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LITERATURE

The Point Of Rescue

Sophie Hannah

Sally Thorning is watching the news with her husband when she hears a name she ought not to recognise - Mark Bretherick.

The previous year, a work trip Sally had planned was cancelled at the last minute.  Desperate for a break from her busy life juggling her job and a young family, Sally didn't tell her husband that the trip had fallen through.  Instead, she treated herself to a secret holiday in a remote hotel.  All she wanted was a bit of peace and some time to herself - but it didn't work out that way.  Because Sally met Mark Bretherick.

As Sally watches the news she realises that all the details are the same:  where he lives, his job, his wife Geraldine and daughter Lucy.  But the picture on the news is of a man Sally has never seen before. And Geraldine and Lucy Bretherick are both dead.

Point of Rescue

A compelling and disquieting story, The Point Of Rescue reinforces Sophie Hannah's reputation as a great new thriller writer. Her ingenious, almost surreal mysteries are so intricately constructed that it's impossible to guess how they will end.

Sophie lives in Yorkshire with her husband and two young children. She is an award-winning and best selling poet and short story writer. She regularly performs her poetry live to audiences nationwide and abroad and recently won first prize in the Daphne Du Maurier Festival Short Story Competition for her psychological suspense story The Octopus Nest.

The Observer newspaper described her debut crime novel, Little Face as 'one of the best reads of 2006' and translation rights were sold to ten countries. Hurting Distance was published in August 2007 and the two books have now sold over 150,000 copies.  Another mainstream paper said 'Hurting Distance confirms Sophie Hannah as a rivetingly original arrival in crime fiction'.

Regarded as adept at picking creepy scenarios that are guaranteed to terrify The Point Of Rescue is Sophie Hannah's third novel and don't be surprised to see her name flash across the television screens as Hat Trick Productions have optioned all three novels for a Prime Suspect-style television series.

The Point Of Rescue is published by Hodder & Stoughton and out now in Hardback. Price: £12.99.  ISBN: 978 0 340 93310 7.



I Dared To Call Him Father

I Dared To Call Him Father

One of the first things I noticed about the book I Dared to Call Him Father is that the print was big enough for me not to need my 'special' reading glasses, the next things I noticed strengthened my faith in such a way it was a wonder to behold.

In I Dared to Call Him Father we meet Bisquis Sheikh, a Pakistani woman of noble birth. Recently 'left' by her husband, a high-ranking government official she has retreated to her family home to live out her days with her small grandson Maimed and a few servants in the quiet luxury of a huge house. She is revered by the community who respects her wishes not to be disturbed by them.

However, the deep-down peace she sought eludes her as a number of strange occurrences unrelated to her upbringing or Muslim religion began to manifest itself to her. A series of strange dreams launch her on a quest that would bring her to crisis point. Was Islam still the right way for her, or could God be known more personally?

Seeking reassurance Bisquis searches in the Qumran where she found references to the prophet Jesus. Confused and curious she borrows a Christian Bible from one of her servants. She wants to see if more light could be shed on this mysterious figure called Jesus. This decision changed her life for ever.

Her journey towards Christianity, a faith that people in her village have been murdered for having, remains a classic case history in the ongoing dialogue between Muslims and Christians. Initially reluctant to embrace change Bisques, who feels the palpable presence of God in the room, soon learns that He is in total control.

I Dared To Call Him Father is a true and fascinating story of faith and courage in the face of danger and difficulty spanning a number of years. What is great about this updated classic is that it includes previously unpublished material which brings the story up to date. In other words it continues long after Bisques has gone to join her Father and answers many of the questions the reader may be left with; explaining what has become of all of the characters that Bisques had come into contact with.

I Dared To Call Him Father by Bilquis Sheikh (with Richard Schneider) is published by Kingsway Communications. ISBN: 1-84291-151-1

By Belinda Raye



Isabella Moon by Laura Benedict

Laura Benedict

A small town in the deep south of America is still scarred by the mysterious disappearance a year ago of a young girl called Isabella Moon. Faced with an almost complete lack of evidence or even a body, the case of the missing girl is still open, and, though the commotion and media circus which engulfed the small town has long since subsided, Sheriff Bill Delaney is no nearer a resolution.

