News
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Who are we to criticise? Um … actually …
16 February 2012
One of my favourite literary creations is Holden Caulfield. I remember when I first met him. I was sixteen, and it was pretty much love at first sight, probably because he was the first teenage boy I felt I really understood. I loved him for the little things; his brother Allie’s baseball mitt, the way he didn’t want his little sister to see a swear word scrawled on the wall when they went to the museum, and the way it mattered to him if a girl kept all her kings in the back row. And I loved him for the big things; his abhorrence of all things phoney, his windmill-tilting, oh, and that weird streak of grey hair tucked beneath his trapper hat. But for every person I’ve met who loves 'The Catcher In The Rye', there’s another who thinks it’s only so-so, over-rated, or just not their cup of tea… unsustainable old boyfriends among them. And that’s the joy of reading – it’s only ever personal, and it’s our prerogative, as readers, to make up our own minds.
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The long and the short of it
06 February 2012
I recently polished off one of my best Christmas presents - 'My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me', a collection of traditional fairytales reimagined by the likes of Neil Gaiman, Neil LaBute and 38 other writers not called Neil. It was so wonderful that I am keen to make everyone I know read it. Some have taken the bait, others have simply wrinkled their noses. Why? Because they don't like short stories, mostly.
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What do you look for in a literary remix?
23 January 2012
I first read 'Pride And Prejudice' when I was fifteen and have loved it ever since. When I heard that the venerable P.D. James was pushing open the doors of Pemberley and writing her way inside the marriage of Elizabeth and Mr Darcy my interest was pricked. I decided to give 'Death Comes To Pemberley' a go. The book has garnered rave reviews and everyone seems to agree on a job awfully well done; an excellent recreation, taut plotting, plenty of in-jokes for Austen aficionados…
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All grand @ The Grand
20 January 2012
And now relax ... After all the up and downs, in and outs, and here and theres in the lead up to last night's Book Slam, it's the morning after and we must say our thanks. Thanks to all those who took the stage (Ben Mellor, Kate Tempest, Ray Shell, HarrMonika and his band, and the ineffably generous Gilles Peterson), to our fantastic host Salena Godden for holding them (and us) together, to Canongate and the one man typhoon that is Jamie Byng, and to South London's finest venue, The Clapham Grand. Thanks too to all those came and were such an enthusiastic and respectful crowd. You leave us humbled, as ever. And, lastly, of course, thanks to Gil Scott-Heron. Last night was no more than a taster of the great man's legacy - much missed but never forgotten. Do yourself a favour and read 'The Last Holiday'. It was a special evening and we hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did.
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One for the trouble
15 January 2012
Advertising feature (Zimbabwe Herald):
No trouble for the Book Slam Annual in Zimbabwe!
Who'd have thought London's best literary club night would take Harare by storm?As the festive season gives way to something far less jolly, one small company still has reasons to be cheerful as its merchandise becomes a surprise hit in sub-Saharan Africa. Book Slam, maverick publishers behind the marvellous 'One For The Trouble', were the talk of Chisipite Fashion Week this month with the release of their casual-yet-stylish range of T-shirts for all the family. Simply fabulous!
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Mixtapes and soundtracks
10 January 2012
Back in the day, I loved mixtapes: excellent and cost-effective presents for pretty much anyone and any occasion - a mixtape was a remember-me compilation for a departing friend, or a collection of "cool choons" designed to up my cred with a crush ('Yeah, I totally prefer Bikini Kill to Peter Andre. No biggie'). However, increasingly effortless access to music has made me lazy and thus rendered mix-tapes extinct – for me at least, if not those cool folks who continue to uphold it as some kind of art form.
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NEWS FLASH: Book Slam 19/1 - Venue Change!
07 January 2012
We've moved Book Slam x Canongate's tribute to Gil Scott-Heron on 19th January from Wilton's to The Grand. Here's why: we decided to hold back the sale of tickets to this event until the morning of January 5th to ensure that we spread the word as widely as possible and it wasn't just friends of Book Slam who had the chance to purchase them - unfortunately, we didn't anticipate the level of interest! Tickets sold out in 90 seconds at which point our Shopping Cart system fell over and allowed people to continue buying tickets for a further 5 minutes until we were able to turn off sales manually. The event, therefore, outsold the capacity of Wilton's by some margin and we were faced with a choice - disappoint many of those who believed they'd bought tickets or come up with another plan.
