26 in the South West
It’s a simple idea. There’s a thriving creative community in the South West fired-up by the success of 26, and we’ve got out of our deck chairs and started to make some noise. With a shared love of writing and words, we’re a group of writers looking to meet like-minded individuals in the region for some fun – and possibly more.
Based in Bath, Bristol and Falmouth, 26 members Paul Sullivan, Richard Owsley, Simon Jones and Tom Chesher will start some networking evenings in the new year. OK, it’s a big area and after a hard day at the keyboard in Penzance, you’re not going to want to drive to Bath for an evening’s networking – or vice versa. So the idea is that events can be developed in two smaller centres: one in Cornwall and one in Bath/Bristol. That way, there’s a more realistic chance of holding small networking and social events that people can get to. But it still means we can put on larger events and projects that involve the whole region.
We aim to start meeting up early in 2006 and already have some exciting things in the pipeline including a writing-for-business conference in April, and ideas for a big new project. So, if you’re based in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Gloucestershire or Wiltshire – or anywhere else you regard as the South West, come and join us.
If you’re interested, email talktous@26.org now and let’s get started.
New members
A warm welcome to... freelance writer and editorial specialist
Rachael Tilling; the utterly fabulous
Chris Bird of Word Bird;
Peter Martin of Firebird Music and writer
Mike Benson. We hope you enjoy and contribute to the 26 experience. Remember, 26 is what you make it.
And this applies to everyone – if your details change, particularly your email, can you let Julie know by contacting her at twiggy.peasticks@virgin.net. Otherwise you’ll miss out on treats like the newsletter and notice of forthcoming events.
Finally, for our new members...A big thank you for joining 26.
We started meeting as a group in 2002. We were eight individuals in search of others involved in the daily business of working with words. We simply wanted to share our experiences and ideas, and learn from one another. You can find out more about us at
http://www.26.org.uk/who.htmNews spread of our meetings, and it soon became clear that 26 could be, should be, something much bigger than just us. So we decided to open up the organisation to other writers, editors, language experts and anyone else with a love of language. We launched 26 formally in September 2003...
..And here you are. We’re delighted you’ve become one of 26. We hope we’ll get to explore and enjoy language together in all sorts of interesting and unexpected ways.
26 is open to new ideas from any of its members. We would be especially pleased to hear from you if you'd like to be involved in 26 talks, publications, seminars or other initiatives – even in a small way. You can reach us on 0870 121 13 26 or at
talktous@26.org.ukAs for your 26 quid... thank you very much. The funds we’re raising with your annual subscriptions will go towards running events (most of which will be free to members), developing our web site, creating an online message board for members, and bringing to life a whole range of other initiatives we haven’t even imagined yet.
A number of members have asked whether they can refer to 26 on their business card or in their emails, web site, autobiography or whatever. We think this is a great idea as it helps to raise awareness. We just ask that you use the phrase One of 26, followed by the web site address www.26.org.uk.
In the meantime, your friends and colleagues can find out more about 26 and join at
http://www.26.org.uk , so spread the word.
Coming soon...
‘Paul Burke – On Your Radio’
When: 21 February 2006, 6.30pm
Where: October Gallery, 24 Gloucester Street, London WC1
Nearest tube: Holborn
The lovely Paul Burke, copywriter and novelist, will be our VIP guest speaker in February. Paul came to a very early 26 event, but his audio wouldn’t aud, so he promised to come back later. Now he’s got his sounds in working order, we are delighted to have him back.
Paul specialises in writing radio commercials and will share his collection of good and bad use of words on radio with 26ers. He will also tell us what it’s like to combine commercial copywriting with the life of a successful novelist.
Those present at Paul’s first 26 outing will recall that despite the technical problems, he fascinated us with tales of working with voice-over artists including Stephen Fry – and falling out with his wife after spending his holidays writing novels (‘Father Frank’, ‘Untorn Tickets’, ‘The Man Who Fell In Love With His Wife’).
The October Gallery is just north of Holborn in WC1. That’s just one station east of Tottenham Court Road and Covent Garden. Please don’t be scared; there are some West-enders who seem to think it’s bordering Hackney; it’s only walking distance from the Ivy.
Book early. Get in touch with Julie at twiggy.peasticks@virgin.net.