Enter the protagonist of the story, Kate Russell who knows that Isabella is not missing, but dead. And she knows that her spirit is not resting in peace. For the ghost of the young girl has disrupted Kate’s idyllic life, beckoning her to follow, to reveal to Kate the truth about her death…

As the ghost of Isabella draws Kate into the investigation, their small town will be forever changed by the disappearance of the young girl, undone by murder, secrets and lies. Written by first-time novelist, Laura Benedict, ‘Isabella Moon’ is an extraordinary debut filled with wonderful characters.

Isabella Moon

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Laura Benedict worked in public radio and sales promotion before marriage took her to West Virginia, where she began her own copywriting and marketing company.

When asked about her inspiration for the novel, Benedict states that, "My own daughter was quite small when Polly Klass, a little girl in California who was abducted from her own home, was murdered. While the character of Isabella Moon is younger than Polly Klass was, she is still an endangered child who suffers at the hands of careless or venal or criminal adults."

Laura Benedict is a writer to watch out for.

'Isabella Moon' by Laura Benedict is published by William Heinemann. Price: £12.99. ISBN 978-0-434-01704-1.


Lost in Pilgrim State by Jaquenline Walker

Jaquenline Walker: pic by Claire Schulltx

Dorothy travelled abroad with big hopes. Instead we meet her in 1951 where she is incarcerated in Pilgrim State, a mental facility in New York State. She had come to New York from Jamaica to study medicine but has been forcibly sectioned and is battling to keep her children and her sanity. She will struggle with both all her life. Dorothy and her children return to Jamaica before finally making a home in London in the early 60s.

After the vibrancy of Harlem and the warmth of Jamaica, London appears grey and unwelcoming. Here they face prejudice, poverty and separation but they make the city their home, a place where their love and ability to find hope and joy even in the most desperate circumstances can finally take root.

Pilgrim State, by Jacqueline Walker tells the story of her mother's life. It is in part tragic yet celebrates the life-affirming nature of family and the bonds between mothers and daughters which can never be broken.

Jacqueline had wanted to write about her mother for as long as she could remember, as a way to make sense of what happened to them. "As I became older I became aware of how few children like me had come to Britain in that Windrush generation, so it wasn't just my story, it was a piece of Black history I was recording."

Pilgrim State

The book is appropriately timed, as 2008 marks the 50th anniversary of the Empire Windrush’s epic voyage from the West Indies to the UK.

After Jacqueline's children were born it became even more important to have a permanent record of her family's past. "I was pretty sure that once my generation was gone, there would be no one around to explain the records and other information my brothers and I had spent so many years researching," says Jacqueline. "Although it may be a bit of a cliché, I wanted to give my children a sense of their roots, of what courage and determination it had taken for my mother, as a single-parent Black woman in the late 50s, to bring us to this country without the support of friends or family."

Pilgrim State seemed an appropriate way of celebrating that courage, a good way to acknowledge the power and caring determination which in many ways typifies the strength of Caribbean women who, like Dorothy, made the journey to settle elsewhere. "They were real history-makers, but most of all I wanted to pay tribute to my mother, give myself a chance to recognise the extraordinary power of the mother/daughter relationship which makes it possible for women not just to survive almost anything, but so often to turn that experience into triumph."

"I went back for the first time about seventeen years ago. It was an emotional journey. As soon as the plane door opened, the place smelt like home. A few years later I took my children; I felt it was important to give them a real sense of the place."

Jacqueline Walker has been a teacher and has taught creative writing as well has having completed two Arvon writing courses. Pilgrim State is her first book. Haunting, powerful and beautifully written, Dorothy's story resonates long after the final page.

Pilgrim State is published by Sceptre Books and available from April 2008. ISBN: 9780 340 960 785. Price: £19.99.

By Alison Murray


Duma Key By Stephen King

Duma Key

King fans will not be disappointed with the latest offering of the grand master of suspense!

Duma Key is a strange place with too much history. It gets winter visitors, and has a thriving artistic community, but there’s a part of the island that really does not welcome you… a part that does its best to repel.

Unwittingly Edger Freemantle chooses this place to recuperate after a free accident. He is drawn to this beautiful, eerily remote stretch of land off Florida’s West Coast, uninhabited but for a few houses owned by an old lady named Elizabeth. Once a famous patron of the arts there is an air of mystery about Elizabeth and her twin sisters who disappeared in the 1920s, and the haunting secret to which this strange old lady holds the key.

