Archive for Change (Journeys Home)

Vera Preview (Vera Stanhope Books by Ann Cleeves)

A Must See








"Vera names the day
ITV have at last revealed when we can see the eagerly awaited television detective drama series based on Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope books. Episode 1 - Hidden Depths - will be screened on the evening of Sunday May 1st, on ITV1 from 8.00 to 10.00 pm.

After two young people are killed in the same way - placed in water and surrounded by flowers - DCI Vera Stanhope knows that she must catch the murderer before they strike again. Aided by her team, especially her trusted right-hand man Sgt Joe Ashworth, she unpicks the complex and dysfunctional relationships amongst a group of bird-watching friends. As the friends' loyalty turns to betrayal, Vera finds that a small act of teenage blackmail and an illicit affair may have driven someone to kill. With Brenda Blethyn, David Leon, Wunmi Mosaku, Paul Ritter, and Juliet Aubrey.
Watch video interviews with Brenda Blethyn, who stars as Vera, and David Leon, who plsys her sidekick Joe Ashworth. Or read an interview in The Independent with Brenda Blethyn.

Will Vera be the new Morse? The Northern Echo thinks she might be..."

Read to Lead

Completed a week course at Inglewood Manor, Cheshire to work as a facilitator for the library service. I will be setting up three shared reading groups in Scotswood/Benwell for the next two years. It was a very intensive programme consisting of workshops on various poets, playwrights and authors. We held our own groups, met lots of very enthusiatic trainers and ended with a mock up of a Shakespeare play based on a Big Brother theme. I took the part of Geordie Macbeth, Sylvia was Hamlet Rooney, Monica - Mark Anthony, Julia - Portia, Naomi - Cordelia. Some of the lasses were the "Rabble" voting in the winner, we had the BB voice by Ginny and Sheila was Davina. We mixed comedy with tragedy for 20 minutes performed to an audience of around 30 people. It went great, and as producer/director and part writer they bought me a fabulous present from the hotel shop Molton Brown products, oils, lotions, perfume. It was a lovely surprise. We all worked so hard to put on the show as well as carrying out the workshops and course work.

"Get Into Reading groups are led by trained project workers and volunteers, meeting each week to read books and poems together in locations such as care homes, libraries, prisons, mental health drop-in centres, community centres, schools, hostels, refugee centres and workplaces. We read aloud, slowly, taking time over each text, allowing thoughts, connections and understanding to emerge."

http://thereader.org.uk/get-into-reading/

Been a busy few weeks, went to Live Theatre to see a short film Seige and Storm of John Marlay`s defense of the city walls in 1644, question and answer time afterwards. To the Sage, Joanne Trollope - a talk of her new book set in Newcastle. The preview of Vera at Tyneside Cinema, Brenda Blethyn is perfect in the role of a Geordie detective, I was on the edge of my seat. Chatted and got her autograph, she`s really friendly. The drama was shot in and around Northumberland/Newcastle and is extremely well done. Writer Anne Cleeves should be well proud of herself.

It is the BIG Day and we have our patriotic bunting of Wills and Kate in the garden. Will be going to a garden party later today. At the moment watching the whole shebang on TV. I have my plastic goblets, party food, Wills and Kate beer and biscuits and hand made veil complete with linen flowers. I bought a huge piece of net, gathered it, sewed it onto a head band and arranged the flowers across the top. Ready to go!

Clare Maguire

Sheree Mack - Family Album

Poems that do not flinch from the conflicts and inconsistencies of family bonds.’ Cynthia Fuller

Flambard Press would like to invite you to the launch of Sheree Mack’s first poetry collection, Family Album.
Morden Tower, Newcastle on Tyne, Wednesday 4th May, 7.30pm.

Sheree Mack was born in Bradford to a Trinidadian father and a Geordie mother of Bajan and Ghanaian heritage. She has lived in Newcastle from the age of ten. Married with two children, she works as a freelance writer and lecturer for the Open University and has recently completed her PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Family Album is her first full collection.

Take Ten and Celestial Navigation (Check them out)

Beckett (Green Grass Green)