Wildlife

BY  SUSIE WILD   ⋅  SEPTEMBER 29, 2010  ⋅   POST A COMMENT FILED UNDER    ARTISTS ,  ARTS ,  FEMALE WALES ,  UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTH WALES FEMALE WALES: University of Glamorgan Art Purchase Prize 2010 Until 18 October 2010 – Oriel y Bont, Ty Crawshay, University of Glamorgan, Pontypridd ★★★★☆ This University of Glamorgan’s 2010 touring exhibition has been selected by top arty in-the-know sorts including Brendan Burns, Professor Tony Curtis, Dr Anne Price-Owen, Dr Ceri Thomas and Frances Woodley. The show, curated by Dr Ceri Thomas, is based upon the theme of ‘Female Wales’ however the interpretations of this theme are varied and many. The exhibition showcases work by the shortlisted artists eligible for the £3,000 Art Purchase Prize 2010 and those shortlisted for the £750 student prize. As such the range of the show is large. The exhibition encompasses instantly recognisable pieces by Iwan Bala – the mixed media works Hon V, Hon III and ...

SEPT 2010 Snap Happy London Launch: We are the Bright Young Things (Photo: Rosie Reed Gold) Our Swansea Launch Our books on display at the Bangor Launch (Photo: Josie Gritten) So as you’ve seen/ heard we’ve been on tour around the country. It has been fantastic. Cheers. Each launch has had a totally different feel to it, but all have been lovely, from the family-centric, gentle beauty and wonderful inclusiveness of Bangor, to the Sunday hipsters drinking cocktails on leather sofas at London’s Vibe Bar. We’ve had a blast, and with tears in our eyes, we wave goodbye to Wil, and wish him a safe journey back to Oz. As well as travelling about a lot, we’ve also been getting some reviews. Here is what the press etc.  has said so far… Hereditation : ‘About the decisions that are made by generations before us that still affect our lives, Hereditation  is a compelling and commendable first novel.’  Buzz , September 2010 ‘It’s not your average family saga; it’s not your average a...

SEPT 2010 I Feel Giddy, World. WOW WOW WOW Us Bright Young Things are totally in love with you.  You  lovely people who have bought our books, come to our launches, written nice words about us, made us feel a bit dizzy and giddy like rockstars on too much champagne, or novocaine or something. There now follows lots of thank you type stuff, and some other words. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. THANK YOU Cardiff, and Waterstone’s and Bert and the other Waterstone’s The Hayes staff, and Deborah Kay Davies and all you beautiful friends for coming, and the person who made my spotty tights; I love them. And my new boots for arriving, just in time. ALSO Thanks Wil for flying over from Australia. It was ace to meet you, and all those great stories you had to tell about dark matter, and other concepts to explode our tired brains! There was much fawning by me over my book, and also blushing, the cover IS quite rude, and very shiny. I also had to decide how best to sign my name, I don’t ha...

Good work  Caroline Bird ! As those who  read my earlier posts  will surely know, I am a big fan of this young, imaginative British poet who has previously been shortlisted for  this very prize , and she is still ONLY 23. Gosh!  Watering Can  is fab, mind. I’ve reread it only this week. There are many poems that I like inside the covers. Poems like ‘Last Tuesday’, ‘Wedding Guest’, ‘Closet Affair’ and ‘Blame the Poodle’. Poems like ‘Road-Signs’: ‘ You were travelling a grey motorway. You had your baby in your lap with enormous green eyes and a scarily large head. You parked the car in a lay-by, sat on the roof, held her high like a trophy, joked, ‘One day all of this will be yours .’ I am also looking forward to ploughing through the other titles on the shortlist before December’s winner is announced. Emily Mackie The ‘most diverse shortlist to date’ for the £30,000 Prize, which is now awarded annually to talented writers under the age of 30, has re...

Preparing for a book launch is a little like – I imagine – preparing for birth may be, or your wedding day. Except better. Far better. In my eyes. So this week I’ve been worrying about the guest list, nesting, cleaning, plucking, preening and outfit planning. I’ve also been wondering if any of the guys are having the same reserves and rigmaroles as me. Probably not. I doubt they’ve bought new heels. I’m having to put away any spoilt child tendencies too. For my book launch(es) will involve sharing the spotlight with the three other titles and authors that make up  the Parthian Bright Young Things series  – Tyler Keevil, Wil Gritten, and JP Smythe. This has pros and cons. Pros include getting to have more launches (Cardiff, Swansea, Bangor and London) as we pool marketing budgets, cons include the party not being  exactly  as you, singular, would want it – glitter, cupcakes, my favourite band in my case – and the impossibilities of arranging so many dates where all ...

SEPT 2010 PARTY TIME WOOHOO! ALL FOUR OF THE BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS BOOKS LAUNCH IN CARDIFF TONIGHT, THEN SWANSEA TOMORROW. [See post below for all the dates, times and venues!]. We are putting our party outfits on and thinking about getting trains, buses and magic carpets. I’ve also written a couple of new blogs for  Mslexia  and  The Guardian . Exciting Times! See you later. WooHoo!

Cardiff 10°C 4°C Go to:    Cardiff   Edinburgh   Leeds     Local Cardiff Next Previous Blog home Bright young things: Live literature season returns to Cardiff [ http://www.guardian.co.uk/cardiff/2010/sep/16/bright-young-things-cardiff-literature-events?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487 ] Autumn is here and the Literati are flocking back home to Cardiff to party. Guest blogger and Parthian Books' Bright Young Thing Susie Wild  talks you through the best events of the new live literature season Share Comments ( 5 ) Susie Wild reading her poetry at Green Man Festival. The Cardiff poetry scene is picking up again this month Photo: Rosie Reed Gold Midsummer and poets and authors find themselves in wellies, stood damp and shivering on stages, in flapping tents competing with ...