Jo Shapcott and Colin Speakman

Sally Bavage writes:

Most things in Nature come in pairs – and each of our splendid poets took an aspect of the natural world to explore when they read their most insightful poetry to us tonight.

Colin has based most of his poetry on the ecological and geological, taking delight in celebrating the Dales through its landscape, its rivers, its wildlife and its inhabitants.  Does a landscape have a memory of the walkers who have passed by – has Emily Brontë left her mark on the very stones of Haworth?  The ‘rivers of life’ in the Dales flowing to the sea through the ‘Ouse-ing mud a mile wide that divides Mercia from Northumbria’, playing ‘beck music’ as they find their way through the clints, sykes, hags and runnels.  The ecology of words across the ‘four seasons, as in the different moods of the movements of a symphony’ give a flavour of Colin’s view of his beloved land. We have our Shards – in millstone grit. We have our secret places – in the limestone caves with their hidden memories of life trapped in time.  “May setting suns still fleck dark waves with gold” gave us a vision of his reflections on a sunset. 

Jo Shapcott and Colin Speakman               Photo: Richard Wilcocks

Jo, too, reflected on the natural world, with a light, witty yet perceptive view of some of Nature’s best-loved representations.  Bees formed an early theme, from waggle-dancing to colony collapse disorder, stings to wax, ending with “It’s over now, honey”.  A buzz of delight hummed round the audience.  Sorry.

The Slender Loris reaching gracefully for the lunch long since flown, like us reaching for memories.   Spring roses, feminists all, that demonstrated attraction for butterflies, spilling pollen wantonly, exuding a rich and sexy essence, distracting bees, sometimes overblown and blousey. Petal power!

From Of Mutability, her latest collection, we heard of diagnosis, being an ex-roommate with a scorpion, the confusions of life with dementia and finally, passing water.  Not the Colin Speakman kind, something more basic.  Such eclectic topics are handled with such brio in Jo’s easy delivery style that both lulled and challenged.  Something Else indeed in an entertaining and absorbing evening. 

Audience comments:

A lovely event – Colin’s poetry was beautiful and he painted beautiful images with his speech. Jo Shapcott was great, very clear presentation of her poems. A really enjoyable event!

Terrific event.  Enjoyed both Colin Speakman’s poems and Jo Shapcott’s. Jo Shapcott drew me in with her personal yet surreal and witty work. Good that she read new poems as well.

A fantastic evening of poetry by the two poets! Colin Speakman’s poems were a celebration of nature and the dales, and Jo Shapcott’s poetry was sophisticated and witty!

Enjoyed it v. much. Really liked the dual nature of the reading.

Great venue – liked the set up with the tables. Fabulous bunting! Lovely evening with two fantastic poets.  

Enjoyed Colin’s poems as they embrace many things I love in the natural world with a great choice of words. Jo Shapcott – magical. Created a world of infinite possibility.

Colin’s poetry was nice and interesting on the local parts around here. Jo’s was also good particularly on the serious piece of her late auntie’s battle with dementia.

Jo Shapcott is really brilliant; her bee and flower poems are lovely. Really enjoyed her choice.

Really enjoyed Jo’s poetry – just wish we could have heard more of it!  

I liked the flowers on the table, what a kind gesture in this rather grim room. I attend the Wednesday Heart poetry and it was nice to be in a different place hearing word smiths read their work, although sad it wasn’t better attended. The poets were different obviously in style, but both excellent. Thank you.

Nice to hear poetry about our region from Colin – particularly liked the poem about the Wharfe’s journey. Loved Jo’s playful and magical poems. Funny not to react after each poem though, the way we listened in silence seemed a bit odd!  

Colin Speakman – wonderful poetry but a pity he stood behind the lectern where he was almost covered. Jo Shapcott – excellent and clearly read, and humorously introduced.

Very good. Jo’s poetry sparkled with magic and was clean. Colin’s was enjoyable but it would have been better with a microphone.

Enjoyed both. Shame there weren‘t more people. No other points to raise.   

Much enjoyed Ms Shapcott and meeting Colin, known of old. If only everybody could be better heard.  

I rarely come to the Headingley Club and there was no sign indicating how to enter the building.

Jasper Fforde in Headingley Library

Jasper Fforde          Photo: Richard Wilcocks

Kate Baldwin writes:

Jasper Fforde was a wonderfully charismatic speaker and as funny as his novels would suggest. The creator of the Thursday Next series charmed us with tales of how he came to start writing and his methods. A favourite of mine, and apparently his, was what he termed a “narrative dare”, one of which he gave the audience to chew over in their own time: Imagine a world where everyone has three legs.

What I thought particularly brilliant about Fforde’s talk was how easily he held the audience in the palm of his hand. He gave us a laugh a minute – I found myself with a constant smile on my face – while touching on subjects he thought important such as the significance of imaginative play in children. Even then he managed to elicit a laugh with an anecdote about his children setting the parameter for a game by starting with “right, all our parents are dead!”

