My thoughts about books, writing, life and so many other things….Judy Leigh/ Elena Collins.
This weekend, four of us bundled ourselves in an old Peugeot Estate with heated seats and we hurtled up to Loughborough for the Wordsmith Award Ceremony. It didn't take us too long to get there from the sunny South West, but there was an exciting whirl of a snowstorm in Tamworth and by the time we …
Jürgen Klopp came to Liverpool six months ago, inheriting a tired team who played slack and lacklustre football. He has brought with him a reputation, a rock star charisma, a keen and articulate intelligence and a unique sense of humour and mischief which would quickly endear him to fans. More importantly, he has brought the …
Continue reading What if Jeremy Corbyn were more like Jürgen Klopp?
Lots of people tell me they don't get Samuel Beckett. Perhaps they have stared at a script in a Drama lesson at school, or watched a little bit performed out of context on film. My own first taste of Beckett was watching a play called 'En Attendant Godot', aged 18, all in French, in a …
Continue reading Best of Samuel Beckett: Mark Rylance hamming it up. (Part 1)
Today, April 8th, is International Roma Day. It is a day where we celebrate Roma culture and raise awareness of some of the issues faced by Romani people all over the world. In the 21st Century climate of globalisation, inclusion and respect for minorities' rights and culture, Roma and Sinti people seem to have been forgotten, viewed …
To complain or not to complain, that's always the question. As a 'weirdo eater', I am always pretty humble about anyone who will feed me something I can accept: 'Thank you, O normal carnivore establishment, for thou hast condescended to cook something I can eat.' And that's me, really. Ever grateful that someone has cared …
Today, I was discussing the new film 'Loving Vincent' with an Art student. Apparently, it is a really exciting and ambitious film, to be released this year, in which Van Gogh's troubled and brilliant life is told through animation; there will be 56,800 hand-painted frames in the entire film in the style of the artist. I watched the trailer …
Continue reading Cumberbatch and Van Gogh in the same frame. Fascinating.
I am trying a few ideas out. Basically, I need to find a new protagonist to write, one who will fascinate and absorb me for 100,000 words. He or she then stands a reasonable chance of absorbing the reader. My first novel's protagonist, Evelyn, and her son Brendan were protagonists for whom I felt empathy: I …
Today marks the first day of Spring and it’s also World Poetry Day. It is a time for rebirthing and creativity. All around the country, countless kids will be going to school and reading a poem, maybe some Edward Lear or Ogden Nash or a wonderful bit of Benjamin Zephaniah? Maybe the old favourite, Blake’s Tyger, …
Like so many other people, I had always disliked James Bond films. I suppose the 007 movies have become a cultural reference point for British people: we know a bit about the actors, the villains, the traditional genre and the theme tunes. I didn't like the Connery Bond; even if we allow that it is of …
You know how sometimes you start thinking about words and where they come from? It occurred to me yesterday for the first time that I knew the difference between a pantry and a larder. I'm sure everybody else knows it and I've just being a bit mentally sluggish - it has taken me a lifetime …
That quintessence of dust 