MANCHESTER BLOG AWARDS 2007

The nomination period is now open for the

2007 Manchester Blog Awards.

Cash prizes will be awarded in five categories: political blog, personal blog, arts and culture blog, best new blog and a new category recognising the best creative writing on a blog.

To nominate blogs, send URLs for one entry in each category to mancblogawards at googlemail.com by September 7th 2007. (In order to qualify, writers of the blogs must live within reasonable commuting distance of Manchester. And yes, you can nominate your own blog. ) Manchester Blog Awards Director Kate Feld (The Manchizzle) will draw up a shortlist after the close of the nominating period, and the winners will be selected by a judging panel that will include Richard Fair of BBC Manchester and Dave Carter of Manchester Digital Development Agency.

The winners will be announced at:

The Manchester Blog Awards 2007
at MohoLive, Oldham Street
on 7pm Wednesday 10th October

Last year’s event was such a hit, we’ve decided to get bigger and better for 2007. We’ve organised a star-studded gala affair in the brand new MohoLive venue on Oldham Street. The evening will be a riotous celebration of new and engaging online writing, with readings from Manchester bloggers and music from the city’s mp3 bloggers.

We’re delighted to be able to host a reading from blogger and MMU graduate Caroline Smailes, whose debut novel, In Search of Adam, was recently published by Friday Fiction, the new fiction imprint from The Friday Project, the innovative publishing company that specialises in putting blogs in print. Caroline’s blog was hugely instrumental in getting her book published, and we’ll talk to her about that too.

Manchester writer and blogger Elizabeth Baines (The Tart of Fiction / Fictionbitch) will be reading the final installment of her Festival commissioned Blog Story, What Would You Do?, a tale set in Manchester that she’ll be writing in six sequential posts on a blog – with readers voting on what turn the plot should take. To find out more about this project, visit manchesterblogstories.blogspot.com

The Manchester Blog Awards is a free event, but please book tickets in advance. The Manchester Literature Festival box office goes live mid-August. To book tickets,
Call: 0870 428 0785 or book online: http://www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk/


Get Blogging Workshops

This year, Manchester Literature Festival and Manchester Digital Development Agency are also delighted to offer two blogging workshops on Saturday 29th September:

Blogging for Writers 11 am -1 pm
With writer and blogger Elizabeth Baines and Kate Feld of The Manchizzle
Putting your work online gives you a chance to flex your creative muscles and reach a whole new readership. This workshop aimed at writers will take participants through starting a blog; explore fiction, poetry and nonfiction blogs; and look at how some writers have used blogging to their best advantage.

So You Wanna be a Blogstar? 2 – 4 pm
With Kate Feld of The Manchizzle and and Chris Horkan of Mancubist.
What makes a blog work? In this workshop, we’ll look at the elements that go into successful blogs, and discuss the finer points of style, design, focus, and attracting readers. Perfect for a blogger or aspiring blogger who’s familiar with the basics but needs a little inspiration.

Workshops will be held at MDDA, Portland Street, £2. Computer stations and wireless internet available. Each workshop limited to ten, so book early. The Manchester Literature Festival box office goes live mid-August. To book tickets, Call: 0870 428 0785 or book online: http://www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk/

To find out more visit the MLF website at manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk; or The Manchizzle blog at manchizzle.blogspot.com. Contact Kate Feld, on 07960 285891, or via email: kate.feld at gmail.com

Manchester Blog Awards is supported by the Manchester Digital Development Agency and is part of the Manchester Literature Festival, October 4-14 2007.

Urban Myths Re-told

Manchester Literature Festival is pleased to announce the launch of this national flash fiction writing competition and performance installation project, coordinated in association with Urbis and the Interactive Arts Course at MMU.

We are inviting submissions of micro fictions that tell or retell an urban myth. The micro fiction or flash fiction genre forces writers to dispense with the excessive, superfluous and unnecessary elements to convey a succinct idea or story. This format is particularly suited to the Chinese-whisper characteristic of Urban Myths, where partial truths are laced with fantasy as they pass from teller to teller. We invite you to create your own version of what happens in the dark alleys and night clubs of cities and towns. You can use horror, science fiction or comedy to pack your punch.

You can submit up to five short fiction works of no longer than 250 words each on the theme of Urban Myths. Participants can be any age, and must live in the UK. Entries will be accepted in hard copy by mail only (see details below). All entries must be accompanied by a covering page which details the writer’s name, mobile phone number, email address and mailing address in order to be eligible.

