books Archives - Blackpool Social Club

12 Aug

Seaside Shuffle: local writers pen Blackpool anthology

Linda Hampton0 CommentsLiterature & Spoken Wordauthors, Blackpool, blackpool art scene, books, community, heritage, literature, memoir, Place, poetry, publication, Stories, tea amantes, writers

Local author Linda Hampton (Sailing To The Moon), hosted the launch of a unique collection of writings last week – Seaside Shuffle. As a contributing writer to the collection, she tells Blackpool Social Club readers how work from local writers manifested into a new publication It was a packed house at Tea Amantes Community Arts on Albert Road in Blackpool, as many of the 37 Blackpool-based-or-connected writers, and friends, piled into to celebrate the culmination of nearly a year’s work, the publication of the anthology Seaside Shuffle - an eclectic mix of writing styles, and points of view all summoning…

01 May

Linda Hampton shares debut novel Sailing to the Moon

Linda Hampton0 CommentsGuide, Literature & Spoken Wordauthor, books, creative writing, library, literature, local author, novel, tea amantes

Blackpool author, Linda Hampton muses on the hurdles and bumps in the road that must be navigated to write and publish a book, and invites you to find out more about Sailing to the Moon, her debut novel that took her five years to finish. After five long years of swinging between getting on with it and sheer procrastination, and many, many life events that made it difficult for me to just write, I finished my debut novel, Sailing to the Moon. Sailing to the Moon is a story about the invisible ties that connect two people over a lifetime,…

14 Sep

Blackpool to host Word Fest Literature Festival

Linda Hampton0 CommentsLiterature & Spoken Word, Theatre, Dance & PerformanceBlackpool, book, books, bookshop, celebrity, children, Comedy, entertainment, families, literature, podcast, Spoken Word, Winter Gardens

Blackpool is getting its very own literature festival this autumn in Word Fest, a weekend of literary events and spoken word where literary heavyweights and popular authors host events side by side with celebrity writers. Running between Friday 7th until Monday 10th October 2022, the festival takes the form of a series of ticketed events to hear authors talk about their love of writing and their books, answer questions and sign books for fans. Most ticket prices include a copy of the latest publication by the author. Hosted and held in the Winter Gardens and co-produced by Kirkham's independent coffee…

25 May

Author interview: Katie Clapham

Linda Hampton0 CommentsLiterature & Spoken Wordbook, books, bookshop, children, fiction, library, local author, teenage fiction, teens, young adult fiction

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]St Anne’s bookseller and author Katie Clapham chatted to Linda Hampton about her latest YA book, Three Girls. As I walk into Storytellers Inc., the delightful independent bookshop on The Crescent in St Annes, co-owner and author Katie Clapham is happily sorting new books to display. The bookshop, opened with her mother in 2010, was named Vintage Independent Bookshop of the Year in 2013 amongst other industry awards, while Katie has won several awards for her own bookselling achievements. But Katie is also a writer. I’m here to interview her about her latest novel for young adults entitled Three Girls.…

06 Dec

Little Spud Shines Magic Light on Diversity

Linda Hampton0 CommentsLiterature & Spoken Wordbooks, children, childrens book, community, families, literature

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Marie Stell’s book about her brother, Christopher, who is on the autistic spectrum, delights and inspires. Unless we know someone who is on the autistic spectrum, it is hard to really know what life is like for them. We still have far to travel to ensure that people who feel different to their peers can be accepted by others around them. Marie Stell’s book is helping to change those perspectives. Little Spud is a friendly blue dragon and like no other. He is on the autistic spectrum and sometimes life can be difficult. But then something happens - Little Spud finds…

01 Aug

Blackpool nature writers showcased this Wednesday

Blackpool Social Club0 CommentsEnvironment and Nature, Literature & Spoken Wordauthor, book, books, environment, literature, nature, writers, writing

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Litfest’s New Writing Northwest has given emerging talent the opportunity to work with established writers over the spring and summer. There were four strands including Poetry, Fiction and Translation. The final one, Nature & Environment Writing, comes to a conclusion with a free reading this Wednesday featuring two authors with a Blackpool connection. Michelle Allwood was born in the resort, before moving to London. After working for the BBC, she is now at the BFI. She is dyslexic and neuro-diverse, and holds a BA and MA in Literature & Creative Writing. She is currently planning a PhD, focussing on…

01 Feb

New treats for young readers from Purple Parrot Publishing

Blackpool Social Club0 CommentsLiterature & Spoken Word, Local Newsbooks, children, library

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Fylde coast-based Purple Parrot Publishing has some new titles for children and young people that are sure to brighten up winter lockdown. Take a look below to discover the latest books from Purple Parrot, these great titles are all out now.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text] Charlie and Mrs Wigglebottoms’s Leg Mike Taylor, with illustrations by Tony Holland Charlie and Mrs Wigglebottom’s Leg is a children’s book for ages 4-8 years (although it is perfect for Cocker Spaniel lovers everywhere). Charlie is a typical, young Cocker Spaniel. He leaves the kennels to live with his new owners, Walter and Heather, and their boys.…

24 Sep

OPEN CALL: Blackpool Social Club zine #1

Catherine Mugonyi0 CommentsLocal News, OpportunitiesArt, artist, author, Blackpool, books, callout, community, illustration, photographer, photography, poetry, zine

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] OPEN CALL: Blackpool Social Club zine #1 Everything not saved will be lost DEADLINE Friday 25 September 2020 Submissions are open for the first issue of the Blackpool Social Club Zine. We welcome contributions from artists and creatives of all backgrounds and all experience levels who live in an FY postcode area. The first issue will be available from early October 2020 online or from a number of Blackpool venues, costing a suggested donation of £2-3 to help cover production costs. Contributors will be paid for their work at a flat rate of £30. Please note that this isn’t…

30 Jun

Grateful for being creative in lockdown by Linda Hampton

Linda Hampton0 CommentsColumns & Opinion, Literature & Spoken Wordartist, Blackpool, books, children, performance

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I’m a Blackpool based writer and actor, and grateful to be in the creative arts right now. Despite the extreme feeling of loss we all have at the closure of theatres due to the current pandemic, and who knows when and if they will all reopen, I am glad to have my own creativity to keep me sane. In March I knew, being in the high risk category from Covid-19, I would be shielding for the foreseeable future. So I contemplated how to use this peculiar freeze frame of my life. How could I adapt my skills and keep going…

27 Jul

Rob Lock, Flying High with ‘Murmurations’. Book Launch Interview.

Claire Griffiths0 CommentsLiterature & Spoken Word, Local Newsauthor, Blackpool, book signing, books

I caught up with Rob, a familiar face around Blackpool, as he works as a press photographer across the Northwest. But this year his forty three year old dream as been realised, a book publication based on the metaphor of bird murmurations, Blackpool being one of the best places to view these amazing spectacles. It crossed my mind how the written word draws common themes with the visual language of photography, so it is no surprise that one of Rob's long term ambitions of writing a novel has been met. Rob said: I have been a professional photographer for over thirty…