My Favourite STWJ Moment

I have far too many half finished book review blogs in the waiting, I am seemingly getting sloppy and for that; I am sorry. So to fill the time I will, instead, tell you about my favourite Story Time With Jess moment.




On the 27th of May 2011 I took part in a creative showcase at The International Anthony Burgess Foundation put on by my university called FRESH 2011! It included several short plays and a variety of readings; both poetry and prose. When I found out something I had written had been chosen to be read out I could hardly believe it, I went on to excitedly tell all of my family and friends - I was literally jumping for joy - it was the first time I would be reading my own work out infront of anyone other than my classmates or teachers. That's when it hit me; I had to read my own work to a room full of - essentially - complete strangers. My nerves kicked in, my stutter broke out worse than ever, and to top it all off (after three weeks of barely any sleep due to intensive essay writing for my final university deadlines) I lost my voice. I tried every remedy in the book; including gargling with boiled whiskey and lemonade concoctions, but still nothing brought my voice back thus making my anxiety treble.

After days of rehearsing, and praying that my voice made a miraculous comeback just in time (it didn't), the big day arrived and I was sat before the audience watching them squash their chairs together to help fit more people in the room. I was determined to do it; without stuttering, without rushing and thus merging all of my words together into one indecipherable sentence, and to just do myself proud. The show got underway and eventually my friend, who was just before me, finished his last sentence and soaked up his applause. Oh god. I readied myself at the microphone stand, looked out across the audience (saw my sister, mother, father, and boyfriend all lean forward eagarly), and, as boldly as I could muster, announced the title of my story. All I remember after that is the light that I was looking into that had silhouetted the crowd and saved me from being able to read their faces, the voice in my head imploring me to read slowly, and my own heartbeat as it ricocheted around my ribcage.

The story itself was from a creative project and was about defamiliarising the city that I live in by introducing creatures from folklore/legend and describing the city, its inhabitants, and happenings through their eyes.

As soon as I had finished a complete feeling of euphoria washed over me; my knees almost buckled as the adreneline from what I had just done, and the applause I was receiving, took over my body. I sat through the rest of the showcase with the biggest smile on my face. 

To all of my family and friends that came and supported me that day, and continue to do so now; thank you so much, I love you all to no end.

Book Quiz!

Found this on a friends blog and had to fill it in myself! 

The Rules:
1. Post these rules
2. Post a photo of your favourite book cover
3. Answer the questions below
4. Tag a few people to answer them too
5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them you've tagged them
6. Make sure you tell the person who tagged you that you've taken part!
I tag any one who loves books! Please let me know if you do it so I can have a nosey.

What are you reading right now?
Nights At The Circus by Angela Carter

Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that?  
I’ve got a rather large pile to get through but I just received a parcel with a copy of 20^th Century French Poems so I will be tackling that in-between novels.

What magazines do you have in your bathroom/lounge right now?

The Rolling Stone that made me cry three times with just one article.

What’s the worst book you've ever read?
Game Girls by Judy Waite

What book seems really popular but you actually hated?

The Twilight Saga. I didn’t mind them at first and once I read one of them I had to see the series through, but the final book really drove me mad. I don’t think that the author needed to have Edward say the words; ‘darling’, ‘sweetheart’, or ‘love’ in every sentence just to suddenly drive home that he is a hundred years older than Bella.

What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?

Throughout my degree I fell in love with Angela Carter so I’d recommend all of her books.

What are your 3 favourite poems?

I’m not actually the biggest fan of poetry but I do love ‘Rain’ by Anne Hébert

Where do you usually get your books?

Waterstones, Amazon, other independent bookshops in towns or cities when I go to visit, and during book swaps with friends.

Where do you usually read your books?
In bed, or whilst travelling.

When you were little, did you have any particular reading habits?

My main reading habit as a child was my love for anything horror; from Goosebumps, Creepers, Point Horror, as an adolescent and then onto the Victorian Gothic. I just remember having a losing battle with my mum, in the teenage section of the library, forever begging her to let me read the only Goosebumps book they had (The Haunted Mask). At eight years old I had a stack of them and reoccurring nightmares.

Have you ever “faked” reading a book?

I have a degree in English literature, of course I have!

Have you ever bought a book just because you liked the cover?
On multiple occasions! Sometimes the old saying rings true, but other times I am pleasantly surprised.

What was your favourite book when you were a child?
The Forbidden Game Trilogy by L.J. Smith

What book have you loved that you expected to hate?

East Lynne by Helen Beck, definitely not my usual type of novel but once I had started it I found I couldn’t put it down, and was even more shocked when I cried at the end (I won’t spoil it, I promise).