The deadline for entries is Friday August 17th at 5pm. The submissions will then be judged by a literary panel including Katherine Beacon (BBC writersroom) and flash fiction author, David Gaffney, who will select the ten strongest entries. Students from the Interactive Arts degree at MMU will then interpret the successful ten flash fiction pieces and use the work as inspiration for the creation of new artworks in various genres (i.e. film, photography, sculpture, performance). This will result in a promenade performance installation piece, featuring all of the successful selections of micro-stories as interpreted by the Interactive Arts students.

The event will take place at Urbis on October 11th at 6pm as part of the Manchester Literature Festival 2007. The audience will be led around the Urbis building as darkness falls…. and the Urban Myths are re-told again.

The overall winner of the competition will receive a complimentary night for two, including dinner, bed & breakfast, in one of City Inn’s stylish contemporary hotels. City Inn is the hotel partner for Manchester Literature Festival. Check out their website for hotel details: http://www.cityinn.com/ and watch this space for special deals for festival goers to be announced in August. (* This prize is subject to terms and conditions.)

SUBMISSIONS:

Writers are asked to submit their flash fiction works by sending them along with a covering page detailing their name, mobile phone contact details, email address and mailing address.
Please post to:

URBAN MYTHS PROJECT
Creative Programmes
Urbis
Cathedral Gardens
Manchester M4 3BG

Manchester Literature Festival & Jodrell Bank

Manchester Literature Festival is planning a number of exciting new projects with Jodrell Bank over the next couple of years. We hope to launch the first of these in the autumn – more details to follow soon. In the meantime, please check out Jodrell’s summer Literary Festival to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lovell Telescope:

First Move Literary Festival 15 – 17 Jun

The Hot Spot, Jodrell Bank’s very own ‘Summer Pavilion’ hosts the First Move Literary Festival to celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of the first move of the Lovell Telescope under power. The programme is now finalised and is as follows :

Sat 26^th May

National Poetry Competition Run by The Times (see the Books Section and Times Online), leading poetry publishers Carcanet and Jodrell Bank in order to find a poem to send to the moon on June 17^th.

Fri 15th June

10.30am to 2pm Talking to the Moon. Schools poetry workshops writing poems destined to be sent to the moon and back on Sun 17 Jun. (Attendance arranged by Cheshire Education Authority).

7.30pm Alan Garner. The award-winning author speaks about his sense of time and place. Introduction by Erica Wagner, Literary Editor of The Times. Book signing to follow.

9.15pm Jodrell at 50. Astromomer Ian Morrison introduces Jodrell Bank and the Lovell Telescope. Tickets for the evening are £6.00 for adults and £5.00 for concessions. Tel: 01477 571 339 or 01477 571 321 or email: thehotspot@jb.man.ac.uk

Sat 16th June

2pm It Dances – An Interpreted Move. The Jodrell Bank Observatory is delighted to invite you to a celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the Lovell Telescope’s First Move. Come and be talked through the moves the Telescope makes as it points across space and time to observe the universe. Cream teas available on the lawn.

7.30pm Jeanette Winterson. The stellar author of Tanglewreck, Gut Symmetries, The Passion and Oranges are not the Only Fruit. Introduction by Erica Wagner, Literary Editor of The Times. Book signing to follow.

9.15pm Moving through Space & Time. Astronomer Tim O’Brien explains our view of the Universe.Tickets for the evening are £6.00 for adults and £5.00 for concessions. Tel : 01477 571 339 or 01477 571 321or email: thehotspot@jb.man.ac.uk

Sun 17th June

2pm Moonbounce. The poem written by the winner of the national competition run jointly by Jodrell Bank and The Times will be read out, transmitted to the moon, bounced off its surface and its echo picked up by the Lovell Telescope. Poems written by children at the workshop on Fri 15 Jun will also be moonbounced. Tickets are £6.00 for adults and £5.00 for children. Tel : 01477 571 339 or 01477 571 321 or email: thehotspot@jb.man.ac.uk

7.30pm The Space Race - Jed Mercurio and Alastair Gunn. The author of Bodies, currently working on a new TV adaptation of Frankenstein, discusses his most recent book Ascent, a fictional account of a Soviet manned mission to the Moon prior to the launch of Apollo 11. Alastair Gunn, an astromomer at Jodrell Bank, sets the discussion in the context of Jodrell Bank's contribution to the space race. Introduction by Erica Wagner, Literary Editor of The Times. Book signing to follow. Tickets are £6.00 for adults and £5.00 for concessions. Tel : 01477 571 339 or 01477 571 321 or email: thehotspot@jb.man.ac.uk

Trailblazer event: Edmund White for queerupnorth

Tuesday 15 May 07, 8pm

at Essential, Bloom Street, Manchester M1
Tickets: £9 (Subject to booking fee)

Booking: tel 0870 428 0785 or book online

A special appearance from one of America’s greatest living authors presented by queerupnorth and Manchester Literature Festival.

