David Maybury | Blog

Now that the snow is receding and the cold outside is less Siberia and more just raining Hibernia it’s safe to go outside and see some of the world. Or more specifically I have a few recommendations that ye might be interested in…

Tonight Conor Kostick is in St Pats College (Drumcondra, Dublin) from 7 talking about Marxism and Children’s Literature. I’ve been promised a chapter on lizards which could be interesting… Details are here.

Elsewhere in the city, the talented Mr Brian Coldrick launched his exhibition ‘Shrunken Head’ - it runs until February 17 and features everyone’s favourite sloth, Slothey T. Hoffman, in many guises. Have a sneak peak here.

And as if all that wasn’t enough - Alex Milway, of Mousehunter fame, visited the Illustration Cupboard last week and recommends we all drop what we’re doing and go see it now.

I implore everyone to go, as some of the original artwork on display is superb. There are beautiful Shirley Hughes pictures, some awesome Chris Wormell prints, and best of all Chris Riddell’s ink drawings for Neil Gaiman’s Graveyard Book. One of which is below. - Alex Milway, on the Illustration Cupboard.

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Larry O’Loughlin’s one man play 100 More Like These is running today and tomorrow in the Civic Theatre in Tallaght. Acted out by the talented Stephen Jones, fresh from his recent successes in the Galway Arts Festival and the Project Theatre’s production of Sizwe Bansi Is Dead.

The new website is live for all to see - here - and there is talk of plenty more bells and whistles to come… video, music and many many photographs. If you can’t wait that long - here’s a video of Larry O’Loughin impersonating Charlie Daniels to keep you out of trouble…

The mysteriously talented Mr Alan Clarke has an exhibition of paintings, sketches and other things in London opening next week - it opens on Wednesday and runs until 22 November in the Capital Culture Gallery.

If ye’re in the area (and even if you’re not) I highly recommend dropping in to have a snoop. (And if no one is looking maybe grab a painting or two - one for me, one for you)

I’m sorry. Busy day away from the web. (More tomorrow, promise.)

Congratulations to Inkheart and Carbags, and everyone, who read at last nights Children’s Theatre Festival’s New Writer Slam. (Thanks to the Flip Flop organisers - especially Valerie - and to Sarah Webb, Conor Kostick and all round funny woman, Aislinn O’Loughlin too) Had a great night, including the midnight snacking in Eddie Rockets afterwards.

And there is still loads happening - including the launch of Siobhán Parkinson’s new book Dialann Sár-Runda Amy Ní Chonchúir in Pearse Street library in Dublin this morning. And then later today the launch of Conor Kostick’s Move tonight at 6 in the Stephens Green Shopping Centre (Dublin).

If, after yesterdays two events and the new writers’ reading in Dún Laoghaire tonight, you are still craving more then why not head to Hughes and Hughes in St Stephen’s at half six on Wednesday for the launch of Conor Kostick’s new book Move.

Liam O’Dwyer discovers he can move between parallel universes – when he wants something to go his way, he moves to the universe where it happens. (Remember Sliders?) But there are consequences to each move and they are starting to catch up with Liam and his friends.

Robert Dunbar will be officiating the night and the launch is in a bookshop - so there’ll be plenty of choice!

Tons happening everywhere at the minute (Book Fest, Poetry Day, Book launches) and tonight Irish Pen host their Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Writing for Children (and more!) talk in the United Arts Club in Dublin (from 8pm).

The Watchmen gets a viewing - and analysis - over on the Guardian Film Blog. Zack Snyder sounded more than a little defensive answering questions from the audience after the screening:

“there’s a rabid and vocal fan base for the graphic novel that support the graphic novel and are maybe against the movie. No Country for Old Men changed [its source material, the novel by Cormac McCarthy] three times as much as we have but I guarantee you there’s no rabid fan base who are going to kill the Coens!”

And finally - the Very Hungry Caterpillar has some more catching up with events, as well as letting slip about her afternoon tea with Cornelia Funke. Speaking of Ms Funke, Hughes and Hughes have signed copies of Inkdeath for sale - go get yours!

*line is stolen, blatantly, from Alan Moore’s The Watchmen.

So its October again and the Children’s Book Festival has kicked off (Dublin got Derek Landy but there was plenty happening all over the country - including a pyjama party with Oisín McGann in Monaghan, are there any pics of Oisín in pjs??)

