David Maybury | Blog

My apologies to anyone who reads this blog - the enthusiastic start seems to have wanned slightly. My excuses are as follows: I am coming to the end of the degree so a lot of work is being heaped on and the proposals for next year are being written and sent out, unsurprisingly, they are being difficult. Excuses out of the way, your expectations lowered and my conscience eased I guess I'll post…

Sigla posted about poetry blogs earlier this week, something I am very interested in. As a result I have started to add a blogroll on the site, which will specify Irish arts blogs to make them easier to find. This is partly a selfish act however, I'm hoping that others will leave blogs that I don't know about in the comments - so I can read blogs I never knew existed.

In other news, I am enjoying the photoblog. It has proven easier to find a picture than a post most of the time, and I have received some very good feedback from photoblogs.org and photofriday.com, amongst others. Please post any comments, criticisms etc on the site here - I'd like to hear what people think.

a dedicated blogger, and great writer - Neil Gaiman, again…

In the interest of conversation I want to raise a question about blogging. Especially after I came across a few blogs that are using their respective sites as a form of therapy. Are these the 21st century’s version of keeping a diary, with the single largest difference that anyone can read what you write? I think site’s such as these give an insight into the people and may help them, but how many of these types of blogs are there? (And who reads all of them?)

All of those that I have read seem to have a specific audience in mind - as in here and here. Are these blogs relevant to anyone online? I enjoyed reading all of those that I read in preparation of this post, but am just a little sceptical.

first the blog awards, now live blogging St. Patricks Day: Twenty Major, what is next?

Buzzmachine’s Jeff Jarvis made his first post on the Guardians new Comment Is Free site by lashing out at the FCC over hypocritical controls on what should be aired on American television. On the ruling that the words ‘fuck’ and ’shit’ are profane and grossly offensive Jarvis replied “To sum this up all too bluntly: “nigger” and “kike” are constitutionally protected while “fuck” and “shit” are not.“ In a response to the FCC fines the Daily KOS have posted the Parents Television Council contact details on their site.

The episode of Without A Trace that is costing CBS $3 million was aired earlier last year by TV3, I have emailed the BCC to try and find out how many complaints, if any at all, were made against TV3 for showing the same episode. Did anyone watch the programme? Was it as bad as the PTC have made it out to be, and is it worth $3m in fines? I’ll update as soon as the BCC get back to me.

UPDATE: No word from the BCC and I’ve been too busy to realise - I will have another go today.  

released from its prison: comment is free

Kazuo Ishiguro has long been the favourite of many - particularly since the success of The Remains of the Day film adaptation, the novel is a beutifully subtle and powerfully written novel. Ishiguro’s latest book, Never Let Me Go, has sat on my shelf unread for almost three months. Breaking away slightly from the precedent that his work has set, Never Let Me Go moves into genre’s previously unknown to Ishiguro; science-fiction. A daunting and strange change for any author, but for the flawed and specific characters that Ishiguro creates in his work, the book seems almost fear-some in its own potential.

they give anyone a blog: gladwell.com

In the space of three weeks I have changed my very stagnant site into a photoblog, and have begun writing this blog alongside it. I was, and to a degree I still am, terrified of writing posts in blog form - the onus is on me to create posts in a community where there are already established blogs with much better content. Print journalism is much easier to contend with - especially in dealing with someone face to face, the majority of interaction with this blog so far has been the wordpress stats page.

I am coming to the end of my undergraduate in Journalism and have faced very little writing for web, and nothing about blogs, citizen journalism/commentary or web 2.0. Anything that has been published online was originally written for print and re-used by the publisher. There has been a large oversight in the course I attended on web-specific content and writing for web. (Not to dissuade anyone from taking the course, it has been a very interesting and excellent experience with very dedicated and genuine teaching staff.) The course and staff, one-part academics, the other practicing journalists, can only reflect the industry - where a large majority of media organisations have yet to establish a web specific staff/editor.

I am not arguing that all media organisations should suddenly start hiring journalists and editors for online content, but that for a soon-to-be graduate of journalism I have had very little experience with online writing. If the industry is changing so dramatically, why are students only being taught traditional methods?

picture perfect: photoblogs.org

In an interesting debate with an English Lit. student today I argued that Childrens’ Literature (caps?) was as violent as it has ever been. During the debate I pulled in references from some of my old favourites - Darren Shan, Lemony Snicket, Gaiman, Gliori, Rowling and Tolkien. The opposition filed in with 18th century children’s literature, much of which I had barely heard of, and mostly never read. The ensuing argument did leave me with a few interesting points to note however.