There were plenty of established fans within the audience already, with some having travelled from afar, but Jasper definitely won a few more at Headingley Library with his books flying off the shelves and a classically British queue forming for him to kindly sign everyone’s copies! Personally, I asked him to provide his favourite pun and I got two for the price of one in return:

 “Marmalade is generally the preserve of breakfast.”

                        and

“Cowards run in our family.”

A lovely man and a fantastic author!

  Read Jasper's blog at http://www.jasperfforde.com/index2.html

Quote: "... books based upon the notion that what we read in books is just a small part of a larger BookWorld that exists behind the page"

Audience comments:

It was fun, funny and informative.  This is the first time I’ve come to an event and I think I lucked out with Jasper Fforde  (SG)

Awesome  (R)

Excellent speaker, amusing and inspiring.  I could have listened to Jasper speaking all evening!  (JB)

A great event.  Thanks for giving me a chance to meet one of my heroes.  (AC)

Really interesting, fun and very genuine  (BY)

It was an amazing experience to hear about the creative process of such a prolific author.  Thank you!  (MS)

Brilliant, lively, offbeat, everything one hoped for  (JO)

Absolutely brilliant – warm and inviting, informative and playful!  Thank you!  (BM)

Fascinating and delightful  (ER)

Wonderful event, thank you.  (JR)

Very good, really enjoyed Jasper’s talk and Q&A  (LO) 

Fantastic event, Jasper was very informative and funny.  I bought 5 books!  (NO)

Very interesting – he’s a great speaker  (JS)

It was great, thank you for organising it.  J  (T)

Excellent talk – entertaining and informative  (CH)

Really enjoyed this  (WS)

Very interesting and engaging speaker.  Would benefit from larger room and have more time (though I’m sure we went over)  (KBH)

Such a privilege to be able to hear his witty and considered talk and answers.  Must confess I did attend a Jasper Fforde event in 2011 at Edinburgh Book Festival and enjoyed that too and read some more books after it so this was event I was already looking forward to.  (SL)

Brilliant!  (PG)

V. interesting and enjoyable.

Absolutely loved it!  Very engaging and amusing.  A really enjoyable evening.

Excellent speaker – relaxed, entertaining and enlightening.

Brilliant!

Fantastic event but that’s simply down to Jasper himself: great work to secure his attendance.  Could happily have had more time, so the member of staff who introduced him could have been more brief IMO.  You said more tickets could have been sold: there are rooms at Heart or other venues.  Though, cheap at the price!!  (RH)

The plight of the refugee - Leave to Remain - film

Kate Baldwin writes:

There are so many clichés I could use to describe Leave to Remain, all as the highest compliment: an emotional rollercoaster, an absolute eye-opener, and more. I found myself laughing, crying and feeling a warmth in my heart during a wonderful depiction of a group of teenage refugees in the UK. 

The moment when Zizidi saw snow for the first time was a heartwarming end to a thought-provoking and gritty film that tackled an issue particularly close to home for the Headingley community. I thought the theme was handled very sensitively but with the honesty required to bring the real stories the film was based on to life before our eyes. 

The coupling of insightful camerawork (particularly during Abdul's attacks of PTSD) and an emotive soundtrack (interestingly composed by ALT-J) caused Leave to Remain to exercise the viewer's mind very cleverly while appealing to the senses. A very successful film in both content and style. 

See the film's trailer here - http://leave2remainthefilm.com/trailer


Audience comments:

Heartbreaking stories but so representative.  Well organised event.  Thank you for organising this brilliant film and bringing the community groups to be a part  (JS)

Targeted this film because I used to work with refugees and asylum seekers in Bradford.  Appreciated the LitFest ‘wrapper’ with reading suggestions, and introduction from local RAS support groups.  Film itself portrayed complexity of this often misunderstood subject.  (HA)

It was thought-provoking (L C-M)

Separated from my family by the state in Britain because they are w rongly accused of keeping me as a slave.  I am fighting to get justice for them and to be reunited with them.  I have been refused any contact with them!  (JH)

 Excellent choice  (GR)

It was good – keep it up.  I enjoyed the movie.  (KP)

Well made film.  Important to screen it.  Thank you. (D)

Excellent film.  Good to be reminded what agony asylum-seekers have to go through.  (SW)

Thought-provoking film challenging misconceptions about asylum seekers (could do with cushions on seats!)  (TJ)

Good venue, enjoyed the film  (HB)

Brill!!  (JK)

Enjoyed it very much!  (VS)

Jane Williams brought the film to our attention and we were happy to support this truly independent British film.  (T)

Quarry Mount turns up gold

Sally Bavage writes:

A group of youngsters from years 5 and 6 at Quarry Mount primary school chose themselves for this year’s poetry workshops with James Nash, ably assisted by Matthew Hedley Stoppard, both established local published poets.  The finished poems were presented to parents, mainly mums who had made a real effort to get there and were sooo delighted, on Tuesday 10 March at a lovely intimate poetry reading in the Family Room.

