Palimpsest – Diana Powell explores the Preselis

When you are thinking about how to promote a book that is rooted in the places that inspired the writers, you say to them, ‘Could you go to the exact spot and maybe read a bit of the piece we are publishing?’

Diana Powell did just that, with the expert camera work of husband Dai, on a freezing cold, windy but brilliantly sunny day last month.

Here’s the result

This is the first section of ‘Palimpsest’ a story that layers up through the ages as generation after generation walk the route over the spine of the Preselis, a range of small mountains in Pembrokeshire, Dyfed. It’s quite a sinister tale at times, and reminds me of Alan Garner’s Red Shift.

We will be creating an interactive map soon, with the places that inspired the book highlighted, and with links to pictures and a bit of information about the place and how the story or poem emerged from it.

East London Launch of Menopause The Anthology

A week ago we took Menopause The Anthology out to Common Press in Shoreditch and read to a small but appreciative audience who were very willing to eat cake and talk poetry, menopause and fiction, and join in with an open mic.

Here are a few photos…

Lucy Lasasso, Anne Macaulay, Catherine Pestano, Clare Starling, Mary Mulholland, Jane McLaughlin, JP Seabright, Cherry Potts, and the book display!

Common Press have several copies in stock if you are local and missed the event.

 

Time and Tide- Clydebank- audio

In the tidying up of the website, it has come to our attention that some of the Time and Tide material from Solstice Shorts 2019 performances never got uploaded – I blame lockdown! Starting to edit the video from this year reminded me to search it out. Result!

Here are the Clydebank performances, in audio. Still looking for where I hid the Maryport recordings.

You can still buy the book (please do, it spent lock down in closed bookshops, and we sold almost none.)

Performers

Beth Frieden
Stefana Margarint
Seonaid Stevenson
Carla Woodburn
Jane Aldous

Arrival by Valerie Bence

https://arachnepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/clydebank-Arrival.mp3?_=1

Casting A Daughter Adrift by Emma Lee

https://arachnepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/clydebank-casting-a-daughter-adrift.mp3?_=2

Church Mary Sounds the Sea by Jenny Mitchell

https://arachnepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/clydebank-church-mary-sounds-the-sea.mp3?_=3

Clearance by Christine Ritchie

https://arachnepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/clydebank-clearance.mp3?_=4

Crossing the Black Water by Reshma Ruia

https://arachnepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/clydebank-crossing-the-black-water.mp3?_=5

False Light by John Richardson

https://arachnepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/clydebank-False-Light.mp3?_=6

Fisherman’s Daughter by Claire Booker

https://arachnepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/clydebank-fishermans-daughter.mp3?_=7

Half A Dozen Oranges by Mandy Macdonald

https://arachnepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/clydebank-half-a-dozen-oranges.mp3?_=8

How Women Came to Tristan Da Cunha by Claire Booker

https://arachnepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/clydebank-how-women-came-to-Tristan-da-Cunha.mp3?_=9

Points of Interest by Olivia Dawson

https://arachnepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/clydebank-points-of-Interest-1.mp3?_=10

Sea Lessons by Ness Owen

https://arachnepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/clydebank-Sea-Lessons.mp3?_=11

The Arctic Diaries Bird Wife by Melissa Davies

https://arachnepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/clydeban-birdwife.mp3?_=12

The Arctic Diaries Halibut by Melissa Davies

https://arachnepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/clydebank-Halibut.mp3?_=13

The Watchers by Elizabeth Parker

https://arachnepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/clydebank-the-watchers.mp3?_=14

We dig the pig by Angel Warwick

https://arachnepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/clydebank-We-dig-the-Pig.mp3?_=15

Stories

The Fisherman’s Wife by Linda McMullen

https://arachnepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/clydebank-fishermans-wife.mp3?_=16

Listen, Noah’s Wife by Roppotucha Greenberg

https://arachnepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/clydebank-listen-noahs-wife.mp3?_=17

Brooke Stanicki Tymes Goe By Turnes

Author Brooke Stanicki introduces A Felled Tree, her story for the Solstice Shorts Festival 2020, Tymes Goe By Turnes. We are crowdfunding until 15th October at https://payitforward.london.gov.uk/solstice-shorts-festival-2020, if you felt like supporting this annual event for the shortest day of the year.