The majority of literature written for children in the 18th Century was created to instill the fear of god or to gain other disciplinary results . This formed much of my argument about violence in modern Childrens’ Lit. - the modern novel is written for entertainment, not for any moral or ethical end-product. There is also much deeper character development in modern childrens fiction - this engages the reader much more emtionally so that although the violence from some authors may be less detailed the effect on a young reader is greater.

The authors of children’s literature are certainly much more engaged publicly with their audiences and know what subjects they want to read about - children make the best critics. If an author treats the reader, and plots, as adult the young reader will engage much more with the characters and the author. My experience of this was at a CBI (Childrens Books Ireland) event in Dublin a few years ago where a number of authors were invited to give readings and talks about their books. Having never met or read anything of most of those involved I attended a talk by Larry O’Loughlin in which the author was so re-caught by the emotion of his own novel that he cried. Seeing a grown man cry had such a profound effect on me that I bought his book, and others and will be a fan for life.

The debate, my apologies for straying, ended however on a very pleasing note when my opponent admitted to having read very little new Childrens’ Lit. Not a strong win but with a pleasing result - she agreed to read some of those that I used in my argument. This post is not just to gloat that I finally managed to win an argument, but also to raise the question of what others think.

hadn’t seen this until today: Oscar Winning, Six Shooter

Following in a similar trend as Disillusioned Lefty, I want to make as many people as I can aware of Gavin’s request for help as I can. As a new site I don’t receive very many hits a day, but I hope that those that do visit here will pass the link on and give whatever they can. Paypal or Money Transfer.

I often look back on my academic career, as a student, and examine the things I wish had gone differently. One of the largest regrets is not having Vincent Maher as a lecturer. In a post today, he has detailed what he sees as the problems suffered by both print and online journalism.

One of Maher’s arguments surrounds the number of full-time, professional, journalists working solely for online content - there is simply not that many. Many of the articles available online are reproductions, or summaries, of what is printed or broadcast elsewhere. Although most media companies now have a dedicated staff to update the respective website, the amount of money spent on new content exclusive to the web is minimal.

The guardian unlimited site is one of the most progressive websites, and even there the vast majority of content comes from the print edition - how much of the online user/staff generated content is moved towards the traditional copy? Using The Guardian, as an example however is unfair - the company is certainly considered one of the more progressive parties from the traditional media. (They have Jeff Jarvis on their side, who could ask for more? Jarvis has become the unofficial ’shop steward’ for bloggers within the media)

Over-saturation in the current online news market is another factor - too much emphasis on fast updates rather than quality and accuracy of the bulletin. There is so much competition to be the first to break the story that the writing of each story suffers. Maher points to the number of news sites that regurgitate the same copy while trying to do so faster than the competition.

The future of journalism is digital. There is no way of stopping the transition, but the traditional media has the opportunity to use everything it has learned during its existence to avoid repeating some of the pitfalls from the past. Alan Rusbridger, editor of The Guardian, announced a little while ago that the new presses the paper had purchased would be the last printing machines that the organisation would probably ever purchase. This says a lot of where he sees the market moving to - and has invested much of his time to future developments.

It is not a question of whether or not the online and digital media will surpass other media outlets in numbers; more simply it is when will it happen? The future in Electronic Page Display, EPD, might be the preferred transition method for the print media, but now is the time to begin investing in online content and product development. Papers and companies that develop strong online readerships now will only benefit from having such a position over their competitors joining the market later.

technological heaven: Origami Devices

Eva Wiseman’s investigation into spoetry in the Guardian yesterday left me a little scared. The theory is that spam authors can trick anti-spam filters by using capricious sentences that form a poetic life of their own. In her piece, Wiseman asks professor of English and history, Paul Edwards, to critique the poems as serious pieces.

Edwards’ analysis of an advert for discount rolexes: “With its disrupted phrases and clauses, the poem mirrors the channelling of the old stable ego into flows that are continuously redirected, interrupted and abandoned.” Should we be afraid of the next generation of poets?

one of the reasons I post photographs: chromasia.com

My cinematic comments coincide with the releases in the local arts centre, Light House. Much like the IFI in Dublin the Light House has a cinema, amongst many other resources, and the entire building was once the Chubb Lockworks, giving the creative atmosphere a deeper resonance. The films released in the cinema generally only run for a week and are several months behind the actual releases, so my apologies for the seemingly very belated comments.

