jeans and her naturally curly hair in frizz mode, rather than the sleek straightened glamour puss the media seem to clamour so hotly for. Well done to her too.

Whatever she's doing, never mind the critics, it is working. Here is a very successful writer, with 8 books under her belt and over a million copies sold - and across 15 languages too. A book a year since 2001 is not to be sniffed at.

To top it off, I brought her latest book 'Tell Me Something' and took it to her, after the lecture, to be signed. I then had a charming little conversation with her about how much I looked like one of the characters in one of her books (not the one I'd brought apparently). I felt very honoured and stood there blushing ridiculously with pleasure - just hope now that the character she had in mind was very good looking and, of course, extraordinarily intelligent... Or not?

Adele Parks

by Colin.


Adele Parks reminded me somewhat of a cup of cappochino coffee. Light and frothy on the surface with hidden depths of body and bite.Also, like coffee, the effect of her was really quite lifting.

There is a tendancy amongst academics to place work, particularly literature, in to catorgory or genre.As much as she was reminded that she wrote 'Chic Lit', she just as firmly rejected the notion.

Her work, she thought, reflected contempory women's lives, but had to have an element of escapism. Readers needed to be entertained. Whilst writing of romance, love, marriage,affairs with all the attendant guilt,pain, angst, her stories needed a happy ending. Readers demanded it.

Adele thought that her work reflected on reality, she confessed that one of her novels revolved around her own love affair and marriage. It was she confessed to her husband, a 140,000 word love letter.

It was an amusing,witty and informative talk on the art of writing.

Thankyou Adele.

Excellent.

Liz Lochead's Workshop

Colin,

Certainly a different style of workshop.

Charles Dance

by Daniel Williams

I was asked to link to this.

You can read HERE what I'd like to think Charles Dance is doing instead of coming to DeMontfort.

Loving language

by kb

From England, it often seems as though there's a dialect called "Scots" with a couple of regional variations: Edinburgh (posh), Glasgow (rough) and Up North (romantic). That's nonsense, of course. Scots is a language - it even has its own wikipedia - and anyone who starts listening to Scots speech will come across a variety of accents and dialects. Schools may tend to smooth out children's speech - even Englishing the speech of the Scots - but writers like Liz Lochhead revel in the distinctness of Scots with its capacity to convey feelings and experiences which are muted or inexpressible in English.

Liz Lochhead is the current poet laureate of Glasgow but her accent isn't even the same as other great writers associated with Glasgow. (These include Tom Leonard, James Kelman, Edwin Morgan, Alasdair Gray to name just a few). She plainly loves language itself in all its variety and urges people to speak and write in their own voices. This stems from the playfulness that is part of poetry but also relates to her evident love for human beings in all their quirky varieties.

I was tired after a busy day but couldn't miss the opportunity to hear Liz Lochhead read and perform a wide range of work, adopting characters from Medea to a young miner in the early days of his marriage. There were old favourites such as "Bairnsang/Kid's Song" and newer works written after a long dry period which came to an end when she accepted the Glasgow laureateship.

Many of the poems addressed serious subjects - love, hate, violence and poetry itself - but laughter was never far away. Liz Lochhead ended her reading with the hilarity of "Song for a Dirty Diva" and her own "My Way," warming an audience about to face the chill dark of a Leicester evening.

Creative Writing Launch

by Colin.

Entering Clephan 2.30 this morning I felt that I was on the set of the magical mystery tour, I was surrounded by a myriad of shapes,colours,images and solid blocks of creativity and effort.

A hubbub of noise and chatter, excitement and tension in the air.

"For the benefit of Mr Kite there will be a show tonight."

Up stepped the students to showcase their work and so brave they were. What a sheer kaleidoscope of talent. A cornucopia of poetry and prose. There was Humour,acidity,pathos, observation, happiness, sadness, love and loss.

It is difficult sometimes to perform and I thought that everybody came accross very well. So pat yourselves on the back. You deserve it.

