Archive for April, 2011
Post Spring Thing Thoughts and Other Events
2 years ago
by Birmingham Book Festival
in News
The Spring Thing has come and gone… And what a Thing it was. During the sun-filled weekend, hundreds of visitors took part in workshops, listened to their favourite authors and submerged themselves in two days of literature and poetry. Our personal highlights were Project Pigeon’s monogamous pigeons, the carrot cake we ate with Sophie Hannah and John Hegley’s handkerchief unicorn.
There were so many things going on during the Spring Thing that were special to us. One of the events we are most proud of is the launch of David Lodge’s new novel, A Man of Parts.
It was also great to see the creative outpourings from several Spring Thing visitors: Some of you did some amazing poetry on the big magnetic poetry board. We also asked you to write down what Birmingham means to you. As a result, you gave us a fantastic range of answers, from “Birmingham: A place of Employment” to “Everything”.
The Spring Thing 2011 was a big success and we can’t wait to do it all again next year. From all of us at the Birmingham Book Festival: thank you so much for coming, we hope you enjoyed the festival as much as we did. So long for now and see you in October for the Birmingham Book Festival 2011!
Meanwhile, here are a few notices of things coming up that we thought you might like…
Soul City Arts presents:
i-SLAM POETRY – WOMEN’S SPECIAL
The slam is open to ALL women with a passion for poetry
‘If you’re able to be yourself, then you have no competition. All you have to do is get closer and closer to that essence.
– Barbara Cook’
Hosted by
Charlie Jordan | Birmingham Poet Laureate and Radio Presenter
Guest poets and slam judges
Zena Edwards | Internationally acclaimed spoken word artist
Fatima Al Matar | Poet and Author
Enter the competition for a chance to win cash prizes for winner and runner-up plus 1-2-1 mentoring with UK’s finest female spoken word artists.
Date: Friday 6th May 2011
Time: 6.30pm – 9pm
Venue: The Hubb, 9 Stoney Lane, Balsall heath, Birmingham, B12 EDL
TICKETS £7 (inc refreshments)
To enter competition (free) or for more info contact Aisha:
events@soulcityarts.com | 07825 688 020
Audition: Saturday 30th April. 2-4pm, The Hubb
Purchase tickets online at www.soulcityarts.com/i-slamwomen
Postcode Stories in Birmingham:
Secret Stories of Kings Norton……
Kings Norton. It’s a typical neighbourhood in a typical town. Not much happens in these quiet everyday streets. Or does it?
That weird road name you spotted – where did that come from? Why is the old church boarded up? As for that old knarled tree in the graveyard…. perhaps strange things are afoot, and perhaps ghosts walk these lanes.
You’d like to follow further? Well, dive into this map where you can discover three dastardly Kings Norton tales, all created by the 213th Maypole Girl Guides group in Birmingham. Hide the trails you don’t want to see yet by clicking on the name at the bottom of the map, and follow the pathway, story to story.
More from us soon.
Indian novelist Rahul Bhattacharya at Ikon Gallery, 31 May 2011
2 years ago
Rahul Bhattacharya presents The Sly Company Of People Who Care.
- Bhattacharya Rahul (c) Sonali Bhattacharya
Tuesday 31st May, 7pm Ikon Gallery
Oozells Square, Brindleyplace
Birmingham B1 2HS
Oozells Square, Brindleyplace
Birmingham B1 2HS
FREE-book a place via Ikon: 0121 248 0708
A truly remarkable and original novel of self-discovery, set in a country of great contrasts.
A twenty-six-year-old Indian journalist decides to give up his job and travel to a country where he can ‘escape the deadness of his life’.So he arrives in Guyana, a forgotten colonial society of raw, mesmerising beauty. From the beautiful, decaying wooden houses of Georgetown, through coastal sugarcane plantations, to the dark rainforest interior scavenged by diamond-hunters, he is absorbed by the fantastic possibilities of this place where the descendants of the enslaved and the indentured have made a new world.
Rahul Bhattacharya has created a story that follows the shape and rhythms of life, not art. Part picaresque, in part a meditation, The Sly Company of People Who Care captures the heady adventures of travel, the overheated restlessness of youth, and the paradoxes of searching for life’s meaning in the escape from home.
