Wednesday, 27 November 2013
It's a Crime! Dec 4th, Antenna
Nottingham Writers' Studio, Five Leaves Publications and Weathervane Press present an evening of criminally good live literature.
On Wednesday 4th December - 7pm - at Antenna.
On Wednesday 4th December - 7pm - at Antenna.
Featuring:
Michael Eaton on Charlie Peace
Ann Featherstone on Dando the Oyster-Eater
Michael RD Smith reading from his new novel The Deed Room
John Stuart Clark about being a Nottingham scrappie
Rod Madocks on couples who kill
plus short stories from Andrew Kells and Lisa Shipman
Bookstall provided by Five Leaves Bookshop
All welcome. £3 entry. Bar available.
Michael Eaton on Charlie Peace
Ann Featherstone on Dando the Oyster-Eater
Michael RD Smith reading from his new novel The Deed Room
John Stuart Clark about being a Nottingham scrappie
Rod Madocks on couples who kill
plus short stories from Andrew Kells and Lisa Shipman
Bookstall provided by Five Leaves Bookshop
All welcome. £3 entry. Bar available.
Saturday, 23 November 2013
Tom Harper - top crime-fic author visits Notts
Lowdham Festivals and Southwell Library present Tom Harper and Anthony Riches.
Thursday 28th November
Historical fiction authors Anthony Riches & Tom Harper discuss their new novels...
Anthony Riches: The Eagle’s Vengeance
The barbarian leader Calgus defies both his barbarian captors and Britannia's legions – and Marcus Aquila – once more in the sixth thrilling novel in the Empire sequence, praised by fellow-authors Conn Iggulden, Ben Kane and Manda Scott.
Tom Harper: The Orpheus Descent
Once Plato was a questing young man with a secret. He left behind a key, a tiny, burnished, golden tablet thrown away into a swamp that he never expected anyone to find. 2500 years later a young archaeologist stumbles on the greatest secret history the world has ever known…
Tickets: £6 full, £5 concessions, £4 Festival Friends
Taking place at 7.30pm at Southwell Library
The Bramley Centre
King St
Southwell
NG25 0EH 0
01636 812148
Tickets from Southwell Library or The Bookcase, 50 Main Street, Lowdham, Notts NG14 7BE
Call our Box Office: 0115 966 3219
Thursday 28th November
Historical fiction authors Anthony Riches & Tom Harper discuss their new novels...
Anthony Riches: The Eagle’s Vengeance
The barbarian leader Calgus defies both his barbarian captors and Britannia's legions – and Marcus Aquila – once more in the sixth thrilling novel in the Empire sequence, praised by fellow-authors Conn Iggulden, Ben Kane and Manda Scott.
Tom Harper: The Orpheus Descent
Once Plato was a questing young man with a secret. He left behind a key, a tiny, burnished, golden tablet thrown away into a swamp that he never expected anyone to find. 2500 years later a young archaeologist stumbles on the greatest secret history the world has ever known…
Tickets: £6 full, £5 concessions, £4 Festival Friends
Taking place at 7.30pm at Southwell Library
The Bramley Centre
King St
Southwell
NG25 0EH 0
01636 812148
Tickets from Southwell Library or The Bookcase, 50 Main Street, Lowdham, Notts NG14 7BE
Call our Box Office: 0115 966 3219
Thursday, 7 November 2013
Notts Libraries, in crisis?
Comment:
Notts County Council, facing budget cuts, is standing firm in its commitment to keep open all sixty of its libraries. There had been fears that the smaller, so called ‘Tier Three’ libraries, might be for the chop.
Phew, that’s good news then.
On that face of it, yes, but the authority is hoping to make huge saving with an innovative and controversial plan to preserve the smaller libraries through a community partnership approach.
Eh?
They want to give libraries over to local communities, letting them take on the running. A one-off investment would be made, out of the library capital refurbishment programme. It would then be up to these groups to make it work.
Sounds like one of them a free schools. Here’s the budget, get on with it. Only, I bet they want the staff to work for free. Replace paid librarians with volunteers. Dave’s ‘big society’ again.
Here’s what John Knight, committee chairman for culture at the council, has to say: “We are having to look for increasingly creative and innovative ways to run our services. We are keen to work with communities to help provide the library services they want.”
Hmm. Might libraries be hijacked by those community groups with suspect motives, religious groups and the like?
It’s all about consultation right now, then restructure. They are approaching local groups to see who might want to take over. The best local solution will be awarded the one-off funding.
