Poetry in motion Friday, 26 February 2010
Posted by Helen in News.Tags: animation, books, video
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The Carry a Poem reading campaign has been in full flow here in Edinburgh this month. Locals have had a chance to get hold of the free book, attend numerous adventurous events, see poems and poets on stage, on plants, on landmarks and even on sports shirts.
If you’re not in Edinburgh, or have missed the excitement, there’s still time to read the Carry a Poem book online (it’ll be available until the end of February) or take part by answering the question “how do you carry yours?“. Or, for BookCrossers, there’s a Carry a Poem bookring – sign up now.
Oh, and take a look at the animated trailer that Binary Fable produced for the campaign. If you’d like to know more about how it was made, I’ve been blogging about the production process.
Viral explosion Friday, 8 January 2010
Posted by Helen in News.Tags: animation, books, video
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A sneak preview of the Carry a Poem animation has exploded onto screens in Edinburgh and online. How do you carry yours? Visit www.carryapoem.com to tell your story and join the campaign.
Carry a Poem Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Posted by Helen in News.Tags: animation, books, story
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The Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust has announced its fourth annual reading campaign, for 2010.
It’ll be partnering with the Scottish Poetry Library to challenge the people of Edinburgh to Carry a Poem during the month of February. There will be the usual free books, activities, events, and even a new animation by Binary Fable (follow its production over at the Binary Fable blog).
The Carry a Poem campaign website has just been launched and needs your stories. Do you have a poem you carry with you? What does it mean to you? How do you carry it?
You don’t have to be in Edinburgh to take part. Simply get in touch with your answer to the question “How do you carry yours?” !
Artwork by Emily Isles – www.emilyisles.com
Dinosaur Summer Friday, 16 October 2009
Posted by The Lost Book in Found books.Tags: arthur conan doyle, bookcrossing, books, dinosaur
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Did you know there’s a sequel to The Lost World? Arthur Conan Doyle wrote several more Professor Challenger stories, but didn’t go back to South America. Instead, Greg Bear continued the story in his novel Dinosaur Summer. It’s set in 1947 and considers what would happen in a world where live dinos had been found. The answer: dinosaur circuses!
We’ve sent a copy around the world. Readers so far say:
“This was a fantastic adventure story with an old fashioned feel to it” (Shimmy-crazy in the UK)
“The prose here isn’t as flowery as Doyle’s, but the story is equally compelling, as the story builds to a dramatic climax on the plateau.” (ResQgeek in Virginia, USA)
“It was such a gripping story that I could not bear to lower it even for a moment!” (TomHl, pictured at Logan International Airport in Boston)
“Really good for a sequel novel… Good to see also the updating of the plateau to include dinosaurs with feathers” (davemurray101 in New South Wales, Australia)
A second copy has just started travelling the world, brought into the project by hyphen8 in Hawaii. If you’d like to read it you can join BookCrossing and get in touch with hyphen8.
Stories on a postcard, please Friday, 25 September 2009
Posted by Helen in Found books.Tags: bookcrossing, books, story, writing
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A while ago, we told you about the books-and-storytelling experiment we’re running with a copy of Un Lun Dun by China Miéville.
The book (signed by the author) is travelling around the world, gathering readers and stories along the way. Each reader – there are 29, in nine countries – will add a postcard to the package, and each postcard will contain a story about their home town. The stories can be true or fictional.
Un Lun Dun is in Austria at the moment and we’ve had a couple of great fictional postcard stories from Wüppertaal and Graz, inspired by Miéville’s book.
To read all the postcard stories plus reviews of Un Lun Dun, take a look at all the journal entries over at BookCrossing.com.
Books and animation Tuesday, 15 September 2009
Posted by Helen in News.Tags: animation, books
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All you aficionados of both books and animation – take a look at This Is Where We Live, a short animated film celebrating Fourth Estate’s 25th anniversary.
TIWWL was produced by Asylum Films and shows a city made out of books, through which little paper people go about their business. Speaking to Imagine Magazine, animation director Jordon Wood describes the challenges of character animation:
“Each character was animated traditionally on paper which gave us the fluid movement we wanted. To get the authentic paper texture and print, each frame was then transferred by hand onto book pages. These were then cut out so they could be positioned on set.
“I then had to come up with a way of standing a single piece of flat paper on its end. Creating paper tabs for feet was the obvious choice but they couldn’t support the weight and were visible which ruined the illusion of a seamless character walking off the pages. There were often up to 40 characters in a shot; one frame could take 8 minutes to set up so we couldn’t have characters blowing over. We needed a sturdy, invisible rig and the simplest solution turned out to be the most effective. The individual character frames were rigged with a spine (paper clip) which kept the character flat; glue discoloured the paper so we used white tac instead. We moulded a tiny white tac foot at the base of the spine which supported the weight, kept the character in position and left no residue on the set when replaced with the next frame.”
