Festival Round-up

Well the Manchester Literature Festival closed its doors for this year on Monday, and I had a cracking time volunteering for it's many events. Just to finish my experience off, I've just included a short round-up of the last events that I covered below as well as other things I've been up to this week.

Comedy Poetry Slam @ The Northern Pub - 21/10/10

I've been to poetry slams before, but never with a razor sharp comedy edge and an open invitation for contestants of any skill. Some really tickled me, but some just lulled the packed Northern Pub on Oldham Street into stony silence. I was in position at the back of the pub, tallying the scores and acting as official whistle-blower for acts that took over 3 minutes delivering their material. Between hit and miss compering by Julian Daniels there was some cracking poetry and a marvellous stint by Marvin cheeseman whose joke;

"Some people have dreams,

Some come true,

Liverpool 1

Blackpool 2."

Had me in so many stitches, I felt like I had been in a knife fight with a monkey. Simple but effective.

Women and Crime Fiction @ Whitworth Art Gallery 22/10/10

Val McDermid and Sophie Hannah delivered a Q&A within the menacing exterior of the asylum-esque Whitworth Art Gallery. Again the full blog will be included on the Manchester Literature Festival blog soon but needless to say it was an interesting evening; who knew dark, twisted crime writers were such a hoot?

Chuck Perkins @ The Zion Arts Centre 23/10/10

Unfortunately this was the least witnessed of the events that I volunteered for, due to its overwhelming popularity that well and truly filled the fairly large auditorium, meaning we had to stay outside and stand guard for latecomers. However I would still recommend Chuck's work so check it out online if you can. I would also recommend finding a bus or getting a lift to the Zion Arts Centre, 'bit of a stroll' is definitely an understatement.




Here's a round-up of other things I have been doing this week:

Interviewing Lewis Costello for Large Magazine

Not quite sure yet when it's going to be put in the magazine but the interview was very informative, entertaining, and for a 17 year-old, Lewis has got a few things up his sleeve. Basically watch his space, because your bound to see more of him soon. As for the near future he will be playing the Ruby Lounge with Simon Munnery on Dec 14th. Get yourself there.

Automatic Cinematic

Free 20 minute preview of the new Tron film at the Printworks in Manchester... if that makes me a geek, then I'll keep on wearing those 3D nerd glasses but it looks pretty impressive. That's the thing, you get a lot of 3D for the hell of it nowadays, but a artificially created world like Tron definitely benefits. Bring on Dec 17th.

I also saw Saw. Avoid that like the plague unless bits of brain flying at you in 3D is your kind of thing. Traps were inventive, story was naff. Not much more to be said really!


Finshing Mari Crachan's The Earth Hums in B Flat

Really enjoyed this book, so full of innocent imagination in a world where dark things can happen, and it still impressively manages to finish positively. Strachan is a writer with substance, and her originality is a thing of beauty. She also is brilliant at making you feel bad for hating some of her characters, linking nicely with the old adage, 'Don't Judge a Book by its Cover'. Also thank you for not keeping it in Welsh Mari! Hopefully I'm going to update my Book Scribbles page with book reviews soon, and I might just make The Earth Hums in B Flat my first one.


Parallel Parking

That's right, if a car needs to be parked between two other cars I'm there for you. Think of me as some kind of Automotive superhero. I'm that good. In other words, learning to drive is going well.



Now that the Lit Festival is over I'm going to try and keep the blogging to a regular beat.

Every Wednesday - Something Creative. Quite possibly a short story if I'm quick!

Every Sunday - Something Informative. What I've been up to and what events have been hitting Manchester.

Watch this Space...

1+1= 2 Events Done

Wednesday was definitely the busiest of my volunteering week, 7x7 Anthology Launch at the Cornerhouse swiftly followed by When Black is Red at the Green Room. Good thing the venues were pretty much next to each other.

7x7 also happened to be my first foray into blogging for the Manchester Literature Festival Blog. For that reason I'll have to keep to the bare minimum for that one so you can read about the event in all its glory once it's posted on http://manchesterliterature.blogspot.com/. Needless to say it was an intriguing blend of writer, illustrator and animator that provided a dip into the creative process that isn't usually witnessed by readers and viewers alike. Check it out!

So, onto the next one...

When Black Is Red was held at the Green Room on Wednesday 20th October, and marked the release of Red, an anthology of Black British Poetry celebrating local authors and established figures in poetry. Introduced spectacularly by Peter Kalu who is a genius of story-telling and verse, the evening encompassed readings from the likes of Seni Seneviratne, John Lyons and Grace Nichols.

Peter Kalu opened the evening with an intense poem about a gambling Pastor who risks everything for the fate of his church, that really warmed the night up. His words were like a kettle, with every letter getting closer and closer to boiling, with lines such as, "Like the Lions roar he commands instant respect..." also reflecting his own performance style, though it were less commanding and more intriguing.

