I went to Cheltenham Literature Festival and read HOW TO FIND GOLD.
The kids were amazing! They drew beautiful crocodiles...

There are many aspects of Christmas that, on reflection, make little sense. We are supposed to be secular-minded, rational and grown up in the way we apprehend the world around us. Richard Dawkins speaks for many when he draws a distinction between the ‘truth’ of scientific discourse and the ‘falsehoods’ perpetuated by religion which, as he tells us in The God Delusion, “teaches us that it is a virtue to be satisfied with not understanding” (Dawkins 2006).

The post Why Christmas should matter to us whether we are ‘religious’ or not appeared first on OUPblog.

Or, more formally, “A Comprehensive List of U.S. College- and University-Sponsored or -Hosted Children’s and Young Adult Literature Conferences, Festivals, and Symposia.” (All of them that I could find, anyway). A few years ago, I was looking for such a list, wondered why I couldn’t find one, and decided to just go ahead and make […]

Right now as I type this using my iPhone we are heading to Elgin Illinois. 

Honestly this is just something I could not do on my own. I feel like this is right where we, and me, need to be. We are also taking a four day vaca from our daughter (so scary!!). 

I'm way beyond my comfort zone, being out from behind my computer screen. Yet we can only truly connect with others face to face, and I do t want to loose that ability out of fear. 

http://www.sarabillustration.com/#!product/prd4/3566029401/songs-of-summer---5x7

If you're near the Elgin area, I encourage you to leave the computer screen and come say hi. ^_^

How The Light Gets In (named, aptly, in honour of a Leonard Cohen song) has taken the festival world by storm with its yearly celebration of philosophy and music. We spoke to founder and festival organiser Hilary Lawson, who is a full-time philosopher, Director of the Institute of Art and Ideas, and someone with lots to say about keepings things equal and organising a great party.

The post Music and metaphysics: HowTheLightGetsIn 2015 appeared first on OUPblog.

There's an Opera Flashmob happening in London, and you can be part of it...

An invitation to bring your rolling suitcase along and embark on a musical journey of boisterous wheels and beatific voices in sunny King’s Cross. Prepare for a dose of flip-flopping holiday fun!

YALLWEST StoryMob Books for sale Whew! The first ever YALLWEST books festival is over! Two days of YA madness with over 80 authors, a couple thousand attendees, and tons of books! I volunteered to help out on both days, so I didn't go to any of the panels. But that didn't mean I didn't get to meet people and have fun! Scrabble time I was assigned to the gaming area, playing

Here are some literary events to pencil in your calendar this week.

To get your event posted on our calendar, visit our Facebook Your Literary Event page. Please post your event at least one week prior to its date.

Four young adult writers are set to participate on a panel called “New Twists On Old Fairytales.” Hear them on Tuesday, March 31st at the 92Y (on Lexington Ave.) starting 7 p.m. (New York, NY)

The Miami Poetry Festival will take place throughout the entirety of April. Join in from April 1st to April 30th for events throughout the entire city. (Miami, FL)

The next session of the “Selected Series” event will focus on April Foolery. Check it out on Wednesday, April 1st at Symphony Space starting 7:30 p.m. (New York, NY)

Author Jeffrey Bennett will sign copies of his book What is Relativity? at the UTA Maverick Activity Center. Meet him on Wednesday, April 1st starting 7:30 p.m. (Arlington, TX)

Three young adult authors will take part in the “Great Teen Reads” panel at Books of Wonder. See them on Sunday, April 5th from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. (New York, NY)

Journalist and author A.J. Jacobs has been researching geneology for his forthcoming book, It’s All Relative. Not too long ago, he launched a crowdfunding venture for the Global Family Reunion Festival on Indiegogo.

Jacobs and his team hope to raise $30,000.00 for this event which is scheduled to take place on June 6th in New York City. It will feature more than dozens of speakers, musical performances, and a number of activities.

The video embedded above features appearances from former President George H. W. Bush, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, and Harry Potter movie series actor Daniel Radcliffe; Spurlock confirmed that he will appear at the festival. The proceeds from ticket sales will benefit two organizations, the Alzheimer’s Association of New York City and the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund.