Free labour. So they think all them fogies that frequent the library will be lining up to help owt. But will they want to take jobs from the librarians they’ve become pally with. They might get a few offers, plus the odd student. I suppose they also see it as a way the unemployed folks can gain some work experience. Mind you, with all this ilk of volunteer you get a high turnaround of staff. Say goodbye to them ‘getting to know your librarian’ initiatives.
But how can they be? Part-timers? And I suspect the stock will suffer as well. Maybe the council want these tier three places to fail, that way they can shut ‘em, saying they tried but there weren’t enough willpower within the community. They’ll cite the figures, and they don’t lie!
Notts County Council, facing budget cuts, is standing firm in its commitment to keep open all sixty of its libraries. There had been fears that the smaller, so called ‘Tier Three’ libraries, might be for the chop.
Phew, that’s good news then.
On that face of it, yes, but the authority is hoping to make huge saving with an innovative and controversial plan to preserve the smaller libraries through a community partnership approach.
Eh?
They want to give libraries over to local communities, letting them take on the running. A one-off investment would be made, out of the library capital refurbishment programme. It would then be up to these groups to make it work.
Sounds like one of them a free schools. Here’s the budget, get on with it. Only, I bet they want the staff to work for free. Replace paid librarians with volunteers. Dave’s ‘big society’ again.
Here’s what John Knight, committee chairman for culture at the council, has to say: “We are having to look for increasingly creative and innovative ways to run our services. We are keen to work with communities to help provide the library services they want.”
Hmm. Might libraries be hijacked by those community groups with suspect motives, religious groups and the like?
It’s all about consultation right now, then restructure. They are approaching local groups to see who might want to take over. The best local solution will be awarded the one-off funding.
Free labour. So they think all them fogies that frequent the library will be lining up to help owt. But will they want to take jobs from the librarians they’ve become pally with. They might get a few offers, plus the odd student. I suppose they also see it as a way the unemployed folks can gain some work experience. Mind you, with all this ilk of volunteer you get a high turnaround of staff. Say goodbye to them ‘getting to know your librarian’ initiatives.
I don’t know
who will be training the staff or how it'll be funded. I assume that will have to come out of the initial
funding, otherwise it could mount up if, as you suggest, the turnaround is high.
They’ll want the staff to be just as informative and helpful as before.
But how can they be? Part-timers? And I suspect the stock will suffer as well. Maybe the council want these tier three places to fail, that way they can shut ‘em, saying they tried but there weren’t enough willpower within the community. They’ll cite the figures, and they don’t lie!
No, the
council want the libraries to survive. They’re just looking at the best way to
make this possible. It’s like when they introduced the machines, to facilitate
the borrowing and returning of books, you can even pay your fines with them.
Hah. They’re like those automated supermarket checkouts.
You need human help. You know you can’t return a book from another library, it confuses
the machine.
Well, they’re
not replacing humans with machines this time, but the county council needs to
save money. We are yet to hear the city council’s plans.
That’s one way they could save dosh. Merge the two. Seems
daft to me that the city and county have separate library services. Surely they
could become one, cutting costs in the process? And why are they paying so much
for books? Each service pays a premium for each book bought. If the county council
want 20 copies of the latest best-seller, why are they paying the full RRP for
them? Imagine how many copies the taxpayers are buying up and down the land.
Surely the libraries can bulk the orders and bag a generous discount. They
should be buying at £2 per book not £9.99.
I’m not sure
what the initiative will mean for new purchases.
Why are they even buying popular titles? I think most of
these books should be donated to the libraries. Mind you, I’d charge punters 10p for
each book taken out, excluding youngsters. That way authors could be paid a decent fee. The current
PLR situation is a disgrace. Let the authors get what’s due. If they did,
authors’d make sure that libraries were stocked with their books for nowt. They’d
make a tidy profit over time, if they were paid fairly.
But should
any new books be bought or authors paid more when frontline services are also
being cut?
Libraries are knowledge providers. Be it fiction, non-fiction
or use of the internet, libraries are access to information. Forget the media - so much owned by so few – it’s libraries that
are best placed to facilitate thought and imagination.
We’ll see
what happens.
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Message from Lowdham Festivals & Southwell Library
History Month – November 2013
Join us every Thursday evening in November for a fascinating series of talks from authors whose subjects range from Richard III to Plato, from the barbarians to World War I, and from US President James Madison to Lenin.
All talks take place at 7.30pm at Southwell Library
The Bramley Centre
King St
Southwell
NG25 0EH 0
01636 812148
Tickets from Southwell Library or The Bookcase, 50 Main Street, Lowdham, Notts NG14 7BE
Call our Box Office: 0115 966 3219.
Save money and buy a Season Ticket for all four events!
