Latest news

Reading Courses:

Our second reading course, Jubilee Lines, edited by Carol Ann Duffy will run for one more month.  It is  a fascinating way to look at the last sixty years: snapshots of history in poetry!  Our next course begins on Tuesday September 18^th at 4 o’clock and runs for five weeks.  We shall be reading from the Penguin Book of English Short Stories, edited by Christopher Dolley, available from the bookshop.    Numbers are limited to ten, so please book early to avoid disappointment!   £25.00 payable in advance please.

Tea Time Tales!

On Friday 14^th October I shall be starting a weekly group for grown ups who love to be read to! We shall meet at 4 o’clock every Friday and I shall read a short story to you, after which we will enjoy tea, cake and chat.  It’s not a discussion group, you don’t need to buy a book, and there will occasionally be Guest Readers!  As this group is going to be all about indulgence, I shall start by reading from my much loved copy of The Awakening by Kate Chopin, but after that - who knows!  No need to book.  Drop in as you feel like it, we can always move the furniture if it gets too big!  Come and join me.  £5.

Story-Time Session

The Gigantic Turnip is going down well with our little ones! There is coffee provided for Mums/Dads/Grand parents.  Book ahead or just turn up!  This group will run through the summer holidays but please check the answer-phone message at the shop to see if the group is running on a particular Friday as I may not be so completely reliable once my fourth grand-baby is born at the end of July.  The aim is that I’ll be there though, so please come and join me! £2.00

Reading Club

Our reading club is held on Thursdays at 4 o’clock from now until the end of term.  At the moment I am reading from Quentin Blakes' Magical Tales.  All children aged 7 plus are welcome and this group enables  children to mix with others of their age group from different schools. I look forward to welcoming your children to the bookshop. Book ahead or just turn up!  £2.50.  (NB this group will include a visit to the delightfully old-fashioned newsagent's and confectioner's across the road from the bookshop: each week we will choose a different selection of sweets to share so they can munch while they're being enchanted by the magical tales!)

Wenlock Poetry Festival

There will be a Poetry Parnassus in Much Wenlock on July 5^th with poets coming from Pakistan, Hungary, Armenia, Mexico and Cuba.  £10.   We are also going to RAF Cosford on July 12^th to show the Queen our wonderful knitted poem – join us there! Once again we will be running a Poetry Summer School for Key Stage 2 children (7 – 11).  Follow the Wenlock Poetry Festival on facebook or twitter to get the latest news, or call in to the bookshop.

Hay Festival

My Hay highlight was an inspirational appearance by Mario Vargos Llosa, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2010.  He spoke about power and resistance, explaining very clearly why poets and writers are always the first people to be silenced under oppressive dictatorships.  He described literature as ‘a way of living that opens the door to many experiences’. The second highlight was several hours spent in Richard Booth’s Bookshop: I feel a group trip to Hay coming on, let me know if you’d like to come!

Here is a sample from their lovely menu:

welsh rarebit, beetroot and orange chutney

courgette and rosemary soup, sourdough bread

spicy caesar salad with roast garlic croutons

chargrilled baby leeks, roasted new potatoes, romesco sauce

grilled fillet of mackeral, shaved fennel and rocket salad, soy lime glaze

Keeping in touch

We now have an electronic newsletter which you can subscribe to at http://eepurl.com/g3t8r and you can follow us on twitter and find us on facebook.  All information about reading groups, courses and events is on our website at www.wenlockbooks.co.uk

Poem - by Sarah Davey

Snare

The quiet is as ear-splitting as the whirr of machines,
The atmosphere as thick as in the theatre stalls, or concert hall.

The walls are splashed with as much culture as a gallery,
The boards and beams with as much character as an old, forgotten house.

The walks leads you as wildly as the many twists of a maze,
The occupants are as liable to jumping as the artist of a trapeze.

The rhythm is slow as if time stepped inside itself,
The history seeping out of the shelves until you can't bear to look out.

                                              ***

As it reels you in, try and beware,
Of what's always been, the bookshop's killer snare.


Sarah Davey,
Poet in Residence 11 - 15 June 2012, Work Experience student.

Sonnet (English) - by Sarah Davey

Fingers to feathers

Come down from the sky; you're too far away,
Clouds turn you lonely and hide too much mist.
Returning to earth only once each day,
Moulds fingers to feathers, hands never kissed.

He buries the soil, and watches the trees,
Waiting for night and for your moon to rise.
As the ceiling turns gold, he calls you 'Please',
Down steps from the mountains, until Day dies.

I'll walk through the fire, leap over the stars,
Hold on in the current, shut tight free-fall.
Hand down the learning and show them the scars,
Wait in the downpour until curtain-call.

It's time to leave castles, and scarlet seas;
Dust in the bookshop is making me sneeze.


Sarah Davey,
Poet in Residence 11 - 15 June 2012, Work Experience student.

Poem - by Sarah Davey

Little Place

Hide away, little place,
In that green town,
Home of the unsung words.

