Review: Word Soup @ New Continental

This is a guest post by Mel Webster. She is studying at the University of Central Lancashire and blogs at What do you do in Preston? If you’d like to write a guest post for Preston Blog see how you can get involved.

Dave Hartley, who is attempting to write a short story every week of the year, reads at Wordsoup

The second Word Soup event was held at the New Continental on Tuesday 19th May 2009 and for those of you unfortunate enough to have been elsewhere, here’s a roundup of the night…

Dave Hartley who is currently attempting the mammoth feat of writing a short story a week for a year, read a new story especially for us on the theme of the night which was skin.

Special mention has to go to Preston Writing Network contributor and my personal highlight of the night, Richard Hirst, who read a post modern letter to an imaginary giant millipede. I could write that it was very funny (which obviously I just have) but it’s a bit of a beige thing to write and doesn’t do justice to Mr Hirst or his giant millipede.

After a break and music from Mr and Mrs (more of them later) Manchester writer, Annie Clarkson, read some powerful poetry from her collection, Winter Hands.

Andrew Hurley won the “most tenuous link to the theme” prize for the night with a passing reference to dinosaurs in his reading from his collection, The Unusual Death of Julie Christie. The passage described the dynamic between a couple at the start of their relationship and his new girlfriend’s growing bond with his son. Andrew is a confident public reader and I think he made a great impression at the event.

And finally was Emma Lannie who came all the way from Derby and read Proxy.

Then just before the drinking, socialising and general after show scandal which I can not possibly tell you about here there was more music from the rather talented and rather more intense, Mr and Mrs. Think Bright Eyes but with a small plastic keyboard that you play like a recorder.

The next event is on the 23rd of June and is going to be a poetry slam.

View Wordsoup photos.

Review: Word Soup @ New Continental

This is a guest post by Mel Webster. She is studying at the University of Central Lancashire and blogs at What do you do in Preston? If you’d like to write a guest post for Preston Blog see how you can get involved.

Steven Hall (left) and Chris Killen (right) discuss books before taking to the stage for their readings

The Word Soup reading event at the New Continental was the first of its kind in Preston, according to organiser, Jenn Ashworth of Preston Writing Network. With writers ranging from international bestsellers to exciting new unpublished talents, it was a diverse and edgy night out for everyone who came.

The event held in the venue’s event space on Tuesday night got a great reaction from the audience who were treated to readings on the theme of risk.

Organiser and published writer, Jenn Ashworth read from her novel “A Kind of Intimacy” which has been getting rave reviews from the press. Her comic timing brought her dark novel about love and obesity to life.

Speaking afterwards she said: “Despite a few technical hitches and last minute panics, I think it went really well!”

Cult best-seller, Steven Hall (The Raw Shark Texts) impressed with his confident reading of a passage about conceptual information streams from his award winning novel whilst Manchester writer and award winning blogger, Chris Killen (The Bird Room) gave an effective nervous energy to his reading about a paranoid boyfriend hiding his girlfriend’s ex’s bushes.

Watch interviews with Chris Killen and Steven Hall from after the event

Cat Dunlop and Catherine Cable. new writers from the Continental Collective creative writing group, read their own original work and Sally Cook read a hilarious story about stealing apple juice.

Live music in between the readings came from singer/songwriter Ottersgear, who claimed to have named himself after a bridge he used to sometimes sleep under.

Check out the live tweets from the evening at #wordsoup.

See more images from the night.

The next event is on the 19th May and the theme is going to be skin.