Encouraged by his youngest daughter, Edgar who lost his right arm in the accident takes up painting, discovering a unique talent he had not been aware of before. But soon some strange and disturbing things begin to happen to his paintings. They start becoming predictive, even dangerous to those who buy them. Edgar knows when he has to because his missing arm begins to itch, but he does not know what it is he has to paint, or why, until the picture is done. Further more the paintings have the ability to heal or go to the other extreme.

Stephen King is the author of more than forty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers, some of which have been turned into celebrated films, including The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me.

In 1999, King was hit by a van and required many operations to mend his broken limbs

His most recent are Cell and Lisey’s Story, however Duma Keys, a psychological thriller with a twist to chill, is King writing at the top of his game. A page-turner if ever there was one.

Dumas Keys is published by Hodder & Stoughton. Hardback £18.99. ISBN: 978-0-340-95219-1.


City of Thieves

City Thieves

From David Benioff, the acclaimed author of The 25th Hour and the screenwriter who brought The Kite Runner to the big screen, comes a tale of cunning and accidental bravery…

When seventeen-year-old Lev is caught looting the body a dead German paratrooper, his options appear bleak. However, instead of the expected execution Lev and a handsome soldier arrested for desertion called Kolya gets given the task of finding a dozen eggs for a colonel’s daughter’s wedding cake.

Either he finds a dozen eggs for wedding cake, or in four days time his ration card will be destroyed, and he will face starvation. The Germans, however, have cut off all supplies to the city. There’s not a squirrel or rat left alive in Leningrad, never mind a chicken…

Lev and Kolya, a self-styled seducer of women and spinner of tales, sets off on a quest that will lead him into the heart of a cannibal’s lair, out into the forests of the tundra and right into the clutches of the Germans. Before the four days are out, Lev will battle for his life across the chess-board, have a crash course in literature and fall in love with the most dangerous sniper in the Russian militia.

City Thieves

City of Thieves is set in the darkest days of the siege of Leningrad. It tells the story of a quixotic quest through a land ravaged by famine, hardened by war and ruled with capricious violence. The book is loosely based on the war-time exploits of David Benioff’s grandfather.

Born David Friedman, before he changed his name to Benioff, his mother's maiden name, and began his career as a Hollywood screenwriter. The New-Yorker worked as a club bouncer and high school English teacher until he won recognition for his debut book, The 25th Hour. The book was later adapted into a film starring Edward Norton and directed by Spike Lee.

He is also the author of the screenplays for the films Troy and The Kite Runner and the forthcoming Stay and Wolverine.

Despite the print being ridiculously small, with the vivid immediacy of a Hollywood movie but the moral ambiguity and intricate characterisation of the best literary fiction, City of Thieves will be enjoyed in one breathless sitting by readers who grew up loving The Silver Sword and I am David.

Benioff lives in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Amanda Pete, and is already working on his next novel.

City of Thieves by David Benioff is published by Sceptre Hardback. Price: £12.99.


Features & Listings below

 

Book Reviews

Book ratings:
one star   Don’t Bother
two stars   Not Bad
three stars   Interesting Read
four stars   Very Good
five stars   Great Page Turner

 

