I was about to begin with the 'can't believe we are in March, three months into 2009, ohmygod it is December already and Obama's radical conservatism hasn't cancelled itself out' introductory type talk.... but I can actually. I know exactly how time flew, why it did, that I wished it wouldn't, that you can find bits of it behind your sofa, bits of it if you kiss properly, and bits in a small dog called Sammy. But lets look to the future shall we?
The Formula: News Items / Something from YouTube LONDON WORD FESTIVAL // DUNDEE LIT // THE 14th TALE / THE 14th VERB // YOUTUBE: INUA ELLAMS
LONDON WORD FESTIVAL // Following '08's roaring success headlined by Saul Williams, Anthony Joseph, Joshua Ferris and Josie Long, the London Word Festival returns with an even more cacophonous, obscure, brave, boundary pushing line-up of the tragically cool London's East End Shoerditch chic ilk. (I've been practising that.) Tonight, comedian Phil Jupitus and poet Tim Wells discuss vinyl rarities and poems. Wed 11th sees 'Shakespeare in Shoreditch' five writers reinvent some of the bard's best works (e.g. King Lear becomes a Vain Hoxton Rockstar ). Sun 22nd - 'Webstock' is geek tailored, focusing on things 'bloggy, webby and whatnot' with comedians and poets fiddling with their digitalia and on the 24th, Ox Tales is strictly not for vegetarians. That is all I am saying. BUT THERE IS SO MUCH MORE. Stop by the website, find out and come, for the love of word, come. LINK: http://www.londonwordfestival.com/
DUNDEE LIT // My literary new year resolution was to send out more work to magz, anthologies and not fear rejection. Have to say it has worked. 80 percent of my submissions have been accepted online & print. This is one of the most recent... New Writing Dundee is a magazine published by the University of Dundee for the Scottish Population. I sent in a few poems and prose pieces and 'Leather Comets', a narrative about playing basketball in Dublin, was accepted yay!
In June I will be going up to Scotland for the Dundee Literary Festival, for the major launch party, but before then, after the 26th of March, NWD can be purchased for £5 at the Dundee Borders and Waterstones as well as online. LINK: http://www.dup.dundee.ac.uk/order.html Get it!
THE 14th TALE! / THE 14th VERB // TWO WEEKS AWAY! My first full length show, The 14th Tale on the 18/19/20th of March will be a part of the London Word Fest. Major rehearsals begin today and for the next 9 days I will be in the thick of things, a good few days of 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. rehearsals, repositioning, redrafting, the show must go oning and all sorts. I am looking forward to the challenge. Now, the world will try to distract me, that is its job, I accept that, but I'll stay steadfast and try to tie everything into the show.
The first distraction is a welcomed one. The show was born of two things: pressure from Roger Robinson and a writing assignment set by Roddy Lumsden who taught me in poetry at City University in London. On Wednesday the 11th, I will be discussing the play and reading bits of it for BBC Radio 3's The Verb. The other featured writer is, unbelievably... Roddy Lumsden! I tell you, there is a vague order to things... The show goes out on Friday and will be available on BBC Radio 3's website for 7 days. Make sure to listen, Roddy is quite a dude.
DETAILS for THE 14th VERB 9.15 // Friday 13th March BBC Radio 3 // www.bbc.co.uk/radio3
DETAILS for THE 14th TALE*** The 14th Tale // 8.15 // 18th, 19th, 20th March. Arcola Theatre // 27 Arcola Street E8 2DJ £9/£7 // Bx office No: 020 7503 1646 Bx office Web: http://moourl.com/end3y Facebook: http://moourl.com/4w1om
YOUTUBE: INUA ELLAMS // YEAH! About time I show one of mine... In 07 I met Jason Brooks, a film maker. I worked on a project for him lending my vocal chords to voiceover a short doc about cultural destabilisation caused by NGOs in Jomo, Kenya. We worked well together and wanted to do so again. Two years pass, The 14th Tale comes and after an hour of rehearsals, an hour of filming and three hours of rushed, pressured editing, (Jason travels a lot now) we teased out this excerpt , this taste of The 14th Tale. Sit back relax and watch. See you at the show x
Inua Ellams x Out.