Ellan and I went to run a cardboard maze building workshop at Playpublik Krakow. The festival was awesome, we met so many lovely people, played games, marvelled at things... and Krakow itself was very cosy indeed. I ate more dumplings than anyone could believe.

Rules for Secret City - the main game we ended up playing in this maze. It was a quieter, gentler maze than usual, somehow. more of a castle than a burrow or an ocean.

Ellan, building

Me!

The Mighty Hamster (or The Funny Beaver, as it came to be known somehow)

Treasure changing hands

I loved the giant hopscotch games that appeared in town (by Agustina Woodgate)

All the organisers and designers. WHEE

Austin City Limits is the longest running musical showcase in the history of television, spanning over four decades and showcasing the talents of musicians from Willie Nelson and Ray Charles to Arcade Fire and Eminem. The show is a testament to the evolution of media and popular music and the audience’s relationship to that music, and to the city of Austin, Texas. In Austin City Limits: A History, author Tracey E. W. Laird takes us behind-the-scenes with interviews, anecdotes, and personal photographs to pay homage to this landmark festival. In doing so, she also illuminates the overarching discussion of the US public media and its influence on the broadcasting and funding of music and culture. This year, the festival celebrates its 40th anniversary with guests such as Bonnie Raitt, Jimmie Vaughan, Sheryl Crow, and Alabama Shakes, which will air on PBS on Oct. 3 at 9pm ET.

Featured image: Night view of Austin skyline and Lady Bird Lake as seen from Lou Neff Point. Photo by LoneStarMike. CC BY 3.0n via Wikimedia Commons.

The post Austin City Limits through the years appeared first on OUPblog.

        

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The East London Comics and Art Festival was awesome this year. Alexis and I had a table, I sold a whole load of zines and prints - if you missed it, you can still pick them up in my shop. 

Photo by Sarah McIntyre - check her big writeup on her blog!

By Kate Farquhar-Thomson

It was down to the trustworthy sat nav that I arrived safe and sound at Hay Festival this year; torrential downpours meant that navigating was tougher than usual and being told where to go, and when, was more than helpful.

Despite the wet and muddy conditions that met me at Hay, and stayed with me throughout the week, the enthusiasm of the crowd never dwindled. Nothing, it seems, keeps a book lover away from their passion to hear, meet, and have their book signed by their favourite author. But let’s not ignore the fact that festival-goers at Hay not only support their favourite authors, they also relish hearing and discovering new ones.

My working holiday centres on our very own creators of text, our very own exponents of knowledge, our very own Oxford authors! Here I will endeavour to distil just some of the events I was privileged to attend in the call of duty!

Peter Atkins was an Oxford Professor of Chemistry and fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford until his retirement in 2007 – many of us, including myself, studied his excellent text-books at ‘A’ level and at university. What Peter Atkins does so well is make science accessible for everyone and none less so than an attentive Hay audience. Peter puts chemistry right at the heart of science. ‘Chemistry has rendered a service to civilization’ Atkins says ‘it contributes to the cultural infrastructure of the world’. And thereon he took us through just nine things we needed to know to ‘get’ chemistry.

Ian Goldin’s event on Is The Planet Full? addressed global issues that are affecting, and will affect, our planet. So, is the planet full? Well, the Telegraph tent for his talk certainly was! Goldin, whose lime green sweater brought a welcome brightness to the stage, is Professor of Globalisation and Development and Director of the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford. His words brought clarity and insight: “politics shapes the answer to this question,” said Goldin.

Hay mixes the young with the old and academics with us mere mortals, and what we publishers call the ‘trade’ authors with the more ‘academic’ types. This was demonstrated aptly by Paul Cartledge who right from the start referenced an earlier talk he attended by James Holland. Cartledge is A.G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at University of Cambridge and James (who is an ex-colleague and friend) is a member of the British Commission for Military History and the Guild of Battlefield Guides but a non-academic. The joy of Hay is that it brings everyone together. Paul Cartledge was speaking about After Thermopylae, a mere 2,500 years ago, but rather a more tricky period to illustrate through props and pictures which Holland so aptly used in his presentation.