North Country is Niki Caro’s first movie since Whale Rider - the story of a New Zealand tribe and the struggle for their next leader. North Country, although fictional, is based on the true story of the first sexual harassment class action - in the Minnesota strip mines. Caro’s movie follows the story of Josey Aimes as she leaves a broken relationship and returns to her parent’s house with her two children.

Aimes, played by Charlize Theron, is an understated hero who is given life through Theron’s character embodiment, much like her portrayal of Aileen Wronos in Monster. The film follows Aimes as she joins the few women working in the strip mines and slowly rebuilds her life. Giving an interesting insight into the struggle that many women suffered as the laws on equality began to be implemented into smaller communities. A struggle that is so well depicted by those involved that during the credits and the walk out of the cinema after the movie I could not help but have an unquenchable feeling of wanting to do something.

The supporting cast in North Country, of which there are several recognisable faces, are all well depicted - the exalted Woody Harrelson playing Aimes’ lawyer is very well characterised. I am sure that this is coming soon to DVD, if it is not already released, and is highly recommended.

feeling slightly homesick today: Overheard In Dublin

The recent discussions on books (Sigla, Sicilian Notes, Slugger, Dissilusioned Lefty, Infactah, Reality Check and Mental Meanderings) have reminded me of something a lecturer said to me in my first week of college – “ If you get the greatest buzz of your life from discovering a new author or book, then you’re in the right class.” Neil Gaiman was one such discovery. Although he has obviously been published for quite a long time I have only found him now, through a good friend.

I am not going to spend a large amount of time critiquing Neverwhere - there are not enough superlatives in the language to express the feeling. It is not a difficult book, by right it is a book for teenagers, however the humour and wit of the characters and situations will keep anyone above the age of ten from putting it down. Gaiman uses a descriptive style that creates an entire world in the sewers beneath London and beyond.

Like all good stories, more specifically fantasy stories, there is a girl, a quest, some very ugly enemies and an unwitting hero. The ensuing story combines modern humour with classical tragedy to create the unmistakable feeling that your emotions are being played upon – and there is very little you can do about it. The biography note inside Neverwhere reads “he wrote this book for you”, and by the time I had finished it I believed he had.

seek cultural enlightenment: dogmatika.com

My apologies to anyone who has been witness to the continous, and slightly manic, changes around here lately. I have been trying a few different set-ups for the site and have yet to discover one I am happy with. The current ‘minimalist look’ was developed through photoshop and wordpress…
Any and all feedback is welcome - my obsessive perfectionism needs validation! Visual changes aside - the regular posting patterns will continue. I hope. Let me know what you all think of the site anyway!

Rob Marshall’s latest film, an adaptation of Arthur Golden’s ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’, shows the talent and technical eye that he has acheived during his career. Memoirs of a Geisha is a brilliantly shot film that is well worth appraisal for its use of colour and mesmerizing locations. The cast are well chosen and each more than capable of adapting to a more than convincing character. The three leading actresses are incredibly beautiful and all very talented creating their characters personalities as geisha, each one very different to the other. (Incidentally all three are Chinese - and were cast by a Japanese production company)

The movie follows the story of Chiyo as she is sold to a Geisha house and brought up ‘in the life of a true Geisha’ - a term used reverently throughout the movie. Chiyo begins her struggle to be educated and join the elite as the most successful and venerable Geisha in Japan. I am curious how, had this movie not been from Japan, the story would have been portrayed. A young girl taken from her family and sold as a companion? Or worse, prostitute? A very different take than the nostlgic tale in Geisha I imagine. The hue that clouds this movie creates a wonderful and titilating story, but one that is more wistful traditionalism than reality.

indecipherable confessions: John Maguire confesses about film.

Poetry and Children - The refreshing and effervescent Mary Shine Thompson is giving a lecture entitled Children, Poetry and Politics of the New Ireland. The event will be held in Dublin’s Pearse Street Library on the Monday March 13 at 7pm and is co-funded by the Dublin City Public Libraries and Poetry Ireland. Booking is essential on 01 - 6744840 - admission free.

Poetry Now - The Írish Times Poetry Now Award shortlist has been announced, PN06. The shortlist consists of Sinead Morrissey, Nick Laird and John F Deane, Derek Mahon and Conor O’Callaghan. Congratulations to all of those included, more details about the Poetry Now Festival available here.