Driving Miss Smith review
Driving Miss Smith Four stars - Very good
By Warren Lakin
When comedian and broadcaster Linda Smith died in 2006 it left those who loved her devastated. What better way, one year on, to celebrate her than to have a show totally dedicated to who she was. Linda Smith established herself as one of the funniest and best-loved comedians on BBC Radio 4, but she was also a famous face on TV. The tour features carefully selected cuts of her comedy in audio and visual clips from shows such as News Quiz, Just A Minute, I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, A Brief History of Time Wasting, Have I Got News For You and Room 101. Driving Miss Smith, A Memoir of Linda Smith written by her partner of 23 years, Warren Lakin. The book is a perfect accompaniment to I Think the Nurses are Stealing my Clothes, the hilarious anthology of her best comedy.
Published by Hodder & Stoughton. Price £18.99.
Broken review
Broken Five stars - Great page turner
By Shy Keenan
One of the most shocking true stories of a brutal childhood you may ever read. Shy Keenan's life became a nightmare from a very young age. Her mother beat her so severely that Shy was deaf by her first day in school. She was punished by having boiling water poured over her and virtually ever day, from the age of four, Shy was raped by her stepfather Stanley. When she was ten, she was attacked so viciously by a 'gang,' she was left for dead in a field, her skull fractured. After years of mental breakdowns, living rough and a suicide bid, Sky found the courage to her abusers to court. Shy Keenan is now an internationally respected chief advocate for Phoenix Survivors, the campaigning group she founded with Sara Payne to fight for justice of child sexual abuse. However, by all accounts, it's a miracle she is still on this earth.
Published by Hodder & Stoughton.
A Piece Of Cake review
A Piece Of Cake Four stars - Very good
By Cupcake Brown
A harrowing story of a life filled with pain and wisdom, hope and redemption. Following her mother’s death, Cupcake aged eleven years old entered the welfare system, moving from one disastrous placement to the next. She was, like so many, neglected and sexually abuse and developed a massive appetite for drugs, an appetite she fed by hustling and turning tricks. Before long she had stumbled headlong in the wild and dangerous world of the gansta. From beloved daughter to abused foster child to crack addict, this is the heart-wrenching true story of a girl named Cupcake Brown.
Published by Bantam Books. Price £5.99.
Isabella Moon review
Isabella Moon Five stars - Great page turner
By Laura Benedict
Carystown, Kentucky is till scarred by the mysterious disappearance a year ago of Isabella Moon. Faced with an almost lack of evident, of even a body - the case of the missing girls is still open and though the commotion and media circus which engulfed the small town has long since subsided, Sheriff Bill Delaney is no nearer a resolution. However, Kate Russell knows that Isabella is not merely missing, she’s dead. She also knows her spirit is not resting in peace, for the ghost of the young girl has disrupted Kate’s quietly idyllic life, beckoning to her to follow. She wants to reveal to Kate the truth about her death. As the ghost of Isabella draws Kate into the investigation the town of charming Carystown begins to crumble. A page turner from the startling opening paragraph.
Published by Heinemann. Price £12.99.
Unbroken Spirit review
Beyond Ugly One star - Don't bother
By Constance Briscoe
In the first account of her life in Ugly, published in 2006, Constance Briscoe touched the minds and hearts of many. Ugly related her harrowing experience growing up in South London with an abusive and unloving mother. Now she has decided to expand on her story with Beyond Ugly. However, the question is: "What's that all about?" By all accounts book number 2 is not worth its salt. The book offers a blow-by blow account of the cosmetic surgery route Ms Briscoe took to adjust her features, purely based on her mother's description in Ugly of how she looked. Beyond Ugly is a page turner for all the wrong reasons – it was an easy read in that it required little real thought. It is clear the author is trying to convey to the reader how, despite the legacy of an unhappy childhood and total denigration by the one person on whom she should be able to rely that the discrimination she later experienced failed to deter the success she attained in her life. To conclude, she could have written Beyond Ugly in one or maybe two chapters and included them in the first book, which would have rounded up her autobiography nicely. In other words, there really was no need to go Beyond Ugly.
Published by Hodder & Stoughton. Price £12.99.
Unbroken Spirit review
Unbroken Spirit Five stars - Great page turner
By Ferzanna Riley
Towards the end of 2001, Ferzanna Riley felt unwell. After tests, her cardiac consultant told her she urgently needed major heart surgery, or she could be dead within six months. With a gorgeous new husband who adored her, and a five-year-old daughter, this was devastating news. To make matters worse, her father died of the same heart condition days before she underwent major heart surgery in 2002 and, although the operation saved her life, Ferzanna spent the next couple of years simply waiting to die. Her medical records, according to her, read like a horror story and with Ferzanna too sick to get a proper job, she decided to write the book she'd been meaning to for years. Unbroken Spirit is her true story, which proved to be a harrowing trip down memory lane.
Published by Hodder and Stoughton. Price £12.99.
Shadow of Light review
Shadow of Light Four stars - Very good
By James E Cherry
The festering racial tensions in a Tennessee backwater town called Forrest comes to the boil after b lack grandmother is raped and shot by a gang of white teenagers. Only one man has the capacity to keep a lid on the mounting violence and that’s the town’s senior black cop, Walter Robinson. But Walter’s own life is not in the best of shape. His constant infidelities is wrecking his marriage and his nephew Cebo is the street druglord who’s leading the charge to take revenge
Published by Serpent’s Tail. Price £8.99.
Point of Rescure review
The Point of Rescue Five stars - Great page turner
By Sophie Hannah
Last year, Sally took the opportunity of a cancelled business trip to have a secret holiday, away from work and family. What she wanted was piece and quiet. But it didn’t work out that way, what she had instead was an affair. Months later Sally is watching the news when she hears a name she ought not to recognize: Mark Bretherick. This person is on the news and his wife and daughter are dead. All the details are the same, the same name, the same family and the same job but not the same face. Sally had never seen this man before yet she had had an affair with him.
Published by Hodder & Stoughton. Price £12 99 hardback.
The Same Earth Three stars - Interesting read
By Kei Miller
Imelda Agnes Richardson learned soothing important on the morning of 29 September 1983; she found out that things could change overnight. On that morning she walked out of Watersgate, a single suitcase dragging behind her. The Same Earth is a wonderful humourous story based in Manchester and partly in Jamaica, about a woman who returns to JA after having spent her formative years in England. This is writer Kei Miller’s debut that is being described as Alexander McCall Smith meets Small Island by Andrea Levy.
Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. Price: £12.99.

