Readings in Dublin

I´m really excited to be taking part in two readings in Dublin over the coming weekend. They both promise to be great events. I´m looking forward to reading with other Ward Wood authors and this will be the first time that we´ve all read together. It would be great to meet any readers of my blog who are able to get there.

Dublin

Friday 16th September:

This will be a combined prose and poetry event with Sue Guiney reading from her novel, A Clash of Innocents and poetry collection, Her Life Collected, Shauna Gilligan reading from her forthcoming short story collection, Red Girl, Noel Duffy reading from his novellas, The Return Journey & Our Friends Electric, and his poetry collection, In The Library of Lost Objects. I´ll be reading from my novel, The Finn´s Tale, and my poetry collection, Midas Touch.

The venue is the Irish Writers´ Centre, Parnell Square, Dublin. The reading begins at 18.30. but we´ll be there half an hour before to meet the audience and there will be a question time after the readings. Refreshments will be served and books will be on sale. Entry is free.

Dublin

Saturday 17th September:

A poetry reading with Sue Guiney at The Twisted Pepper cafe (best coffee in Dublin, I´m reliably informed) at 54, Middle Abbey Street. Sue´s reading from Her Life Collected and I´m reading from Midas Touch. This will be an afternoon event, start time 15.00.

Tamperelaisille

For people living in or near Tampere; Akateeminen Kirjakaupa has sold out of The Finn´s Tale, but I believe they are getting copies from other branches in Finland and / or re-ordering from Britain. The staff, of course, will be able to tell you the exact situation. The last time I checked, there were still copies in Suomalainen Kirjakauppa.

The book is also available from the publisher´s website:

http://www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-fiction-mh-tft.htm

or from The Book Depository:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/

For those planning to join my reading groups in Tampere Työväenopisto this autumn, I will bring copies of the book to the first class for purchase.

So the bottom line is: don´t panic! The book is available.

London Sights 6

Strolling Along The South Bank

We spent a few days in London during July and walked along the South Bank between the Royal Festival Hall and Tower Bridge. It´s one of my favourite areas in central London. There are often street performers along the esplanade and on a sunny day the atmosphere is lovely.

This year they had created a seaside beach display which included a stretch of sand and some traditional beach huts. I remember huts like those from my childhood holidays in Swanage. These ones had been painted in bright and interesting designs, though. There were different displays inside each hut, but they weren´t open when we were there as we arrived quite early.

There was even an ice-cream van, but it, too, had not opened for the day....

.... and an old wrecked rowing boat.

Further along the South Bank, getting close to Tower Bridge, there was a photograph display. There´s been a display in the same place for the last two or three summers at least and I imagine it must be a regular feature. The pictures are always very high quality and the themes are interesting. This one illustrated social customs of cultures from all over the world.

And, of course, we ate very well during our stay. This is a spectacularly good restaurant in Soho, Randall and Aubin. They specialise in seafood. The atmosphere was very informal and the staff were very friendly and helpful, and the food was seriously good.

And look what we saw in an underground railway station: a poster advertising Sofi Oksanen´s novel, Purge. I guess it must be selling well.

Photos from the poetry reading

Here are some pictures from the poetry reading in Swiss Cottage library on 15 July. The event was part of the Friday Night Writers series:

Me in full flow.

A pause while I find the next poem to read.

Peter Daniels talking with a member of the audience. Unfortunately, this one is rather dark.

Here I am during the interval, chatting with a member of the audience at the `books for sale´ desk.

Adele Ward, organiser of the Friday Night Writers series, one of the partners of Ward Wood Publishing, and my intrepid editor, serving wine to members of the audience. Listening to poetry is thirsty work! You probably already knew that.

Part of the audience. It was a really good turnout. Peter Daniels is on the left in the front row.

It was a great evening, and now I´m looking forward to my next gig, or gigs I should say: two readings in Dublin with other Ward Wood writers on Friday 16 September at the Irish Writers´ Centre and on Saturday 17 September at The Twisted Pepper cafe. Full details are listed below and I´ll post confirmation of times and addresses closer to the day. If you´re in or near Dublin, I´d love to see you there.

A quick update.....and the promise of more

I´m just back from my travels, including reading at Swiss Cottage library alongside Peter Daniels, and trying to clear the backlog of emails and other tasks that have collected while I´ve been away. I´ll be posting several articles over the coming days, with information, news and updates, including some photos from the Swiss Cottage event.

In the meantime, here´s the link to the article that appeared in the newspaper Tamperelainen last month, from the papers website. It´s in Finnish, which is not surprising, really. I hope Finnish readers of my blog find it interesting and non-Finnish can maybe use the google translator:

http://www.tamperelainen.fi/artikkeli/59896-mikelle-maistuu-hirvenliha

My Forthcoming Reading Events

Here´s the latest news about my forthcoming readings, with dates and venues:

London

Friday 15th July: I´ll be reading in the art gallery of Swiss Cottage library again. This will be a poetry event with fellow-poet, Peter Daniels, heading the programme. Peter has recently published a pamphlet with Happenstance Press called Mr Luczinski Makes a Move. Peter´s well known on the London poetry scene and his new pamphlet contains several prize-winning poems, including the winning poem in the Times Literary Supplement competition, 2010. I´m honoured to be reading with him. I´ll be reading from my collection, Midas Touch, which was published by Ward Wood Publishing last year. Doors open at 18.00 and the reading begins at 18.30. The library address is: 88, Avenue Road, London NW3.

Dublin

Friday 16th September: I´m reading with fellow Ward Wood authors, Sue Guiney, Shauna Gilligan* and Noel Duffy, at the Irish Writers´ Centre, Parnell Square, Dublin. Reading begins at 18.30. I´m not sure yet if this will be a poetry or prose event, or possibly a mixture. The readings will be followed by a question time. I´ll post more exact details closer to the time.

Dublin

Saturday 17th September: With Sue, Shauna* and Noel again, we´re reading at The Twisted Pepper cafe (best coffee in Dublin, I´m reliably informed) at 54, Middle Abbey Street. This will be an afternoon event, start time 15.00.

*I´ve added Shauna Gilligan to the list of Ward Wood writers at these two Dublin events. Her short story collection, The Red Girl, is due next February.

London

Saturday 22nd October: I´m reading at the Poetry Society´s venue, The Poetry Cafe, at 22, Betterton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2. This will be an evening od readings by Ward Wood Publishing poets. I will be reading poems from Midas Touch. I don´t know exactly which other poets will be reading there, but I´ll post more details later.

Minna Canth Plays from Aspasia Books

Good news for lovers of Finnish literature in English: the wonderful Aspasia Books have just published two plays in one volume by the 19th century Finnish dramatist, Minna Canth. The plays, The Burglary and The House of Roinila, are both early works and both are translated by Richard Impola, who did a magnificent job with Vainö Linna´s trilogy, Under The North Star, also published by Aspasia. And that´s not all. Aspasia plan two further volumes of Canth´s plays in the near future. What a treat!

Some more good news arrived this week: I heard that the Finnish bookshop chains, Akateeminen Kirjakauppa and Suomalainen Kirjakauppa will be stocking my novel, The Finn´s Tale. Akateeminen are stocking it in several stores, including Tampere, and Suomalainen have it in their shop at Hämeenkatu 18, Tampere and may add it in other stores later.