It’s save a spider day! Let’s celebrate being a saver not a squisher, and have a flash sale on our very own spider saving tome, No Spider Harmed in the Making of this Book. Use the code SPIDERSAVE at the checkout to get 50% off our 8th anniversary anthology – Poems and stories that stick up for the small and not terribly attractive.
Here are some sillinesses we made to support the book
With thanks to our lovely friends Carrie, Chukwude and Greg
Editor Cherry Potts talks about Devilskein and Dearlove a young adult novel by Alex Smith, which was nominated for the Carnegie Medal on 2015. Includes Q&A with the author, animated trailer by Nick Page and a couple of readings by actors Greg Page and Peter Noble.
You can buy Devilskein and Dearlove from our Webshop. Use the discount code ARACHNEVERSARY at the checkout throughout August.
It’s here – weeks of planning, recording, editing, uploading (and a bit of cursing) and finally we have an online book launch for No Spider Harmed in The Making of This Book.
(You may not be able to hear it but thousands of spiders are twanging their webs and stamping their feet in celebration.)
You can buy the book from our website, (or a bookshop, but we see more of the money if you buy direct, and if I’m feeling generous, you might get a random badge too)
We are also having a sale (this book not included) Add ARACHNEVERSARY at checkout to get your discount and check out the special offers button too.
If you want an ebook your usual supplier will have it, We recommend Hive for ePub.
The file for the launch ended up being so HUGE I had to split it, so there is a brief interval and the other half is at 9.02pm* BST. Just time for a comfort break or to refill your glass.
*on here it’s 2 minutes later than on YouTube to give the file a chance to go live for the premiere, they have this really annoying countdown!)
First half features
introduction by head Arachnid, Cherry Potts with BSL translation by Marcel Hirshman.
Kate Foley– Spin
A. Katherine Black – Even People who’d been Accidentally Turned into Giant Murderous Mutant Spiders (extract)
Greg Page as Incy Wincy
Daniel Olivieri Revenge One JSTOR article at a time
Jackie Taylor – Goodbye Spider
Carrie Cohen as Ms Muffet
KT Wagner – Across the Void
Marcel Hirshman performing Jennifer Rood‘s Spider Queen, in BSL
cover design Karen Boissonneault-Gauthier used repeatedly! Dancing spider gif created from photo by Martha Nance
If you haven’t caught up with them elsewhere yet, here are the three delightful promo messages going the rounds for the launch of No Spider Harmed.
Ms Muffit (Carrie Cohen)
Incy Wincy (Greg Page)
and
Robert the Bruce (Math Jones)
We did try to get Anansi involved, but he’s not answering his emails.
We had a lot of fun at Sussex Yacht Club in Shoreham for Shoreham WordFest on Thursday, lovely crowd, great acoustic and though we say it ourselves, some marvellous poems, stories and songs.
Poems by Bernie Howley, Elinor Brooks, Brian Johnstone, Jeremy Dixon, Kate Foley and Andrew McCallum; read Carrie Cohen, Elinor Brooks and Greg Page
Stories by Carolyn Eden, Cherry Potts and Liam Hogan read by themselves.
Songs by Sydney Carter, Ali Burns, Albert Nyathi, George Loveless/ Joe Stead and James Oppenheim; arranged by Melanie Harrold messed around with and sung by a small subset of Vocal Chords Choir, (Cherry Potts, Alix Adams, Bea Jackson, Caroline Dunton, Denise Mueller-Brown and Maria Kirby)
The Privilege of Departure, or Dover Bound, But Delayed by Bernie Howley, read by Carrie Cohen.
Singing We Raise the Watchword Liberty in full with the audience
The second half – stories, and a certain amount of difficulty with the camera cutting out.
Carolyn Eden:
Cherry Potts:
Liam Hogan:
Here’s some feedback from the audience on what they liked (you can hear them joining in on some of the songs)
Well constructed programme, the segues from music into poetry and back again, the variety of interpretations given to the theme of liberty. Bread and Roses, Free White Towel and the promise of a free badge!
Here is an interesting evening, full of fun, wisdom and wit. Hear some moving poems/ stories from those from the past and present combined with our essential liberties.
I love being read to. A very mixed programme which really stimulated my mind and imagination.
relaxed
variety – the spice of life
I enjoyed the flow of the first half
Loved the storytelling
Singing – chance to join in
Celebrating freedom – and keeping socialist history alive – good songs poems and stories too!
Witty and original writing. Very lively material, good singing.
Being busy people we can’t always arrange our own events as regularly as we might like, so we are very happy when we get asked to take part in other people’s.