£20 full, £17 concessions, £15 Festival Friends
Thursday 7th November
Philippa Langley and Michael Jones:
The King’s Grave – The Search for Richard III
On 22 August 1485 Richard III was killed at Bosworth Field - the last king of England to die in battle. For ten years Society member Philippa Langley and historian Michael Jones have shared a vision to find the real Richard - the lost king buried underneath a mound of hostile propaganda. Their book is a unique collaboration.
Tickets: £6 full, £5 concessions, £4 Festival Friends
______________________________
Thursday 14th November
Authors Giles Milton and Saul David discuss their new books...
Giles Milton: Russian Roulette
The destruction of British India was the first stage in Lenin’s plot to bring down the democracies of the West. A group of British spies was smuggled into Soviet Russia to prevent this. An unlikely group of men, they were self-taught but highly educated and well versed in dirty tricks. Their boss was a monocled, one-legged sea captain with a passion for secret inks and homemade explosives.
Saul David: 100 Days to Victory
A totally original, utterly engaging account of the Great War – the first book to tell the story of the “war to end all wars” through the events of one hundred key days between 1914 and 1918. Saul David shows vividly how the war reached beyond the battlefield, touching upon events and lives which shaped the conduct and outcome of the conflict.
Tickets: £6 full, £5 concessions, £4 Festival Friends.
______________________________
Thursday 21st November
Peter Snow: When Britain Burned the White House
Two hundred years ago, Britain attacked the heartland of the United States and defeated them in battle. The President and his wife had just enough time to pack their belongings and flee the White House before the British army entered and set fire to the building. From here, the British army turned its sights to Baltimore…
Tickets: £7 full, £6 concessions, £5 Festival Friends
______________________________
Thursday 28th November
Historical fiction authors Anthony Riches & Tom Harper discuss their new novels...
Anthony Riches: The Eagle’s Vengeance
The barbarian leader Calgus defies both his barbarian captors and Britannia's legions – and Marcus Aquila – once more in the sixth thrilling novel in the Empire sequence, praised by fellow-authors Conn Iggulden, Ben Kane and Manda Scott.
Tom Harper: The Orpheus Descent
Once Plato was a questing young man with a secret. He left behind a key, a tiny, burnished, golden tablet thrown away into a swamp that he never expected anyone to find. 2500 years later a young archaeologist stumbles on the greatest secret history the world has ever known…
Tickets: £6 full, £5 concessions, £4 Festival Friends
All talks take place at 7.30pm at Southwell Library
The Bramley Centre
King St
Southwell
NG25 0EH 0
01636 812148
Tickets from Southwell Library or The Bookcase, 50 Main Street, Lowdham, Notts NG14 7BE
Call our Box Office: 0115 966 3219.
Save money and buy a Season Ticket for all four events!
£20 full, £17 concessions, £15 Festival Friends
Thursday 7th November
Philippa Langley and Michael Jones:
The King’s Grave – The Search for Richard III
On 22 August 1485 Richard III was killed at Bosworth Field - the last king of England to die in battle. For ten years Society member Philippa Langley and historian Michael Jones have shared a vision to find the real Richard - the lost king buried underneath a mound of hostile propaganda. Their book is a unique collaboration.
Tickets: £6 full, £5 concessions, £4 Festival Friends
______________________________
Thursday 14th November
Authors Giles Milton and Saul David discuss their new books...
Giles Milton: Russian Roulette
The destruction of British India was the first stage in Lenin’s plot to bring down the democracies of the West. A group of British spies was smuggled into Soviet Russia to prevent this. An unlikely group of men, they were self-taught but highly educated and well versed in dirty tricks. Their boss was a monocled, one-legged sea captain with a passion for secret inks and homemade explosives.
Saul David: 100 Days to Victory
A totally original, utterly engaging account of the Great War – the first book to tell the story of the “war to end all wars” through the events of one hundred key days between 1914 and 1918. Saul David shows vividly how the war reached beyond the battlefield, touching upon events and lives which shaped the conduct and outcome of the conflict.
Tickets: £6 full, £5 concessions, £4 Festival Friends.
______________________________
Thursday 21st November
Peter Snow: When Britain Burned the White House
Two hundred years ago, Britain attacked the heartland of the United States and defeated them in battle. The President and his wife had just enough time to pack their belongings and flee the White House before the British army entered and set fire to the building. From here, the British army turned its sights to Baltimore…
Tickets: £7 full, £6 concessions, £5 Festival Friends
______________________________
Thursday 28th November
Historical fiction authors Anthony Riches & Tom Harper discuss their new novels...