If you’ve got time, watch the timelapse videos showing the animation and set-building teams at work as well as the film – it’s a fascinating process.
Production still (The Museum Quarter) from This Is Where We Live at www.25thestate.com.
Falling from a clear blue sky Thursday, 10 September 2009
Posted by Helen in Found books.Tags: bookcrossing, books
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The first two books released by molekilby from the Fourth Plinth on Tuesday have checked in.
There’s a copy of Jostein Gaarder’s Through a Glass Darkly, provided by waderwomen from Derby. The finder says “The book was great but its not a book i would have picked up in a shop but now i have read it i would like to read more by Jostein Gaarder.”
Secondly, a fantastic journal entry for a slightly unusal book – Strong Shoulders: A Funeral Director’s Guide to Life and Death. Hanmoynihan says “The best thing about the book was the amusing way in which I first recieved it. Falling from a clear blue sky on a sunny day in Trafalagar square. One of those days that has come to trick us into think that summer is still here when the calendar is creeping closer to autumn and winter.”
The Fourth Plinth! Tuesday, 8 September 2009
Posted by The Lost Book in Events.Tags: bookcrossing, books
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But it was a very different Challenger who greeted us in the morning … His beard bristled exultantly, his chest was thrown out, and his hand was thrust into the front of his jacket. So, in his fancy, may he see himself sometimes, gracing the vacant pedestal in Trafalgar Square, and adding one more to the horrors of the London streets.
The quotation is from The Lost World – but Professor Challenger didn’t ever make it onto the vacant pedestal. However, BookCrosser Molekilby is on the plinth right now. He has 160 books to BookCross, including quite a few copies of The Lost World. He’ll be talking about BookCrossing and The Lost Book – and he’s got quite a crowd! Go, Molekilby!
Watch Molekilby live from Trafalgar Square.
Hello also to all the BookCrossers who have made it to London to support Molekilby. The latest list is: dirtydancer2, veganbob, gingergeoff, gingerpeter, Sherlockfan, lytteltonwitch, WishfulDragon, Vekiki, samulli, MissMarkey, Beqi, cyzaki, scarlett17, weebly, LyzzyBee, Candy-is-Dandy, Cassiopaeia, rahar109, Potok-fan and smallbluepebble.
Lost and forgotten books Monday, 17 August 2009
Posted by Helen in News.Tags: bookcrossing, books, interview
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Ginger Gorman has blogged over at the ABC Canberra site about her “Afternoons” show on 6th August, which featured Adam talking about The Lost Book.
There’s an extract from Adam’s interview plus Ginger’s summary of the other lost book stories she uncovered for the show. BookCrossers and book sharers will be particularly interested to learn about the Footpath Library and there’s a great tale from the National Library of Australia.
Thanks, Ginger, for the shout-out!
West Port Book Festival Thursday, 13 August 2009
Posted by Helen in Events.Tags: books
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This post, unlike the previous one, is bang up-to-date. The second West Port Book Festival started today and runs until the 16th.
Check out the programme for all sorts of really good things – including Stuart Kelly and The Book of Lost Books on Saturday at 6pm, about which I’m rather excited.
Fringe happenings Thursday, 13 August 2009
Posted by Helen in Events.Tags: arthur conan doyle, books, cora bissett, story
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This post is somewhat overdue. Edinburgh is in the midst of the madness that is the festival fringe.
Lost Book guest writer Andrew J. Wilson has contributed to an exhibition catalogue for Madeleine Shepherd‘s amazing photographs of Scotland’s forgotten history of space exploration. (It’s possible that not everything in the catalogue is entirely factual, but I’m told that the most unlikely-sounding parts are true!) The exhibition is at fabulous independent bookshop Transreal Fiction in The Grassmarket until 31 August, so don’t miss it.
Andrew’s story “Under the Bright and Hollow Sky” is to be restaged for one night only on Tuesday 18 August (7:50 at Fingers Piano Bar) as a spoken-word performance at the Free Fringe. Sounds brilliant, and is part of…
Underword, a spoken word show on the Free Fringe that has events every night. It’s 19.50-20.40 at Fingers Piano Bar, Frederick Street, and is run by Gavin Inglis of Writers Bloc.