Poems for Amnesty
‘The Grinning Years’ by Lindsay Camp and Roger Williams
This is a little book of poems by two writers (one of them a 26 member) who have been friends since they met as Eng Lit students in the 1970s.
What are the poems about? In a word, you.
That’s to say, if you have any of the following – kids, a mortgage, not enough hours in the day, a partner who sometimes seems not to understand you at all, and the occasional nagging sense that there must surely-to-god be more to life than this – then you're certain to find something in ‘The Grinning Years’ that will strike a chord.
And even if you don’t, the £5 it costs you will go to a very good cause indeed, Amnesty International.
You can read a few sample poems before buying a copy online at
www.thegrinningyears.co.uk
‘Getting Published’ review by Martin Lee
On 24 November, Faber & Faber kindly played host to a 26 event for a second time. It was nearly a year since we listened to Simon Armitage’s astonishing poetry reading in the same venue. Appropriate really, given that the evening was something of a masterclass on how to get published. If more inspiration were needed, it was surely provided by the knowledge that we were meeting in TS Eliot’s penthouse flat.
The format of the evening was that our three publishing guests spoke for about 15 to 20 minutes, followed by a question-and-answer session from 26 members. The three speakers provided a fascinating contrast.
Hannah Griffiths from
Faber is a fiction editor, but she’s also worked as an agent at Curtis Brown and a publicity department at Penguin, so her experience embraces the whole publishing process, from raw manuscript to the marketing campaign.
Martin Liu from
Cyan offered the perspective from non-fiction and business publishing, and emphasised the need for budding authors in this category to have a clear eye on the eventual market for their books before setting out on writing. He also offered highly practical advice about the benefits of people with expert knowledge but not necessarily trained writing skills collaborating with ghost writers to complete their books.
The final speaker was
Tony Lacey, the editorial director for fiction at
Penguin, who spoke with great conviction for the primacy of the author’s own inspiration in the publishing process. He (and Hannah also) spoke of the way in which an editor would far rather receive a highly flawed but hugely ambitious book than a neat, nicely turned out but limited book.
All three speakers spoke with passion, humour and shared valuable insights into the dos – and especially the don’ts – of getting published. They also dealt with all our questions with candour and generosity. Personally speaking, I’m going to go back to my synopsis and expunge all reference to Nick Hornby…
Pick up your yellow-framed FHTH pictures
I hope everyone got to the ‘From Here To Here’ exhibition at the LCC. There you will have seen your words rather beautifully exhibited in yellow frames appropriate to the images and words shown. As soon as I saw mine I said “Can I buy it?” Now I have my answer.
Thanks to Sue Rogers and Nick Asbury who did all the hard work, designed the works, put them away safe in storage and are now saying “They’re yours”. All you have to do is come along and collect your own work from the offices of The Writer, handing over a cheque for £30 made payable to ‘26 Characters Ltd’. We’re grateful to Sue and Nick for their generosity in making this possible. If you want to be reminded what your framed words look like, visit
www.suerogers.co.uk and follow the links.
You can collect your work in the week of 9 January (sorry, can’t do it earlier). We can’t wrap them up and deliver them or post them. The Writer is based at 100 Borough High Street, a few hundred yards from London Bridge Station (Northern or Jubilee lines – not Circle). Normal working hours only. If anyone can’t make it that week, let us know and we’ll hang on to your work (but not for too long). But don’t miss the chance to have your own work on display at home.
Sorry we couldn't make this in time for Christmas presents – but it’ll be a nice start to the new year.
But if it is a late Christmas present you’re after, look no further than the book ‘From Here To Here: Stories Inspired By London’s Circle Line’ which is in bookshops and available online. Full of great writing by 26 members and guests like Simon Armitage and Ian Marchant, you can get your hands on one for only £12.99. Last time we looked, ‘From Here To Here’ was number 8079 in the Amazon rankings, let’s see if we can make it New Year’s number one. Or 7999, anyway.
John Simmons
Letter from Scotland
After the mince pies, turkey and Burgundy wine; after the champagne and ‘Grouse’ of Hogmanany: an entry for your diary...
From 21 January to 26 February 2006, the 26 Malts exhibition will be on show at the Lighthouse in Glasgow.
