A Manxman in Leeds

Richard Wilcocks writes:

Doug Sandle

It was just right for a pleasant Sunday afternoon - homely, intimate and indulgently nostalgic. We were invited to share the thoughts and memories of Doug Sandle, who was, of course, brought up on the Isle of Man even though, in his words, he "doesn't share the genes" because his parents were "come-overs" during the Second World War. Fortunately, he did not dwell on the genetic side of things. His mother had no idea where the place was when his father first invited her to join him there, and looked for it in the South China Sea. With the aid of slides on a Powerpoint, Doug soon filled us in with plenty of facts and figures: it is in the Irish Sea, one third the size of Hertfordshire, had a population of 84,000 last year, is not part of the UK (so will people there be voting in the coming Referendum?) and has the oldest parliament in the world, called Tynwald. So far, so tourist board. It is old-fashioned in many ways, its legislation lagging behind the mainland's sometimes in terms of progressive thinking, but it has had comprehensive secondary education since 1946 and it gave women the vote in 1919. The film industry has used it for location work (it was used for Letter to Brezhnev and Alfred Hitchcock's last silent movie, entitled The Manxman) and it has plenty of heather-clad hills, craggy cliffs and beautiful beaches, which turned it into a popular holiday resort in Edwardian times. In the popular English mind (if there is such a thing) it is well-known for its three-legged swastika badge, kippers, tail-less cats and motorcycle racing. So far, so tourist board.

Maria Sandle

Doug then made a series of quite surprising connections, not just by telling us well-I-never facts (how many people know that the Bee Gees were born and brought up on the Isle of Man?) but by making connections specific to Leeds. He did this on a personal, autobiographical level with anecdotes about when he first arrived in the city, for example when he bought a pint in the dour and unfriendly Three Legs pub on the Headrow, eagerly anticipating that it would be full of warm-hearted compatriots, and by reading his own poetry, some of it dating back a long time, like the lively descriptive poem he wrote about the journey from Liverpool, where the ship docked, to Leeds by train. He read from prose that he has written too - for example the account of when in his early years he played the drums in a group and found himself sitting at the kit of the drummer of the Ivy Benson All Girl Band. He is very fond of the memory of Ivy Benson, who was born in Holbeck, Leeds. She played during the summer season on the IOM during the 1950s, where Doug and his pals at school knew the group as "Ivy Bunsen and the Bunsen Burners". 

The Retrolettes

Perhaps the most surprising link between the island and the city was the poet Eliza Craven Green, who was born in 1803, and lived for a time in Meanwood Road. She spent some time as a thespian on the IOM before leaving to live in Manchester and then eventually back to Leeds - she is buried in St Mark's graveyard. She wrote the words for the IOM's unofficial national anthem - Ellan Vannin - in 1854. This was amongst the songs about the island sung by Maria Sandle. We later heard the Bee Gees version, which is on their last album.

Maria, along with the two charming Retrolettes (Teresa and John) produced some new songs about the IOM which I had not heard before, some with a music hall flavour which must have been aimed at holidaymakers a century ago. People can easily get entranced by the Isle of Man, sometimes literally, as Ray Brown's worrying tale about bad luck following his venture into an ancient burial site showed. Respectful visitors should be nice to the fairies, especially when crossing a certain bridge. They are a superstitious lot back there, says Doug. Do they also believe in homeopathy? He is entranced by the place where he was brought up, and his entrancement was catching. It was a fascinating afternoon.

Opening of Ellan Vannin

Ming Wei Chong writes:

This splendid performance resonates with me - being a University of Leeds graduate and having come from another country. The links between Leeds and the Isle of Man, history, personal experiences - beautifully encapsulated in the poetry, music, story and song. Very insightful and entertaining, Doug illustrates his strong sense of cultural and national identity as well as his encounters as 'A Manxman in Leeds'. 

The attraction of the Island for writers and painters were exemplified throughout. Doug reinforced the Island as a superb holiday destination, whilst reminding us to say 'good morning/ afternoon little ones' when we visit the Fairy Bridge in the south of the Island!

Audience comments

Excellent talk and slides also music from Maria Sandle and The Retrolettes.

A very enjoyable afternoon.

A personal pleasurable indulgence. Brilliant prose and music and entertainment. Surprising facts and a real bonus of a show!

Brilliant - a great mix of history, story and song and very entertaining.

Very interesting and felt privileged to be part of this event. Though Irish and an admirer of the Isle of Man I will definitely be visiting soon - much more informed now. Thank you.