Andrew’s also the MC for off-the-Fringe steam punk club night Dreams of Steam, about which he says “This will feature strange music from Thomas Truax and Karmadillo, and there’s going to be a live three-part “radio” play right there on the stage. And trapeze artists. And Very Special Guests I can’t mention by name yet…”. It’s at te POOKa, The Big Red Door, 10 Lady Lawson Street on Friday 21 August from 8:30 pm.
The Paper Cinema are bringing their production of The Lost World back to Edinburgh. It was created for The Lost World Read in February and is a hybrid of puppetry, shadow-play and live animation. Fun stuff – every afternoon at the Scottish Storytelling Centre!
And, Cora Bissett (the voice of Aileen Adler) is starring in Midsummer at the Traverse Theatre. It’s already sold out for the entire run here in Edinburgh – well done Cora and team! – but will be in Vancouver in September.
Literary Edinburgh Thursday, 13 August 2009
Posted by Helen in Events.Tags: books, city of literature
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Edinburgh folk – did you know that the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature trust has a new fortnightly bulletin of events in literary Edinburgh? To get a copy emailed straight to your in-box, sign up at www.cityofliterature.com.
Molekilby on the fourth plinth Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Posted by Helen in News.Tags: arthur conan doyle, bookcrossing, books
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Have you been watching One & Other, Antony Gormley’s “living monument” in Trafalgar Square?
We’ve just heard that BookCrosser and Plinther Molekilby plans to tell the world about BookCrossing, The Lost Book, and the Edinburgh City of Literature when he’s on the plinth. He’s even planning to wild release a copy of The Lost World by throwing it from the plinth.
Congratulations Molekilby on getting a place! He’ll be there during week 10 – that’s the week of 7th September. We’ll remind you nearer then and give you the exact date and time.
Molekilby won’t be the first BookCrosser on the plinth – that honour went to Natalie_M who BookCrossed in the wee early hours of 21 July.
Star Gazing Monday, 10 August 2009
Posted by Helen in News.Tags: bookcrossing, books
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The shortlist for a new literary award was released this week. The Robin Jenkins Award is for fiction or non fiction and “is designed to promote new Scottish writing that draws and builds on Scotland’s cultural heritage using our unique environmental assets, in particular trees and forestry”. (via LyzzyBee.)
I came across Robin Jenkins’ work as part of The Lost Book – Jenkins’ The Changeling was one of the books donated by sponsor Canongate. It’s a fantastic book, one of my best reads of the year. Our bookray copy, which is travelling the world, has been getting great reviews. One of the readers, karen07814, was inspired to start a bookray for Jenkins’ The Cone Gatherers, so I got the chance to read that too.
Anyway, I want to tell you about one of the books shortlisted for the Robin Jenkins Award: Star Gazing by Linda Gillard. It’s a novel about Marianne, blind from birth, as she starts to live and love again many years after losing her husband in an industrial accident. We have a signed copy! We’re sending it out on a BookCrossing bookray – if you’re a member of BookCrossing you can sign up on the forum. (If you’re not a member, why not join?!)
(What’s a “bookray”? Take a look at the BookCrossing FAQs to find out – you want Q57.)
Life of Pi readalong started Monday, 10 August 2009
Posted by Helen in News.Tags: books
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It’s August (already!) and that means that the global Life of Pi readalong is underway. If you’d like to read or re-read the book during August you can sign up or join the conversations at www.lifeofpi.co.uk. There’s all sorts of stuff in the Extras section, including a message from author Yann Martel:
Dear Readalong Readers,
I’m delighted you’ve taken on Life of Pi. Writing the novel was a joy. The research, which I did in India and then at the library of McGill University in Montreal, thrilled me. Then came the writing. For four years my office was a lifeboat and in it, lurking, was a tiger I had not only to feed and keep alive but to give meaning to. Odd as it might sound, this story with such seemingly disparate elements – a religious boy, a tiger, a lifeboat – came together quite easily. Only one scene – the one with the blind Frenchman – changed, and that was only a question of making it shorter. The novel’s success with readers has been an equal joy. I toured and was grateful to meet so many of my readers, many of whom shared insights and reactions with me. I was constantly amazed at the varied interpretations readers had of the novel. I shouldn’t have been. Art works because it is participatory: the writer throws some words onto the page and then it’s the reader who brings them to life. So thank you for bringing Life of Pi to life.
Yours truly,
Yann Martel
Winners – Invisible Inc. release challenge Friday, 7 August 2009
Posted by Helen in Found books.Tags: bookcrossing, books
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When we announced the Invisible Inc. Secret Society of Bibliophiles “release challenge” on BookCrossing.com we hoped a few books would be shared.
