Dawn choruses, clocks forward, light evenings, and hosts of golden daffodils: we are definitely in England, and springtime is here!
And you probably do not need a reminder about this: the twenty-second Swindon Festival of Literature, 4th – 16th May.
A little film of its programme launch is here https://www.youtube.com/embed/v3DkmMRFEPQ?rel=0&showinfo=0 and its website, with full programme details, here www.swindonfestivalofliterature.co.uk
But as for this month, here’s what’s happening in April.
This month's Mum’s the Word meeting, for mothers interested in writing, takes place at 7.30pm at Lower Shaw Farm on Tuesday 14th April.
For further information, contact Karen at mattkarensmith@yahoo.co.uk
On Tuesday 14th April, the Poetry Swindon Open Mic welcomes you to share poems, stories, or songs, for up to 5 minutes each. This month the editors and contributors from 'The Book of Love and Loss' are guest poets. The ticket cost is £3 BG members and £5 to non-members. The evening starts at 7pm to sign up and the new venue is the The Victoria, 88 Victoria Road Swindon Wiltshire SN1 3BD. For further details, please email Sam Loveless at sam.loveless1988@gmail.com
At 7.30pm Tuesday 21st April at Lowers Shaw Farm the Artswords Reading Group meets to discuss Big Brother by Lionel Shriver. He may be an older brother and cool jazz pianist but Edison’s know-it-all monologues and bad diet do not please Pandora. How much should she sacrifice in order to ‘save’ her big brother?
For further details, contact: matt@lowershawfarm.co.uk
For other local Reading Groups that take place in Libraries, see HERE
On Saturday 11 April Poetry Swindon have a workshop: Making Poetry Films with Elephant Foot Print film makers Chaucer Cameron and Helen Dewbery There are only a few places left so please enquire at poetryswindon@yahoo.co.uk for details.
To see the full Poetry Swindon Programme, see HERE
The next Writers’ Café and Kitchen takes place from 6pm on Thursday 30th April at Lower Shaw Farm. Cost £2. Starts with pot-luck supper from 6pm. If you can, please bring something to nibble or drink, to share with others. Following acclimatisation with food and friendly chat, we take time to look at our writing. You may simply read your work for up to 5 minutes; or, if you’d like your work to be the subject of helpful comments and discussion, bring 10 copies of one piece of writing. This should amount to no more than 500 words of prose or 40 lines of poetry.
Note. We now also welcome anyone with 5-minute stories to tell. If you have a story, to tell, not read, and ideally a story from your life, please bring it along.
Other News:
The Richard Jefferies Museum has a programme of Writing Workshops and Literature events for children and families. Please see www.richardjefferies.org and click Education for full details.
The Battered Moons Poetry Competition is now open for entries: www.batteredmoons.com
If you want to keep abreast of Literature development projects and festivals that Artswords will be organising or supporting, you can follow us via this monthly newsletter, or updates on Facebook and Twitter (See links below the newsletter)
If you have any news or events for May that you would like to share with other readers of ARTSWORDS NEWS, please let us know by the middle of this month.
Happy reading and writing, and don’t forget to book your Festival tickets!
Matt Holland & Hilda Sheehan
SWINDON ARTSWORDS
LOVE LITERATURE! LOVE LIFE!