Rahul is the author of Pundits from Pakistan, a work of reportage on the cricket competition between India and Pakistan. He lives in New Delhi, India.
Join Rahul Bhattacharya at the Ikon Gallery, The Sly Company of People Who Care will be available to buy and drinks will be served.
Supported by Picador
Supported by Picador
Post Spring Thing: The Newspaper, and the final event to look forward to!
2 years ago
Here is the final Issue of the Daily Spring Thing. Spring Thing Newspaper issue 4
We still have one more event to go: the fabulous Mo Hayder tomorrow, Thursday 14th April, at 7pm, Birmingham Conservatoire, £6.50/£5, tickets available on the door. More information here. Please join us in celebrating the end of this Spring Season of events. There will be wine and a final chance to buy books – including Mo’s, which will be discounted from the RRP, of course.
There is also a great review of our Project Pigeon workshop here.
More pictures, reviews and thoughts to come…
The Spring Thing Out and About
2 years ago
We have been out and about in the city today asking people this: What Does Birmingham Mean To You? We’ve had all sorts of answers already, and we’ll be inviting you to give yours tomorrow. These answers will be displayed on luggage tags outside of the Talking Cities event. The writers therein will be talking about cities – this one and others – that mean something to them. Amongst them are Amsterdam and Detroit, to name a 
few.
Here are a few pictures of our activities on this gorgeous April day – Spring really is upon us.
With thanks to Birmingham Cathedral and Birmingham Central Library for their hospitality.
The Spring Thing is tomorrow! Win A Workshop..
2 years ago
Yes, we wondered too…
Yes, we wondered too…
There are now just twenty four hours between us and the first event of The Spring Thing 2011.
It has been a busy week here in the Festival office, putting finishing touches to our plans, designing and making our big version of Magnetic Poetry (and we will be posting pictures of your poems on twitter at #bbfspringthing) and a few other things just for fun (because you can’t spend *all* your time between events in the Bookshop…). 
So even if you are just passing through on Saturday or Sunday, there will be something to see and people to say hello to – so please do stop by! We will be based in the main foyer area of Birmingham Conservatoire from 11am-9pm both days.
You know all about the events by now, but just incase you need a refresher, the programme is here. Tickets are still available for most things (although some are going fast!), and you are welcome to buy them on the door. To avoid disappointment you are welcome to get tickets to any of the weekend’s events at our Ticket Desk within the Conservatoire from 11am Saturday. This is located immediately inside the main entrance.
To celebrate the start of the weekend, we are offering you the chance to win a place on our unique writing workshop experience at the Project Pigeon Loft on Sunday.
This is an evocative and interesting space, and you will have the chance to work with novelist and comic writer Paul Macdonald, as well as meet the curators of Project Pigeon and learn a bit more about what they do. You might be wondering how birds and writing go together – but this isn’t about Pigeons per se. Have a look at the Spring Thing Newspaper Issue One for an interview with the project’s curators and some words from Paul. The article therein may also provide some inspiration for the question below!
We have two places to give away. These usually retail at £23 so take advantage of this unique give away and spend a few sunny hours wandering around the loft in Digbeth. There will be tea and coffee, too, and Festival Newspaper writer Anouk Abels will be on site to capture the experience in words.
TO WIN: Email us here and tell us which popular probiotic drink is apparently important to the diet of a Pigeon. We will contact the winners by Saturday morning.
If you are not a winner, don’t worry – you can still buy a ticket to this workshop (subject to availability) here.
Meanwhile, today, Friday, the Festival team will be out and about in the centre of Birmingham (around Birmingham Cathedral and Birmingham Central Library) asking you for your phrases to describe Birmingham – as inspiration for Talking Cities on Saturday night. Come and see us between 12-2 today, we will swap you a word for a chocolate!
We hope to see you this weekend at some of the Spring Thing’s events, or in the foyer enjoying the chance to read, relax and talk to friends. Say hello to our team – we love to meet people!
Have a great Spring Thing.
The Festival Team