This is what happens when you drop in on an interesting building for open house: you get talking to one of the trustees, who happen to mention that one of their resident organisations are doing a book event for children, so you send an email, and have a meeting and suddenly someone is reading the book in a library!
I like the serendipity of how this happened. A semi staged version has also been produced for which the video is on its way, but here in the meantime is John Handscombe taking on clever advisors, selfish dukes and wily old women.
More video from the 5th Anniversary party, Ian Kennedy & Sarah Lloyd singing folk songs about outwitting the devil – originally planned to go alongside Liam Hogan‘s Bad Day, but there were changes to the programme and they fit surprisingly well against Ghillian Potts‘ Old Woman From Friuli, outwitting the Duke.
The Old Woman is next being read at our 5th Anniversary celebrations at Manor House Library in Lee SE13 on 8th September at 6.30pm. This event is free, but ticketed.
Then at Shoreham Library as part of the Shoreham Word Fest on October 14th at 11 am where it will be read by Tash Fairbanks. This event is free.
Katy Darby channelling bad-tempered Duke, clever councillor and stubborn old woman!
Reading Ghillian Potts‘ The Old Woman From Friuli for Brockley Max in the Storytelling tent at Art in the Park. Just some little bits of video because there was so much background noise!
I can’t tell you what a buzz it is to launch books in the Library where I spent great chunks of my childhood. Although there is an enormous centre out the back and the main body of the library is unrecognisable, the space we were reading in is the actual children’s library that I worked my way round book by book possibly three times before getting access to the adult books several years before I was entitled to. Thank you Eltham Library! (for then and now).
Brat cover by Gordy Wright
Carrie Cohen did us proud, reading from both books, Ghillian Potts talked to the children from Holy Family School, who asked really interesting questions about writing, and Gordy Wright, the cover designer for BRAT came all the way from Bristol to help us celebrate.
Here are some pictures of Carrie, and Ghillian, with a rapt audience.
Carrie Cohen
2 / 7
Video of Carrie reading the opening of BRAT
And some video snippets from The Old Woman From Friuli(Children kept popping up indentifiably so we couldn’t use all the video!)
and just for fun, a ringing endorsement from Carrie
Carrie is reading for us again at Deptford Lounge 1st July at 11am, and Lisa Rose will read at Stanmore Library 8th July 2pm.
I loved this story. It’s told in clear language and once the emerging reader has her tongue around Friuli and counsellor they have a good story to get their teeth into. There are some illustrations, but probably not enough to give clues to any other pesky words which don’t spring off the page and introduce themselves, but that’s me being very picky.
What is great is that it’s a story which shows that the law applies to everyone, high born, or just the old woman from Friuli. It shows that property can’t simply be taken away at the whim of an aristocrat or anyone else who has an inadequate grasp of the law. It’s also a clarion call to our daughters: they don’t need to have a husband – they can make their own way in life and they’re just as good as any man.
We would like to invite you to a very informal launch reading at Eltham Centre Library, Archery Road, Eltham SE9 1HA on 7th June at 1.30 for Brat and 3.45 for The Old Woman from Friuli. Both readings will be performed by Carrie Cohen.
Further readings are at
BrockleyMax Art in The Park, Hilly Fields Park SE4 on 10th June 2017 at 2.30pm; (Old Woman From Friuli read by Katy Darby)
Stanmore Library, 8 Stanmore Hill, Stanmore, HA7 3BQ on 8th July 2017 2pm (Old Woman From Friuli read by Lisa Rose)
Osterley Library, St Mary’s Crescent, TW7 4NB on 22nd July 2017 at 2.30pm (Old Woman From Friuli and BRAT read by Carrie Cohen)
If you run a library, bookshop or school and would like us to visit you with a reading, get in touch.
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