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.

Florence and Jem - The Wooden Dragon

James Nash writes:

Jem and Ric Neild

I didn’t tell my dog I was going to the launch of the latest Florence and Jem book at the impossibly cute Meanwood Institute.  Jem had come to his birthday party in December and he really likes Florence.  Instead I sat among the audience on my own while the latest story was read on stage by Rick Neild to many children and all of us slightly, misty-eyed adults.  A lovely tale about the wooden dragon in Meanwood Park, it kept us enthralled while Jem pushed up and down the rows of chairs amongst his many fans, keeping a watchful eye on the table laden down with delicious home-made cakes.

For me the book has everything a truly brilliant children’s book should have, a good story, characters I like and a strong sense of place; [it’s always a thrill to find mentions of parts of the city you live in].  And last but not least, with its lovely illustrations by Clare Morgan and its terrific story-telling, it’s as clearly entertaining for an adult to read out aloud as it is for its young audience to hear. 

I loved the whole event.

Audience Comments

Great setting and really enjoyed the reading. Reader was very good.

Really well organised, friendly atmosphere. Great cake!

Julian Oxley

Glad there is a sequel to Whale in the Woods. Lovely reading

Fantastic book. Great atmosphere. Looking forward to the next!

Very well attended event. Kids loved it - good reader

Excellent

Organised and well run

Excellent presentation and lovely book

Clare Morgan

Lovely event. It would be useful to include what time the doors open on the flyer in future. With kids it helps to hone a window of arrival time.

A lovely event!

It's been lovely

Note: one feedback form had no writing on it just a drawing of a dragon!

The Beat Goes On - Café Lento

Sophie White writes:

There was a cosy atmosphere at Café Lento on Friday night, when all the hippest cats of Headingley, armed with berets and black turtlenecks, gathered to celebrate the legacy of the Beat Generation.

Chris Goostrey and Richard Lindley (MC)

The Sam Dunn Quartet supplied the groovy beats, with Sam Dunn on guitar, Garry Jackson on bass, Steve Hanley on drums and Sophie Smith providing vocals. The lively and unpredictable melodies filled the café, and when paired with Smith’s mellow yet nimble style, immediately transported the audience to a smoky downtown jazz bar.

The literary section of the event began when café owner and jazz devotee Richard Lindley played a rare recording of Jack Kerouac recalling the New York beatnik scene, where spirituality collided with jazz and poetry. Kerouac’s vivid descriptions of the music and atmosphere of 1950s New York set the tone for the evening to come.

As the last notes of jazz rang out into the café, Richard Wilcocks took his place for the first reading, Marriage by Gregory Corso, a poem about the fear of “marrying a girl who was like my mother”. Corso, one of the youngest Beat writers, described by Allen Ginsberg as the ‘awakener of youth’ is known for his humour and spontaneity. Later in the evening, Richard returned to perform a second reading, Sunflower Sutra by Allen Ginsberg: an ode to the beauty and spirituality lost in the modern age

Sophie White

Sally Bavage performed her own selection of poetry, the first Underwear by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who is widely regarded as the father-figure of the beat generation and co-founder of the famous City Lights Bookstore, San Francisco. Sally then provided a refreshing, but often neglected, feminist perspective of the Beat generation with a poem by Diane di Prima. Song for Baby-O, Unborn reflects di Prima’s attempts to reconcile her artistic sensibility with motherhood.

The combination of jazz and beat poetry, in the intimate setting of Café Lento, resulted in a fantastic evening enjoyed by whole audience, with not a square to be seen!. Through events like this, the free-thinking and radical spirit of the Beats will live on in the next generations.

Vince Mihill writes:

Sam Dunn Quartet

This was a great idea and I say that as an unashamed Beat generation acolyte. It was a combination of jazz from Sam Dunn Quartet who played a proficient if not unusual selection of standard jazz numbers apart from a rad reworking of a Stevie Wonder song to finish with. They were joined by Londoner Sophie Smith who has a great voice and feel for jazz with plenty of jazzy facial expressionism. The young drummer is exceptional and effortless but the band are carried by their virtuoso guitarist. Jazz isn’t my bag although I know the Beats adored it, particularly Charlie Parker. This setting does at moments capture essences of that beat scene but isn’t like the frenzied sweat-drenched clubs back then. Not being an afficionado I will attempt to describe some jazz feelings from seeing this band.

They begin with a light number, the spirals of your mind, light airy spacey sound - the Star Trek episode where Spock plays his lyre unexpectedly in the Enterprise canteen springs to mind. It's an intimate atmosphere and the crowd, principally from North Leeds, laps it up. Twists and flourishes within the music are applauded like goals in football. It can appear pretentious. Sophie reminds me of a combination of Sade, Rumer and Norah Jones. So this is all very well but what about the beat aspect? Where are the angel-headed hipsters, the finest minds of a generation amidst the collection of comedy berets?

Richard Wilcocks

The most emotive part of the evening is when the MC plays a Jack Kerouac speech that he made about the beat generation of which he was the unelected leader. His enunciation is perfect and his unbridled enthusiasm for jazz, life, etc really comes across before years of drink took their toll. He pronounces beat like “be-at”. Richard Wilcocks from LitFest reads out Marriage by Italo-American poet Gregory Corso from 1958 when aged just 19. It is really well read and it's an evocative piece. I like the term 'Reichian wife'. His enunciation is superb and really gets to the spirit. I would’ve done a good job of reading out I feel. He ends with Ginsberg’s Sunflower Sutra. This is another stand-out poem with really strident language using a vocal technique called vocalise. The poetry is better than the jazz but there is a great atmosphere around the place despite its tiny size.

Audience Comments

Very good combo of music and complementary poetry, lovely venue, manic entertaining host!

First beat poetry reading I've seen live. Fantastic following, first reading (illegible) this summer and then Gary Snyder. Thanks!

Very free! Great jazz and very good to hear the beat poetry – the sense it's still radical saves it from nostalgia.

Sally Bavage

It was an amazing atmosphere to enjoy the jazz! I've never experienced the jazz (illegible). Superb! Café Lento's owner has been hosted very lucidly. Thank you. Unfortunately, the way to hear the poetry sound was a bit strong?

Atmospheric, an interesting reconstruction of 1950s beat culture. Some of the audience appeared to be reliving their real or imagined youth. The event suited the intimate atmosphere of Café Lento. There was a nice and relaxing atmosphere.

Loved, thoroughly loved the jazz!! Beautiful poetry but would have found me with a bigger smile if you'd read 'The Green Automobile' (Ed. By Allen Ginsberg). Well, there's always next time, I hope.

Seriously cool poetry and groovy beats

I am very glad that Headingley LitFest supports events like this at venues like Lento. Keeping alive awareness of cultural threads such as the Beats who were very influential. Very good!