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Resolutions for life and reading
31 December 2011
For 2012 I’m making resolutions on reading. It’s a crafty move, because even if I break them I’ve got little to lose. With reading resolutions, you can resolve to aim high, knowing that if you fall the landing will be soft. You can resolve to look for new love, knowing that the good, old kind will still be there, waiting faithfully. You can resolve to travel the world while staying in the comfort of your armchair, and be sociable without actually having to go out and converse. You can pick up, put down, skim, chop, change, split a spine, turn the corner of a page, drop off half way through a ...
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Other people's books ...
28 December 2011
Christmas saw me finally get round to Julian Barnes's 'The Sense Of An Ending', and very good it is too. I demolished it in one Boxing Day sitting on my brand new electronic reading device (at the same time wondering what the author might make of such sacrilege) 'The Sense Of An Ending' plays a minor key melody of ageing and regret, which is poignant and haunting, and Barnes writes, as ever, with that remarkable emotional precision that makes you feel like he's revealing truth that's been hiding on the tip of your tongue - very beautiful. And yet ... Booker Prize-winning? Really?
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Unbound etc
22 December 2011
So, the newspapers continue to be full of 'new publishing' stories - this, the latest from The Observer. Unbound sounds particularly interesting to us, since it seems so thoroughly commercial: you don't turn a profit, you don't see the light of day - there's a pleasing honesty in such brutality (pretty much in agreement with how Patrick talks about the whole publishing malarkey).
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Books as beauty ...
09 December 2011
Interesting article by Kathryn Hughes in last week's Saturday Guardian (I know, I know ... too much media, too little time and/ or interest) about the resurgence of the physical book as a thing of beauty. She writes, '... the rise of the eBook has, paradoxically, made us more rather than less appreciative of its four-cornered cousin. Until just a few years ago you picked up a book without really thinking about it, but now it has become something to ponder.'
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Thanks from all @ Book Slam
04 December 2011
Many thanks from all @ Book Slam for the countless e-mails and Tweets we've received from those who've received the first copies of 'One For The Trouble'. We're dead pleased that you think it looks as beautiful as we do!
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The Sky Arts Book Show @ Book Slam
28 November 2011
The Sky Arts Book Show came down to Book Slam a couple of months back when we had Lemn Sissay, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Inua Ellams on the bill.
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Front Row @ Book Slam
26 November 2011
There was a good bit about the new style of book events on Front Row last night.
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Splash
25 November 2011
Huge thanks to all who came down to Book Slam last night for the launch of 'One For The Trouble' - the writers who contributed (Sophie Woolley, Luke Wright, Bernardine Evaristo, Patrick Ness and Richard Milward), the phenomenal HowAbout Beth, and, of course, the brilliant David Nicholls who wins 'the most charming man in literature' award for the third straight year. Thanks, too, to all who watched and supported; especially the many who bought the book - we've been genuinely touched and humbled by the degree of interest and it makes all the hard work worthwhile.
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Kim Jong-il on the Robert Elms Show
23 November 2011
Yesterday saw Patrick appear on the iconic Robert Elms show on BBC Radio London and discuss, among other things, poets who make him want to eat his own hands ...
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Dazed, baby ...
21 November 2011
We're in Dazed & Confused. If we thought we'd made it when discussed by Jarvis, this is MAKING it. We're like that specky teenager who gets back from the Summer holiday with no spots, starter muscles and a tan - the girls love us. If we were any hipper, we'd have to think of hipper words than 'hip'. Etc.
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Digital editions ...
16 November 2011
This publishing lark's not easy - talk about juggling and exercises in version control. Still, the digital versions (eBook, audiobook, app) are almost ready to go - we're just doing a final proof of the audiobook; currently listening to Chris O'Dowd's brilliant reading of Paul Murray's 'The Message' ... sounds simply lovely.
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Joe Dunthorne on Jarvis!
14 November 2011
Did you hear us on 6 Music yesterday? As far as we're concerned, that means we've made it.
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It's a media frenzy ...
13 November 2011
We merited a mention in today's Sunday Times Style. Who can blame them? After all, we are notoriously stylish ...
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The anatomy of a website
03 November 2011
Have you ever built a website? Of course you have. If you haven't built a website these days, you're barely an acceptable part of the community. In the last decade, it's become the Western equivalent of the Maasai Emuratta ...
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October @ Book Slam
31 October 2011
Brilliant night at Book Slam last Thursday and many thanks to all who made their way down.
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