Lemn Sissay

by Colin

An Ethiopian Exocet missile struck Clephan 3.01 on Wednesday.It was called Lemn Sissay. Here to pour forth a torrent of titillating, tantalising,teasing,tormenting tales of Social Security Jack boots marching over and through his early life.Of religious, manic foster parents who had him earmarked for missionary work at 2 years old, care homes and glue sniffing.The search for his Mum, denied access to him.

This was high octane anger, poetry in stereophonic, quadraphonic surround sound. All delivered with technicolour images.

"Writing," said Lemn, " Words, are gas that catches the spark and poetry the voice of the back of the mind,the unfolding of the nothingness is where creativity lies.

Although he assured the audience that he didn't perform, this was a masterclass in performance poetry.

He began with the piece 'Invisible kisses and took us on a journey to 'The prince who had no family.

It was memorable.

'In Conversation With Andrew Davies'

By Daniel Williams

Andrew Davies’ name is continually connected to costume drama adaptation because the most major production in the last two decades have been written by him. I went along to the talk a little wary about just how many adaptations he’s done- it makes me wonder if he has anything to ‘say’ as a writer, which is why he chooses to adapt other’s work. As it transpired Davies has done original work, the most prominent (and only) mentioned in the talk was A Very Peculiar Practice, a sitcom about a university doctor. Davies joked that he put “Everything” into that one show and has had nothing to say since, but I did wonder if despite the light heartened manner if it were true. Andrew Davies is generally regard as the adaptor of classic literature for the screen; adaptation I’m sure is a very hard task but it does seem to me that he’s manipulating classic texts to make the original author’s point rather than one of his own. I understand that fans of the book would be disheartened to see the book changed (like it took me three viewings of the Robert Altman film The Long Goodbye before I got over the fact the setting, time period and ending had been changed- but it actually works well for the point it wishes to make), but it seems that this form of writing is pandering to jut what an audience wants to see, rather than giving them something to really engage with. It’s like repackaging an old product and then re-selling it. I’m sure it’s is a hard job, but I can’t help be a little wary of it.

Back on topic, Andrew Davies was interesting to listen too, though became a little too self-congratulatory in place. There was several small hiccups technically, which served to amuse me if nothing else.

Lemn Sissay

by Sossij

Today I went to see Lemn Sissay's talk for Cultural Exchanges. It was really a fascinating experience and I look forward to the rest of the feastival. I want to thank Lemn for sharing his work and his insights.

Lemn Sissay is very cool. Cooler than a cucumber in an icebox. In the Arctic. In a polar bear's fridge/freezer. Alongside the mammoth task of being cool he is also a strikingly unique poet. I have not encountered any work like his before, in particular his poem about music. I wanted to buy his new book but due to my current money crisis I was tragically unable to. However, I will be borrowing my two friends' copies of Listener for as long as I am able, or as long as I manage to scrape together the funds to purchase a copy for myself, as well as copies of his previous works.

Sissay's talk overran by around twenty minutes, but I could have listened to him speak for hours longer. A small talk, and as such incredibly intimate, this is arguably the best way to experience performance poetry. I am so glad I went to see this talk because it has really opened me up to an artist I had not encountered before. I want to see a longer talk from him, and I think I will get that by heading to the Edinburgh festival.

It made me completely forget that Charles Dance wasn't going to attend. And I was really looking forward to seeing Charles Dance.

Stuart Price, Jean Charles de Menezes and the overproduction of force

By LD

Wednesday in Leicester and my second De Montfort university Cultural Exchanges event, a lecture by Dr Stuart Price ‘STOCKWELL: the overproduction of force.’

I was really interested in the circumstances surrounding the death of Jean Charles de Menezes. After watching ‘In the line of fire’ (the ITV documentary about SO19) recently I was keen to find out what we could learn from the press coverage of the days events and the subsequent investigation.

Dr Price presented some really interesting evidence surrounding the one dimensional reporting of the incident and questioned the use of lethal force in such situations by the police.