Stuart Delves
All I want for Christmas
Revealed... the books that board members of 26 hoped would be putting a bulge in their Christmas stockings.
Jim Davies‘Margrave Of The Marshes’ by John Peel and (his wife) Sheila Ravenscroft. His death was such a shock. You just assumed he’d be around forever. Of course I’ll always remember him, but here’s a chance to hear his unmistakable voice one more time. And again whenever I feel like it.
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Stuart DelvesI’m not after anything new or shiny; anything current. I’d like a copy of
‘For The Islands I Sing’, George Mackay Brown’s autobiography. By his own admission ‘an uneventful life’ except in the realms of the imagination and the forges of language.
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Martin HennesseyI can’t remember the last non-business book I read...
‘Managing A Professional Services Firm’ by David Meister is a jolly romp through the literary undergrowth.
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Martin LeeIt’s currently unwritten, but called something like ‘Nottingham Forest’s Triumphant Return To European Glory’. Until events make such a book necessary however, I’ll settle for the new Gabriel Garcia Marquez,
‘Memories Of My Melancholy Whores’. Even in translation, his books are the best prose you can hope to read anywhere.
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Tom LynhamI have just bought all my Christmas presents to myself – everything I can get my hands on by
WG Sebald. He is spookily good. I feel as if we have been following each other around for years. This is sublime storytelling, like he’s perched on my shoulder and whispering in my ear. To feel such a huge connection to a writer on so many different levels, makes me feel incredibly special and lucky to be alive.
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Sarah McCartneyFor Christmas I would like to time to read all the lovely books I have waiting for me including both sets of
Penguin’s ‘Great Ideas’ (the red ones and the blue ones).
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Tim Rich‘Politics of Fear’ by Frank Furedi. British politics has bored me for some time. Then I went to a talk by Furedi drawing on the themes from this book. It is a truly remarkable work that is reshaping the way I view our use of language and inspiring me to get politically opinionated again. So good I’d like a second copy, please.
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John Simmons‘Untold Stories’ by Alan Bennett. I know it will be good. No one writes writes about life with such a distinctively sardonic yet heart-warming sense of humour. A national treasure.
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Neil TaylorI’m still waiting for Santa to bring me
‘The Book What I Wrote’ by Eddie Braben. Anyone who writes for Morecambe and Wise is a hero in my book (which also makes the perfect Christmas gift, by the way). Apparently it contains all the right words. But not necessarily in the right order.
26 members recommend for December
26 is now an official Amazon affiliate. That means if you order a recommended book or CD by following the links to Amazon, 10% of what you pay will end up in 26’s coffers, helping us to put on more events and recommend more books. A virtuous circle, if you like.
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‘Full Moon Empty Sportsbag’This self-published magazine “documents the rough and ready alternative London literary scene” (it says here). Available for free in any number of achingly hip Shoreditch bars, mere mortals like you and me can subscribe for £26 a year. They’re always on the lookout for articles. Find out more at
www.fullmoonemptysportsbag.com.
RH
......................................‘The Pharmacist’s Mate’ by Amy Fusselman (Penguin, from £2.75 on Amazon)Quite unlike any other McSweeney’s book you may have read, ‘The Pharmacist’s Mate’ is one of those reads you can come back to again and again. It’s a memoir about a woman trying to become pregnant as she mourns the death of her father, and reading his journal (which he wrote when he was a pharmacist’s mate, hence the title). Clocking in at around 80 pages, and written in simple, direct language, you’ll be impressed with the power of what Fusselman has achieved so economically.
JH
......................................The ANNAsIn December 2004, the Newspaper Marketing Agency launched the Awards for National Newspaper Advertising – the ANNAs. You can see each month’s winning press ad online, with comments from the judges, together with other shortlisted ads. In short, it’s a good archive of top print advertising. The overall winner will be announced early in the new year. The prize is a not inconsequential 25 grand.
