Nottwich 2019

Cultural leaders from nearly thirty cities across five continents are coming to Nottingham next week for the global gathering of the UNESCO Cities of Literature. Two of the UK’s four UNESCO cities of literature, Norwich and Nottingham, are hosting the event called Nottwich (after Graham Greene’s fiction version of Nottingham in A Gun For Sale).

This exciting and prestigious programme of cultural events is the first time the international forum has taken place in England. The first stage is happening in Norwich before the delegates arrive here for events that include the annual UNESCO Lecture with Robert Macfarlane (a live streaming of which can be accessed), a visit to the Marketplace to explore our literacy projects (inc Read On Nottingham, Storysmash and Nottingham Does Comics), a meeting about comic strips and illustrated prose with Audrey Niffenegger and Eddie Campbell, a walking tour that will take in Five Leaves Bookshop, the Women’s Library and Newstead Abbey, an exhibition at Lakeside Arts: Romantic Facts and Fantasies, and a farewell dinner at Wollaton Hall.

The opportunity to exchange ideas and plan future projects should bring much benefit to the city.

“We are delighted to have this opportunity to showcase Norwich and Nottingham as centres of literary excellence. This global gathering will send a unified message on the importance of collaboration, dialogue and creative partnership.”

Chris Gribble, CEO of the National Centre for Writing.

“Nottwich 2019 is a wonderful opportunity to show the rest of the world the things that make Nottingham and Norwich UNESCO Cities of Literature. The fact that both our cities will be visited by delegates from so many countries is not only an opportunity to get to know each other better and to exchange best practices but also to highlight the importance of knowledge and creativity as a driving force for the growth of modern cities.”

Sandeep Mahal, Director, Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature.

Stanley Middleton, Plaque & Poems

On August 1^st it will be 100 years since the birth of Stanley Middleton.

To mark the centenary and celebrate Middleton’s contribution to Nottingham literature there is to be a plaque placed on the front of his former home on Caledon Rd in Sherwood. Money for the plaque is coming from donations to a crowdfunding page. A stretch target is aiming to provide copies of a special centenary book, Poetry and Old Age: Stanley Middleton's Selected Poems to Nottinghamshire libraries. This will be the first collection of Middleton’s poetry and it would be great to get the book into as many Notts libraries as possible so please visit the crowdfunding page before May 29th.

Stanley Middleton was a proper Nottingham novelist. Unlike many of our writers he lived here all his life (the war aside), and set most of his novels here, until his death at 89. From the age of 39 he penned about a book a year. For much of this time he continued to work as a schoolteacher. My own father, a former student at High Pavement, enjoyed his English lessons off Mr Middleton.

Nottingham’s only Booker Prize winner, Middleton often wrote about middle class characters whose concerns allowed him to explore humanity and its universal themes. Please contribute to the crowdfunding page. If you’ve not read Middleton before you might try one these, a selection of ten of his best books, all of which can be ordered from Notts library services:

Harris’s Requiem (1960)

Holiday (1974)

Cold Gradations (1972)

Brief Garlands (2004)

Her Three Wise Men (2008)

Married Past Redemption (1993)

Valley of Decision (1985)

A Cautious Approach (2010)

In a Strange Land (1979)

Two Brothers (1978)

Nottingham Poetry Festival

There is a strong appetite for poetry in the city as demonstrated by our thriving spoken word scene. No surprise then that this year’s Nottingham Poetry Festival was the biggest and most successful to date. NottsLit especially enjoyed the Waterstone’s event with Patience Agbabi, Chris McLoughlin and Ben Norris.  

The afternoon was hosted by Michelle Mother Hubbard, a poet from last year’s festival, and she introduced the performers with warmth. First up was a nervous Chris McLoughlin who has the gift of a deep, loud voice and he used it to lead us in a breathing exercise (something he always opens with). His poems were personal, with a psychological focus. I really liked his use of The Cure, which you can hear in the video below.

McLoughlin loves Nottingham “more than anywhere I’ve ever been” and we love him back. Big White Shed have published his poetry and he already has bags of experience here as a workshop facilitator. He has a Distinction in MA Creative Writing from the University of Nottingham and has been Artistic Director of Mouthy Poets. A likable lad and a poet of real potential.

Unlike McLoughlin, Ben Norris is from Nottingham but is now living in Tottenham. He’s a two-time national poetry slam champion and has successfully toured his solo show, 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Family'. His poetry focused on relationships, be it his father, step mum or ex-partner who, “like a young koala consumes their mother’s shit.” He is currently poet-in-residence for Nottinghamshire Libraries, a Creative Associate at Nottingham Playhouse, and also plays Ben Archer in ‘The Archers’ on BBC Radio. If you’ve not already seen it, have a look at his Nottingham poem, ‘Rebel Heart’. 

Patience Agbabi headlined the event and delivered a tour de force. Never before have I heard such a variety of styles, voices and forms from the one poet. With decades of poetry to call upon she kept the audience under her spell throughout. Issues of racial and gender identity featured prominently but there was no way of knowing which direction the next poem would take us. From Chaucer to Josephine Baker to R&B Agbabi covered much ground. In the video below you can hear two of the poems she performed in the set. Agbabi also informed us that she’s taking a break from poetry to write children’s fiction, with a three-book deal in the offing. Look our for that.