URBAN TITLES

Still Waters review
Still Waters
By Patricia Haley
When Laurie married Greg, she was certain that they would live happily ever after. Greg was charming, loving and everything Laurie that she’d ever need. Now 12 years have passed and the couple has six children, all boys. Supporting such a large family is touch on Greg. He does not earn much as a graphic designer but they were making do until the stress of living so close to the brink takes its toll.
Published by Kimani Press. Price £5.99.
How to Salsa in a Sari
By Dona Sarkar
When two girls, one of which hate the other, are brought together by their parents’ impending marriage have to live together get ready for fireworks. First Issa Mazumder’s nerdy boyfriend dumps her for popular Latin princess Cat Morena, she hates Issa. Her new step-sister-to-be is a total beyotch, and she has no respect for Issa’s India and African-American heritage. This book for young adults is Sarkar’s debut novel.
Published by Kimani Press. Price £6.99.
In Between Men
By San Culberson
One day Hope realised that the dream life she had worked so hard for, as a wife with a great career and good friends seemed like a trap. She had no idea what happened. Only her colleague Anthony understands. She admits she finds him sexy but she is sure she can keep their relationship strictly friends, until one night of passion undoes everything.
Published by Dafina. Price £8.99.
Hell has no Fury review
Hell Has No Fury
By Keith Lee Johnson
A District of Columbia warden and his wife are found in their home, tortured and brutally murdered. Drugs and large sums of money are found at the scene. Several days later, in a Malibu mansion Heather Connelly, her love and her closest friends are murdered in the same way.
Published by Urban Books. Price £9.99.
Forsaking All Others review
Forsaking All Others
By Linda Hudson-Smith
They remembered each other as gawky teenagers determined to resist their parents’ meddlesome matchmaking. But when Jessica and Weston share a family ski weekend, they unexpectedly discovered a sizzling attraction for each other. But how long can their romance last once they have left their romantic resort?
Published by Kimani Press. Price £5.99.
Trouble Follows review
Trouble Follows
By Monica McKayhan
Life is food for Indigo Summer. She has a spot on the high school dance squad. A cute boyfriend and her best friend Jade is moving back home! But why does troubles always have to follow? Jade’s getting just a little too close to their good-looking history teacher and instead of short hoops, boyfriend Marcus is sitting in a courtroom, standing trial for a crime he did not commit. Indigo is feeling pressure from all directions and it’s time to show that all what she’s made of.
Published by Kimani Press. Price £6.99.
Pressing Hard review
Pressing Hard
By Stephanie Perry Moore
When Perry wakes up in a very compromising position after have a few too many drinks he realizes that it’s time to stop the crazy partying and concentrate on the things that matter. One of those things is the beautiful Savoy, who Perry discovers likes him back. The only problem is that there are quote a few people who’d like to keep them apart, including Tori, Perry’s ex-girlfriend. Meanwhile Perry’s best buddy Damarius is wasting time doing weed. Then tragedy strikes. For aged 14 plus.
Published by Dafina Books. Price £6.99.