An entertaining and moving afternoon with Doug and friends. Music, memories and 'spooky stories'. Thank you.

Excellent talk and songs - especially as I have strong Manx connections.

Brought a tear to my eye.

Fascinating historical and geographical information and coincident - beautifully helped by lovely apt songs.

Very enjoyable afternoon. Learnt a lot about the Isle of Man - and songs complemented the performance.

This is a fine cosy venue. The performance was very warm and entertaining.

A very nice afternoon with Doug Sandle giving us some information from him having grown up on the Isle of Man. I also enjoyed the singing from his wife Maria and The Retrolettes. I did think though that the venue was a bit packed out.

Informative, entertaining and quirky!

Very enjoyable mix of music and memories

Excellent entertainment.

Good event especially The Retrollettes who are simply Divine - but seriously - very entertaining a bit chaotic but nice and informal.

Delightfully disorganised event. Interesting and entertaining collection of memories and poems. Loved Doug's poems - not so sure about the music.

Interesting and informative

Lovely

Interesting (illegible) mix

Good - the singers; the tea and biscuits. Entertaining. Not so good - The speaker didn't appear to have rehearsed his talk and tripped over his words. The projector was badly sited so someone's head was in the way of the beam. The lights needed to be dimmed when screening slides. a centre isle is needed so people can move about. The singers were not introduced properly so that we knew who they were and their connections. Small children should not be admitted as they are disruptive. The ticket showed the wrong address for the venue. Venue too small.  

Women of Mystery

Helen Cadbury, Danuta Reah, Sophie Hannah, Alison Taft

Megan Amelia Smith writes:

The darkness of the room in the New Headingley Club and the dark subjects discussed by the panel (the writers all showed a fascination with pathological liars and psychopaths) bears no reflection on the atmosphere of the event. The audience were gripped one moment and laughing aloud the next as the writers responded to questions with both enthusiasm and humour.

Helen Cadbury led the intriguing discussion, joined by fellow writers Sophie Hannah, Danuta Reah and Alison Taft. The writers touched on a range of topics, from which authors inspired them to write crime fiction (Agatha Christie was of course a resounding favourite) to the importance of conducting research for their books. Questions such as whether writers set their work in a real or fictional place came down to their personal preference, while the writers were in unison on the idea that both the whodunit and whydunit are complex and integral parts of their crime stories.

The most thought-provoking aspect of the discussion came when Helen asked the writers how much of ‘them’ are written into their books. The answers that came were both varied and in agreement. It seems that the writers all add elements of their own personalities into their characters, but as Alison explained, without suppression of emotions such as anger. Similarly, they agreed that most writers do not do so just to tell a story. Instead it is often an unconscious desire to answer a question, explore a theme or indeed to give a message. For any budding writer both notions are fascinating.

Overall, we were given fantastic insight into the minds of crime fiction writers: according to Helen she’s always looking for good places to hide bodies! For both voracious readers and aspiring writers of all genres the evening was truly inspirational.

Audience Comments

                      Photos by Richard Wilcocks

Excellent, entertaining and informative in a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. Good to be able to meet these writers in Leeds. Thank you very much to them and Headingley Lit organisers.

A wonderful evening. The format of the chair asking questions to all the panel, followed by audience questions. Excellent and thoughtful speakers.

Illuminating (& entertaining) discussion, which brought out well common elements and differences between the speakers, and made me think about aspects of crime (etc) writing that I'd not thought about before. The relaxed rapport between panel members helped establish the right atmosphere.

I am so glad I came to this event. This 'genre' is not one that I had given priority to - but now I want to read all four authors. I found the format open and inclusive - the range of questions from within the panel meant that their discussion was free ranging and both funny and stimulating. i was sorry the lights were put out at the back because I could not see to take notes! Thoroughly enjoyed this event.

Well led by Helen Cadbury. Very interesting, good to hear them speak in person and get a feeling for the people behind the books.

An excellent evening with interesting crime novelists who answered our questions very well.

Very interesting. Great to hear the panellists interacting and responding to the questions.

Fascinating insight into the minds of the different writers and their motivations. Entertaining and informative.

Enjoyed the session and listening to writers in this field discuss their motivation, how they do it and what makes them tick.

Very interesting, at times bordering on the philosophical. A wide range of view from the panellists.

Excellent, informative and funny. I have now made a list of new books to try. Many thanks.

Excellent - absolutely fascinating. I will start my novel!

Good value - 4 different interesting writers. Interesting to hear about their influences.

Very well chaired and interesting clear answers. Could have done with less about pathological lying.

