Book group meeting Wednesday 23rd November at the “Old Punchbowl Inn” in Warwick.

The book we were discussing at this meeting is “The Book of Human Skin” which definitely divided the group into two clear camps. Some people found the subject matter and the main character so repulsive that they felt they could not carry on reading. Those who finished the book found it fascinating and thoroughly enjoyed it. Quite a few of the group had not quite finished the book, but the period is fascinating, characters cleverly drawn, with the main, evil character being about the most repulsive person imaginable, and there is also a touch of humour to lighten even the most grotesque passages

“The Book of Human Skin” is a large volume with many pages of villainy writ upon it. There are people who are a disease, you know. 13 May, 1784, Venice: Minguillo Fasan, heir to the decaying, gothic Palazzo Espagnol, is born. Yet Minguillo is no ordinary child: he is strange, devious and all those who come near him are fearful. Twelve years later Minguillo is faced with an unexpected threat to his inheritance: a newborn sister, Marcella. His untempered jealousy will condemn his sister to a series of fates as a cripple, a madwoman and a nun. But in his insatiable quest to destroy her, he may have underestimated his sister’s ferocious determination, and her unlikely allies who will go to extraordinary lengths to save her…”

Despite the divisions, most of the group would recommend this book to a friend…..

There will be no meeting in December, so the next meeting is on Wednesday 18^th January at 6.00pm at the Puchbowl Inn in Warwick. We will be discussing a recommendation by Maureen: “The Missing” by Tim Gautreaux isbn 9780340977958. Set in Louisiana and featuring a slow trip up the Mississippi, this is the story of a kidnapped child and the man trying to find her. ‘Gautreaux writes with sustained grace and creates memorable characters . . . What really sets ‘The Missing’ apart, though, is his remarkable ability to realise the period . . . a rare and rather uncanny achievement: a novel about the South in the early Twenties that reads as though it was actually written there and then’ (John Dugdale, Literary Review )

‘Full of vivid evocations of the sights, sounds and smells of the South. As Simoneaux pursues his morally driven detective mission the scent of the steaming mud of the cypress swamps and the sound of 1920s New Orleans jazz rise off the page’ (Claire Prentice, Scotsman )

Writing Radio Drama with Peter Leslie Wild

A series of four one-day workshops

31 March, 28 April, 26 May, 30 June (10am – 4pm)

The Friends’ Meeting House, 39 High Street, Warwick, CV34 1AX

Radio Drama is the biggest commercial market for dramatists in the world. For many years the preserve of the BBC, audio plays are now cropping up on websites, as podcasts and via other digital outlets. So what makes a good radio/audio play? How is a radio script different from a screenplay or a theatre script? How do you begin to write a radio play?

These four entertaining and informative workshops will help the participants to analyse in depth what makes a good radio play, using examples from recently broadcast dramas. We will look closely at existing scripts and examine what makes them work in terms of audio production. Above all, we will look at how to translate a good idea into a workable, engaging and marketable radio drama script.

Participants will have the chance to develop their own scripts, and will be challenged to come up with a workable radio drama.

Over the four weeks there will be opportunities for participants to hear their work read aloud, and for members to exchange feedback with fellow course members and the Course Leader.

As well as looking at BBC Radio Dramas, we will also be examining the expanding market for audio drama on the internet, and seeking strategies for marketing plays beyond the obvious and traditional routes.

This is a hands-on series of workshops, aimed at writers of all levels who are serious about developing their skills in writing drama for radio.

Peter Leslie Wild is a freelance audio and theatre director, producer and script editor. He was Senior Producer for BBC Radio Drama for 16 years, and his work includes five series of Lindsey Davis’s Falco, plays by Stephen Poliakoff, Steve Waters and David Edgar, the Classic Serial version of Robinson Crusoe (all BBC Radio 4), three sci-fi series and several episodes of The Man in Black for BBC Radio 4 Extra. He has also directed many episodes of The Archers. Peter’s work has twice won the prestigious Prix Marulic.

Peter has recently written and produced a creative audio tour of the birthplace of Thomas Andrews, the designer of the Titanic, as part of the centenary commemorations in Northern Ireland. He has also recently run workshops in Nairobi for the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, for Birmingham University, Aberystwyth University and de Montfort University at undergraduate and post-graduate level. His podcasts for Monty Funk Productions are available online. In the theatre he recently directed The Wicked Lady for Birmingham University, and is Artistic Director of the 2013 Chester Mystery Cycle in Chester Cathedral.

