Archive for April, 2010
New ways of publishing
1 year ago
One of the pleasures of running Writing West Midlands is the chance to help ensure that good books by good writers get a day in the sun. On Tuesday 27th April 2010 we were delighted to launch Christine Coleman’s new novel Paper Lanterns (more details from www.christinecoleman.net). This book is interesting on several counts: it is a well written good read, no doubt of that, but also is has been published by the author herself, and very professionally as well. Years ago self-publishing was looked down upon by those who published through the traditional publishing houses, but times are changing. Mainstream publishers have long since given up their monopoly on spotting good writers (if they ever had it) and smaller and smaller publishers are making an impact (Tindal Street Press have a better strike rate for successful books than any major publisher, for instance). And the means of production is moving away from being held in the hands of one conglomorate. Now a talented writer can employ a talented editor and a copy editor and a designer and with energy and a bit of luck manage to produce a book as good, if not better, than those churned out (and so many novels are churned out) by the bigger publishing houses. There is perhaps less likelihood of making enourmous amounts of money but there is more likelihood of books being successful because of the artistic skills and administrative passion lavished upon them. Good writing will surface for us all to enjoy: poor writing won’t be quite so often foisted upon us in an attempt to get a return on investment or to distort our reading tastes for purely commercial gain. This isn’t perhaps the solution for all publishing in the UK at the moment, but it will become one of a range of solutions and help break down the perception that there is only one true way to publish. Writers being by their very nature people who want to explore and make new need a means of production and distribution that wants to explore and make new. Carry on, Christine Coleman and others.
Poetry in the West Midlands
1 year ago
Suddenly the West Midlands is full of poetry activity. I’m not sure why, although the common factor is individuals who want to make it happen. The Polesworth Poets Trail is a case in point. Malcome Dewhirst has lead this project to use money available to the town for improvement of the environment and has had installed a fabulous series of poems, etched into metal and wood, set in stone, and placed around the town. The poetry is inspired by the fact that John Donne and Michael Drayton and others gathered in Polesworth in the 16th century but more importantly has been responded to by contemporary writers from across the country.
The Much Wenlock Poetry Festival has had a successful first outing and has reminded us once again that people are interested in poetry if you present it imaginatively and in an interesting location. And soon we will have Ledbury Poetry Festival‘s programme and the Stratford Poetry Festival and Helen Dunmore, winner of the National Poetry Competition is part of the the Birmingham Book Festival’s first Festival in a Day on 29th May. To add to this, Jacqui Rowe has launched a great series of poetry workshops to run in Birmingham, Nine Arches Press are rolling out handsome books and events to match (and we mustn’t forget Flarestack) and even as I write I suspect some enterprising enthusiast will be costing up a poetry project. I mention costing up, because money is necessary, but as these various events and projects show, there are a range of ways of getting iand using it. More on this in a future post.
And now I’m going to read another couple of poems from Jo Bell‘s collection, Navigation; eccelent stuff and long overdue for a re-print…