SAQI

Beautifully presented promotional material from ‘fiercely independent’ Saqi Books. I sense a kindred spirit here and like what they’re doing. If the books are as good as the promo we’re in for a treat. And what a beautifully written and printed letter, not hyped, pushy or patronising.

As one time student of Islam, I’ve been amazed at the way Arabic poetry gets so overlooked, so little translated. Thank you SAQI. Keep it coming.

More: www.saquibooks.com and www.telegrambooks.com

Sealion needs voluntary support

Not as slippy as you might imagine! Our regional live lit listings web site has been a great success and we’re now seeking to recruit a team of voluntary updaters. The benefits include getting to know about every brilliant spoken word and literature event before anyone else and a year’s subscription to THE SOUTH’s active literature network.

If you can help working from home or at THE SOUTH’s office please get in touch.

Fancy a different night out? Try SEALION. South East Live Literature On Line. www.sealion.org.uk

Room with a view

Only connect was Howard’s End, but never mind. THE SOUTH has a well-equipped meeting room ready for you to use for any type of connecting – workshops, seminars, rehearsals, committee meetings. And it does have a wonderful view over Grand Parade and the Old Steine…

You can find full information here.

Attention!

There’s nothing better than focussed attention. Sadly, resources don’t permit THE SOUTH to be open all hours, so please bear with us if your email or phone call isn’t answered as promptly as you would wish. Everyone involved in THE SOUTH is either trying to write or hold down a full time job and usually both! As our resources develop I hope we’ll be able to offer a full time office and meeting area. At present THE SOUTH office is usually open on Tuesday and Thursday from 10am until 5pm, with a lunchbreak around 1pm.

Taking a break for a while

While we await funding and planning decisions, THE SOUTH is having a break until the new year. There will be no Tall Lighthouse/THE SOUTH event at the Earth and Stars in December. However, Brendan Cleary is threatening to run a Low Tech Cabaret night at the Open House in December with Lorna Thorpe and David Crystal and strictly NO OPEN MIKE.

THE SOUTH will run new series of workshops early next year. Our next major project will be R:Fest – Runnymede Literary Festival 2007 from February 18th until March 3rd in Runnymede in Surrey, in association with Royal Holloway and Runnymede Borough Council.

Advisory Group Meeting

December 13th 7-9pm. THE SOUTH Brighton Writers’ Centre, 49, Grand parade, Brighton, BN2 9QA.

If you ‘re interested and would like to attend please let us know.

www.thesouth.org.uk

Friends drop-in day

If you are, once were or would like to be one of those special Friends of THE SOUTH why not drop by Brighton Writers’ Centre on Tuesday December 13th and meet John Davies, Tom Cunliffe and some of the other leading lights in the southern hemisphere. Friendship cards and subscriptions will be checked so make sure you’re up to date now!

Adrienne Rich: We need poetry more than ever

Commentary The Guardian Saturday November 18th

“I’m both a poet and one of the “everybodies” of my country. I live with manipulated fear, ignorance, cultural confusion and social antagonism huddling together on the faultline of an empire. I hope never to idealise poetry – it has suffered enough from that. Poetry is not a healing lotion, an emotional massage, a kind of linguistic aromatherapy. Neither is it a blueprint, nor an instruction manual, nor a billboard. There is no universal Poetry, anyway, only poetries and poetics, and the streaming, intertwining histories to which they belong.

More? http://books.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1950812,00.html

“…poetry is either inadequate, even immoral, in the face of human suffering, or it’s unprofitable, hence useless. Either way, poets are advised to hang our heads or fold our tents. Yet in fact, throughout the world, transfusions of poetic language can and do quite literally keep bodies and souls together – and more.”

“…news of an awareness, a resistance, which totalising systems want to quell: art reaching into us for what’s still passionate, still unintimidated, still unquenched.”

Board Members

Love Literature? Serious player! You’re just who we’re looking for to be on our board. We need people with sound professional experience who would like to be involved with one of the most exciting arts organisations in the UK. THE SOUTH has need of your talents and experience. We’re the region’s leading creative writing writers’ network and independent promoter supporting creative writing and literary arts. We believe passionately in the power of words to change lives. We’ve done a power of good since 2002, putting Brighton and the south on the literary arts map and building national and international connections. We’ve set up Brighton Writers Centre, Runnymede Literary Festival (March 2007), Brighton Children’s Book Festival (April 2007) and Brighton Poetry Festival (June 2007). If you believe in the power and vitality of words and creative writing and you or your organisation feel you may be able to help, why not call John Davies on 01273 571700 for an informal discussion. Any help or advice you can give will be appreciated.

Local Authority Arts Officers

Over the last few years THE SOUTH has gone from strength to strength. Our ACE funded Project poetry! commissions connected with Arundel, Bexhill, Brighton, Hastings, Haywards Heath, Kingston and Worthing and recently featured at the British Animation Festival and at the Limerick Poetry Festival in Ireland. We have organised Brighton Poetry Festival and the community and education activities of Runnymede International Literary Festival in association with Royal Holloway and Runnymede Borough Council. We have set up Brighton Writers’ Centre and have continued to develop contacts and projects across the region. In 2007 we shall be working with West Dean in West Sussex and aim to work with partners in Hampshire and Kent. We have developed links with the High Weald Unit of East Sussex and we are developing extensive European contacts for a European funded project about Landscape and Poetry and the European Poetry Festival Pulse. Our first Brighton Children’s Book Festival “Children of THE SOUTH” will take place in April 2007.

We have now applied to ACE SE for organisational development funding to support the next stage of our development. I’m writing to ask you for your support in this application and to request any information about additional funding that we may be able to apply for – especially from local authorities.

If you would like me to send you a copy of our ACE proposal please let me know.