Local poet Anthony Owen will be on his home turf when he appears at the Third Coventry International Festival Of Literature at the Belgrade Theatre in May. The Coventry Literature Festival is unique among UK literature festivals due to its focus on community events, with public writing workshops, children’s events and opportunities for local writers incorporated into the programme.
You can buy tickets and find out more on the Belgrade website:
Wednesday 13 May, 8pm. Heaventree hosts the Festival’s opening night by inviting the editors of a number of poetry presses and magazine publishers to showcase their best new writers. Guests will include Horizon magazine, The Wolf magazine, Flarestack Press, Under The Radar and the Warwick Review.
This is an invaluable chance to research the diverse opportunities for publication offered by the UK poetry industry, gaining that knowledge of the terrain which is vital for new writers.
Tickets: £5.Thursday 14 May, 8pm.
The launch of My Father’s Eyes Were Blue by Coventry poet Antony Owen and Still This Need by Michael McKimm.
Antony Owen is a commercial manager from Allesley who writes poignant, unsettling poems, reminiscent in style of the Mersey Beats and their French forbears.
Well, first things first, I needn’t have worried in the least about the attitude of our focus group attendees. Those that managed to make it were the nicest group imaginable. So a big thanks to them for that!
What were the results of our extremely unscientific, back of a fag packet, group?
What do they see/go to when they first log on?
MSN
Email
MySpace
Facebook
You Tube – but they don’t have accounts
Not blogs – except on MySpace
BBC – esp. for news (easier than papers)
NOT Piczo or Bebo*
(*Himself points out that this might be a localised thing, what are your school friends/ swimming club members/ orchestra band mates on. Possible. I know, for example that Bebo is huge with some Irish late teens.)
This summer we asked everyone in the team to pitch ideas for quick, finite, projects. They had to:
Support at least one of the org’s strategic aims
“Change, create and innovate” (Ian likes a nice cheesy slogan.)
Which is why I am currently pulling together a focus group of 14-17 year olds so that we can consult them on what is cool.
Probably not the word ‘cool’ as another colleague has already pointed out.
The idea is to showcase academic knowledge and expertise, thus proving that we are a ‘proper university’ through quick and dirty films to upload on You Tube.
So far, so good. The info has to be visual, that’s a given. But it also has to be something forwardable, blogable, viral. And that’s where our teen consultants will hopefully come in (we are sweetening the deal by offering training and participation in production if they are interested).
We want the films to be facebooked, myspaced, bebo-ed, forwarded and whatever else they get up to. But they have to be good enough – otherwise we look like a try-too-hard uncle.
Doing well on recruitment – but borderline terrified about what to do with 10-15 teens when I get them here. So – this is a brainstorm.
Get them to show us the best that are currently doing the rounds and explain why they are good.
Present them with a set of suggestions and allow them to sneer at them.
Ok, so I’m not doing the walking – but I am an essential member of the Support Crew. In fact, I think I’m Support Crew Leader – it’s early days give me a break!
How hard can it be I hear you ask, well after Saturday’s gurkha-led briefing I am terrified about letting our walkers down. Because they are the ones walking 100km non stop day and night.
It’s the equivalent of two marathons and a climb up Ben Nevis we were told on Saturday…. and for those of you who know Justine, Claudie, Brian and Simon P they need your sponsorship. Hell, even if you don’t know them they need your sponsorship!
The route follows the South Downs Way, starting in Petersfield and finishing in Brighton – it’s a challenging journey that will change lives – including yours.
Trailwalker is organised by Oxfam and the Queens Gurkha Signals Regiment. It’s a chance to make new friends, to get out, get fit and to raise money for Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust.
When my sister was about 13 she took part in an interesting experiment about the amount of information people can take in from different sources at once (basically a group of them sat in front of a bank of TVs showing different things and were then tested in a Crypton Factor stylee). The upshot of the experiment, as I remember it, was that the younger you are the more adept at doing this you are because you have grown used to dealing with a multitude of information – a classic example being an airport!
Today has been a particularly entertaining day on OUBay the intranet noticeboard:
13 November 2007
Help Me
I can’t remember the name or find it on any London website. Food is Mediterranean and the place is set out like a theatre, tables upstairs are set in balconies with plush purple tablecloths.
Any suggestions please?
13 November 2007
Wanted
I do decoupage as a hobby and use patterned printed paper napkins. If you can spare 1 or 2 of yours so I don’t have to buy a whole packet I’ll be very grateful! Any designs welcome!
13 November 2007
Notices
Silver and Lilac ‘Just Married’ banner from Tesco. Still sealed in packet – fell down back of ‘fridge at just the wrong time.
13 November 2007
For Sale
Barely Used: Medela ‘Swing’ electric breast pump for sale. Includes brand new replacement softfit breast shield and valves for hygiene
This summer we asked everyone in the team to pitch ideas for quick, finite, projects. They had to:
When my sister was about 13 she took part in an interesting experiment about the amount of information people can take in from different sources at once (basically a group of them sat in front of a bank of TVs showing different things and were then tested in a Crypton Factor stylee). The upshot of the experiment, as I remember it, was that the younger you are the more adept at doing this you are because you have grown used to dealing with a multitude of information – a classic example being an airport!