In turn the lecture highlighted a lot of police failings I wasn’t aware of and the failure of the media to present a balanced argument. A really insightful and very interesting hour well spent.

Joshua Mowll

by Colin

I had attended a previous lecture given by a successful writer who had worked down a mine.Writing he had said was like working in the pit, the pen was a shovel, you had to keep digging, it was bloody hard work.

Joshua Mowll brought the same candour to his talk. Writing is obviously less Daphne De Maurier,lanquid afternoons engaged in light repartee and more like bloody hard work. Having worked bloody hard in life so far, I don't subscribe to the view. I do agree with Joshua however that dedication and focus is needed to succeed and that literature is a can of beans, it needs presentation, marketing and selling.

I enjoyed his thoughts on dedication,planning and action. Although I do think that you have to be brave to write and then discard perhaps a third of your book, now that takes courage.

It was an interesting and informative demonstration by Joshua on how to put together and sell a book.

A valuable lesson indeed.

Jonathan Powell

by Colin

The title of this lecture was 'Who adapts to who' and was given from the viewpoint of the producer.There was no room in this world for creativity and the art of the writer. This was about which classic could be adapted and how.

At first thought dull...Who would want to hear about the machinations and manouvering of managment?What emerged was a sparkling,erudite and fasinating story about the adaptions of classic works of literature for Television.

The tales of skulduggery, posturing,petulence and punctured ego's would grace the pages of a classic itself.

Jonathan Powell began his career in the British library researching Coppard and H.E.Bates. Literature he thought was a treasure trove of dreams ,an opportunity for a cultural upheaval. He had, along with his colleagues an ability to realise a vision. A chance to tell unsurpassable stories that original work could not compete with.

He told of the battles that ensued between producers,management, directors and stars. The warzone that enveloped the BBC and Commercial television around the adaptions of programmes such as 'Jewel in the Crown','Tinker,Tailor,Soldier,Spy', 'Pride and Prejudice', 'Bleak House' and 'Cranford'.

Like a good book,it was almost sad when the story came to an end, most in the room wanted it to continue.

Most enjoyable.

‘Why would you be a writer? It’s quite an odd career.’- Joshua Mowll

By Georgia N.

Admittedly, I have never read Joshua Mowll’s books (sorry!) but he struck a chord when I discovered he was from the same town as me. Finally, I thought, a kindred spirit. Refreshingly honest, if not a tad pessimistic, he gave some valuable tips about writing a novel-

1. Plot is very important- plan the book chapter by chapter.

2. The appearance of the novel is crucial too so spend some time on this.

3. Don’t be frightened of editing- at the end of the day it can improve your novel. Joshua Mowll quotes-‘Writing is rewriting and editing. Cut cut cut all the time.’

4. Agents know within 30 pages whether they like your book so pack it full of action.

5. A book is like a toaster therefore you have to do market research. Publishers would rather have a book that can sell extensively than a crossover from children's to adult fiction.

6. Books over 50,000 words are generally disliked by publishers (unless you are J K Rowling).

7. Leading on from this, keep chapters short.

8. Payment is irregular and the hours are long- basically being a writer is quite solitary if not dull.

I hope this helps all budding writers- thank you Joshua Mowll for all those tips :)

Joshua Mowll

By PJH

Time for me to get real. No more dreaming of easily achieved fame and fortune (well, not too much anyway) and back to reality. Joshua Mowll spoke thoughtfully and realistically about the perils and pitfalls of being a writer of children's books / graphic artist for the Mail on Sunday.

His down-to-Earth manner was refreshing, telling of his first inspiration from doing solely illustrative work to story writing as well. This came about by his boredom in drawing, of all things, dog training graphics. The idea of a Tin Tin style adventure came to him through these canine diagrams and he decided he should really start writing his ideas down. Hey presto, a writer is born - well, after several million hours of gruelling hard work and, apparently, screen-staring related sciatica into the bargain. What a lot to look forward to.