Seni Seneviratne treated the audience to some vocal poetry that I definitely was not expecting, though once I got used to it (Like Johnny Depp singing in Sweeney Todd) I did start to enjoy it. Her material mostly all concerned war, either past or present, such as 'Waltzing Matilda' that haunted the audience with very real tales of of battle and how it not only affects soldiers but uproots families.

John Lyons was such an entertaining, one could say eccentric character, that even if he had talked casually with the audience for an hour he still would have got a warm reception. It must have been the combination of good verse and his unique English infused Trinidadian accent (if thats how you say it!). Listening to his expressive words really brought you into the mindset of growing up in Trinidad, what was important; the food, the women, and even his old grandma shouting "Slavery ain dun yet!"

Grace Nichols was a completely different kettle of fish to her previous poets, and brought to the evening a sense of humble origins and different perspectives that threatened to overthrow prior eccentricities and storytelling. I have to be honest and say I preferred the previous poets to Nichols, but you still can't help admiring her verse and way around the language that was like staring through a peep hole into another world, illuminating quite clearly what is important to her, such as identity, her diet, her pets and even where she calls home, to which she exclaimed, "wherever I hang my knickers".

The night was one of the most entertaining as well as inspiring events of my Literature Festival calender, so much so I couldn't help writing a small verse on the way home:

Guided swiftly through Manchester by time's addled hands,

Numbers forming directions as the helpful arrows spin,

Amswer's dripping down like raindrops between watchtowers,

The spyglass reflecting a light unseen by nomads looking down at the street

Their heads bowed in silent prayer from the pressure hanging invisible above

Snapping their necks forward causing permanent damage.

Ascent would prove too painful

Since the descent was far too easy

Try following hands sometime

The timing isn't always that simple.

More event scribbles coming soon...

Anthony Burgess went to Sevarian College

...Is just one of the interesting anecdotes presented to the sold out audience at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation on Monday night. Presented by Jonathon Schofield (author of the Manchester Confidential and responsible for many literary tours in Manchester), it was a lively talk about the life of Burgess, his humble beginnings and his flourishing career that went far beyond the boundaries of Manchester.



The Foundation was located in a converted mill building on Cambridge St. (round the corner from the Green Room) that still looked fresh and vibrant as its opening day in June. It was a very open venue, which unfortunately lessened the acoustic impact, but did not detract from the well-researched content. The Foundation held a small cafe and brief museum to the great author downstairs that we were assured housed his ex-wife's false teeth (for those particularly die hard fans).

From the many quotes, key events and anecdotes regarding family and personal life, the audience got to see beyond the genius of A Clockwork Orange, a personal Burgess describing Manchester with dislike but overriding affection, the city a powerhouse of creative thought with a dirty northern twang. He grew up in a pub called the Golden Eagle with his father and step-mother and at school he was described as having a 'native laziness' that was concurred to be derivative of enforced education by Jonathon. We also got the back story behind Burgess losing his virginity (if anyone was wondering...) which included the central library, a widow researching Engels and a fry up for breakfast.

The talk was inevitably interesting for Burgess lamens such as myself as it gave us a keen insight to the life of the author behind one of the most famous and controversial films in a generation, along with being entertaining and vibrant to boot. However, the introduction by official Burgess Biographer Andrew Biswell was far too short and I would have loved to hear more of his own Burgess knowledge that would have given the talk a further intriguing depth.

More Event Scribbles soon...

Welcome to Freshscribble!

Welcome to Freshscribble!


Fresh Scribble is all about original fiction/poetry, critical reviews, modern literature and writing events based in the beating heart of the creative North West: Manchester. At the very least, we can give you a nod in the direction of something indulgent and fascinating in the rainy city.

Now for a short introduction... my name is Rob Bester, I currently divide my time between working and studying in Manchester, living in Merseyside and making the transition between them every day. Have you noticed the guy sitting in the corner scrawling shakey writing over reams and reams of an A4 pad? Yep, thats me!
Whether it is the crime novel I'm working on, one of the several short stories I have experimented with, the script waiting for paper to call it's home, lyrics I have written for my dad's band, magazine content for the student's of Manchester, gig or film review's and possibly a poem or two, I've tried my hand at everything. So I'm hoping to transfer a bit of that onto these very pages. I know, it reads like a all-you-can-eat buffet, but you've got to have a try of everything at the table, even if it tastes like it used to be chicken.
Personally I enjoy writing infused with contemporary social issues, a dab of experimental fiction, a pinch of crime and most of all something that makes you put the book down and say 'Wow' out loud. Authors like J.G. Ballard, Philip K. Dick, George Orwell, William Gibson and David Mitchell are what I'm talking about.

Ideas for this blog have been gestating for a couple of months now though they were lacking a purpose, a reason for being online in the first place. Thankfully however, the reason plonked itself right in my lap, in the form of the Manchester Literature Festival, which I am happily volunteering for this year, as well as writing up blogs for their website for two of the events! Therefore all this week I will be following the events in the festival which will hopefully be a launchpad for me to get creative online and finally join the blogging community.

So wish me luck, and for those who have taken the time to read this blog, cheers!