Edmund White’s semi-autobiographical trilogy (A Boy’s Own Story, The Beautiful Room is Empty and The Farewell Symphony) is one of the definitive chronicles of modern queer life. He’s also been acclaimed for his fiction novels, his short stories, and biographies of Jean Genet and Proust.

He’s particularly renowned for writing that combines frankness, poignancy and hilarity, from his memorable tales of coming out to his vivid depictions of living with HIV. He’ll talk about his life and his books, but he’ll also treat us to a special preview of his new novella Chaos in an evening that’s not to be missed.

Manchester Literature Festival are looking for a Festival Administrator / Events Manager

Location: Festival Office, Central Manchester

Salary £24,000 pro-rata (3 days per week)

This appointment is initially for 12 months with the potential for renewal for a further 2 years.

The new Manchester Literature Festival with its strong brands Read, Independent and Freeplay is looking to appoint a Festival Administrator / Events Manager to provide year round administrative and marketing support and to manage the actual programme of events that take place as part of the annual festival and one off trailblazer events. You must have excellent organisational and communication skills.

You will report to the Festival Director and be responsible for the recruitment and supervision of a team of volunteers. Manchester Literature Festival is a Limited Company.

For a Job Description and Person Specification please contact

Cathy Bolton email: director at manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk

or Tel: 0161 236 5725.

Closing date for applications: Wednesday 28^th March

Potential Interview date: Thursday 12 April (tbc)

Diké Omeje

We are very sad to report that the poet Diké Omeje died of cancer at the weekend. Diké was a dynamic and inspirational force on the performance poetry scene in Manchester and beyond. He captivated audiences across the country with his thoughtful words and captivating presence. Diké was a firm favourite in many of the Manchester Poetry Festival programmes and brought his unique brand of wit and poetic dexterity to the first Manchester Literature Festival through his involvement in The Burgess Project and the Mancunian Meander. He had two collections of poems published Crafting the Practice (Crocus Books) and the Mindfield (Cheers Ta), and was published in many anthologies including Poetry Slam (Manchester Poetry Festival).

Diké was highly regarded and well loved amongst his contemporaries. He was always encouraging new poets and was a keen supporter of the many performance nights that have flourished in the city in recent years. We are immensely grateful that he dedicated so much of his 34 years to poetry. He was, in short, an impossible act to follow.

Cathy Bolton & Fee Plumley (Manchester Literature Festival) & The Burgess Project Team


For more information on Diké or to post your own condolences please visit myspace.com/artycoolate

Commonword are raising a memorial contribution towards Dike’s funeral expenses. If you are able to make a donation please let them know by email how much you are able to commit and send a cheque made payable to Commonword Ltd to: Commonword 6 Mount Street, Manchester M2 5NS. They will pass on all money received to Dike’s family.

Photograph: Diké Omeje during The Burgess Project development weekend. Credit: Jamie Kennerley, September 2006.

Want to become MLF's new Director?

In August 2006 Chris Gribble left to become the Chief Executive of the New Writing Partnership in Norwich. Cathy Bolton took over as Acting Director to lead us through the first festival in our new format, and now it is time to recruit for the more long-term position.

If you have always wanted a festival of your own, here's your chance...


Manchester Literature Festival
Festival Director

Location: Office, Central Manchester
Salary £30,000 pro-rata (3 days per week)

This appointment is initially for 12 months with the potential for renewal for a further 2 years.

The new Manchester Literature Festival with its strong brands Read, Independent and Freeplay is looking to appoint a Festival Director to build on the successes of the first year and strengthen the festival for the future. The Director must have vision and drive, good knowledge of the Literature Sector and enthusiasm for developing an innovative and adventurous festival.

The Festival is delivered across the City with a range of partners and organisations. We are looking for a good communicator who can build strong partnerships, generate new funding and develop exciting festival projects.

Manchester Literature Festival is a Limited Company. You will report to a board and have responsibility for an Administrative / Events Manager. The post of Festival Director is challenging in offering the chance to exercise a wide range of skills, creative, commercial and organisational, with a large degree of autonomy.