 

AUTHOR REVIEW

Making a Connection

Gregorio

Psychoanalysis forms a huge part of modern culture, influencing everything from literature, art and film. In a new series of thought-provoking conversations between psychoanalysts and leading writers, artists and filmmakers, there is an emphasis on the power of the subconscious.

Gregorio Kohon is a respected psychoanalyst and novelist whose work, 'Red Parrot, Wooden Leg' is an allegorical look at political entanglement and tangled love. The author will speak with fellow psychoanalysts Ignes Sodre and Leon Kleimberg.

The three speakers have had the experience of living in critical and difficult periods in the history of their respective countries (Argentina, Brazil and Peru), will discuss Kohon's work.

"The novel speaks of a time when there was great political repression in Latin America," says Kohon. "In my own country, Argentina, this started in the 60s, with the military government of Ongania. I was 20 years old. It culminated in the 70s, with the Junta heeded by General Videla. Their reign of terror finally ended with the Falklands War in 1982. Today, we know that approximately one whole generation, 30,000 people, were killed or disappeared by Videla and his accomplices."

Although the novel does not address political issues directly, says Kohon, they form part of the background against which the events related in this piece of fiction take place.

"I welcome the opportunity to share with my colleagues some of the experiences that we, as well as many of our friends and colleagues, went through during those repressive times."

Future Connecting Conversations will feature a diverse range of arts practitioners including the award-winning director, Mike Leigh. The Connecting Conversations series aims to bring together psychoanalysis and other fields to make connections between individuals, ideas and disciplines. This is an event to watch out for.

Connecting Conversations will take place on 25 Apr at The Institute of Psychoanalysis, 112a Shirland Road, London W9 2EQ, 7pm - 8.30pm. Adm: £8 - £12. Info: www.connectingconversations.org

By Diriye Osman


Charlie Dark's Have Box Will Travel

Charlie Dark

A rites of passage story based on real events from his incredible and prolific career so far, Charlie Dark's one man show is sure to resonate with those who appreciate dynamic poetry and music.

With slick direction from hip-hop theatre favourite Benji Reid and a soundtrack of club classics, Have Box Will Travel fuses performance poetry, storytelling and DJ-ing to create an energetic and refreshing show for music lovers, dancers and anyone who has ever dreamt of making it big.

A London-based poet, writer and DJ, Dark is one third of the hip-hop inspired trio Attica Blues and has toured around the globe (both independently and with the band) to points as far dispersed as Tokyo, New York and Berlin. He makes regular appearances on the literature and spoken word circuit, is an experienced tutor and workshop facilitator, and was a Poet Coach for the London Teenage Poetry SLAM for three consecutive years.

Hip-Hop theatre pioneer, Benji Reid is a graduate of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. He has been creating hip-hop theatre for over ten years and his own work includes 13 Mics for Contact Theatre. As a director Reid's credits include Jonzi D's Aeroplane and the hip-hop musical Avalanche at Nottingham Playhouse. Reid is currently developing his new one-man show Let It B which will tour the in Spring of 2009.
Joining Dark and Reid for this production will be Lighting Designer, Chahine Yavroyan. Be prepared to be transported from a tiny bedroom in South London to the world of the super DJ in 80 beats and back again.

Charlie founded Blacktronica, a monthly showcase of British Black electronic music at the ICA and BFI. After the last show of Have Box Will Travel, he'll be doing a DJ set until the last tube home. Bring your favourite Vinyl and CDs for requests. Admission FREE.

Have Box Will Travel can be seen from Monday 14 April - 13 May at The Lyric Hammersmith, Lyric Square, King Street, W6 OQL. 8pm. Adm: £9, conc £12. Info: 08712 211 726 / www.lyric.co.uk


Regular Listings: Check each date carefully as some listings cover a few months
Use the colours to look for events on that day:
Mon - Tue - Wed - Thurs - Fri - Sat - Sun
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May EVENTS

Now - 1 Jul
NARRATIVE DRIVE WITH JACOB ROSS
A course for those of you who are developing novels or short stories and want to extend your technique and receive critical feedback. Jacob  Ross explains and clarifies many of the problems that beset writers. He shows you how to develop your strengths of your particular writer's voice. Narrative Drive is an opportunity to work alongside other highly motivated intermediate level writers in a focused and stimulating group. Venue: Centerprise, 136 Kingsland High Street, London E8 2NS (getting there -Train: Dalston Kingsland (Silverlink Metroline / tube: Highbury & Islington). 7pm-9pm. Adm: £115 (full); £100 (low waged); conc £85. Info: 0207 254 9632.