Next Friday 22nd September 7pm Liam Hogan is reading from Happy ending Not Guaranteed at the launch of London Writers’ Eclective at Waterstones 11 Islington Green, N1 2XH
On Wednesday 27th September 18.15 we are at Archway with Words at Archway Library, Hamlyn House Highgate Hill N19 5PH where Liam is reading again, alongside Katy Darby, Cherry Potts, Carolyn Eden, and Wendy Gill
On Saturday 30th September we are at Free Verse Poetry Book Fair at Conway Hall where we will have a stall all day, and are reading in the Red Lion Square garden cafe at 4.30, with Jeremy Dixon, Lisa Kelly and Sarah James.Experience a flush of openness in San Francisco, a long day on a till, an even longer night in a hotel, and time shifting about the three occupants of a house.
In October we are off to the Shoreham Word Fest with a Liberty Tales/ Songs of Protest evening at the Yacht Club on Thursday 12th at 19.30 (£10) with Elinor Brooks, Greg Page and Carrie Cohen reading poetry and Cherry & Liam reading prose, and Ian Kennedy & Sarah Lloyd and some of Vocal Chords singing. We will be teaching two very simple protest songs!
Followed on the Saturday Morning at 11am with a Children’s event in the Library, (Free) with The Old Woman From Friuli by Ghillian Potts being read by Tash Fairbanks, and a kind of demonstration of woodcut printing from Cherry Potts, because we couldn’t get hold of Ed Boxall, the illustrator of the book, to join us. No sharp objects will be let near children!
Press coverage of the reading at Brentwood Theatre (with slightly exaggerated audience number in the headline!!) Thanks to Chicken & Frog for organising!
Recording from an early section of the reading by Greg Page at Brentwood Theatre
Video snippet of Greg Page reading at The Gate Library, Forest Gate.
Arachne Press is doing another actor reading of our CARNEGIE MEDAL NOMINATED Young Adult novel, Devilskein & Dearlove this coming Thursday 5th Feb 7.45 for 8 til 9.30 at Lewisham Library 199-201 Lewisham High Street SE13 6LG.
It’s an intoxicating mix of gardens and demons, doors within doors, tragedy and hope. Great for anyone from age 9 to 900, and especially anyone who loves fantasy.
Join publisher Cherry Potts of Arachne Press and actor Peter Noble for the reading with video Q&A from the author Alex Smith, showing of the animated trailer and live Q&A from the publisher.
We will find out if we are LONGLISTED for the Carnegie Medal a couple of days later…
Free but booking advisable at EventBrite (this is purely to control numbers, don’t be put off coming by the need to get a ticket!)
Live or study in Brentwood? Get yourself to Brentwood Theatre at 13:30 on Wednesday 21st January to meet Mr Devilskein impersonator, Greg Page, watch the trailer and catch author Alex Smith answering questions on video, talk to publisher Cherry Potts and buy a book! Got a Question about writing the book? You have until the end of today to ask via twitter @Devilskein or @Africa_Alex or by our page here. School Parties actively encouraged, ideal for 10-14 year olds, enjoyed by 9-900 year olds. Tickets £4 from Ticket Source
Live or study in E7? Get yourself to the Gate Library at 11am on Thursday 22nd January to meet Mr Devilskein impersonator, Greg Page, watch the trailer and catch author Alex Smith answering questions on video, and buy a book! Got a Question about writing the book? You have until the end of today to ask via twitter @Devilskein or @Africa_Alex or by our page here. School Parties actively encouraged, ideal for 10-14 year olds, enjoyed by 9-900 year olds.
Well, very nearly – do three dates constitute a tour?
We are doing readings of our CILIP Carnegie Medal Nominated young adult novel Devilskein & Dearlove by Alex Smith at:
Brentwood Theatre 15 Shenfield Road, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 8AG (in partnership with Chicken & Frog Bookshop)
Wednesday 21st January 2015 13:30, with Greg Page (who voices Mr Devilskein on our animated trailer) reading. We will show the trailer, together with a video of author Alex Smith answering questions from Cape Town, South Africa) and Cherry Potts, Arachne Press owner will talk a little about publishing.
£10 including a copy of the book
The Gate Library 6-8 Woodgrange Road, Forest Gate, London E7 0QH
Thursday22nd January 2015, 11am with Greg Page taking the reader’s role. We will show the trailer, together with a video of author Alex Smith answering questions from Cape Town, South Africa) Free.
Lewisham Library, 199-201 Lewisham High Street SE13 6LG
Thursday 5th February 2015 8pm with Peter Noble reading. Free.
We have actors to read because author Alex Smith is in South Africa. We have tried doing live video link-ups but there are too many variables, and it tends not to work, so we are doing some filming in advance, and we need your questions!
If you are coming to any of these events (or even if you aren’t) and would like to ask Alex a question, please use the form below, or tweet us at @Devilskein, BEFORE CHRISTMAS. Then Alex will record her answers and we can play them at the events, and put the video up on the website afterwards. (At the moment this will only happen at Brentwood Theatre, but we will see whether the libraries have the facilities to do the same.)