For a Job Description and person specification please contact
Jane Mathieson e mail nwreader@libraries.manchester.gov.uk
or Tel 0161 236 4451

Closing date for applications: Mon 18th December
Potential Interview date: Friday 5th January (tbc)

The Burgess Project hits Manchester streets

The hugely ambitious Burgess Project hit Manchester's streets on Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week and was a massive success. With a bonkers mix of churches, text messages, tour buses, crime scenes, furry pianos and sing-alongs, presided over by the Big Brother-like presence of Anthony Burgess, those who had booked on and those intrigued passers-by that joined in the fun in St Ann's and Exchange Squares were unanimous in their praise. Despite the many threats to proceedings including traffic wardens, fines for dropping a cigar, broken heels, teenagers at the Triangle, rain and temperamental tvs, the Burgess Project wove its merry way through the city centre and, thanks to the hard work of all involved, proved an gob-smacking and certainly different highlight of the first Manchester Literature Festival!

Under the belly of the whale

It's not often you get the chance to hear a poetry reading while surrounded by stuffed animals and skeletal swimmers, but that's the Manchester Literature Festival for you.
American poet and well-known liberal Sharon Olds paid her first visit to Manchester last night for an exclusive reading, held in conjunction with The Poetry School. The event was a sell-out with a queue of hopefuls hovering in hope of a returned ticket for what was proving to be one of the events of the festival so far. After mingling in Cafe Muse, the crowd were led, school crocodile fashion, up to the Animal Gallery of Manchester Museum where they were sat under the skeleton of a whale. Yes, the skeleton of a whale. A more impressive or unusual setting you couldn't have asked for. Despite a few initial technical difficulties (the sound men were given their own round of applause when the microphone was finally persuaded to work), Sharon Olds soon had the audience entranced with readings from her Selected Poems and previews of new works. A Q&A session gave an insight into Old's techniques and influences before it was time to be let out, blinking, onto Oxford Road, heads still full of poetry and taxidermy...

A Royle Visit

Back to Matt and Phreds last night for the launch of local author Nicholas Royle's new book of short stories, Mortality. After a slight panic at about 6.55pm when it seemed the author had gone walkabout, normal service was resumed and the reading took place only slightly later than planned. Nicholas Royle's tales of Fallowfield Film Club and references to Fletcher Moss Gardens went down well with a sizeable crowd, boosted by Nicholas's very own fan club/students. Another great night at MLF was rounded off with the mellow sounds of Matt and Phred's jazz band taking us into the wee hours, ready for another day of reading and writing fun tomorrow.

a shaggy dog tale

If you went down to Matt and Phreds last night, you'd certainly have had a big surprise. Cult classic Ed Barton was on hand to perform a selection of his poems form new book Bad Leg and perform was certainly the word. As well as a series of short films and musical support from Rachel Pratt & The Nature Corner and The Delicate Hammers, Ed donned a series of rather disturbing animal costumes to better renact his tales of dogs and monkeys and Germans. Editor Ra Page bore the brunt of Ed's evil eye and was 'encouraged' to read a poem himself centre stage-bravo.
Across town at Urbis, the Manchester Blog Awards celebrated the best online voices in conjunction with Verberate. Congratulations to overall winner 43 - detailing the trials and tribulations of that long, long journey from Piccadilly to Manchester Airport. Best personal blog went to A Free Man in Preston, best arts and culture was won by Yer Mam and best political was taken by Normblog. Congratulations all round!

Authors in the art gallery and other stories

It was a night of celebrity authors, wine, inspiring readings, interesting company, wine, glamour (fee's fabulous ballgown), and wine.
As the Whitworth Art Gallery filled with eager Boyd fans (Boydettes?) there was a buzz going round the beautiful surroundings that said the Manchester Literature Festival had arrived. Fuelled by wine and nibbles, the already enthusiastic crowd was put in a receptive mood. William Boyd was a confident speaker, regaling his audience with tales of WWII espionage and the war of minds to persuade the Americans to join the war effort. His latest novel, Restless, certainly went down well last night, with Waterstones doing a roaring trade and Mr Boyd giving his autograph a lot of practice.
Other first day events, including Pennine Poets, Original Modern Stories and Mike Garry all also went swimmingly with positive reactions reported all round. Here's to another equally fantastic nine days!

Manchester Literature Festival open for business

Hey hey - we made it! The first ever Manchester Literature Festival has launched! And we're off to a flying start today (Friday) with the first Original Modern Stories recordings, Pennine Poets anthology launch, Mike Garry on a Mancunian Meander and William Boyd at Whitworth Art Gallery-phew.
We hope to see you at some (or all, if you're a hardcore lit fan) of the amazing events taking place over the next ten days. Keep checking back for news and reviews from the frontline of the festival...