Thurs 1 May -19 Jun
GEARING UP WITH MARTINA EVANS
A friendly and supportive eight week course for writers just beginning to get to grips with the key elements of fiction writing. Character, plot, structure, dialogue and point of view will all be explored  through writing and reading exercises in these weekly workshops. Students from 'Gearing Up' can move to our next level course  'Narrative Drive'. Venue: Centerprise, 136 Kingsland High Street, London E8 2NS (getting there -Train: Dalston Kingsland (Silverlink Metroline / tube: Highbury & Islington). 7pm-9pm. Adm: £95 (full); £80 (low waged); conc £65. Info: 0207 254 9632.

Sun 4 May
COMPONENTS BANK HOLIDAY SPECIAL
Caribbean Ancestral Drumming and Poetry with Anthony Joseph Ad The Spasm Band, Dropping Vodoo Funk and Liquid Textology. Followed by an After-Party with Eric Soul and Man vs Wife (Reclaim The Soul). Hosted by Leeto Thale7 Dou G (Afro Hip- Hop). Music with DJs Hotplate Crew, Suga Kan'n, Mo-Laudi & Red Clay. Venue: The Live Room, The Brixton Jamm, 261 Brixton Road, London SW9 2LH. 8pm. Adm: £5. Info: 0207 274 5537.

Mon 12 May - 15 Sep
AN INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING
Developing and supporting local writers in their creative writing styles, this Introduction to Creative Writing explores and discovers the different techniques and styles that are needed to create a short story or start the process of writing a book. Led by award-winning playwright, recording artist, poet and short story writer Nigel Moffatt, this course is suitable for complete beginners or those who have some experience of writing short stories and poetry. Suitable for age 16 years plus. Venue: The Drum, 144 Potters Lane, Aston, Birmingham B6 4UU. 6pm - 8pm. Adm: £2, conc £1. Info: 0121 333 2400.

Sat 17 May
DR SANDRA RICHARDS
Launching her book, the Way We see it, which provides new insights and information to researchers and is essential reading for practitioners, parents and policy makers who care about education, the future of our increasing diverse society and who wish to arrest racist practice and turn the depressing tide of underachievement. Venue: Centerprise, 136-8 Kingsland High Street, London E8 2NS. 7pm-10pm. Adm: Free. Info: 0207 254 9632.

Fri 23 May
CONNECTING CONVERSATIONS
Directors Frantic Assembly in conversation with Philip Stokoe and Mary Morgan. Venue: Hampstead Theatre, Eton Avenue, London NW3 3EU. 8pm-9.30pm. Info: www.connectingconversations.org

Sat 31 May
INCUBATE MASTERCLASS: MOVEMENT-BASED WORK AND SPOKEN WORD PERFORMANCES, WITH ROSIE DENNIS

A hands-on workshop by Apples & Snakes taught through a series of improvisational structures and techniques that can be used to generate material and shape performance. The techniques are flexible and can be used for creating movement-based work or spoken word performances, or a combination of the two. With Rosie Dennis, a Sydney based artist who mixes movement and text to create deceptively simple and evocative live performance installations. Applications by 5 May please. Venue: Soho Theatre, 21 Dean, Street, London. Adm: Free, but £10 deposit required to secure place. Info: rachel@applesandsnakes.org /  020 8465 6144 by 5th MAY.

 
June EVENTS
 

Wed 11 Jun
EGYPTIAN YOGA
Dr Muatta Ashby and Karen Ashby, who will speaking on Sema Tawi (Egyptian yoga), Shetaut Neter (African Spirituality) exploring and promoting a deeper inner standing and understanding of the philosophy behind the teachings of neterianism. Do you seek answers to: Who am I? What is the meaning of life and the ultimate goal of existence? What are the metaphysics that allows one to discover enlightenment and immortality? Venue: Centerprise, 136-8 Kingsland High Street, London E8 2NS. 7-10pm. Adm: £12, conc £10. Info: 0207 254 9632.