Anthony Riches: The Eagle’s Vengeance
The barbarian leader Calgus defies both his barbarian captors and Britannia's legions – and Marcus Aquila – once more in the sixth thrilling novel in the Empire sequence, praised by fellow-authors Conn Iggulden, Ben Kane and Manda Scott.
Tom Harper: The Orpheus Descent
Once Plato was a questing young man with a secret. He left behind a key, a tiny, burnished, golden tablet thrown away into a swamp that he never expected anyone to find. 2500 years later a young archaeologist stumbles on the greatest secret history the world has ever known…
Tickets: £6 full, £5 concessions, £4 Festival Friends
______________________________
OTHER NOVEMBER EVENTS!
We have a few tickets left for Festival Friends ONLY for this very special afternoon...
Thursday November 7th - 2.30-4pm
An Afternoon with David Suchet at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham
David Suchet will be talking with co-author Geoffrey Wansell about his acting life and about their new book, Poirot and Me, in which he explores his relationship with Agatha Christie's wonderful creation, the "little Belgian" who he has grown to love dearly over more than 25 years. There will be a chance to ask questions and David will sign books in the foyer in the interval and after the event.
Please note that tickets for this event are available ONLY from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0115 989 5555 or online at www.trch.co.uk
APART FROM Lowdham Festival Friends who can book through The Bookcase on 0115 966 3219.
And don’t forget Christmas! Start (or finish) your shopping at our Christmas Shopping Day on Saturday November 9th at The Bookcase when we launch our lovely range of Christmas books and gifts, plus a late night shopping evening on Friday December 6th as part of Lowdham Christmas Market.
www.thebookcase.co.uk
www.lowdhambookfestival.co.uk
OTHER NOVEMBER EVENTS!
We have a few tickets left for Festival Friends ONLY for this very special afternoon...
Thursday November 7th - 2.30-4pm
An Afternoon with David Suchet at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham
David Suchet will be talking with co-author Geoffrey Wansell about his acting life and about their new book, Poirot and Me, in which he explores his relationship with Agatha Christie's wonderful creation, the "little Belgian" who he has grown to love dearly over more than 25 years. There will be a chance to ask questions and David will sign books in the foyer in the interval and after the event.
Please note that tickets for this event are available ONLY from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0115 989 5555 or online at www.trch.co.uk
APART FROM Lowdham Festival Friends who can book through The Bookcase on 0115 966 3219.
And don’t forget Christmas! Start (or finish) your shopping at our Christmas Shopping Day on Saturday November 9th at The Bookcase when we launch our lovely range of Christmas books and gifts, plus a late night shopping evening on Friday December 6th as part of Lowdham Christmas Market.
www.thebookcase.co.uk
www.lowdhambookfestival.co.uk
Tuesday, 1 October 2013
New bookshop to open in city centre
Exciting news!
Nottingham is to have its first independent bookshop in the city since 2000. Opening in mid-November - at 14a Long Row, opposite the Tourist Information Centre – the shop will trade under the name Five Leaves Bookshop.
The new
bookshop will specialise in history, politics and landscape; fiction and
poetry; lesbian and gay books; and international writing, with an emphasis on
independent publishers.
The Five
Leaves Bookshop will complement other local independents including The Bookcase
in Lowdham and the graphic novel specialists Page 45 in Nottingham city centre.
It aims to open for trading on 9th November, with a grand opening on
16th November with events in the shop all day.
Nottslit Blog is happy to promote the shop and its events.
Marty Ross - one man show
Wednesday 2nd October
7PM
At: NOTTINGHAM CENTRAL LIBRARY
Thomas Hardy's strangest, darkest love story “BARBARA OF THE HOUSE OF GREBE” is brought to dramatic life in this one man show by storyteller, performer, playwright Marty Ross. When Barbara loses the man she truly loves, Lord Uplandtowers steps into the breach - but when he finds his wife is still haunted by the memory of her first husband, he decides to play the cruellest of tricks...
7PM
At: NOTTINGHAM CENTRAL LIBRARY
Cost: £2
Marty Ross presents his one man show of Thomas Hardy’s Barbara of the House of GrebeThomas Hardy's strangest, darkest love story “BARBARA OF THE HOUSE OF GREBE” is brought to dramatic life in this one man show by storyteller, performer, playwright Marty Ross. When Barbara loses the man she truly loves, Lord Uplandtowers steps into the breach - but when he finds his wife is still haunted by the memory of her first husband, he decides to play the cruellest of tricks...
For more information and to book your place visit the Ground Floor helpdesk / 0115 915 2825
Details: Jane.brierley@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
For more information about Marty visit:
http://martyrossstoryteller.blogspot.co.uk/
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