Sign up for free Eventext

If you want all the latest news on events around Manchester (including, of course, the fabulous and imminent MLF) then you won't go far wrong by signing up for Manchester City Council's free Eventext service.

As well as exclusive competitions and offers from Manchester Literature Festival, you'll be the first to know about all the other ace events happening around Manc this winter, including Manchester Comedy Festival, In The City Live and the ever popular Christmas markets.

Simply text 'EVENT' to 60600 to subscribe and you'll soon have the latest news, reviews and exclusive offers at your fingertips. Most importantly all the texts are free and you can opt in or out at any time. Find out more, including terms and conditions, at www.eventext.com

Tickets selling fast...

With phones and computers red hot in the MLF office, tickets for the festival's events, readings and projects are selling like the proverbial.
BitchLit at Waterstones on 19th October is already a sell-out while Sharon Olds at Manchester Museum on 18 October and launch night favourite William Boyd at the Whitworth Art Gallery are also fast reaching capacity. Make sure you get your mitts on tickets for your favourite events by emailing bookings@mlfestival.co.uk now!

Manchester Festival of Palestinian Literature tickets on sale now

Start forming an orderly queue as the hottest literary tickets in town are now officially on sale. The first ever Manchester Festival of Palestinian Literature opens on Friday 13 October and runs all weekend. Highlights to get in your diary include:

• Mourid Barghouti - renowned author of I Saw Ramallah
• Carol Ann Duffy & Salma Kahdra Jayyusi
• Guy Garvey performing with Reem Kelani at Matt and Phreds

The festival website is now also open for business - www.mfpl.co.uk - where you can check out all the events, including the festival market, and plan your weekend in full.

Tickets cost £5.00 per event (£4.00 concs) or if you really want to immerse yourself there's a festival pass available for the frankly giveaway price of £30 (£25 concs).

Email bookings@mlfestival.co.uk to book now for the festival they're calling 'A literary Buena Vista Social Club'.

Book crossing for National Poetry Day

National Poetry Day is Oct. 5, and North West libraries are marking the occasion with a poetry-specific Book Crossing effort.

Library staff will be leaving specially purchased poetry collections by poets from the North West region, in public places such as health centres, leisure centres, pubs and cafes, hairdressers’ salons - wherever they think someone will have time and curiosity enough, to pick up a book and read a poem or two. Finders of books can read and keep them, or pass them on, after registering their “find” on www.bookcrossing.com.

While books are being released, four poets are going to be spreading the word about the Book Crossing project at readings across the region. Rosie Lugosi in Liverpool (3pm at Tate Liverpool), Mandy Coe in Manchester (BBC mobile studio), Joy Winkler in Carlisle (Castle) and Jennifer Copley in deepest Cheshire (Deep Store) are all reading briefly before leaving their own collections somewhere in the locality.

The NW Book Crossing project is co-ordinated by Time To Read, the NW Libraries Reader Development partnership. For more information about the project as a whole, please contact Jane Mathieson Tel 0161 236 4451 or e mail nwreader@libraries.manchester.gov.uk

Manchester Blog Awards

Check out Manchizzle's blog for info on how to nominate your blog for the First Annual Manchester Blog Awards as part of the Manchester Literature Festival!

Categories are:
Best Arts and Culture Blog ( incl. music, photo, art, film, lit, fiction blogs, etc.)
Best Political Blog
Best Personal Blog
Blog of the Year (Open to any kind of blog)
The nominating period started on Sept 10th and closes on October 1. You can nominate yourself or someone else, and selections will be made by a panel of judges early October. Please email your nominations to: mancblogawards@googlemail.com

UPDATE!
The deadline has now been extended until October 7th! Quick, get your nominations in.

Manchester Independent Book Market

Fri 1st & Sat 2nd Sept saw the first ever Manchester Independent Book Market at St Ann's Square. Organised by (DXN) Diversity Exchange Network and Literature Northwest (with support from CIDS), this was the first time the region's independent publishers have been invited to promote their wares by Manchester Specialist Markets (the fellas who put on the German, Flower, Christmas and Farmers markets).

It was excellent to see so many sellers and buyers (particularly those braving the rain on the Saturday!) mingling, with live entertainment provided by Chloe Poems, Anwen Lewis, Maria Roberts and Dike Omeje - amongst others.

The spanking new MLF brochures managed to arrive hot-off-the-press just in time for the market and were quite literally flying off the stalls - it bodes well for a good inaugural festival! Here's hoping this becomes a regular event! Particular thanks to Duncan and Ra for all their hard work.

Welcome to MLFestival's Blog

This is where we will be updating you on the activities to be seen and heard during the festival, and inviting your comments.