There is far too many things for me to recommend, so you’ll  just have to go to all of them. Or, if that’s not an option - over the next month you will see all of these names cropping up in libraries, schools, town halls and other weird places around the country: Derek Landy, Cathy Hopkins, Karen McCrombie, Keith Gray, Kevin Crossley Holland, Jenny Valentine, Michael Scott, Jon Berkeley, Tom Kelly, Kate Thompson, Steve Weatherill, Tony Ross, John Dougherty, Nick Ward, Julie O’Callaghan, Gabriel Fitzmaurice,  Cathy Cassidy, Joe Craig, Alan Gibbons, Julia Golding, Celine Kiernan, Michael Carroll, Padear Ó Guilín, Malachy Doyle, Keith Charters, Maeve Friel, Marie Burlington, Joe O’Brien, Ali Sparkes, Babette Cole, Niamh Sharkey, Adrienne Geoghegan, Judi Curtin, Roisin Meaney and Conor Kostick.

One of the highlights I should recommend is the Writing for Teenagers discussion on October 20 with Cathy Hopkins and Jenny Valentine (Chaired by Patricia Kennon) - might even see ya there! There are two competitions during the festival too that are open for anyone under 15 and there’s a festival blog that (I’m sure) will have pics and videos and other bits as the festival goes on…

So where can you find out more about all of this? Over at the rowdy website of Children’s Books Ireland. (Where else?!)

The Children’s Books Festival was launched this morning in the crypt of the Liberty Hall Theatre in Dublin. There were all manner of posh speeches from the who-be-wots-its but the main event was a Q&A with the dastardly (hilarious rocker) David O’Callaghan and the spooky (hilarious rocker) Derek Landy.

Derek let slip a few state secrets - including the name of the new book, The Faceless Ones, that will be out next April. He also mentioned owning the cape from Superman (the original movies), a replica lightsaber, a gun from Aliens and a 1966 Ford Mustang. So that’s where the HarperCollins cheque went…

By lunchtime I was up-to-speed on karate, dancing and how to wear an alien mask. Fun was definitely had.

The Children’s Book Festival rolls out across Ireland through October (more about that tomorrow) or you can go direct to the source and check out what’s happening on CBI’s website.

Sarah Webb and Irish Pen have set out to educate the nation on the how/why and wots-its of writing for children. They are running a one night event called Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Writing for Children (and more!).

So far the confirmed speakers on the night will be children’s illustrator/writer Oisín McGann, Helen Carr, editor from O’Brien Press and the Very Hungry Caterpillar herself.

The panel will cover how to catch an editor’s attention, popular genres, what children want from their books, and how to write a killer children’s submission… amongst other things. For more head over to Sarah Webb’s blog (Sarah is one of the organisers for the night, along with Catherine Daly and Marita Conlon-McKenna)

See you there!

Well there’s plenty happening around Dublin, Cork and Galway tonight - the highlight (other than the open mic poetry of course) has got to be Oliver Jeffers hanging out in the Ark. He’s making paper planes for a few hours - something to do with his new book The Great Paper Caper… (which has the secret to making great planes cleverly hidden in the book jacket)

Thanks to the Very Hungry Caterpillar for spotting the event. Check out culturenight.ie for more.

Is that children’s writer Larry O’Loughlin appearing at the Button Factory in Dublin with The Last Waltz tribute band The Group?

I think it is, despite vicious rumours that it could have been Charlie Daniels. I think Charlie is a better dancer

I never made it to Oxegen. (I never had a ticket so that explains why I never made it.)

BUT. I did turn 24.

Still in recovery. Back tomorrow, maybe.

Tomorrow, June 12, is World Day Against Child Labour.

To mark the day Concern are asking people in Dublin to join them by the Spire to help them fly kites and launch 218 balloons - symbolizing the millions of children working in the world today.

The time-table in Dublin is:

11.15am: Meet at the Irish Aid Centre to parade down O’Connell St
11.35am: Release balloons at the Spire
11.40am: Gather opposite Spire on North Earl St for photos.
12.00am: Back to the Irish Aid Centre for refreshments

For more events around the country or to organise your own visit stopchildlabour.concern.net.

Meet Yul. He’s a homemade monster. We* made him over the weekend using a ‘Make your own Monster’ kit that we found, in a very excited state, at the No Fixed Abode stall at the Designer Mart in Cows Lane, Temple Bar. (If you have an hour or two to spare on a Saturday I highly recommend heading over - the food, book and design markets have all been relaunched and are bigger and better than before)

The Make your own Monster kit was made by Donna Wilson - you can see more of her creatures, odd objects, cushions, rugs and others on her site. No Fixed Abode has some of Donna’s stuff on sale every Saturday - and an online shop is due up soon! But if you can’t wait that long - go here and create your own virtual monster.

So. That’s Yul.

*We: loosely translated means that I made Yul with some help, supervision, consultation and direction from Deb.

Sinéad C has tagged me. Sinéad Gleeson reckons 2008 is the new 2005 with the number of memes doing the rounds.

Ms Cochrane’s rules state I have to describe myself in no more than 6 words (either 6 individual words or a 6 word sentence). So, here goes:

I’m refusing to grow up. Ever.

I think a return tag is in order for Eoin.