Page 5 of 5

Wow! – London Book Fair

I can’t believe it was nearly a week ago that I was on the cusp of pounding the corridors of Olympia for my first visit to the London Book Fair.
What a fantastically exhausting week I had!

Amongst the many authors I met, who spoke about their lives as writers and latest work, Ruby Wax, Olga Tokarczuk,  Rosanna Ley,  Amanda Jennings, CL Taylor really made an impact on me.

Jemima Forrester (David Higham) and EuanThorneycrof (A.M.Heath.) gave some interesting up to date insights for finding a literary agent.

Farah Abushwesha and Ben Weiner (winner of the 2016 Rockliffe new writers competition) were amazingly informative for wannabe screenwriters.

A whole host of editors, publicists, event managers etc., all provided invaluable information on the traditional and self-publishing industry as well as the abundance of opportunities which exist in both worlds. Rebecca Lewis-OakesMiriam RobinsonCatherine ClarkeEllie PikeEleanor HelsbyJudith WattsJoanna Penn and Gabriel Mercer were amongst the contributors.

All in all, it was a great week and I’m really looking forward to doing it all over again in April 2018, although I will definitely travel lighter and leave the laptop at home next year!

You Are Not Safe in History – Natasha Trethewey

Another inspiring, topical lecture tonight at Falmouth University, this time by Natasha Trethewey (American Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner).

Her lecture – You Are Not Safe in History: On Abiding Metaphors and Finding a Calling, focussed on her wounded past which inspires most of her work. Really relevant to most of the writers I know, including myself.

An introduction to niche publishing – Steve Braund

Today Steve Braund (Atlantic Press) kindly came to meet the NT publishing group to offer an insight into the world of graphic literature and the beautiful rare & collectable books.

In the run up to commissioning an illustrator for Wyl Menmuir’s latest collaborative, the advice Steve could offer on style was particularly relevant.

You can read about this inspiring independent press and buy their rare and collectable books direct from this site Atlantic Press books

Wyl Menmuir – writers workshop (2)

My second Plein air writing workshop with Wyl and some of the other Falmouth Uni students was in the lush valley that makes upKennall Vale.

Buried in the hillside of Ponsanooth not far from the Tremough Campus, this quiet rambling nature reserve is well worth a visit with the kids or the dog in tow.

The history of the vale is fascinating. One of only two gunpowder works Kennall Mills at the peak of its production in the 1860’s employed over 50 men. Unfortunately, the decline of the mining industry and the use of alternative explosives brought gunpowder production to a halt after the 1880’s and today the waterwheels and office building are mere ruins. However, the conduit streams and water terracing still funnel the stream water effectively, creating a rich visual and acoustic environment.

http://wylmenmuir.co.uk/

Emily Barr – book signing

It was great to gain an insight into the journey of Emily Barr‘s latest release The One Memory of Flora Banks, from initial concept to publication, at Waterstones in Truro last night.

A successful author, now based in Cornwall Flora Banks is Emily’s first foray into the YA publishing genre and will soon be followed by a second novel based in the warmer climate of South American.

Wyl Menmuir – writers workshop

Today we escaped to the wild and wonderful north coast of Cornwall to take part in a Plein air writing workshop.

Wyl Menmuir was our host and we spent a blustery morning roaming the cliffs and beaches of Godrevy point on the North Cornish Coast.

Tasked with exercising our minds, we took inspiration from the stunning seascape and wrote a number of small pieces which captured the essence of the landscape.

It was a great exercise to get the pen flowing and I would highly recommend ‘just getting out’ there as a source of inspiration.

http://wylmenmuir.co.uk/

Meredith Miller – publishing lecture

On Wednesday I slipped into a lecture given by one of our tutors, Meredith Miller. She was accompanied by her trusted agent Danielle Zigner from LBA books. Together they enlightened us to processes of book publishing.

Meredith’s book Little Wrecks is due to hit the bookshelves in the US in June, so it was fascinating to hear the story of how the book has evolved.

http://www.lbabooks.com/author/meredith-miller/

South West Outdoor Festival team

Today as one of the SWOF team members I met with Katie Bond, Head of Publishing at the National Trust to discuss the design and production of a short piece of commissioned work by Wyl Menmuir.

This exciting opportunity to launch a piece of Wyl’s work at the festival in September 2017 will see our small team of dedicated students, supported by Anna Kiernan and Luke Thompson, undertake all of the tasks involved in the production process.

Our journey begins as soon as we receive Wyl’s beautifully written copy and ends with its distribution in a printed form, at the South West Outdoor Festival in September. This live project is an incredible opportunity to gain industry experience in all areas of publishing and will undoubtedly turn into a great adventure for the whole team.

 https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/days-out/regionsouthwest/south-west-outdoor-festival

Email
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter