Intoducing TEDBooks...

TED has announced the launch of a new, shorter-form book series, TEDBooks.

The success of TEDTalks has demonstrated that millions of people around the world are hungry to absorb new ideas. Many of the talks create a desire to go deeper -- but not everyone has the time to read an entire book on a subject.

TEDBooks fill that gap. While a traditional book is at least 60,000 words, TEDBooks, at less than 20,000, allow someone to see an idea fleshed out in a satisfying way -- but without having to devote a week of reading time to it. The first three titles are availalbe digitally and cost $2.99 each.

Visit TEDBooks

BBC reveals Year of Books

The BBC this week announces its Year of Books 2011 which will celebrate books and matters related by inviting audiences to free their imagination with a broad range of quality programmes. 

From established literary strands to new documentaries, readings, debates and dramas, the year will champion the power of books with a host of new programmes, as well as drawing upon the BBC's extensive literary archive and regular programming strands.

On television, the year begins with Sebastian Faulks' look at some of our most enduring fictional characters in his new series on the British novel, Faulks On Fiction, and ends with a pan-BBC focus on Dickens to mark the 200th anniversary of this great British writer's birth.

Along the way there are a number of new programmes. From August, BBC Two's flagship arts discussion programme, The Review Show, will be dedicating a monthly edition to regular book discussion. The Book Review Show with Kirsty Wark and Martha Kearney, will see a panel of experts and book-lovers casting their eyes over recent releases.

In addition to this there will be a new daytime chat show on BBC Two, hosted by Anne Robinson, which will feature personalities sharing their life stories through the books they have read. The new daily show, My Life In Books, will run for two weeks in the lead up to the inaugural World Book Night on 5 March.

On Tuesday 1 March BBC Radio 4's Good Read invites guests to select their favourite title from World Book Night's list of 25. BBC Radio 7 presents a selection of archive readings from the books, including Alan Bennett's Untold Stories, and Radio 4's Front Row will be interviewing some of the contemporary writers, whilst the Radio 4 website will have a wealth of related archive content, including programmes and interviews on the books and authors featured on the list.


On World Book Night, The Culture Show on BBC Two will be hosting an evening of book-themed programming which will include a showcase and celebration of 12 of the brightest new British writing talents in New Novelists Twelve of the Best, a Sue Perkins special on The Books We Really Read, a behind-the-scenes look at World Book Night as well as live coverage of the event itself. A Culture Show Special has exclusive access to the work of Hilary Mantel as she writes The Mirror And The Light – the sequel to her Booker prize-winning novel, Wolf Hall.

In August, Stephen Fry will chart the development of the spoken word and share our linguistic achievements in Fry's Planet Word. The year will close by marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of the most celebrated authors of all time, Charles Dickens, in a pan-BBC Dickens season. Gearing up to the UK-wide 2012 celebrations, the BBC Dickens season will run throughout December, across radio and TV culminating in an ambitious adaptation for BBC Four which will see writer Gwyneth Hughes finish Dickens' final novel, Edwin Drood; and a bold new Sarah Phelps adaptation of Great Expectations for BBC One. Radio 4 will also bring two new Dickens adaptations to the airwaves – A Tale Of Two Cities and Martin Chuzzlewit, and Woman's Hour presents Dickens' London, a drama written by Michael Eaton.

Life-long Dickens fan, Armando Iannucci sets out to rediscover Dickens the novelist for BBC Two, examining how he wrote, what he thought and why it works. In co-production with Dickens 2012, the BBC's flagship arts television documentary strand Arena has commissioned a documentary for BBC Four. Arena: Dickens On Film will open the door on the vast Dickens onscreen archive that has been generated over more than a century and all over the world. The BBC and Film London, working in partnership with the BFI, will also celebrate Dickens 2012.

Alongside Radio 4's regular book strands, (Book Of The Week, Book At Bedtime, Open Book, Bookclub, A Good Read, Classic Serial and Front Row) the network also presents three literary landmark series for 2011 – Life And Fate, The Far Pavilions and The History Of Titus Groan, with contemporary adaptations including Stephen Kelman's critically acclaimed debut novel Pigeon English. Also this year, Open Book presenter Mariella Frostrup celebrates a sometimes under-rated but much loved genre, launching the search for Britain's Funniest Book.

Visit the BBC website for more information...

Bookshelf wallpaper...

The librarian lifestyle seems to be in vogue at the moment as this round up of fake bookshelf wallpaper shows...see half-dozen more of these splendid wallpapers at Remodelista Daily.

Colm Toibin takes over from Martin Amis at Manchester University

World-renowned author Colm Tóibín has been appointed as Professor of Creative Writing at The University of Manchester.

The Tóibín appointment coincides with the news that Martin Amis is to finish his tenure at the University in July after four years, also as Professor of Creative Writing.



Professor Tóibín will continue where Amis left off, teaching postgraduate students for two days a week at the University for one semester a year and taking part in four public events.

He will hold a fiction workshop for Master students and a new course called Arts for Writers - where he will bring composers, artists and other arts practitioners into the seminar room to explore how music art and theatre influences writing.

Read more on this story:
Manchester Evening News
The Irish Independent
The Guardian

Visit Colm Tóibín's official website

Derek Walcott wins TS ELiot Prize for Poetry

Caribbean poet Derek Walcott has won this year's prestigious TS Eliot Prize for Poetry for his latest collection, White Egrets. Walcott, 81, was up against several other well-known poets including Simon Armitage and Seamus Heaney.

Judges' chair Anne Stevenson said the judges had found it difficult to choose a winner. But they concluded White Egrets "was a moving, risk-taking and technically flawless book by a great poet." The collection includes two poems written to Barack Obama. Walcott wins £15,000, while his fellow nominees pick up cheques for £1,000 each.

Reserve books about and by Derek Walcott at the library online catalogue.

Read more on this story in The Telegraph and The Guardian.

What defines you as a writer/poet?

Over 2011, Incwriters and the Andrew Oldham website, will be taking a snapshot of writers and poets in the UK and abroad.The aim is simple, all those contributing will answer the same interview question and the responses will be published over the year on both websites.

If you’re interested answer the question below, you can answer it in two ways, a simple email reply (text based) or a vodcast (video taken on your phone or on a camcorder). All videos will be posted to the Incwriters YouTube channel. The only rule is that your answer must be a minimum of 100 words to the following question:

What defines you as a writer/poet?

Let's the spread the word - after you've responded, send this message to every poet & writer you know, post it your Facebook, Linked In, Twitter and other social networks. This is a also great way to also promote yourself as a writer on a website with over 43,000 readers a year.

The deadline for submissions is 5pm on March 4th 2011 and submissions must be accompanied by a short 25 word bio plus image(jpg)and email to andrew_incwriters(at) yahoo (dot) co (dot) uk

Short and sweet - an advert for libraries from Finland...

The Finnish Library Association celebrates its 100th anniversary with this lovely video promoting the power of libraries...

LGBT History Month 2011: events in Manchester Libraries

LGBT month 2011Our annual LGBT celebration offers a chance to learn more about the livesand stories of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans-gender people. We'll uncover hidden histories, take a look back in time, enjoy some stories and crafts and go read dating! All events are free and open to everyone.

The Myth of Gay Persecution in Nineteenth Century Manchester

Jeff Evans of Manchester Metropolitan University has researched sources held by the Greater Manchester County Record Office (with Manchester Archives) relating to the policing of a range of intimate male behaviours. The talk will consider local evidence in respect of the historical process of singularity (or 'homosexualisation') - in other words, the means by which such diverse acts were conflated into what today is labelled as 'gay history'. Original archives will be available for handling.

Becker Room, City Library
Thursday 3 February, 6.30 - 7.30pm
LGBT month 2011
Proud 2B Parents

Stories, rhymes and crafts for under-fives, their families and friends.

Alexandra Park Play Centre,
Demesne Road, Whalley Range M16 7AS
Saturday 26 February, 2.15 - 4.15pm

All welcome. Info from Matt, 0161 226 0161

The Return of ... Read Dating!

It's back! Join us for a fun evening of swapping stories and meeting other singletons. Bring your favourite book or pick one off the shelves, then chat about why you love it. When the bell rings it's time to move round the room. You don't have to stand up in front of a crowd - it's strictly one-to-one in a friendly, informal setting. The Becker Room used to be the Registry Office so who knows what might happen?

Becker Room, City Library
Thursday 10 February, 6.30pm

Step Back In Time

Is it a quiz? Is it a slideshow? A journey through time? It's all of this and more! Join us to celebrate the launch of our new Flickr photo project at a special retro-themed night in the Village. It's a quiz with a difference, with some stops along the way to share your experiences and stories. To find out more or book your place, call 0161 234 1939 or email libraries@manchester.gov.uk

Surprise venue to be announced...watch this space!
Thursday 17 February, 7.30 - 9.00pm

Manchester Pride LGBT Heritage Trail

The popular Manchester Pride LGBT Heritage Trail returns with the special addition of items from Manchester Archives relating to the city's Queer History. See some of the documents and publications that gave Manchester's LGBT community a voice, then walk round key locations relating to the history and culture of local gays, lesbians, bisexuals and trans-gender people. Don't miss this rare event! No booking required.

Becker Room, City Library
Saturday 19 February, 2.30 - 5pm

LGBT reading group

A monthly group for anyone who enjoys LGBT-interest fiction. In February the group will be reading The Big Nowhere by James Ellroy. New members are always welcome at this friendly group - no need to register, just turn up! Contact Libby Tempest for more information on 234 1981.

Becker Room, City Library
Monday 21 February, 6 - 7pm

Did you know?
Our library catalogue features lots of LGBT-interest materials. Enter a search term or follow the Reading Lists link for titles on fostering and adoption, fiction and non-fiction and picture books for LGBT families. You can make free reservations and we'll deliver to a library of your choice.

Enjoy LGBT History Month 2011 and we hope to see you at ne of our events. For more information on LGBT History Month and a calendar or events in the north west and beyond visit the official website www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/

Free half term activities for children in libraries across the city

Bring your child along to a Manchester Library this half-term and get creative with four different activities to enjoy. We'll be creating Manga Faces and you can learn about the Japanese art of Manga and create your own piece of art work. Let your imagination run wild and invent your own Superhero Stories. Try you hand at Glass Painting or bring along an old T-shirt and we’ll help you transform it in our T-Shirt Printing sessions. All the sessions are free. Have a look at the list below to see if there is an activity near you...

Beswick
Glass Painting, Monday 21st February, 12-2     Ages 8+
T-Shirt Printing, Tuesday 22nd February, 11.30-12.30 Ages 5+

Brooklands
T-Shirt Printing, Monday 21st February, 3.30-4.30     Ages 5+

Burnage
Paper Basket Weaving, Tuesday 22nd February, 11-1 and 2-4.30     Ages 8+
T-Shirt Printing, Monday 21st February, 3.30-4.30     Ages 5+

City Library
Wii Games, Saturday 26th February, 1-4     Ages 10+

Chorlton
T-Shirt Printing, Wednesday 23rd February, 3.30-4.30     Ages 5 +
Free Art Activity, Thursday 24th February, 2-4     Ages 8+


Clayton
Glass Painting, Tuesday 22nd February, 12-2    Ages 8+
T-Shirt Printing, Friday 25th February, 11.30-12.30     Ages 5+

Crumpsall
Superhero Stories, Tuesday 22nd February, 1-3     Ages 8+
T-Shirt Printing, Wednesday 23rd February, 11.30-12.30     Ages 5+
Revision Session, Wednesday 23rd February, 1-3.30     Ages 8+

Didsbury
Paper Basket Weaving, Monday 21st February, 11-1 and 2-4.30     Ages 8+
T-Shirt Printing, Tuesday 22nd February, 3.30-4.30     Ages 5+

Fallowfield
T-Shirt Printing, Wednesday 23rd February, 2-3     Ages 5+
Free Art Activity, Wednesday 23rd February, 2-4     Ages 8+

Forum
T-Shirt Printing, Monday 21st February, 11.30-12.30     Ages 5+

Gorton
Manga Faces, Tuesday 22nd February, 1.30-3.30     Ages 8+
T-Shirt Printing, Thursday 24th February, 2-3     5+

Hulme Library
Free Art Activity, Tuesday 22nd February, 2.30-4.30     Ages 8+

Levenshulme
Manga Faces, Wednesday 23rd February, 2-4     Ages 8+

Longsight
Manga Faces, Monday 21st February, 2-4     Ages 8+
Revision Session, Tuesday 22nd February, 2-4     Ages 8+
Revision Session, Wednesday 23rd February, 2-4     Ages 8+
T-Shirt Printing, Thursday 24th February, 11.30-12.30     Ages 5+
Wii Games, Thursday 24th February, 2-4     Ages 10+

Miles Platting
Glass Painting, Wednesday 23rd February, 12-2     Ages 8+

Newton Heath
Glass Painting, Wednesday 23rd February, 2-4     Ages 8+
T-Shirt Printing, Friday 25th February, 2-3     Ages 5+

North City Library
Superhero Stories, Monday 21st February, 1-3     Ages 8+
T-Shirt Printing, Friday 25th February, 3.30-4.30    Ages 5+

Powerhouse
Wii Games, Monday 21st February to Friday 25th February, 1-5     Ages 10+
Moss Side’s Secret Garden, Wednesday 23rd February,     All Ages
Free Art Activity, Monday 21st February, 2-4     Ages 8+

Rackhouse
T-Shirt Printing, Monday 21st February, 2-3    Ages 5+

Withington
T-Shirt Printing, Tuesday 22nd February, 2-3     Ages 5+
Paper Basket Weaving, Wednesday 23rd February, 11-1 and 2-4.30     Ages 8+

Poetry Launch - JT Welsch and Adrian Slatcher

JT Welsch and Adrian Slatcher will be reading from their new Salt Modern Voices Collections “Orchids” and “Playing Solitaire for Money” respectively at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Cambridge Street, Manchester in Manchester City Centre on Wednesday 19th January 2011, 6.30pm. This is a free event  and there will be wine and an opportunity to buy the books and speak to the poets. All are welcome.
Both boks are available to order online from Salt Publishing.

Adrian Slatcher was born in Walsall in 1967 and grew up in Norton Canes, Staffordshire. He studied English in Lancaster and Creative Writing in Manchester where he currently lives. He works as a project manager primarily helping the arts to understand technology. He writes poetry, fiction and non-fiction and regularly blogs about literary matters at artoffiction.blogspot.com.

JT Welsch grew up in Waterloo, Illinois, a small farm town across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. After studying music in Boston, he immigrated further east to study screenwriting and poetry at Royal Holloway in London. Earlier this year, he completed a PhD in Manchester, where he currently lives, writes, and teaches at various universities. Orchids is his first book of poetry.

Turn your handwriting into a font!

January 23 is National Handwriting Day in the USA and Yourfonts.com are celebrating by offering free personal handwriting fonts.

So what is National Handwriting Day? I'm not one hundred per cent sure, this but I think the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association (WIMA) initiated it and the date refers to the birthday of John Hancock (January 23, 1737) as he was the first to sign the United States Declaration of Independence.

To create your free font use the special National Handwriting Day code below. You can create as many fonts as you like during National Handwriting Day; January 23, 2011. Use coupon CPN2011FUN when you check out and receive your font for free at http://www.yourfonts.com/

This offer is only valid January 23, 2011, but you can already download and fill out the template.
http://www.yourfonts.com/print.html

FoldingStory - a group story telling game

FoldingStory is an online story-telling game in which players write one line of a story, fold the virtual paper, and pass it to the next person. It's that old party game consequences, but you're doing it online and when your turn comes you have to be fast as you only have four minutes to write a new part of the story in 180 characters or less.

Every line in a finished story has a score, which appears within the story next to the author’s username. If you see a line that you like, give the author a boost by clicking the “like” box to the right of the line. The score is the sum of everyone’s votes for that line.

FoldingStory can be found online at www.foldingstory.com or at its own application on Facebook, where users can sign up and begin contributing to stories right away.

Write and share screenplays online with RawScripts.com

RawScripts.com is a new free online screenwriting editor. Scripts are private, secure and accessible from any computer and there's nothing to install. Both budding and established screenwriters will be able to begin creating a script from scratch, and even import any work that they have started in another editor, keeping the format intact. Any script that is created through this site can be complemented by notes, and a full revision history is also always accessible.

Rawscripts can accessed from anywhere making it easy to edit or read work on the go. To start simply log in with a Google or Yahoo password and you can be typing your first script in seconds. You can also collaborate with friends.When you share scripts with your friends, they can leave notes on your script, and start conversations about your work. Trying to shoot something quickly this weekend? Put the script to five friends and get instant feedback.

We've got Wi-Fi!

 

Customers of City Library can now use a new Wi-Fi service to connect to the internet with laptops and other mobile devices (smartphones / tablet computers). Wifi is available on all 3 floors of the library and the service offers 2 hours free connectivity per day to customers holding a library card. There's a 2 gig per day download/upload limit and there are laptop charging points in the library.

Throughout the new year we will be rolling the Wifi service out to Forum Library, Chorlton Library, Didsbury Library, North City Library, Longsight Library and Beswick Academy. Look out here for more information.

The Open Library - one web page for every book...

One web page for every book ever published - that's the goal of Open Library. To acheive that goal open Library need hundreds of millions of book records, a wiki interface, and lots of people who are willing to contribute their time and effort to building the site.

To date, they've gathered over 20 million records from a variety of large catalogues as well as single contributions, with more on the way. Open Library is an open project: the software is open, the data are open, the documentation is open, and your contributions are very welcome - whether you fix a typo, add a book, or write a widget - it's all welcome.

At its heart, Open Library is a catalogue. The project began in November 2007 and now has well over 20 million edition records online, plus they provide access to 1.7 million scanned versions of books, and also link to external sources like WorldCat and Amazon. The secondary goal is to get you as close to the actual document you're looking for as possible, whether that is a scanned version courtesy of the Internet Archive, or a link to an online shop where you can purchase your own copy. 


Find out more at the Open Library website and follow the Open Library blog for news and updates.

Open Library is a project of the non-profit Internet Archive, and has been funded in part by a grant from the California State Library and the Kahle/Austin Foundation.

The Other Schindlers - an event to mark Holocaust Memorial Day

An event to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. Come and hear author Agnes Grunwald-Spier talk about her book, The Other Schindlers: Why Some People Chose to Save Jews in the Holocaust, which brings together inspiring stories of courageous non-Jews who risked their own lives to save Jews from the Holocaust.

As a baby, Agnes Grunwald-Spier was herself saved from the horrors of Auschwitz by an unknown official, and is now a trustee of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. She has collected the stories of 30 individuals who rescued Jews, providing a new insight into why these people were prepared to risk so much for their fellow men and women.

Agnes Grunwald-Spier was born in Budapest in July 1944. She and her mother were sent to the ghetto there in November 1944, and were liberated in January 1945. A former civil servant, she holds degrees in History & Politics and Holocaust Studies, and is a trustee of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, a member of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, a member of the Architects’ Registration Board, and a Justice of the Peace. She lives in Sheffield and London.

City Library, First floor Becker Room
Tuesday 25 January, 6pm

All for love and nothing for reward: A celebration of the life of Dr. Henry Watson

We are pleased to announce a new exhibition for 2011 - All for love and nothing for reward : A celebration of the life and career of composer and teacher, Dr Henry Watson, 1846-1911.

In January 2011 the Henry Watson Music Library and Royal Northern College of Music are marking the centenary of the death of Henry Watson with a joint exhibition. Using exciting original documents such as letters and photographs from the extensive Henry Watson archive collection this exhibition celebrates the life of a man who left a wonderful legacy to the citizens of Manchester.

Dr Watson bequeathed the contents of his private library to the City. His original collection (some 16,700 volumes) has been supplemented by many important donations and acquisition and has grown into the Henry Watson Music Library - one of the largest collections of music in any public library.

To mark the centenary of his death, we are hosting a joint exhibition at City Library and the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), where Dr Watson’s Historic Musical Instrument Collection is housed. Find out more about this fascinating man and his lifelong love of music.

City Library, Elliot House, 151 Deansgate, M3 3WD
and
RNCM, 124 Oxford Road, M13 9RD

7 January to 21 February 2011