Ryan asked year 5 teacher Andrew Howdle, who was co-ordinating the work, “Could he do it again?”  

Andrew: “I’m not sure.” 

Ryan: “It’s not a maybe, just tell me when I’m doing it!”  Such was the enthusiasm of the youngsters to get involved, and this showed in the presentation they made of their work, the lovely invitation that was sent out, and the book of all their work that will be made by the school over the coming weeks.

The young people wrote poems on the importance of family, art, sporting heroes and their best friends, taking their inspiration from the LitFest's current theme of Something Else as beyond, better, wonderful.  And they were too! 

Zeena wrote 'Books are Something Else', which is both enchanting and haunting.  Yesani talked of what he had learned from the workshops: “Drafting, trying again and trying again. Poetry makes you ask questions and the questions help you unstick yourself in life.”  I couldn’t express it any better!



James Nash adds:
Two parents came up to me after our Quarry Mount reading to ask whether we knew of any poetry schools or classes their daughters might go on to, to increase and build on their skills. They were so pleased with the project, and another had to be repeatedly assured that her son had actually written his own piece and they had not been written by Matthew and me!

Books are Something Else.

Reading is a magical life in books.

I cannot survive without reading books.

Enchantments are hidden in the bookshelf

When I am not reading the book.

My gleaming eyes open to wonder

When I turn the page of a book.

Illustrations sew through the cover

Into the pages, to the back of the book.

Adventures and detailed artistry,

Magic and mystery spread out of each book.

The dark chamber of words

Unlock emotions in a book.

Emotions, Zeena, flow through the chapters

And switch on imagination in the book.

Dinner with the Decameron in Salvo's Salumeria

Richard Wilcocks and Gigliola Sulis    Photo: TW

During last year's LitFest, Gigliola Sulis and Richard Wilcocks created an event involving classic Italian food and readings from classic Italian literature, held in that most Italian of venues, Salvo's Salumeria. Then, it was Dante Alighieri. This time, it was Giovanni Boccaccio.

Gigliola Sulis introduced the evening, tapping a wine glass just before the antipasto, stressing from the start that she didn't want to sound like she was giving a lecture (she is Director of Italian and Classics at the University of Leeds) and explaining briefly that Boccaccio is one of the three crowns of Italian literature, the others being Dante and Petrarch, and the principal scholar-writer responsible for the emergence of the standard form of the Italian language. While the main course  (venison, porcini... ) was being prepared, she said a few words about the first story, reading its opening paragraph in Italian. Richard Wilcocks then performed the whole of it in English.

It was the story of the Abbess (IX.2) who rushes out to catch one of her nuns who was reported to be in bed with her lover, but the Abbess herself was with a priest at the time and places his breeches on her head, thinking she is putting her veils there, with the result that when the accused nun sees them and points them out to the Abbess, she is acquitted and from then on is able to spend time with her lover at her leisure. There were belly laughs from those listening, as there must have from the audiences of seven centuries ago.

Statue outside Uffizi Gallery

A longer story followed (V.4), when bellies were full, one which is so well known in Italy that when it is described simply as 'the nightingale' (usignolo) everyone smiles in recognition. Young Ricciardo is passionately in love with the beautiful Caterina, the well-guarded daughter of Messer Lizio da Valbona, and she returns his love. Full of desire, she devises a cunning plan to get to sleep with him: she will complain about the heat in the house and ask her father for permission to spend the night on the balcony, in a curtained bed. Out there in the fresh air, she will be able to hear the nightingale sing. Her grumpy father finally agrees. The idea (you guessed) is that Ricciardo will climb up the outside of the house, using a ladder and some stones jutting out from the wall. The two lovers will be able to fall into each others' arms while the parents sleep. This is what they do, but then...  

At the end of the evening, several people asked which great Italian writer would be chosen for 2016. We don't know yet. Petrarch?


