May 2009 Archives

MARIO Venzago has been an occasional and always welcome guest conductor to the Northern Sinfonia for quite some years, his programmes always an interesting blend and his relationship with the orchestra clearly a happy one - he is scheduled to open the 2009-2010 season.

It takes a close rapport to make such a success of a piece like Bartók's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, the slow tranquil fugue of the opening unfolding and interweaving with great clarity and the later adagio a mysterious, ghostly sound-scape.

I can't say that I listen to Julian Cope all that often but whenever I do - like this morning - I wonder why I don't do it more often.

To say Cope is an eccentric is something of an understatement, but he is certainly no fool. He has scored pop hits but also written songs about environmentalism and paganism, and is also a well-regarded author of a number of scholarly books.

Try Try Try is from his 1997 album 20 Mothers.

Over the last few days we have met several inspiring products of the Swallows Partnership, the mission to bring together North East and Eastern Cape cultural professionals for mutual benefit.

The South African a cappella singing group Amandla Esandla (The Power of Five), which comprises five performers selected from auditions conducted by staff of The Sage Gateshead, has bowled us over a couple of times. If they could be on Britain's Got Talent, they would win.

I know next to nothing about Larry Jon Wilson but I do love his song Sapelo and would give anything to have a voice like his.

Sapelo, for those interested in such things, is an island located off the coast of Georgia only reachable by boat. It is, according to Larry Jon, "the prettiest name, the prettiest island".

Having grown up with television and all its tricks as part of the fixtures and fittings of our household (Mum and Dad founds their careers behind the small screen), you'd think I'd have a built-in shield against getting too wrapped up in the on-screen comings and goings.

Tell that to my stomach.

I'm currently halfway through the last six episodes of The Sopranos (so that would mean I'm just about to watch episode four) and I'm thinking of asking my doctor for a temporary prescription for vallium or some other tablet which could take the edge off... or at least slow my heartbeat down to a blur.

Our long road journey across Eastern Cape province from Umtata ends in Port Elizabeth whose name, like so many others in South Africa, reflects its colonial past.

A grassy public space above the town is called the Donkin Reserve and its centrepiece is a stone pyramid dedicated "to the memory of one of the most perfect of human beings who has given her name to the town below".

Today we make our way to Grahamstown which is the home of the National Arts Festival, the equivalent, we are told, of the Edinburgh Festival - although obvious similarities between the Scottish capital and this speck on the vast map of South Africa are all but invisible.

Our group has fragmented, North East visual arts specialists Anna Pepperall and David Butler having gone to meet like-minded folk at Rhodes University, which is in Grahamstown.

A few days ago in Newcastle, at the offices of Ryder, I saw the architect's model of a planned amphitheatre for a primary school in the Thyume Valley of Eastern Cape, one of the poorest parts of South Africa.

This morning our party drives in through the gates of this very school, Gqumahashe. It is a rural spot and also very beautiful, with a river meandering along at the bottom of the sloped school grounds and hills rising up behind.

If you are enjoying the books we are covering online, it might be time to get involved in a real-life book group. New Writing North Book Groups take place across the region and it's incredibly easy to join- read the book, turn up and get talking! All groups are informal and fun, the perfect combination of drinks, laughs, a bit of book discussion and the odd visit from an author. It would be great to see you there...

Save Salt Publishing. One of the best independent publishers in the UK, Salt produces an impressive range of books, including poetry collections (by Luke Kennard, Melanie Challenger, Michael O'Brien and others) and short story collections (by Tania Hershman). The production of their books is fabulous, and the quality of the content, even better.

Salt is struggling. The recession is hitting publishing houses hard. Salt Director Chris Emery-Hamilton put a call out on Facebook for Salt lovers to buy more books; here's his recent call out:

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

As many of you will know, Jen and I have been struggling to keep Salt moving since June last year when the economic downturn began to affect our press. Our three year funding ends this year: we've £4,000 due from Arts Council England in a final payment, but cannot apply through Grants for the Arts for further funding for Salt's operations. Spring sales were down nearly 80% on the previous year, and despite April's much improved trading, the past twelve months has left us with a budget deficit of over £55,000. It's proving to be a very big hole and we're having to take some drastic measures to save our business.

Here's how you can help us to save Salt and all our work with hundreds of authors around the world.

JUST ONE BOOK

1. Please buy just one book, right now. We don't mind from where, you can buy it from us or from Amazon, your local shop or megastore, online or offline. If you buy just one book now, you'll help to save Salt. Timing is absolutely everything here. We need cash now to stay afloat. If you love literature, help keep it alive. All it takes is just one book sale. Go to our online store and help us keep going.

2. Share this note on your profile. Tell your friends. If we can spread the word about our cash crisis, we can hopefully find more sales and save our literary publishing. Remember it's just one book, that's all it takes to save us. Please do it now.

With my best wishes to everyone
Chris
Director
Salt Publishing
http://www.saltpublishing.com

Buy one book. At least one. You won't regret it.