York Storytelling

Here's a plug for kindred spirits in York: read about the storytelling festival on 3 February at http://www.skiddle.com/events/11547602/

We'll see some of the Yorkists in Headingley next March, hopefully.

Alan Bennett at Lawnswood

Earlier this month (9 December), our most illustrious ex-resident visited his old school, Leeds Modern, to officially open its library, which is now named after him. As far as we know, the last time he was at the school, which is now called Lawnswood, of course, was coincidental with the last Headingley LitFest in March. The LitFest's box of free books from World Book Night at that time consisted of copies of A Life Like Other People's, and most of them were donated by us to the school's sixth form. He read from this during both visits - the section which deals with his use of Armley Library - and added a strong condemnation of current library closures, which he described as "wrong and short-sighted...   We're impoverishing young people." There were no dissenting voices.


On 4 February, which is National Libraries Day, The Library Book will be published, with contributions from the likes of Julian Barnes, Stephen Fry and himself. This will be in support of library campaigners everywhere.


He was also eloquent in his observations on fee increases for students wanting to go to university. He told his audience of students, teachers and governors that he would not have been able to go to higher education himself if the situation had been like today, because his parents simply did not have enough money to support him: "I didn't realise then how fortunate I was but soon after I left university I realised I'd been very, very lucky."


He was welcomed to the event by Deputy Head Will Carr, who is pictured below. Some of the faces in the audience were familiar, because they belonged to some of those who either participated in, or watched, the wildly successful fourth LitFest Poetry Slam at Lawnswood. Was it so many months ago?


We are hoping that the next Slam will be just as good!

Lle desiel?

Richard Wilcocks writes:

“Lle desiel?” is Elvish for “Are you ready?” One-time Headingley resident J R R Tolkien was responsible for creating the Elvish language, of course. It comes in two variations – Quenya and Sindarin, or High-elven and grey-elven. Tolkien provided only three hundred and fifty words, but his followers have now added thousands more, so you can now take part in a reasonably intelligent conversation.

Perhaps it will replace Esperanto as the world’s most significant made-up language. Who knows? And before you ask, there is no evidence that Tolkien was working on Elvish grammar while he was living in Headingley, and the blue plaque which will soon be put on the wall of the house in which he lived while lecturing at the University of Leeds will have English words on it, in spite of intensive lobbying by local elves.

Elvish has a credible but rudimentary grammar, and is based mainly on Finnish and Welsh, so I am told. Perhaps after the forthcoming LitFest in March next year (keyword is LINGO), some people will be inspired to become experts, because Elvish will be at least talked about by Dr Richard Brown from the English Department of the University of Leeds as part of an event which will probably take place on a Wednesday evening – ‘probably’ because the programme is still being fixed. It will appear in its final form in January.

In the meantime, you might like to look at this website.

Below, the Elvish written on the One Ring:

Linda Marshall at HEART

Mila and Craig at Café Lento

Café Lento on North Lane is the place to be on Friday evenings. That's true for yesterday, anyway. Mila and Craig were terrific, with a variety of musical styles- including Bossa Nova - and songs in Portuguese. Audience loved it. They could come to the Iberian Evening (we'll probably change that as a title...) which was mooted after the show. This would take place during next March's LitFest.

Leeds Lieder rocks!

Heartwarming to see such an array of fledgling talent at Leeds Lieder's Composers and Poets Showcase on Saturday! Some of them were at Headingley LitFest too - in New Shoots last March.

Click here for full review.