Steal away, little place;
Take us from comprehension,
'Til we hear nothing but our own footsteps.

Tick away, little place;
Time would not matter,
In a home with no, one resident.

Think away, little place,
With minds of your own;
Your clamour is so loud, I hear only silence.


Sarah Davey,
Poet in Residence 11 - 15 June 2012, Work Experience student.

Haiku - by Sarah Davey

Bookshop Haiku

Sing your ancients, tomes,
Tell us your lives and masters
Who tasted your words.

To breathe in ages,
From grandparent to grandchild
As memories drift.

You creak, you whimper;
We leant on your fragile spine
To find your branch breaks.

I do not hear you;
If you only grow louder
I am still reading.

Losing time and sense,
Living magic and treasure
Cove, or frankincense.


Sarah Davey,
Poet in Residence  11 - 15 June 2012,  Work Experience student.

Philip Eade: Prince Philip - His Turbulent Early Life

Philip Eade came to Bourton Manor tonight as a guest of Wenlock Books to present the Literary Evening of the Much Wenlock Festival.  It's the fourth time the bookshop has taken part in this Festival, and the evening has become a well established part of the programme.

We were welcomed to Bourton Manor by Caroline and Richard Barr, who kindly opened their doors to us when it became obvious that the weather would be inclement (to say the least!).  The photograph above is the view that we couldn't see through the sitting room window!  The fire was lit and crackled merrily in the large grate; pink fizz and smoked slamon canapes were quite delicious, and before long the room was filled with sixty-plus Festival supporters from Wenlock and around.

Philip Eade gave a fascinating insight into the early life of Prince Philip, from his babyhood to the age of thirty.  Philip's research is obviously meticulous (and was recounted with great ease) and more than one reviewer has commented on what a well-balanced book this is.  Philip said that he didn't meet Prince Philip during the course of his research, but that he did have lots of help from the Palace, for which he was most grateful.  Philip talked in a very lively way about the process of writing an unauthorised biography, and said that although he had started out from a very neutral position regarding the Prince, he had grown to have a great respect and sympathy for him.  He clearly sees that Prince Philip is 'the right man for the job' and spoke with great sensitivity and insight about how Prince Philip's absence due to ill-health over the Jubilee weekend showed just how imprtant a role he plays: many have commented on how lonely HRH looked without him at her side.

This was a wonderful evening: many thanks to Philip Eade for such an interesting talk; to Caroline and Richard for their hospitality and to Jane Brown and the festival committee for organising the event.  To see more festival events you can click here.

PS Just had this tweet from Catherine Beale, author of  Born out of Wenlock: "Greek king who gave Brookes silver cup for Games was Prince Philip's grandfather. Oak to him planted on Linden Field."  I'm sure Philip Eade knew this, but I didn't!

New events for the summer term!

Short course: starts Tuesday June 12^th at 4 o’clock

The next short reading course will start on Tuesday June 12^th at 4 o’clock (note the slightly later time) and will run for five weeks.  We will be reading Jubilee Lines, a book of sixty poems commemorating the Queen’s Jubilee and edited by our Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy.  There is a poem for every year of the Queen’s reign, and our discussions will include not only an appreciation of the poems, but also a look at the year in which they were set: so you might like to choose a poem from a year that has a special meaning for you – a birth, an anniversary, starting university or a new job and so on.  It will also be interesting to look at the snapshots of history that these poems give us and to consider how our own snapshots would have been different.  So – please don’t think you have to be a ‘poetry expert’ to enjoy this course; it is for anyone and everyone, do come along!  Booking can be done on-line or through the shop.

Story-TimeSession: starts Friday June 22nd, 10.45am

Our story-time session for toddlers and pre-schoolers has been lovely!  Each Friday morning we gather in the children’s corner of the bookshop and enjoy a story and a song (or two or three!).  We have been reading The Three Billy Goat’s Gruff, but will be starting a new book in June, The Gigantic Turnip: a gorgeous Russian folk-tale first recorded by Aleksei Tolstoy in the nineteenth century, this edition is brought right up to date by Niamh Sharkey. Published by Barefoot Books, this lovely book is full of colourful and vibrant art work and will be great for sharing. Story-time sessions will start again on Friday June 22^nd, 10.45am.  Book ahead or just turn up! This group will run through to the end of the summer term.

Reading Club: starts Thursday June 21^st at 4 o’clock

Our new reading club for 7+ will re-start on Thursday June 21^st at 4 o’clock.  The way it works is that we will read aloud and just enjoy the magic of the written word together.  No need to read ahead, no tests, no pressure – just fun!  This term we will be readinmg from Quentin Blakes's Magical Tales; "a wonderful treasury of stories full of adventure and mystery from around the world.  Compellingly retold by John Yeoman and braitifully illustrated by QuentinBlake, this is a collection of tales children will adore.  All children are welcome and part of what makes this group special is the chance for children to mix with others of their age group from different schools.  I look forward to welcoming your children to the bookshop! Book ahead or just turn up! This group will run through to the end of the summer term.