He also spoke more seriously about his career, starting with 'The Guild of Specialists', his series of illustrated children's novels with Walker Books and, also, about his forthcoming book 'The Great Space Race' - set in the 1920s and very much in Indiana Jones mode. I looked carefully at some of these books after the lecture and I thought they were amazing. To have the writing talent alone is wonderful enough - but to be able to draw so brilliantly as well? Mind blowing.

Next on the agenda was the presention of tips for budding writers and warnings of what not to present to prospective publishers / agents. His tales of editing woes worried me mercilessly - regurgitating scary memories of creative writing workshops, being told "no, cut it, scrap that, start again!" Is this really what I have to do? Ouch. All this is true said Mr.Mowll. He added, with a wry grin, that cutting a 70 000 word novel down to only 40 000 is just a case of, 'well, you gotta do what you gotta do'. Scary indeed.

So - has this put me off being a writer? Well - it did for a moment, possibly for as long as half a minute. But being the glutton for punishment that I am, I walked out of that lecture theatre inspired rather than depressed. What is wrong with me?

The Unspoken Craft

by tira

I have been inspired by accomplished graphic artist, children's author and nice-guy extraordinaire, Joshua Mowll. His lecture about the technicalities of the writing process was engaging, insightful and very refreshing.

There is a balance, he explained, between free creativity and disciplined focus. A serious writer should invite months of solitary confinement with a brain full of ideas and a bin full of redrafts. Also necessary is a realistic understanding of the impatient publishing market... apparently, it isn't as sweet and fluffy as I always hoped.

The lecture encouraged me to think about writing from a serious and determined viewpoint. In this way, Joshua invited everybody to consider themselves as serious and determined writers, which was a rather special feeling.

'All You Jim Crow Fascists!'

By LD

Dr Will Kaufman’s exploration of Woody Guthrie’s freedom songs on Monday was fantastic. The crowd that gathered in Studio 1 of De Montfort University’s PACE building were treated to a wonderful performance from an exceptionally good guitarist.

Kaufman intertwined brilliantly performed versions of Woody’s songs with his extensive knowledge of his life and changing political stance. From an upbringing as the son of a KKK mob lynching father to becoming an anti-racism activist.

What a great way to start Cultural Exchanges week in Leicester.

Fighting the Jim Crow fascists

by kb

A couple of years ago my son, who's keen on the radical tradition in music, asked me about Woody Guthrie's attitude to racism. He'd just heard "This land is our land" for the first time and wondered how inclusive that "our" was. Will Kaufman's talk, which included his performance of numerous lesser-known Woody Guthrie songs, answered that question.

Guthrie grew up without questioning white Oklahoma's attitudes to race. His father rode out with the Ku Klux Klan and young Woody was taught to shove Afican-Americans off the sidewalks if they got in his way. We were shown in painful detail what racism meant when the lynching of a mother and her 13-year-old son was described in a little-known Woody Guthrie song "Don't Kill My Baby and My Son." As Will Kaufman sang and played a projection behind him showed the postcard that was made to commemorate the event. Two corpses swung from the Canadian Bridge while above a crowd of white people gazed out. The enlargement of the postcard meant that I could detect, to the left of the crowd, two women or girls in what looked like their best dresses.

Woody's journey from unthinking racist to passionate campaigner against the Jim Crow laws that enforced segregation was filled with appalling incident. How, I wondered, could American segregationists see themselves as the champions of freedom in Europe while treating their neighbours as sub-human? Woody's songs condemning the violence of racism and celebrating resistance were themselves cause for hope - they showed that human beings can change themselves and that hatred and prejudice can be overcome.

As for Will Kaufman's performance - he showed himself a fine singer and guitar-player and an excellent interpreter of Woody Guthrie's freedom songs.

The Writers Group

by Colin

The one underlying theme that you are constantly reminded of as you embark on the perilous road to becoming a writer is that it is 'difficult', that it is almost impossible to get published. 'Only the select few make it.