www.the-annas.co.uk TR
......................................‘Exploitation Poster Art’ by Tony Nourmand and Graham Marsh (Aurum, £18.99 list or £13.99 on Amazon)
Steamy, sensationalist and often unintentionally hilarious movie posters from the 1950s and 1960s. A record of the social paranoia of the age, and worth it for some of the film titles alone – ‘Reefer Madness’, ‘Supervixens’, ‘High School Hellcats’, and ‘Cock of the Air’, for example. But some of the straplines are even more extravagant in their language: “Live Fast, Die Young – the sin-soaked story of today’s ‘beat’ generation”, “Call her savage, but she was one of those Wild Women of Borneo, a real Hot Pepper, and everyone knows ladies love Brutes”. Quite so. JD
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Yale’s Aural Records
An enchanting mix of literary, musical and design history, the ‘Yale Alumni Magazine’ features some of the treasures of the college’s recordings archive. The graphic language of the disk labels gives a hint of the richness of the recordings themselves, from Tolstoy reading ‘For Every Day’ to James Joyce lulling and lilting his way through ‘Ulysses’. See the slideshow: www.yalealumnimagazine.com TR
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‘The Sounds Of Monsterism Island’ (Forever Heavenly, £10.99 from Amazon)
For writers, designers can seem a strange, unfathomable breed. What goes on in their heads as they walk along Brick Lane with their Abraham Lincoln facial hair and Japanese fishing caps, trailing bands of pale acolytes? Well, right now, it’s quite possibly ‘The sounds Of Monsterism Island’, a compilation of out-there psychedelica, early electronica and wigged out folk. It’s the brainchild of Pete Fowler, designer of artwork for The Magic Numbers and monster toys. If enough writers listen to it, maybe we can foster a new spirit of writer/designer understanding in 2006. FT
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‘The Joys Of Engrish’ by Steve Caires (Michael Joseph, £10 list or £7 on Amazon)
Some 150 years after the classic book of translated malapropisms ‘English As She Is Spoke’, comes ‘The Joys Of Engrish’. This is a compedium of packaging, signs, ads and menus from the Far East, mostly Japan, written in something approximating English. Take a break with a Pocari Sweat soft drink or a Collon chocolate bar. Drop in to the Vulva bar or Piss Away café. Or why not moisturise with some Horny face cream? But then perhaps you should visit someone called Terreko who is offering “very fucking English lessons”. Visit www.engrish.com for plenty more. JD
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‘It’s A Wonderful Life’
OK, you’re so busy you don’t have time to watch old classics on telly this Christmas – but help is at hand. Simply visit www.angryalien.com to see a whole range of films, including all-time Christmas favourite ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’, performed in 30 seconds by bunnies. Classics available include ‘The Shining’, ‘Jaws’, ‘Pulp Fiction’ and a stunning performance of the ‘Exorcist’ – though for demonstrating the art of précis at its best, the bunny version of ‘Titanic’ wins hands down. Enjoy. LH
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www.newseum.org
For copyright reasons, the BBC’s web site was recently forced to remove its revealing daily section featuring the front pages of all the UK national newspapers. But never fear – www.newseum.org can now furnish you with front pages from 492 newspapers in 47 different countries, with the UK represented by the ‘Guardian’ and the ‘Daily Telegraph’. JD
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‘Unknown White Male’
On 2 July 2003, Doug Bruce, a British man living in New York, left his apartment on the Lower East Side. He turned up, 11 hours later, on the subway heading to Coney Island. He had no idea who he was. The documentary film ‘Unknown White Male’ tells the remarkable story of a man who lost every memory of his friends, his family and every experience he had ever known, for no apparent reason. Amazing. unknownwhitemale.co.uk TR
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‘Word’ magazine
‘Word’ is a monthly music magazine that often has entertaining articles on the origins of pop culture phrases. In the July 05 issue they covered examples of showbiz hijacking language, from ‘Must we throw this filth at our pop kids?’ to ‘And on that bombshell!’ and ‘Get mediaeval on your ass’. And in November 05 they had 50 years of catchphrases, running from ‘Evening all’ (1955) to ‘And now for something completely different’ (1969) to today’s ubiquitous ‘Am I bovvered?’. Good for testing your memory and explaining obscure phrases to non-English speakers. www.wordmagazine.co.uk. FT......................................
