Live Light Night with Chris Killen and Stephen Hall
When : 21st April 2009 - 9:00pm
Where : The Continental
Price : £3.00
There will be a creative buzz around The Continental on Tuesday 21st
April as Northwest writing talent gather at the Preston pub’s arts
space for the newly-formed Preston Writing Network’s first literary
event, ‘Word Soup’.
‘Live Lit Nights’ are a staple feature of the cultural landscape in
cities like London and Manchester, and curator Jenn Ashworth is proud
to be bringing Preston in line with this. 'I've attended live lit
nights across the country both as a member of the audience and a
performer,’ says Jenn. ‘I have been impressed by the way events like
this open up new writing to a wider audience and get people who'd
never considered writing or performing before trying their skills on
the open mike.’
However, it isn’t just about writers standing up and performing, as
Jenn reveals. ‘It's also a way for people to meet established and up
and coming authors in a more social setting than a book signing or
literary festival,’ she says. ‘Unfortunately, there's never been
anything for live lit fans in Preston. I'm very pleased to be part of
the team that is making this happen.'
This month’s theme is ‘Risk’, and all the readings engage with risk –
from risky sexual encounters to risk-taking writing. Cult author
Steven Hall will be reading from his novel, The Raw Shark Texts,
published in over thirty countries, and Chris Killen reads from his
novel The Bird Room, also recently published to rave reviews. Jenn, a
resident of Preston, was winner of the 2003 Cambridge University
Quiller-Couch Prize for Creative Writing, and will be reading from
her recently published and highly acclaimed novel, A Kind of
Intimacy.
Also performing on the night are Socrates Adams-Florou, author of the
highly popular blog ‘Chicken and Pies’ (chickenandpies.blogspot.com)
and Sally Cook, who not only blogs at www.ninechainstothemoon.com but
also organises the Manchester Live Lit night, the quirkily-titled
There's no point in not being friends with someone if you want to be
friends with them (commonly known as No Point). There will also be
three short open-mike spots from the ‘Continental Collective’, members
of the Continental’s very own creative writing group, who will be
selling copies of their self published anthology Eat Our Words.
To add to the creative broth, musical interludes from local performers
Ottersgear, who wowed staff of the Vivid Arts Lancaster Library with
their recent gig there. Add to this a short literature-orientated film
from Comma Film and you truly have the elements for a cultural night to
remember. The event starts at 9pm and entry is £3.
