So what is City of Literature status? What are our chances
of achieving it? And which other cities are in applying in 2015?
Being named a City of Literature by UNESCO would be a
permanent accreditation. If successful we would join an established network of
seven * like-minded destinations that share our love and knowledge of literature.
We have an incredible literary heritage which includes the
poet Lord Byron. A leading figure among the Romantics, Byron was also a political
revolutionary and fighter of independence. D H Lawrence is another of England’s
finest poets and one of the 20th century’s most accomplished
novelists. The son of a miner, Lawrence was born in Nottinghamshire and his
most successful books are set here. Alan Sillitoe makes up our trinity of literary
legends. As rebellious and unapologetic as Byron and Lawrence, Sillitoe wrote
with a working class resilience that has inspired many of Nottingham’s
contemporary authors. His first novel, Saturday
Night and Sunday Morning, is arguably the best book set in Nottingham. See some of the best novels set in Notts.
Byron, Lawrence and Sillitoe were writers
that shook the establishment. They didn’t court controversy, it courted
them.
City of Literature status would see Nottingham working in
partnership with the other Creative Cities, exchanging ideas and experiences to
help sustain, build upon and promote our heritage and contemporary writing scene.
It’s
not like Nottingham folk to celebrate our achievements. Too much like boasting.
That’s one of the reasons we write. Somehow it’s not showing off if it’s
written down. The pen is our microphone, the page our stage. Being an official City
of Literature would unshackle us from our modesty and allow us to share our
pride with the world. In addition to this, and the economic boost, the title
would provide valuable inspiration to our many aspiring writers and help raise
the below-average literacy standards in our inner-city schools.
UNESCO’s list of criteria stresses the importance of quantity as well as quality. When Reykjavik
became a City of Literature the sheer number of new titles produced there was
a factor. They have more writers, more books published and more books read, per
head, than anywhere else in the world. According to the BBC, one in ten
Icelanders will publish a book. Impressive stats that demonstrate a depth of
writers, but Nottingham can compete. Like Rekyjavik we have a huge number of
self-published and independent authors that burst from the many educational
programmes and writing groups that thrive here.
Bids must be submitted by March 2015 and other cities intend
to apply. Kampala is striving to become the first African city to be admitted
into the network. Their bid, being led by the African Writers Trust, is
gathering pace. I also understand that Barcelona is in the running. Their
candidature, which is being led by Barcelona City Council, is apparently
gaining support from the entire country’s book and publishing sector as Spain
seeks its first City of Literature. * And then there’s Seattle.
According to the mystery author J A Jance, ‘Seattle has always been a reading town.' Now, the Seattle area of Washington State is home to Amazon,
Starbucks and Costco, three powerhouses that greatly influence America’s
reading tastes.
One organisation that helps UNESCO decide which cities
deserve the accreditation is PEN International, the non-political promoters of
literature and freedom of expression. This might be good news for Nottingham as
we excel in providing a voice for independent thought and celebrate diversity. Our Festival of Words being an example. I'm not sure how Seattle’s
Amazon factor will sit with PEN.
Nottingham author Chris
Nickson worked as a writer in Seattle so I asked him for his verdict on their
literary merits compared with ours.
‘As someone who's lived in both Seattle and Nottingham, it's
fair to say that both have their good and bad points. With Five Leaves,
Nottingham has a thriving small press and independent bookshop. There's a good
literary festival, and Nottingham Libraries are supportive of writers, in my
experience. A good tradition, too, from Lawrence to Sillitoe to John Harvey and
Alison Moore.
Seattle doesn't have a literary festival, but it does have a
plethora of independent bookshops. Elliott Bay, by far the biggest, has writers
from all over reading most nights of the month. It's a place that's very
supportive of its writers, with a number of small presses and literary
magazines. Interestingly, several British writers have made their homes there -
Jonathan Raban and the late Michael Dibdin, for instance - and a number of
American writers, too. It's vibrant, and has been for several decades. For a
young city (the first white settlers arrived in 1851), it's quickly grown into
a vibrant place. The underground and alternative in all forms or the arts
thrives there.’
You won't want to hear this, and I'm sad to say it, but I do
believe that Seattle has the edge for the title (and I'd even have to give it
the edge over my hometown, Leeds, which says a lot).
It seems that the case for Seattle will be a strong one and,
in the spirit of the creative cities network, it’s good that the Nottingham bid
team is exchanging ideas with theirs. Demonstrating an ability to collaborate
internationally is important. In recent times only one city a year has been
given City of Literature status (Dublin 2010, Reykjavík 2011, Norwich 2012,
Kraków 2013) * but the award is non-competitive - in 2008 Melbourne and Iowa City
were both accredited - so good luck to all the applicants. UNESCO’s decision is expected in November 2015.
Nottingham's bid has good backing from a range of sources
but we must encourage the whole of Nottingham to get behind us. Let's show how much
we care about literature and literacy. To do this we must highlight our
numerous innovative approaches to encouraging reading and writing at grassroots
level. Only this week a new publisher is launching at Nottingham’s Theatre
Royal. Dayglo Books will publish books for dyslexic adults and children. Using many special
adaptations that include a new font, and following British Dyslexia Association
guidelines, these stories will make reading accessible for the many dyslexic
people currently ignored by the publishing world. Another project that
impressed me was held in Mansfield Woodhouse, Notts. Authors from New Writers
UK (founded and based in Nottingham) helped a group of children produce
stories based on their local history. This generated an interest in the kids’
hometown and led to the publication of a collection of their proud words and
illustrations. Copies of this book are now in the Notts libraries.
There are many, many other examples of Nottingham nurturing
its talent. Our writing community supports and encourages writers, qualities
that would make us a valuable member of the Creative Cities network. In fact,
we are a natural choice. Tracing back to the tales of Robin Hood our city has
an identity shaped by storytelling. We challenge authority, value free
expression and fight our fights with words. Like Robin Hood we demand social justice
and the right to a good time.
City of Literature status would be wonderful for Nottingham.
I created this blog because I wanted to do my bit to help raise awareness of the
groups and activities that exist in my city (many of them listed to the right),
and to celebrate the best of our literature. I know how talented, creative,
active and ambitious the people of Nottingham are. We are ready for UNESCO to
acknowledge this. Please BACK NOTTINGHAM’S BID.
* On December 1st 2014, four new cities were given City of Literature status bringing the total amount of Cities of Literature in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network to eleven. They include Spain’s first city of literature, Granada.
Information about the new cities can be found here:
Other links of inspiration:
Iowa City, the third City of Literature, website and
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