Audience comments:

I really enjoyed it, though I wish I'd known it was going to be more of a meal than a snack as I pre-ate and unfortunately couldn't finish the lovely food! Really liked how Richard brought the readings to life through lively storytelling.  (BJ)

Great food, lovely warm atmosphere and Italian literature. What's not to like? Really appreciate the LitFest putting something on like this that I just wouldn't hear elsewhere. Grazie mille. (RC)

A lovely event. Warm surroundings and interesting, engaging readings. Please repeat last year's event about Dante (or something new)! (PW)

A lovely idea and most successfully carried off. The intercourse tales gave piquant flavour to the delicious Florentine dishes and the speaker and the reader impressed with their fluency and wit. A delightful event and worth repeating.  (PB)

Another great evening. Nice format - meal, time to chat. Ample time on presentation of literature - would have liked more in Italian. English translation delightfully read. V. informative.  (HG)

Great fun. Interesting and evocative works, with which I wasn't previously familiar, very well read. Great food, excellent company. A marvellous way to spend Monday evening.  (PJ)

Molto soddisfatto nella cultura, e il modo in cui e stata impostata, pero una piccola dimostrazione di cucina italiana sarebbe stata molto gradita. (MDV)

Very entertaining - well read and chosen stories accompanied by extremely tasty food. (AL)

A very pleasant evening with interesting stories read from the Decameron. Very entertaining indeed. (DM)

A very pleasant evening: nice authentic Tuscan food and good table-wine. Excellent readings from Boccaccio.  (AEG)

Pleasant supper, well-served and good reading. (JG)

The evening was informative as well as educational, and inspired me to learn more about the work in question, and to read the Decameron/watch a film adaptation. (SG)

Enjoyable evening - nice intro to Decameron - in contrast to last year there was perhaps a little too much English over Italian? But very well read and entertaining. A really nice event with appropriate food.  (RH)

Enjoyable food. Interesting history regarding literature.  (S)

A very well-organised and enjoyable event. A very good idea to link it with a local restaurant.  (AT)

Tuscan themed supper and stories from a book I only know by reputation. Imaginative and tasty! A lovely evening.  (LT)

Combining food from Italy and its literature makes for a perfect evening. Came last year for the Dante evening and both were very enjoyable. Makes me want to read both writers. Thank you.  (CK)

Lovely food, relaxed atmosphere and very entertaining readings. Nice to get a sense of Italian literature without it being too challenging! Thanks very much!  (TK)

A thoroughly enjoyable evening. I learnt something new and the reading was interesting and entertaining. The food at Salvo's was a perfect accompaniment. Will definitely come next year.  (RS)

A brilliant evening - good food and great storytelling, especially the Italian introduction. Also an excellent story-teller. Need I say more?! We'll book next year a.s.a.p.  (TS)

A really enjoyable, intimate setting to hear the stories of The Decameron. The unique setting right here in Leeds helped to bring the stories to life (and the food was INCREDIBLE!)  (AT)

Great food with great poetry. Hearing the original Italian excerpts before the English translation was nice.  (DJ)

Great evening, fantastic partnership between LitFest and the wonderful Salvo's Salumeria. (PM)

A fantastic evening! A great tribute to Boccaccio! Thanks to Salvo's and the organisers of the LitFest. And well read, Richard Wilcocks!  (RWM)

Very well done! Loved the poems! Great food!  (YO)

SO IMPRESSED BY THE TWO FOLK WHO ENTERTAINED US. WE NEED MORE EVENTS LIKE THIS IN HEADINGLEY. (O)

REALLY ENJOYED TONIGHT AND SOME OF THE EARLIER YEAR'S EVENTS. HOWEVER SO MANY EVENTS ARE A BIT TOO 'HIGHBROW' FOR MANY (AND US)
(JO)

Magnetism and Electricity

Laura Cummins writes:
The audience at last night’s ‘Magnetism and Electricity - Magic and Exciting’ were transported back to the awe of discovery incited by electrical experiments, from Michael Faraday to GCSE physics. We were treated to experiments of speaker Geoff Auty’s own devising, including making a 3D magnetic field visible, and understanding the mystery of a magnetic Thomas the Tank Engine train set’s laws of attraction. 

Geoff Auty (centre)                Photo: Sally Bavage

These were made all the more charming by Geoff’s anecdotes on how they came about during his many years teaching, such as the demand for ‘University Challenge’-style buzzers, or the day that having a trough of mercury as a component was decreed unsafe. These simple school experiments demonstrated on a wider scale the importance of practical experiments in the classroom, and the excitement in the underpinning properties of nature that they inspire today, just as they always have done. The night opened with an extract from Frankenstein, and the theme continued as the ‘spark of life’ was explored.


Audience feedback:

I’m a regular, excellent meeting and very diverse.  CW

Great idea to link the Café to the LitFest.  Interesting topic – but beyond my limited understanding.  C.

Good presentation, in a practical sense, aimed more at school science teachers than the usual Café Sci audience.  JB

I felt as though I was 12 years old (1965) at school in a Physics lesson.  Mr Auty was a nicer teacher.  PS

Delightful return to school and ordinary practical things.  HH

Thought-provoking, interesting, practical session with in-depth QA session.  Still think the literary connection is a bit tenuous though.  AW

A fascinating evening of practical science – science in action!  I wish Physics lessons were like this during my youth.  PS

Note: Perhaps this event could have been better advertised at the Heart Centre?  JB