Friday 28 April 2017

Sign the Charter for Trees, Woods and People

On November 6th, 2017, the 800th anniversary of the 1217 Charter of the Forest, the Charter for Trees, Woods and People will be launched. It will recognise, celebrate and protect the right of the people of the UK to the benefits brought by trees and woods.

Signatures for the Charter have been and will be collected at a variety of events until November, but you can also collect signatures yourself, or sign a petition online here.

If you do want to collect signatures, print off the images below and get people to sign at any events you're holding.



Thursday 27 April 2017

Books in the bag

In idle moments (and there haven't been too many of them lately), I got to wondering which 10 books I'd take to a hypothetical desert island. I've started compiling mental lists of the candidates, but there are rather a lot of them, so it may take some time.

But who needs a desert island anyway? I also got to wondering anyone out there has a book or book that they carry with them at all times. These days, with Kindles and the like, and smartphones, it's a pretty easy thing to do, too.

I rarely read much on my phone or tablet, but there are times (waiting at airports, or on long journeys) when it's useful to have something to hand. And the two books that are on there, waiting to be dipped into? The Diary Of A Nobody, and Njal's Saga. Because sometimes you feel like reading about the inconsequential goings-on of a Victorian office clerk, and others you get a hankering to read about medieval Icelanders hacking bits off each other.

So, which books do you always have with you? I'm intrigued...

Monday 3 April 2017

DIVERSIFLY


Calling all birders, birdwatchers and birdlovers!

Fair Acre Press is running an Arts Council England-funded project called DIVERSIFLY – it's all about people's everyday encounters with the birds that we can easily see and hear in Britain's towns and cities.

It will be creating podcasts involving some of Britain's best known poets, along with the 'Urban Birder', David Lindo.

It will also produce a full colour poetry and art book – involving well-known poets and artists, chosen to reflect the diversity of Britain's human urban populations; plus the book will also include less known, even never-before-published poets and artists from all over Britain, and from all backgrounds and walks of life.

But first, you, Britain's resident bird experts and enthusiasts, are being asked for your help to inspire the poets and artists, with YOUR descriptions of and photographs of your own everyday encounters with British urban birds.

Fair Acre's editor, Nadia Kingsley, will include these in blogs which will remain on the Fair Acre Press website during and after the project is completed.

For more details, or to send writing or photos, click here.

Sunday 2 April 2017

Coming soon...


The paperback edition of A Sky Full Of Birds will be out on June 1st, priced £8.99, and as you can see above it has a smart new sky-blue cover. It is, of course, also still available as an ebook, and as a hardback, at all good bookstores.

I've already got a couple of reading dates lined up around the launch, but I'm always available for more – contact me through the comments on this post, or on the email link at right, if you're interested.