Monday, November 10, 2008

Blow




With the election result leaving many of the country's writers, artists and musicians - and those that support them - feeling like one big flat tyre, why not get along to BLOW at Massey University this week? Y'know... inflate those sensitive little inner tubes again?


It's the second festival put on by the College of Creative Arts of Massey University and it includes Foya: the fabulous Massey graduate catwalk show, Music Materialised: an astonishing collaboration between textile students and musicians, Toi Whakaari's The Pillowman, the School of Dance's graduation season, the NZ School of Music jazz recital and a raft of other exhibitions, performances, screenings and workshops in and around the Massey Campuses and other arts venues.


There are BOOK EVENTS too. As a tutor at Massey here in Wellington, I'm involved in the session where the university's creative writing staff gets to show off a bit. The line-up is: Michele Amas, Anna Horsley, Thomas Gough, Ingrid Horrocks, Angie Farrow and me. I'll be reading from a short story that I wrote between tutorials! The session will end with a performance of Angie Farrow's 15-minute play, Falling. This event completes Massey's marvellous Writers Read sessions which started a few months back.


Date: Wed 12 Nov, 12 pm – 1:15 pm
Location: Massey University Wellington, Museum Building (main entrance), Boardroom (10A108) Enquiries: I.horrocks at massey.ac.nz (04) 801 5799 ext 62176


The other cool book event is Songs with Words: a concert which takes poems by e e cummings and Bill Manhire and sets them to music in the chamber jazz idiom. The works will be performed by singer Hannah Griffin, accompanied by composer and pianist Norman Meehan with guest soloists. This is on Tuesday Nov 18, 6-7pm, NZ School of Music Concert Hall.

More details of everything here.

4 comments:

Andrea Eames said...

Oops, I think I may just have posted something on your blog that was meant to go on another ... too many windows open = confused Andrea.

I was wondering if I could be cheeky and ask your advice on something :) I received another 3 requests for partials today, and one of them asked if I was approaching other agents. I am, of course, but I'm not sure how to phrase this nicely. Do I need to go into detail, or can I just say that I have approached other agents and leave it vague?

Thanks for your help. And good luck for the reading today! Wish I could be there.

A xx

Mary McCallum said...

Hi Andrea. God I wish I knew the answer to this. I just chased one at a time. Usually, publishers don;t like people talking to other publishers at the same time. I wonder why the agents are asking? Maybe because they want to know how slow or fast to take it? (This is GREAT news.) Of course you don't have to admit to going elsewhere - but then again it's now recorded on the internet -- here and on your blog! In my experience they will google you if they're interested. So front up, but leave it vague. You don't have to say who. Good luck!

Andrea Eames said...

Thanks, Mary :) In the end I said something like "I am querying other agents in order to secure the best possible representation for my work, but the Blah Blah Agency was one of my first choices and I look forward to your response," etc. He seemed happy with that. :P

Mary McCallum said...

Dear Cat of Impossible Colour -- sounds like you said the right thing -- bravo.