Very interesting evening - good format. Accessible venue.

Really enjoyable and absolutely fascinating. I've even gone away with a couple of new authors' names to try via the library. Thank you!

Fascinating insight into crime fiction plus humorous insights into the writing and situations.

Very interesting evening. Seating could take sight lines into account to afford better view.

Very good, well rounded presentation.

Interesting insights into the process of developing ideas.

Excellent panel and discussion

Interesting conversations. An hour wasn't enough. Would benefit from microphones.

Very interesting conversations.

Excellent

Excellent

Pitch and Pen

Sheila Chapman writes:

Judges and Winners - see below

The stage was set. The dragons (sorry, the panel of judges) entered and the first writer came forward to sit in the pitcher’s spot. The two hours that followed were enthralling.

We heard pitches: about a Doomsday scenario in the UK in 2021 when we would be out of the EU, off the Security Council and Scotland had gone; about magical realism; about an 11 year old boy who gradually discovers the secrets of his family; about re-imagined fairytales and myths (Lady Godiva riding a Harley Davidson to deliver a petition to parliament particularly caught my attention); about a family saga; about surviving the National Health Service; about the adventures of a young woman, who is a yoga expert,  travelling to China (the first Yoga thriller the judges called it); about the future with all our resources gone; and about the unemployed of Yorkshire in the 1930s.

Each pitcher had 5 minutes in which to sell their book and 5 minutes in which to answer the questions from the panel. Some of the questions were challenging:

We like your book but would like you to re-write it as a thriller – how would you feel about that?

Can you choose the seven key words that describe your book?

If your book is published, whereabouts in a bookshop would I find it?

Why are you the best person to write this book?

But the panel also offered advice on how books could be improved for example by keeping them focused, by understanding the audience, by editing – ruthlessly if need be.

Each pitcher overcame nerves and stage fright to ‘sell their books’ and we were all impressed by their eloquence but the Q&A session was truly engrossing with the panel showing genuine interest in each author – challenging them but also offering both respect and guidance.

And the winners, whose synopsis/first chapters will be read by the publishers: Caffeine Nights or Bluemoose Books, were:

Roisin Kiernan –Caffeine Nights

Helen McDonald (who only decided to pitch at the last minute) - Bluemoose Books

Becky Cherriman – Bluemoose Books

The judging panel were:

Kevin Duffy (for Bluemoose Books), Danuta Reah, (for Caffeine Nights), Helen Cadbury and Alison Taft.

What a great way to spend an afternoon!

In the photo -
Roisín Kiernan - winner of Caffeine Nights prize

Alison Taft

Danuta Reah

Becky Cherriman - winner 2 of Blue Moose books prize

Helen Cadbury

Helen MacDonald - winner 1 of Blue Moose books prize

Audience Comments

Very interesting to listen to the other writers 'pitching' - all so different and something of value in every pitch. Pitching was terrifying but a fantastic experience and opportunity. More of this please.

I was a little surprised and pleasantly so because of the feedback and ideas provided to the 'pitchers' that will no doubt help. It didn't appear as daunting as I expected for the 'pitchers'. I hope it continues next year.

Interesting. Learned a lot about where my novel is going and some of the questions I need to address. Such varied ideas and different pitching styles.

Successful event. Should run again as a regular event.

Really interesting experience. Like to hear about the sorts of things people are writing about. Expected much more dramatic presentations; people to 'sell' the idea and characters.

A great opportunity for people to pitch, and to hear/watch people's pitch, and get feedback.

Interesting event and can see that it would be helpful to focus on your novel if you plan to pitch. Good to see the different subjects being written about.

Very interesting and useful. Please do it again

Thought it was well organised. Impressed with the range of pitches. Learnt a lot from the panel's questions. They were all very committed to each pitch.

A well organised and fascinating event. A very surprisingly wide range of presentations and a lot of useful discussions and questions.

It was interesting to hear other people pitch their work, and gave me more determination to press on with publication on line.

Most constructive session and a welcome opportunity. Thank you.

Really enjoyed the opportunity to pitch. Got feedback, which I hadn't expected. Thank you.

1. Good value. 2. Room arrangements for improved acoustics could be made. 3. Very enjoyable, professional, helpful panel. 4. Room could be warmer. 5. Might have preferred longer pitches and Q&A even if less people got to pitch. :)) Thank you.

The event was great. The whole festival could do with a lot more promotion. Less poetry events too! Thanks.

Great forum to discuss ideas, layout of the room could have favoured the audience more though.