Dave McKean

Like David, I am very excited that Dave McKean in Dublin this week – he’ll be taking part in Offset and if you are lucky enough to have a ticket, you can see him on a special illustration panel with Oliver Jeffers and Pj Lynch on Saturday at around 2pm with this very VHC in the chair.

If you aren’t going to make it to Offset then fear not, Dave will be in Eason’s O’Connell Street, Dublin this evening at 6.30pm taking about his picture books and other work. See you there……

Author Care Everywhere

Last month over 100 hundred authors visited more locations than you can count on all said authors’ fingers and toes. It was terrific fun and most of the events were rip roaring successes. Inevitably we do hear of the odd event where things did not go completely smoothly. Few and far between as they are,  its always important to figure out what didn’t go according to plan and why.

The word ethos came up several times – more specifically how a host venue feels about a visiting author or illustrator.  It can vary from being the highlight of the month to a vague annoyance for venues where they grudgingly rearrange the furniture for the author and barely tolerate the presence of young readers.

Coincidentally two authors both posting about author care this week Amanda Craig on literary festivals and Sarah Webb on school and library events. Two different styles of events  but  it would seem that word ethos is common to both their concerns….

Children’s Books and Celebrities

The Children’s Column in BookBrunch is always a pleasure -

Particularly good piece last Friday about celebrities and children’s books

There is a general assumption by publishers that celebrity influences children. The results showed that it was a long way down the list of reasons for reading anything.

Only 5% of children said they were attracted to a book if someone famous said they liked it, or if someone famous (eg, Madonna or David Walliams) wrote it. Which goes to show that the deals these books command are based not on what children want to read, but on what parents buy.

Festival Fatigue = Lots of Links

Festival fatigue has well and truly taken root. Its been a great week of Children’s Book Festival events  all over the country. I was lucky enough to get to Monaghan, Newbridge, Naas and Blanchardstown. There is lots happening next week as well so don’t forget to check out the event guide for things in your area.  You can read more about projects in action on the festival blog and via The Write Stuff

Festival means no time for proper blog post – but in the meantime here’s some lovely link stuff-

SLARI host special conference focussing on teenagers and it feature author and blogger extraordinaire Nicola Morgan.  You’ll find Nicola over on the always delightful An Awfully Big Blog Adventure.

Lord Sir Maybury has been busy on Newstalk, meeting Miss Wilson and also getting some up-to-date blog recommendations.

Bookwitch meets Meg Rosoff – Two of my favourite writers in one place!

A piece of Sendak (the art not the person!) would make me very very very happy but  in the meantime I’ve tracked down this great poster. This will make me a little bit happy.

innocent smoothies have a writing competition at the moment – worth a look

The Writers Centre have some relevant events and course – look our for halloween storytelling and Siobhán Parkinson’s writing course

Jim Carroll on the case for funding arts people not arts buildings

And lastly but not leastly- New documentary film about children’s literature and you can follow progress via their blog

today is the day (and not for a Teddy Bear’s Picnic)

This afternoon, both an Arts Council and a Theatre Forum delegation made presentations to the Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

The Arts Council brought along Brendan Gleeson and Colum McCann who crucially they were able to demonstrate were supported in the early stage of their career by arts council funding. Theatre Forum brought Sebastian Barry and according to reports Fiach MacConghaile, Gabriel Byrne and Garry Hynes were all their too.

Like all lobbying, momentum is key and with the recent coverage of National Campaign for the Arts and with two strong presentations there is hope that some of those who will be making budget decisions in the next few months might be listening.

Here’s a little bit of what was said – Pat Moylan (chair of Arts Council)

The Arts Council supports 3,000 jobs (both directly and indirectly) with the €73 million allocation it receives from the taxpayer. In turn, those organisations pay €65 million in direct and indirect taxes each year. “Artists, actors, musicians and all those in the broad arts family – work with a sense of vocation. Certainly they gain much personal satisfaction when their work goes well. But to follow this way of life they are prepared to submit to low earnings, periods of no earnings, to continuous assessment of their work and talent – much of it public, to insecurity of employment or the loneliness of working in front of a computer or canvas.  There are no pension schemes, no lavish expenses, no sinecures. In other words there is no fat!  Funding cuts go straight to the bone.

Edited to add  Media Coverage of the Event (thanks to Theatre Forum)

Six One News (14 October)
Morning Ireland 1 (15 October): Conor Hunt report
Morning Ireland 2 (15 October): Colum McCann (speaker at the Committee) has been shortlisted for US National Book Awards
Irish Independent (15 October): Artists hope pen is mightier than economic slash-hook, Lise Hand
Irish Times (15 October): Artists lobby politicians to maintain funding, Deirdre Falvey
Irish Examiner (15 October): Gleeson: Film plans will collapse if Bord Snip implemented, Conor Ryan

Linkage for Friday

Some links for Friday afternoon -

• Eavesdrop on a author residency project in action -The Write Stuff
• ICLA conducting a survey on writer’s income – Survey Here
• Children’s Books Festival on twitter and Children’s Books Ireland on Facebook
• Alternative career for CBI’s Programme Officer
• Mal Peet takes the Guardian Fiction Prize
• Illustrator Annie West adds new work and captures Heaney
• Yet more reminiscing about books from childhood on Pursued by a Bear

I’d have to keep doing it…

It’s a particularly busy time for everyone with Children’s Book Festival.

Want to know how everyone is getting on this October?  go here, here, here, here, here and here.

In the meantime here is something to ponder, it might give us all a reason to do more and better all year round.

Overheard in a bookshop last Thursday evening. A mother talking to her friend about her young son. “I wouldn’t want to start reading to him at night because then I’d have to keep doing it”

Reading Association of Ireland – winners

Big Congratulations to  Celine Kiernan and Conor Kostick who won RAI awards last night. Conor was presented with the Special Merit Award not just for his shortlisted title Move but for his wider contribution to the genre of political and science fiction. Celine scooped the 2009 Award for The Poison Throne. Bravo to all.

More details on reading.ie

hate those recaptcha things? think again

I hate those recaptcha text things which make you verify your status as a human by asking you to identify words. I can never identify them and usually after about 4 attempts I have to seek help. However this little piece from youtube has made me think differently…..

National Campaign for the Arts

You might have seen a few articles and letters to various editors about the the value of the arts flying about at the moment. Following on from the Bord Snip report and now the Commission on Taxation report which threatens the Artists Tax Exemption many in the arts community are determined to fight for funding, recognition and the arts infrastructure. CBI is participating in the National Campaign.

Follow these links for a selection of relevant sites and articles. You can also follow the campaign on Twitter – @campaign4arts.

National Campaign For Arts

Dublin Central Arts Workers

Visual Artists Ireland respond re Artists Tax Exemption

Stuart McLaughlin on making the case for the Arts

Jim Culleton on Iceland, Ireland and Culture