Arachneversary – Liberty Tales

Continuing our Arachneversary videos, Liberty Tales, which celebrated the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, starting as an event, but too good to leave it at that, so we made a book too, and toured it across the South of England from Essex to Bath. So lots of archive video of readings!

You can buy a copy of the book from our Webshop

and if you do so before the end of August (hurry along!) with the code ARACHNEVERSARY you get a discount!

One Beautiful Day – Elizabeth Stott – In Lockdown

Author Elizabeth Stott reads her witty, lovely story of music and a tired marriage, One Beautiful Day, fromour Liars’ League anthology, We/She

You can buy We/She (or other books!) from our webshop, we will post them out to you.

If you would prefer eBooks, all our titles are available from your usual retailer, now VAT free! We recommend Hive for ePub.

Time and Tide Videos: Peterhead

This is the whole of the event at Peterhead, magnificently edited together from three camera (Three!) by Colin Edwards.

As I get to it, I will edit into individual stories and poems so that they can be searched for, but in the meantime enjoy it as it was meant to be seen (and heard), with readings from Marka Rifat and Ken McRae, complete with music from Intuitive Music Aberdeen; featuring

A Conjuring Poem by Simon Whitfield
Clearance by Christine Ritchie
False Light by John Richardson
Frocks of Passage by Mandy Macdonald
Hawser by Sarah Tait
How Women Came to Tristan da Cunha by Claire Booker
In the Shadows, On the Shore, Leith by Jane Aldous
Ovčice, Croatia by Ian Macartney
Points of Interest by Olivia Dawson
The Watchers by Elizabeth Parker
When Will We See the Sea? by Joy Howard
Woman from North India on Bostadh Beach by Elinor Brooks

Stories
The Answer, My Friend… by Paul Foy
Listen, Mrs Noah by Roppotucha Greenberg
The Fisherman’s Wife by Linda McMullan

 

Time and Tide Videos: Lookout Men, Greenwich and Oeiras

 

Uploading of the videos from Solstice Shorts 2019, Time & Tide continues.

Here is Lookout Men by Melissa Davies read at Greenwich by Saul Reichlin, and (audio only) at Oerias read by Philip Town.

https://arachnepress.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/portugal-time-and-tide-lookout-men.mp3?_=18

Many of the stories and poems were read at more than one of the venues, so there will be an opportunity to compare and contrast!

Limited edition illustrated book of the material available now only from our webshop or from our events .

We are aiming to get BSL translations of some of the material, and this will also be on the website in about March, to coincide with the launch of the bookshop version of the book.

 

Time and Tide Videos: Sea Change, Greenwich and Oeiras

 

Uploading the videos from Solstice Shorts 2019, Time & Tide continues.

Here is Sea Change read at Greenwich by author Diana Powell, with BSL interpretation by Paul Michaels; and (audio only) at Oeiras read by Margot Walker Dias

https://arachnepress.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/portugal-time-and-tide-seachange.mp3?_=19

Many of the stories and poems were read at more than one of the venues, so there will be an opportunity to compare and contrast!

Limited edition illustrated book of the material available now only from our webshop or from our events .

We are aiming to get BSL translations of some of the material, and this will also be on the website in about March, to coincide with the launch of the bookshop version of the book.

 

Time and Tide Videos: The Surgeon’s Mate, Greenwich and Hastings

 

Uploading the videos from Solstice Shorts 2019, Time & Tide continues.

Here is The Surgeon’s Mate by Maria Kyle read at Greenwich by Katy Darby; and (audio only) at Oeiras by Kate Dyson.

https://arachnepress.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/surgeons-mate-hastings.wav?_=20

Many of the stories and poems were read at more than one of the venues, so there will be other opportunities to compare and contrast!

Limited edition illustrated book of the material available now only from our webshop or from our events .

We are aiming to get BSL translations of some of the material, and this will also be on the website in about March, to coincide with the launch of the bookshop version of the book.