Independent Bookshop Week 2023

We’re really pleased to be joining forces with Brixton bookshop, Round Table Books, for a week of events in celebration of Independent Bookshop Week 2023, and of the brilliant community of independent publishers, booksellers, readers and writers in South London.

Independent Bookshop Week, which takes places from 17 – 24th June, is a Bookseller’s Association campaign, designed to celebrate and promote indy bookshops and all they do to keep the UK book trade diverse, eclectic and engaged with local communities.

We love getting know our local independent bookshops (as well as those further afield!) so we’re delighted to be hosting four events at Round Table Books during Independent Bookshop Week, showcasing recent and forthcoming Arachne Press titles. All the events are free to attend:

Sunday 18th June, 6.30pm: Writers from Arachne Press anthology, Where We Find Ourselves: Poems and Stories of Maps and Mapping from UK writers of the global majority. Nikita Chadha, Farhana Khalique, Lesley Kerr, Emily Abdeni-Holman, L Kiew and Mallika Kahn will read their own and one others’ work from the anthology, discussing what inspired their own piece and why they chose the other to share. Book now.

Monday 19th June, 6.30pm: Writing LGBTQ+ Joy with poet Jeremy Dixon. Ahead of the submission deadline for Arachne Press’ LGBTQ+ poetry anthology, Joy//Us, (October 11th) join poet and co-editor Jeremy Dixon for a workshop on writing queer joy. Suitable for all levels of poetry experience, this is an opportunity to explore the theme of queer joy, and perhaps produce a poem to submit for the anthology. Jeremy Dixon’s latest collection, A Voice Coming From Thenwon the Wales Book of the Year English language poetry category in 2022. Pre-booking essential, book now.

Tuesday 20th June, 6.30pm: Poetry reading with AJ Akoto. Debut poet AJ Akoto gives a pre-publication reading from her forthcoming poetry collection UnMothered (13 July 2023), followed by a Q and A session with Round Table Books Co-Director, Meera Ghanshamdas. Inspired by a desire to break the silence surrounding difficulties in mother-daughter relationships, UnMothered uses storytelling and myth to capture the complexity, and contradictions, that define the mother-daughter bond. Book now.

Thursday 22nd June, 8pm: poet Rhiya Pau reads from her award-winning debut collection, Routes. Exploring the routes taken by Rhiya Pau’s parents and grandparents across multiple countries to arrive in the UK, Routes lays bare the conflicts of identity that arise from being a member of the East African-Indian diaspora. Book now.

Free tickets to all the events can be reserved on Eventbrite and books will be available to buy, and get signed, at Round Table Books.

Meera Ghanshamdas of Round Table Books said:

‘We are delighted to be partnering with Arachne Press for Independent bookshop week, not only are they really local to us, but we are on very much the same page (pun deliberate) on the importance of inclusive publishing. Arachne’s focus on LGBTQ+ and disabled writers, as well as their championing of Global Majority writers, sits really well with the aims and ethos of our organisation. I’m really looking forward to meeting all the authors who will be reading or running workshops with us.’

We are really looking forward to being involved in #IndieBookshopWeek and hope to see you at one of the above events. And remember, a bookshop is for life not just Independent Bookshop Week! 

A Voice Coming from Then On Tour

This Autumn we’re taking A Voice Coming from Then on tour in Wales, to celebrate the collection winning the English Language Poetry Category in the 2022 Wales Book of the Year Awards. Join us at one of the events below for readings and conversation with poet Jeremy Dixon (and occasional guests).

Links to tickets for all the events will be updated as they become available.

COMING UP

29/11/2022 Typewronger, Edinburgh details
30/11/2022 Lighthouse Books, Edinburgh details

If you would like any more information about any of these events, please contact outreach@arachnepress.com.

CATCH VIDEOS HERE SOON FOR EVENTS THAT HAVE ALREADY HAPPENED

IN THE MEANTIME HERE’S A TASTER

05/10/2022 The Hours, Brecon
06/10/2022 (National Poetry Day)  Waterstones, Carmarthen
06/10/2022 (National Poetry Day)Waterstones, Cardiff
13/10/2022 Cardiff Central Library Hub, joint event with George Sandifer-Smith

All the events above are free.

 

Women on the Move: Poetry and Flash for International Women’s Day

To celebrate the launch of Emma Lee‘s new poetry collection The Significance of a Dress, we are holding an event at the Stephen Lawrence Gallery, University of Greenwich, 10 Stockwell Street, Greenwich SE10 9BD on the actual day SUNDAY 8TH MARCH 2pm.

Emma will be joined by Jenny Mitchell (Time and Tide, whose idea it was). Michelle Penn (Dusk, Noon, Time and Tide), Shamini Sriskandarajah (Story Cities), Claire Booker (Time and Tide), Laila Sumpton (Dusk, Noon) and Sarah Lawson (The Other Side of Sleep, Vindication, Departures), and there will be an open mic session, and very possibly cake.

