This week I wanna talk Lit Fests, writers conferences, gatherings, launch parties, you name it. Please send any and all info you have on the subject. And as always, any other news, info, plugs, or promotions you can come up with. That’s why we here.
First some News and Notes
Katherine Arnoldi's All Things Are Labor has won the Juniper Fiction Prize. A previous novel of hers is being transposed to the big screen. (Now that’s the way to do it.)
Interview of Andrew Gallix at The Great Small Fishes. Also Tom Bradley reviews two of Gallix’ short stories in Nth Position.
Timothy Gager (tkg for you Litkicks fans) has a story in the anthology Santi: Lives of Modern Saints, due for release in December. Tim has had 27 stories and poems published this year, including a finalist in the Binnacle Ultra Short Competition. His "Punchless Jimmy Collins" was a notable in Story South Million Writer Awards.
Good lit discussions at The Guardian and Litkicks.
Me and Ridgwell at The Beat.
Now - Lit Fests
Why now? Well, at my job you gotta put in for summer vacation in December. So if I’m gonna get to any lit gatherings, gotta plan about nine months ahead. I really hope everyone will keep that in mind - to enable people to attend lit gatherings, please let us know about it as far in advance as possible. Thanks.
The one I’m gonna feature is Lit Plus - James Bridle’s two-week party which runs concurrent with the more traditional London Lit Fest. A couple of reasons here. First, there’s no place I’d rather go than London. Second, I can’t think of a better group of folks to meet and hang out with than the young and talented Offbeats who are writers, editors, publishers, musicians, film-makers, and great fun-loving folk.
If you’re thinking of attending, here’s some considerations:
- Get a passport if you don’t have one. No big deal, go to the Post Office, fill out the forms and fork over the money.
- I got airline tickets through American Express - excellent deal, no complaints. Roundtrip was $925 from Omaha. You can usually fly out of New York or other big cities for about half that. Travel security concerns weren’t an issue. Bring a book to read and the long lines won’t even bother you.
- I always stay at the Royal Norfolk Hotel in Paddington. The manager knows me, gives me a good rate. But there are tons of other hotels you can find on the net. I imagine they’re all fine. My room’s about $110 a night for a very nice comfortable double. And Paddington’s a very peaceful quiet part of London, very safe, very friendly. Take the kids and don’t worry. My four-year old loves it. It’s all parks and tourist hotels. The little streets are very flowery and pretty with all the shops for anything you’d need.
- Transportation is terribly simple. A travel card for the underground (an Oyster Card) is about fifty bucks for unlimited tube or bus travel for a week. You couldn’t readily walk from Paddington to central London, but it’s about ten minutes on the tube.
Why London instead of one of the many conferences in the US?
Well, it’s a beautiful safe friendly city, very charming and pleasant. And it’s the best theatre town in the world. Sorry New York, but London has more shows, better choices, cheaper tickets. I paid $25 for The Woman in Black, $30 for The Last Confession, and $50 for Fiddler on the Roof. Pretty good seats. Very good seats would be about twice that. But it’s a lot less than Broadway. And trust me, the London theatre experience is way more fun and sociable.
Before the show go to the nearest pub, down a quick pint and get pumped up for the performance. Then at intermission, the theatre bar for another drink and outside for a quick smoke. Keeps the atmosphere buzzing. Finally, after a stunning performance, stroll down to Leicester Square, get something to eat or a cappuccino and watch as all the people go by in the very heart of the civilized world.
Leicester Square is a great place to be. About six blocks between Piccadilly Circus and the end of the square, it’s the heart of the theatre district, and where all the world’s tourists go, both day and night. Very friendly, very safe, lots of shops, fountains, street musicians, cafe’s, pubs, etc. The last couple of blocks are foot traffic only, at night, so it’s a huge gaggle of fun-loving people from every corner of the globe.
Next - museums. London has great museums and they’re mostly all free. I recommend the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square - wonderful paintings by the great masters. Next door is the National Portrait Gallery which is a lot more interesting than it sounds. St. Martin’s Cathedral is across the street and has concerto performances throughout the summer. I’ve never been to one, but there’s so much to see and do, you can’t do everything.
Trafalgar Square is a lovely place to take pictures, relax, look around at all the marvelous Victorian architecture, and plan what to do next. Surprisingly, you can walk from Piccadilly Circus to Trafalgar Square in about five, ten minutes. And from there you can walk to St. James’ Park, Buckingham Palace or Westminster Abbey, Parliament (Big Ben), the London Eye, and so forth. It’s a beautiful walk whichever direction you go.
Unlike American cities, London is pretty much a walking town. You have to take the tube or bus to St. Paul’s or the Tower, but from there you can walk over to The Globe Theatre. Or take a lovely walk along the Thames, but it’s a long, long walk. I can’t describe all the sites, the feeling, and the festive atmosphere of summer in London, in less than ten pages. But I think anyone who’s been there, will attest to its charm and ability to re-energize your spirit. For whatever reason, I keep going back year after year. And now there’s the Lit Plus festival, so why not come along?