‘The Truth’ – 26 member George Milton’s first full length feature film‘The Truth’ (produced by 2 Many Executives) is released by Guerilla Films nationwide on Friday 13th January 2006 through the Cineworld Cinemas chain. It will be showing in London (Shaftesbury Avenue), Edinburgh, Glasgow, Sheffield and Birmingham. George and two of the actors will be hosting previews and Q&A sessions in most of the above cities. 26 members are warmly invited. Please check local press for details, or go to
www.thetruthmovie.com.
‘The Truth’ is a blackly comic murder-mystery for the ‘Me Generation’. Seven young strangers go to a spiritual retreat for a journey of personal growth, taking in jealousy, hatred, sexual perversion and a little murder on the way.
‘The Truth’ is a brilliant study in the distortions of group dynamics, and how the words we use to communicate can actually impede understanding and make even less sense of ourselves. It’s a horribly funny movie in which I recognised bits of myself I didn’t really want to acknowledge, but also had me weeping with laughter at how the feelings we struggle to articulate can become so loaded with motivation, projection and expectation. The characters in The Truth build flesh-crawling alliances driven by lust, greed, suspicion, fear, inadequacy and the desperate need to be accepted or manipulate. Their dialogue is exquisitely crafted, imaginatively juxtaposed, and the way they exploit and seduce each other had me cringing behind the proverbial sofa.
TL
......................................Moleskine notebooks. Available from most bigger bookshops (like Waterstones) or from www.moleskine.co.ukThese pedigree pocket-sized notebooks are perfect for capturing moments of inspiration – wherever they may hit. Already a favourite with many 26ers, if you haven’t discovered Moleskines, treat yourself to one for Christmas. £8 isn’t much for a home for the thoughts you can’t afford to forget. And there’s even a little pocket in the back to tuck away clippings.
HA......................................
The World’s Wife by Carol Ann Duffy (Picador)Mrs Darwin, Queen Kong and Elvis’s twin sister are just a few of the 30 women Duffy gives voice to in this inventive collection of poems.
Here’s Mrs Darwin as a taster:
7 April 1852.
Went to the Zoo.
I said to Him –
Something about that Chimpanzee over there reminds me of
you.
Duffy goes behind the scenes of history, myth and celebrity and explores the relationships and daily domestics that bring Great Men down to earth with a bump. It’s witty, fresh, exuberant, and pure pleasure to read.
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The recent batch of prose adverts – just words (lots of them)You may have seen the
Waitrose story campaign, where the first letters of the paragraphs spell Waitrose. The
Orange double-paged spread (300-odd words’ worth) may have caught your eye – ‘Good things can happen when your phone’s off/Good things can happen when your phone’s on’. Even
Vodaphone’s in on the act with their ‘Make the most of now’ campaign (www.vodaphonemayfly.co.uk). Is this a trend? A rebalancing of visual and verbal identity? If you haven’t seen this stuff, keep an eye out. If you have, look for more. Maybe we’re on to something here.
HA
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This month’s plugs by Jim Davies, Roger Horberry, Lu Hersey, John Simmons, Tim Rich, Tom Lynham, Heather Aitchison, Fiona Thompson and James Hogwood. These are not necessarily the views of 26, but we hope they’re not far off the mark. Any contributions gratefully received.
Our next event
‘The Writer’s Materials Trilogy’When: 26 January 2006, 6.30pmWhere: Elmwood Design, 8-9 Carlisle Street (just off Dean Street, Soho)Nearest Tubes: Leicester Square, Tottenham Court RoadOur next London event on 26 January involves a ‘thank you’ and a ‘sorry’ to Philip Pullman for its title. The ‘Writer’s Materials Trilogy’ is three books by 26 co-founder John Simmons. To add to ‘Dark Angels’, published in 2004, Cyan Books are going to republish John’s earlier books ‘We, Me, Them & It’ and ‘The Invisible Grail’ in a common format in February. These will be updated and expanded versions of books that have been described as “literary classics” and “manifestos for every writer in business who wants to be a better writer”. And this event will be a ‘first chance to see’, exclusive to 26.
John will be talking and reading briefly from the books at Elmwood’s lovely new space. Many thanks to them for hosting this event, and to The Writer, who are providing drinks and refreshments.
It should be a great evening. If you’re planning to be there, reserve your place early – let Julie Potts know by emailing her at twiggy.peasticks@virgin.net.