What is your favourite passage from a book?
There are far too many that I love, but my favourite from my current read is as such;

‘... Yet none of this had altered to any great degree the invisible child inside the man, who indeed remained the same dauntless lad who used to haunt Fisherman’s Wharf hungrily eyeing the tangled sails upon the water until at last he, too, went off with the tide towards an endless promise.’ Angela Carter – Nights At The Circus.

What are your top five favourite authors?
In no particular order:

•  Robert Louis Stevenson
• Angela Carter
• Jeanette Winterson
•  Franz Kafka
• A.S. Byatt

What book has no one heard about but should read?
Sexing The Cherry by Jeanette Winterson. Absolutely fantastic book, it blew my mind.

What 3 books are you an “evangelist” for?
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Time Waster Diaries – Robin Cooper

& The Forbidden Game Trilogy – L.J. Smith

What is your favourite classic book?

It’s a toss up between ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ by Robert Louis Stevenson and ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley.

5 other notable mentions?
Just Friends by Robin Smith
Someone Like You – Roald Dahl
Oryx and Crake – Margaret Atwood
Night Watch – Sergey Lukyanenko
& A Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde

Final Preparations For The Big Day

World Book Night is FINALLY on the horizon! Only one more sleep (who am I kidding; there's no way I'll be sleeping tonight) until the big day! 

Having written in and inserted my extra note into all of the books, and re-read a copy of one of them so I can confidently suggest my favourite story to new potential readers tomorrow, I decided that I wanted to test my rubbish art skills yet again in order to grab peoples attention. As such, my new t-shirt was born:




Where it might not look like much to anyone else, I couldn't be happier with how the t-shirt has turned out. So to anyone wandering around Manchester City Centre tomorrow; if you see me wearing this then, dear lord, come over and say hello! You might even get a book out of it! I'm keeping my fingers well and truly crossed that I meet a lot of new and lovely literary enthusiasts and even manage to create a few new ones.

I'll be ending the day at the Deansgate Waterstones for their World Book Night event that includes readings, of their favourite books/stories, from variety of authors such as; Sam Mills, Rodge Glass, Chris Killen, Joe Stretch, Socrates Adams, Simon Savidge, and poets; Carola Luther, Evan Jones, Grevel Lindop and Helen Tookey. It's free to attend and starts at half past six. 

See you all tomorrow, have a wonderful World Book Night!

No Vacancy Exhibition

Yesterday I travelled to the Wolstonholme Creative Space in Liverpool to see an exhibition of visual arts based on my good friend, Greg Gibson's, poetry, and I must say; it was fantastic! The exhibition itself was put on by Young Pines, a Liverpool and London based collective of illustrators, designers, and creative writing. It also featured work by Will Daw, Christine Gore, and Thom Isom.

At first I was a tad apprehensive - mainly due to the fact that Greg was busy and therefore I had to find this place, initially, on my own (yes, I got lost, even when another lovely friend of mine agreed to come with me) -  and because I had no idea what to expect, but moreso I was excited to see my friends hard work in an exhibition. 

Greg's poems explored overpopulation by imagining a crowded hotel used as a refuge by survivors of a natural disaster, with each poem being a different room. The building itself suited the pieces very well, as it seemed a tad run down (and it was extremely cold; I must admit I was shivering by the time I came to leave). 

Now poetry has always baffled me a little, even in my poetry modules at university, but these were brilliant, they effectively painted a vivid picture within each, of characters, point of view, and theme in all of the rooms. There was even a recording of an animated bus driver (turned preacher) on repeat at the very end, with pews to sit in and read another string of poems alongside of his speech.

Undoubtedly, my favourite part was the box that had a spy hole in it.


I peeked inside and was absolutely blown away; there was a tiny, dishevelled, bedroom inside! According to the guy who was working there; a lot of people who had come to the show had walked past it without looking inside. Fools! they missed out on something very special. 




One of the poems that resonated within me the longest was called 'Room 28 - You'. I think it stayed with me the longest because it read a little bit like a tongue twister and was repeating itself in my mind long after we had left. It had one line of the poem encased within a string frame on the wall. I loved it.

 

'There is an air between us, like static made of spiderweb that will tangle people if they get between, like catching flies.'  - Greg Gibson

This is definitely a must see, but unfortunately tomorrow is the exhibitions last day! So hurry up and get to Liverpool to see it if you can! If not, go to the Young Pines website and see if you can add your name to the list of receiving a hard copy.  

Needless to say I was overwhelmingly impressed and I am ridiculously proud of my friend!