Leicester Writers Group dispel this image immediately. On the top table were five writers, four of whom had been published, one who was on the cusp of publication. Dotted amongst the audience were other members of the group who had also met with success. Two things were apparent, they were just like you or I, no horns or aura around them. They also wrote from a wide divergence of points of view.

Writing is essentially a lonely task, it can of course be only you, paper and pen. What the writers group offer is a sense of community, a structural support mechanism to offer advice and encouragement.

It proved to be a most interesting,informative and encouraging meeting with some solid advice for aspiring writers.

The only thing that puzzles me. Where were all the creative writing students? Is apathy the new buzzword for success?

I thought that it led to failure. Perhaps that's just because I'm old and grey.

Bonnie Greer

by Colin

Obviously this is different. Suits arrive and here is our illustrious leader, Professor Heidi Macpherson to carry out the introductions. This is not a job for a mere mortal, we are in the presence of a star. Wow! Even the two front rows are reserved.Keep the students at the back, away from the presence of the great one.

There was a lot of obsequious fawning from some in the audience.Yes Bonnie, No Bonnie, can I lick your feet Bonnie?Where's the sick bag Bonnie?

Actually, the lady herself was good. She took us on a journey from Chicago to New York, her earliest attempts at writing when she was five.She told us how she wrote her first schoolplay at 8.The influence of Tennesee Williams and other strong 'American Family' authors on her early work. Moving from that to Women's and particularly the black women's movement. The real struggle to make her self heard.

Writing for the radio, the importance of creating image, how vital the sound of words become.She was also on the brink of the publication of her first novel.

Bonnie was scathing of critics."Critics have nothing to say, they criticize, they're not worth Jack." She was also impressed with Leicester. "This city has got it right, the demographics, the genetic mix, Leicester is a role model for the rest of the world."

Yes Bonnie, you were good...A real star.

I Failed My Japan Quiz

By SCN

Pam Thompson is a clearly brilliant reader and performer, with a strong clear voice. As an audience, I was sure that she knew her own work.

However, for the first half of the lecture I felt disengaged with the material, and uninterested by the story of a mother and daughter who both married sumo wrestlers.

The lecture did pick up once we got onto what I would call "more up to date" material. Poems where she said she talked about her children: her son and daughter, and the story of "The Hoody."

Those pieces were her strongest, and the emotion, the narrative and voice came across much stronger in those piece, than in the original Japan based pieces.

Maybe this is because I am just leaving the stage of "The Hoody," to enter adulthood, and therefore I have some affinity for the characters in those particular poems.

Still, it was an enjoyable experience, and I would reccomend picking up a copy of Pam's book "The Japan Quiz."

Pam Thompson

by Colin

Pam read a number of her latest poems and discussed the influences surrounding them. She began with a sequence of Japanese influenced work which had the themes of Man, Master, Male Dominance and Love.

She went on with poems about being a mother. The birth of her Children, one particular line, describing her new born son, lying on her breast: 'Like a seahorse accross the chest' stood out I thought.Then came a piece about her teenage son, a 'hoodie' and the problems that created.

Other themes were woven around places,times and dates. Relationships and her love of Spain and Budapest.

Inevitably in the sequence of life, Pam finished on a section entitled 'Black Petals', life she said coming to an end.

Pam presented her work well and I am reminded that poetry is meant to be heard, it comes to life off the page.

Debbie Issitt

by Colin

Debbie kicked off cultural exchanges for me and an excellent start it turned out to be. Debbie left school at 16, tried various jobs, all unsuccessfully and then went to study acting. It was she said,"Where she wanted to be."

She laid out for the audience her journey as an actress, writer and Director. She formed the Company 'The Snarling Beasties', a description she said of male genitalia.Her plays, which travelled the world from festival to festival,were designed to have visual impact with a strong mime and black comedy content.

Debbie is now a film director, influenced by the work of Mike Leigh and Ken Loach.She works completely Ad Lib keeping crew and directors in the dark until the commencement of each day's filming.

There was much a writer could learn from Debbie and the time flew by.