The notional theme is women on the move, but this is being widely interpreted.

If you would like to take part in the open mic with on-theme poetry or flash fiction, please contact us, or sign up on arrival, there are a maximum of 6 500-word-limit slots.

Tickets by donation to cover travel expenses for the readers.

Hidden Corners for Brockley Max

Tonight, Friday 7th June, Arachne Press authors, Bartle Sawbridge and Cherry Potts are taking part in Hidden Corners, the WooA event for Brockley Max at the Talbot pub, corner of Tyrwhitt Road and Lewisham Way.

Two stories each, and a silly writing game after the interval. 7.30pm

bartle saf

Cherry and Julian small

Arachne’s Fifth Birthday coming up – how shall we celebrate?

I have had it drawn to my attention that Arachne will be five at the end of July, so we should celebrate – but how?

I think it would be appropriate to do a little more than blow up balloons, fun though that is… make suggestions!

The Story Sessions Freedom Tales recordings

The first of our new season of The Story Sessions – Freedom Tales

The headliners:

Sarah Lawson: Animal Liberation

David Steward The Last Goodnight

Annalie Wilson reading The Branded Hand by Brian Johnstone

And Liberty by Andrew McCallum

Jim Cogan Lag

We run The Story Sessions to showcase whatever we’ve published most recently, and to give authors a chance to experiment, show off and promote their work, whether published by us or not. There are three different ways of doing that: through applying to headline (see the end of this post) bringing something that is brand new, or not quite working, to the test bed to get audience opinion, or joining in with 100 words in Flash from the Floor

Test Bed: Cherry Potts Simple Girls (extract)

Flash from the Floor

David

Annalie (read by Cherry)

Music

Annalie Wilson is our Actor/Singer in residence for this season of The Story Sessions

Annalie singing We Will Be Heard, a song written to celebrate Emily Wilding Davison

and Save Me

If you’ve enjoyed these recordings, come along next time, 18th January 7.30 at The Brockley Deli 14a Brockley Cross SE4 1BE for Winter Tales, with a stories from Rosalind Stopps and probably that Liam Hogan, poems from Nancy Charley, Megan E Freeman, Karina Lutz and whatever we choose from the responses to the call out after the deadline which is…Tomorrow!!!. So if you are a writer, especially if you can GET to the event, send us your wintery offerings of under 2000 words NOW.

The Story Sessions- Coming Up: Winter Tales

gate-burton-frostWe have the line up for The Story Sessions for 18th January, Winter Tales

We are not entirely sure which authors/poets are reading their own work, but the material is chosen…
Headlining:
Rosalind Stopps Deliver Me
Math Jones Skadhi’s Laughter
Megan E Freeman On Winter Days in Northern Norway, read by Annalie Wilson
Karina Lutz New Kinds of Weather read by Annalie Wilson
Cath Blackfeather Winter Tale
Anne Macaulay It’s January Where We Are Now
Testbed:
Michael Carey Regeneration
Plus, music from Annalie, and, we hope, plenty of Flash from the Floor from the audience!
Join us at The Brockley Deli 14a Brockley Cross SE4 1BE at 7.30 on Wednesday 18th January for music, murder, myth, laughter, and all kinds of weather.

CroftMass on Saturday

If you are coming to our Singing workshop with Lester Simpson, (there are 8 places left by the way!) it would be worth dropping round the corner to CroftFest’s CroftMass on your way. It starts at 12 and there are food stalls and markets and Santa’s Grotto (If you don’t feel too old for that!). So just nice time to grab your lunch from the ‘famous vegetarian food stall’ at Jays, or get your face painted at the Estate Agents!

Lots more info on facebook

events coming up

2016-11-03-16-57-29A plethora of events coming up. Thanks to the Arts Council support, from the 16th November on we are out and about with Liberty Tales, and The Story Sessions season at The Brockley Deli kicks off too! Meet authors, listen to stories and poems, (sometime read by actors) and, at The Story Sessions, join in!2016-11-03-16-56-32

Solstice(s) and Shakespeare – reminders

WRITERS AND MUSICIANS: you have until 23:59 tomorrow to submit your story, poem or music on the theme of Shortest Night, for This year’s Solstice Shorts Festival to be held on 21st December 2016.

EVERYBODY especially Shakespeare enthusiasts: Tomorrow is our free Midsummer Night in the Garden event. It looks like the weather will be fine so book you place via the library on  0208 314 7794 bring a picnic blanket and some insect repellant! We will be selling books, strawberries and cake, and there will be alcohol available for a donation.

Because it’s a leap year the Solstice is actually today. looking at the torrential rain I’m glad we went with the day people think is Midsummer even though it isn’t. quite.

If you want to get in a Shakespeare and Solstice mood tonight, as the actual longest day, come along to The Food of Love – a celebration of Shakespeare and Music, from Hexachordia, at the Church of St Edmund the King, Lombard Street, EC3V 9EA at 6pm.

midsummer banner in situ