In fact, an amazing 134 books have been released! The challenge was to set free books that members of Invisible Inc. would enjoy. Participants scored one point for each book, an extra point if the book was left somewhere “themed” (linked to the book or the challenge) and an extra point for each book “caught” (found by a stranger and journaled on BookCrossing.com). The challenge ran from 24 June to 24 July.
Thanks AileenAdler, a-usual-suspect, awaywithfairies, Bascula, GoryDetails, KiwiinEngland, ResQgeek, rhythmbiscuit/shadowwolves, RockDg9, tabby-cat-owner and waderwoman for taking part. Books were set free in the UK, USA, Ireland and Australia. (more…)
The bigger read Friday, 7 August 2009
Posted by Helen in News.Tags: books, comic
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Another reading campaign – but this time it’s fictional! Unshelved is a comic strip set in a library. It’s well worth checking out – why not start with this story arc from a fortnight ago about Mallville’s attempts at a “big read”?
(My favourite interaction – “Free book?” “What do you think I am, stupid?”)
Another highlight of Unshelved is the Unshelved book club – fantastic reviews of books in comic form. Here’s their review of The Gargoyle – one of the Canongate books we’ve been BookCrossing here at The Lost Book.
(A couple of the reviews our copies of The Gargoyle have received: DryKid says “I really did enjoy this book, it is a story of hope and love, life and death and it has an unusual storyline” and ResQgeek says “in spite of the rather unappealing beginning, this is actually a wonderful story.”)
Easy as ABC Thursday, 6 August 2009
Posted by Adam in News.Tags: australia, books, interview, radio
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I’ve been using up a few of my fifteen minutes of fame this week after receiving a contact from presenter, Ginger Gorman, of ABC Radio, Australia. Despite the wicked time difference, we managed to record a phone interview about the Lost Book that was aired on 666 ABC Canberra as a feature on the “Afternoons” show on Tuesday.
Ginger was standing in for regular “Afternoons” host, Genevieve Jacobs, and the theme for her programme was lost books. She collected together an intriguing set of callers and contributers to make a very interesting and enjoyable two hour show. Ginger was very enthusiastic about The Lost Book and asked lots of great questions. It was really fun to take part in the show – thanks Ginger for getting in touch.
If it’s possible to get a link to the programme or even put up the interview here on The Lost Book we will. In the meantime here’s a 12 second snippet talking about Aileen Adler.
Life of Pi Sunday, 19 July 2009
Posted by The Lost Book in Found books.Tags: bookcrossing, books, twitter
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It’s nearly the end of July… did you know that in August there will be a “worldwide readalong” of Life of Pi? Canongate are encouraging people to discover or re-discover Yann Martel’s Man Booker prizewinning bestseller by being part of a shared reading experience.
We’ve been BookCrossing copies of Life of Pi donated by Canongate. One copy found in Edinburgh has already travelled to Essex.
If you’d like to join the readalong you’ll find all the details on www.lifeofpi.co.uk. You can sign up to get tips and extras. You can also join the readalong through Twitter – simply use the hashtags #LifeofPi and #readalong in your tweets. Watson (@followyournose) will be twoofing!
Collaborative book-writing experiment Wednesday, 15 July 2009
Posted by The Lost Book in Microstory competition.Tags: books, writing
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Have you considered helping us write the stolen book, but haven’t got around to it yet? This week’s your last chance!
The “lost book” is the journal of Sally Challenger’s 2004 expedition to Southern Venezuela – Arthur Conan Doyle’s lost world. We’ve been asking you to write it, week by week.
The lovely Jasper Fforde created the characters and introduced the story through two fictional newspaper articles. Each week, entrants have contributed 100 words to tell the story of the expedition. Their microstories have given clues about why the book was stolen – and elements from the expedition (the rejuvenating water, the Ikhata and Professor Remi) have been introduced into the animation.
Read about the expedition team, a summary of their adventures, or the full journal.
Our contributors so far are: Matthias, Bookaddictus, Norvaljoe, Rocketboy (twice!), Mary, QueenofSheeba, Bananagirl, pondweed, Professor Moriaty, IndiaJones (twice!), curlyshirley, ScoutingForBoys, Martha K., Caroline (twice!), LuLu, Andrew J. Wilson, Dinobot, Wearealldoomed and Gondolagirl.
If you’d like to join the collaboration, you’ve got until Friday afternoon (17th July, 4pm GMT) to let us have your 100-word story for the final day of the expedition. What happens to Sally Challenger?
“The most interesting collaborative book-writing experiment of the decade” – Jasper Fforde
The Lost Book is an animated web series where you wrote the plot.