And a belated link to Poetry Ireland’s Jan/Feb Newsletter here.

While trawling through the shelves to find inspiration for another post tonight I found a well-thumbed, and somewhat beaten, copy of Mary Oliver’s ‘A Poetry Handbook‘. Designed for those who haven’t grasped meter, tone, form, imagery or even revision, the book is a very useful start to anyone. Poets’ both established and new could learn a great deal from the prose of Oliver - herself a highly commended writer.

From Dickinson to Roethke, Mary Oliver pulls quotes and examples from many great poets to emphasize the use of of her points. The acknowledgments at the rear of the book are essential on any writer/reader’s shelf and would form a strong foothold into poetic reference for any new writer. In this sense the book is also useful for established writers - a revisit to the very basics in craft and form, a chance to look at writing from the initial building blocks upward.

Oliver builds on the ideal of ‘vocation’ in her book - that poets are born not taught. Sculptors, painters and musicians, they are all born. But all of them must grasp their histories, theories and techniques. That is the same advice that is passed in every poetry workshop, classroom, lecturehall and handbook - read what has gone before. Integrated cleverly into the handbook are poems, teasers, to give the reader a taste. And an understanding of the practical use of what they have read.

Any writer should find a copy of Oliver’s handbook and enjoy it, for nostalgic reasons if not for artistic benefit.

concluding citation: poetry outloud, self explanatory, interesting resource though.

Hugo Williams in the Guardian described John Betjeman’s poetry as ‘a joyous celebration of his times and an affectionate satire on his middle-class roots’. Conjuring images of a character from Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited, only with a more serious side, Williams’ description of the poet as a lost treasure to the art is not quite true.

Most people I know have read Betjeman and, much like Williams’, held him closely to themselves as a guarded secret - never to be shared. As though sharing his work would take from the secrets and understanding that they have found within his pages.

Discovering Betjeman after school and outside the standard academic syllabus, for most, is a great joy. Finding in his work an ability to understand a poet for the first time without reference to another book, and enjoying his informal and exploratory style, not to mention the clandestine feeling of finding someone new and undetermined.

John Betjeman was not a poet lost to readers - many poets, Larkin in mind, referenced Betjeman enough so that anyone would find him when they began to read for themselves and stray from the syllabus. Knighted in 1969 and appointed Poet Laureate in 1972 Betjeman lived as a recognised scholar - and his memory is that of a great poet of humour and place.

‘He rose, and he put down The Yellow Book.
He staggered - and terrible-eyed,
He brushed past the palsm on the staircase
And was helped to a Hansom outside.’
John Betjeman, 1906 - 1984

final word: neologasm.org, and the joy of new words.

As everyone, I have been witness to the explosion of blogs and the web 2.0 phenomenon - and after months of sitting on the fence I have decided to join the revolt.

As with any blog I had hoped to have an influential inaugural post to set me on the right foot. Unfortunately all of my greatest post ideas seem to have left me now that I am no longer a spectator. At the hope of not being lost to sheer obscurity in the huge volume of blogs available I am going to try and maintain regular updates - and hopefully do something a little different.

In the post-Christmas sluggishness I have been very slow in getting much writing done - outside of academic work anyway. To compensate I have been revisiting some of the many books I have not read yet.

E.E. Cummings Selected Poems 1923-1958, has graced my to-do list for months and I finally got a chance to read it last week. I struggled at first to grasp the games Cummings plays with syntax and grammer. Until, after flicking through the book in the frustration of not simply not understanding, I came across ygUDuh, the poem that helped me decipher Cummings.

From this piece on I began to appreciate and fathom the words from earlier pages and how Cummings was revitalising traditional forms while implementing his own humour and style. I’m still working my way through the thin volume but it is hard to hide the elation as comprehension trickles slowly to forefront of my consciousness.

As my parting link - I give you THE CAT FLAP, from Peter Sirr.

I was sorry to hear the sad news of Sybille Bedford passing earlier this week. I have no better way of expressing her affect on my reading than Peter Vansittart, guardian.co.uk:

She could readily create set-pieces - Prussian officers in mess, Berlin drawing-room currents, an elaborate picnic - but often saw the real drama flickering in hidden arbours and shadows.
Sybille Bedford, Journalist and Novelist, 1911 - 2006