Fri 27 Jun
CONNECTING CONVERSATIONS
Director Penny Woolcock in conversation with Nicola Abel-Hirsch. Venue: Henry Thomas Room, London Metropolitan University, Tower Building 166-220 Holloway Road, N7 8DB. 7pm-8.30pm. Info: www.connectingconversations.org

 
July EVENTS
 

Fri 4 Jul
CONNECTING CONVERSATIONS
Director Mike Leigh in conversation with Andrea Sabbadini. Venue: The Resource Centre, 356 Holloway Road, London N7. 7pm-8.30pm. Info: 07787 814316 / www.connectingconversations.org

Sun 13 Jul
CONNECTING CONVERSATIONS
Julia Donaldson (author of The Gruffalo) in conversation with Fatima Martinez del Solar. Venue: The Anna Freud Centre. 21 Maresfield Gardens, London NW3 5SD. 7pm-8.30pm. Info: 07787 814316 / www.connectingconversations.org

 
August EVENTS
 
 
September EVENTS

Thurs 25 Sept
CONNECTING CONVERSATIONS
Children's Laureate Michael Rosen in conversation with Hannah Solemani. Venue: The Institute of Psychoanalysis, 112a Shirland Road, London W9 2EQ. 8.30pm-10pm. Info: 07787 814316 / www.connectingconversations.org

 
November EVENTS

Sun 2 Nov
CONNECTING CONVERSATIONS
Writer and literary critic Al Alvarez in conversation with Ted Jacobs. Venue: The Freud Museum, 20 Maresfield Gardens, London NW3 5SX. 7pm-8.30pm. Info: www.connectingconversations.org

 
December EVENTS

Sun 2 Dec
CONNECTING CONVERSATIONS
Children's author Geraldine McCaughrean in conversation with Gerry Byrne. Further details to be announced. Info: 07787 814316 / www.connectingconversations.org

 
Weekly/Monthly EVENTS

LATE NIGHT THURSDAYS
Late night openings at the Whitechapel are Thursday until 9pm with free music, poetry & talks and events. Whitechapel, 80 – 82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX (tube: Aldgate East). Adm: Free. Info: 0207 522 7888.

SPEAKEASY RELOADED
1st Monday of every month. East London’s premier poetry and spoken word event. Venue: Marie Lloyd Bar, 289 Mare Street, London E8. 7.30pm. Info: 07946 776 925.

RESPECT THE MIC
Every 1st 2nd and 4th Wednesday. An intimate Open Mic for lyricists singers and poets. With live music and a DJ after the show. Venue: Ruby Low, 23 Orchard St, Lodon W1. Adm: £5. Info: 07726 886 406.

Every 1st and 3rd Monday of the Month
SPOKEN CABARET
Spoken Cabaret is a new North London open mic night, which has forged it's own path attracting a varied and entertaining mix of established performers and fresh new poets to the mic for an enthusiastic up-for-it audience. Previous performers have included Nathan Penlington, Paul MacJoyce, Joshua Idehen, Noah Vale, Guy Jackson, and Tamsin Kendrick. Hosted by Dorna Aslanzadeh Venue: Oh! Bar, 111-113 Camden High Street, Camden, London NW1. Adm: FREE. 6.30 sign-up, 8pm start. Info: spokencabaret@yahoo.co.uk or see / www.myspace.com/spokencabaret. Forthcoming Spoken Cabaret shows are on: 17th July, 7th August, 21st August, 4th September, 18th September.

First Monday of Month
V.O.I.C. EXPRESS
Venting.Out.Internal.Creative.Energies isa Monthly open mic and live music showcase with spoken word artist shortMAN and hosts LITTLEman & Edge. Youcan find the best in established to the unsigned and up and coming, you will see and hear some of London's hottest acts first. Venue: Jamm, 261 Brixton Road, SW9. Nearest tube: Brixton/Oval Bus: 133, 333, 159, 59. Info: 07985 468 999.

 


Disclaimer
Please note that every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this guide. However owners, managers, and promoters can change their arrangements at any time. Before you go out we advise you to phone and check opening times, dates of events and all other particulars. LIVE Listings cannot accept responsibility for any errors it may contain.

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