Author Cherry Potts talks about and reads from her lesbian fantasy epic, The Dowry Blade.
You can buy the book from our Webshop
Throughout August, this book is discounted with code ARACHNEVERSARY.
Here’s a snippet of Cherry Potts reading from The Dowry Blade at this week’s reading & writing workshop at Brompton Library. A segment from just past the middle of the book, and Killan finds himself in trouble.
We had a great evening at Gay’s the Word – thank you to Uli & Jim – and despite Kate’s determination to walk out of shot, we have some video – where it got silly, with just a sleeve on show, there’s audio instead.
Here’s Cherry reading a bit about family from The Dowry Blade, chosen specially to link with Kate’s themes, and not read elsewhere.
and audio of the other section read
Here’s Kate reading a varied selection of poems from The Don’t Touch Garden
Blue Glass, Empty Pram:
Oral History:
My Father Counting Sheep:
The Elephant Aunts:
and here, reading an abridged version of the long title poem.
continued off camera…
Coming to the London Book Fair?
On Wednesday 13th April at 3.30 pm Arachne Poets Jeremy Dixon and Bernie Howley (featured in The Other Side of Sleep) are reading at the Inpress Poetry Pavilion.
Here’s a map of Olympia... The Poetry Pavilion is in the top left corner, near the West Hall entrance. There are lots of other poetry performances going on, but 3.30 pm on Wednesday is our spot. Although we may get another one…
Nearby… On Thursday 14th April, at 6.30pm, Cherry Potts is reading from The Dowry Blade and doing a mini writing workshop on fantasy at Brompton Library – a single tube stop away at West Brompton.
Last month: LGBT History, this month International women’s Month – that’s a whole 1/6th of the year dedicated to me!
Seriously though, we are still looking for more women from the lesbian, bi and trans communities to get involved in Outcome. I am determined that the book will be properly representative or the people around me. Tom has a deadline of 1st April to get the balance right (conveniently at the end of International Women’s Month) I’ve been hijacking my own book launch events for The Dowry Blade to go on about Outcome, and I think I’ve sent an email or a Facebook or Twitter hint to every single one of my lesbian friends suggesting immortality is a click of the shutter away, but if I missed someone I’m sorry! Stand up with your sisters… Contact me!
This isn’t about celebrity, or some weird media construct of beauty, okay? It’s about who we really are, and it’s important! Every one of us is unique and amazing and has a story to tell. A number of people have said – but I don’t have a picture of myself as a child. Initially that stalled us, but we’ve thought it through – If there is a story behind that, tell it, we still want you involved.
The Crowd fund has only 2 days to run, expiring around 2pm this Thursday, and we are still getting a steady drip of pledges through. Feel free to help out! Pre-order a copy of the book, invite yourself to the launch in October, or get yourself a badge or a set of postcards, every little helps and is appreciated.
Here are just a few of the magnificent lesbians who are already involved.
Rebellion: Writing Fantasy, author talk and workshop
Author Cherry Potts reads from her new novel The Dowry Blade, and discusses ways of writing fantasy with an opportunity for a short writing exercise for the audience.
World building, weird logic and rule breaking at
Brompton Library
210 Old Brompton Road
London SW5 0BS
Thursday 14 April 18:30-19:45
Attending the London Book Fair? This event is on the final day and Brompton Library is one stop on the tube/overground away from Olympia, at West Brompton, then a short walk.
Here’s a slightly out of focus video of Cherry Potts reading from The Dowry Blade at Beckenham Bookshop.
Next stop on the tour: Gay’s the Word on 24th March, with Kate Foley also reading, from The Don’t Touch Garden
Recordings of author Cherry Potts reading from The Dowry Blade, a lesbian epic fantasy of the strength and limitations of love and loyalty between friends, lovers, kin, strangers and enemies.
Our main character, Brede, arrives in the city, and finds it a threatening place
The obligatory scene in a tavern, which in the writing, which was done entirely for entertainment, discovered something important about a relatively minor character, and changed the course of the book…
An emotionally tense scene on a roof at night.
Thanks to Clapham Books for hosting. We may post some of the Q&A with a very chatty audience later, it’ll take a bit of editing!
LGBT history month is almost over, The Outcome exhibition(s) in Lewisham are coming to an end, and we are nearing the half-way mark in terms of time for our Crowd fund to raise printing costs for our Outcome project, with 18 days left and 69% of the target funding raised.
With nice symmetry we have had 18 backers so far, all wonderful generous people! (Thank you, Laura, Sian, Bea, Nick, Isaac, Alicia, Richard, Jonathan, Mike, Tim, both Marks, all the Peters, and all the Pauls.)
So to help you join this select band of special people, I thought I’d mention what brilliant rewards we have for backers.
We need to raise a further £756 to hit our target – if we don’t get all the money, we get none of it.
so that’s 756 people pledging £1 for a thank you message from us
or 76 people pledging £10 for a copy of one of Arachne Press’ short story anthologies Weird Lies, London Lies, Lovers’ Lies or Solstice Shorts
or 51 people pledging £15 for a signed copy of Cherry Potts’ collection of short lesbian stories Mosaic of Air
or 31 people pledging £25 for a signed copy of Cherry Potts’ lesbian epic fantasy, The Dowry Blade.
or 27 people pledging £28 for a copy of the Outcome book.160 pages, 80 beautiful images of wonderful LGBT people, some you may have heard of, some will be new to you.
or 26 people pledging £30 for a SIGNED A4 print of our lovely Peter Tatchell portrait
or 22 people pledging £35 for A SIGNED copy of the Outcome book. 160 pages, 80 beautiful images of wonderful LGBT people, some you may have heard of, some will be new to you. We will get as many of the portrait subjects as we can to sign their picture (probably at the launch!) plus of course, the photographer, Tom Dingley, and then send it to you with our love and appreciation.
or 8 people pledging £100 for:
Invitation to the Launch Party. We will be holding a launch party in London as close to the 11th October (Coming Out Day) as we can get, which will double as the private view for the launch exhibition. Join us so that we can thank you personally. (travel to the launch at your own expense!) ) ONLY 3 of these left!!
or
A copy of Outcome plus Your Name in a list of thank-yous in the book when published.
or 6 people pledging £150 for a 1 hour photo shoot with Tom Dingley at a suitable venue in London. includes editing of resulting pictures and delivery of 6 photographs as digital files.
So how many people do YOU know? pass on the message, help us fund this gorgeous and exciting project!
The opening of The Dowry Blade, a lesbian epic fantasy, read by author Cherry Potts, at Lewisham Library 24th February 2016