To book/for further details contact jeanette-sheppard@ntlworld.com

Total price for the course is £160 and is payable at the time of booking. Please note it is not possible to book the days separately. Lunch is not included. There are only 10 places available.

 Saturday January 21st 11-12.30 at Kenilworth Books

This is a second edition of a book written for adults with dyslexic difficulties and those around them and has just been published by local author Vicki Goodwin.
It is a practical guide to the world of study and work for anyone with dyslexia – or for those around them who want to support them.

 ”I will be there to answer any questions or queries you may have about dyslexia and the book. The book offers chapters on the nature of dyslexia, reading and writing, self-esteem and motivation, numbers, memory and organisation. It concentrates on developing strategies for every-day life, work and study. I work as a dyslexia consultant mainly with adults and older students since taking early retirement from the Open University. You can contact me on  v.goodwin1@yahoo.co.uk“

Book group meeting Wednesday January 18^th.

We met, as usual, at “The Old Punchbowl” in Warwick. We had read “The Missing” by Tim Gautreaux, an American author from Louisiana who writes about this part of the USA.

Sam, nicknamed Lucky, is a floor walker in a New Orleans department store when a young girl is abducted while her parents are busy shopping. By not ensuring all exits to the store are closed, Sam is held responsible for the disappearance of Lily by the store owners and temporarily fired until he finds her and returns her to her parents.

Lily, although only three years old, is a talented singer, accompanying her musical family on the steamboats as they cruise the Mississippi.

Set in post First World War America, this book gives a wonderful evocation of the cruises during prohibition and the Jazz age. Some of the tourists on the boat would not take kindly to a black band, so there are two bands, one white & one black, the black music being much more exciting and groundbreaking, the white music being more acceptable to the daytime cruisers.

The musicians on board have to double up as a waitress, a stoker, a bouncer and they all have to help with painting, stripping and maintaining the boat. The small towns along the Mississippi vary in character and the Ship’s Captain knows each stop, and as they approach, warns the crew about confiscating knives and other weapons, having them on hand to break up fights, or allowing them to relax with well behaved groups who are on board just for the music, booze and illicit gambling.

About half way through the book, the child is discovered, alive and well, but the story is much more than just the search for a missing girl. Sam has a history of losing people – his own family was murdered when he was only a toddler & his baby son died through sickness. He was forced to abandon a little French girl when was clearing ordnance just after the War. These losses shape his character and influence the choices (good and bad) that he makes during this novel. The effect of the abduction on all members of the family involved, Lily’s parents, her brother, Lily herself and her abductors are all part of the story.

The group as a whole liked the book. It is unusual, with a very atmospheric setting, it gives the reader some ideas to ponder, and the characters are well drawn, and even the grumpy ones are likeable. It is by no means a perfect book, but definitely one to recommend.

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 22nd February at 6.00pm at the “Old Punchbowl”. Again, thanks to Angie and her team for making us feel so welcome. This month we are reading two books. Frances wanted to read Danny Dorling’s “ So You think You Know About Britain”. Subtitled, “Why we don’t live in the country we thought we lived in any more” Sociologist Danny Dorling dissects the nation and reveals among other things, why more divorced people live by the sea than anywhere else, how the decline in speed-dating uncovers the truth of where all the good men have gone & why the North-South divide has just moved South. As the author is coming to Warwick at the end of February, it is a particularly relevant book to read at the moment. However, some of the group wanted to stay with fiction, so we are also reading, “Winter Ghosts” by Kate Mosse, a haunting tale set in the same time frame as “The Missing”, but this time in Southern France.

A brand new picture book starring Paddington, the classic bear from Darkest Peru, as he takes part in a local family sports event, with hilarious results! When Paddington attends a local family sports event with the Brown family, he can’t wait to try his paw at as many activities as possible. But, as always, when Paddington is around, things do not quite go according to plan… with outrageously sticky results. And as Paddington soon finds out, it’s not winning that counts, it’s the taking part…

Will Paddington go home with any prizes?