OUP had 15 authors at The Hay Festival but the Hay Festival also had other visitors such as Chris Evans whose show was broadcast live from the festival as it was the 500 Words competition announcement and I was lucky enough to be there.

So what does Hay mean to me? It’s a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with heroes in literature and culture, as well as academia. It’s a week of friends, colleagues, and drinking champagne with Stephen Fry whilst discussing tennis with John Bercow – and wearing wellies every day!

Kate Farquhar-Thomson is Head of Publicity at OUP in Oxford.

Subscribe to the OUPblog via email or RSS.
Image credits: Stephen Fry, Ian Goldin, and 500 Words competition at the Hay Festival. Photos by Kate Farquhar-Thomson: do not reproduce without permission.

The post Post-Hay Festival blues appeared first on OUPblog.

        

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The Big Ticket Festival known to some as, the Christian Music Festival in Grand Rapids, will be located in Detroit, Michigan on June 18, 2014. It is going to be jamming fun in a good Christian atmosphere. The lineup for the artists is great, and seeing this festival back in the area is a wonderful thing.

This year’s Christian Music Festival in Grand Rapids will be headed by none other than Chris Tomlin. For those of you who do not know this young man, you are in for a treat. He is going to make sure that this Country Music Concert in Northern Michigan is one of the best yet. He has been doing the write ups for Christian Conferences in Michigan for quite a while now, and this is someone who knows how to entertain while keeping the focus on the Lord!

While room was once an issue there has been provisions made to accommodate the Christian Music Festival in Traverse City if the capacity demand calls for it. The area where this amazing Country Music Festival is located this year is a buzz. They are excited to welcome this event back to the area, and they are all hoping that it is home to stay. This is because the event actually originated as a major Country Music Concert in Northern Michigan. The Christian Music Festival quickly outgrew its location forcing them to relocate.

The Christian Music Festival in Michigan actually began in Gaylord back in 2006. It had to eventually be moved because of its rapid outgrowth of its original location. In 2011 it was relocated to larger fairgrounds. This 3 day and 6 stage event is something that you have to see to believe. It is a fun and powerful mission operated by Free Spirit Ministries with the help of numerous sponsors and nonprofit organizations.

The Country Music Festival in Michigan is simply an event that you do not want to miss. You can feel the spirit of the Lord where so many are gathered together in his name. This is a family event that is alcohol and drug free. There is something for everyone to do, and everyone will leave enriched from the experience.

People are encouraged to bring others to the event, as this is the perfect place to win souls for Jesus! With the fellowship, Christina love, food music and atmosphere it is the perfect time for soul harvesting. What an exciting thing to be a part of or bear witness to!

This year’s Christian Music Festival in Michigan lineup has artists like Jars of Clay, Third Day, the Sidewalk Prophets and Thousand Foot Krutch. Others are The Vespers, Chris Tomlin, Mercy Me, Flame, Beacon Light, George Moss, Rapture Ruckus, Matt Maher, Aaron Shust and Nine Lashes plus many, many more. The lineup is simply awesome. More artists are still signing up to perform! It will definitely be an event to remember.

This Country Music Concert in Northern Michigan is a 3 day event featuring 6 stages and more than 100 well known artists, and it has an attendance record that has previously reached 30,000 people. There are sports to play, activities, games, seminar tents and food. There is fellowship and places to purchase things to remember this Christian Conferences in Michigan, as well as to support their mission.

The Christian Music Festival in Traverse City is just an awesome gathering of Christian people loving the Lord and one another. It is great. Again, it is a must see event that you actually feel and leave having something inside you touched. It can be quite a moving experience! For some it is a life changing event and for others it is great family fun.

The welcome back for the Big Ticket Festival from the locals as well as from the Gaylord area’s tourism bureau and various local businesses was more than sincere. The families in northern Michigan need this experience, and even more, they want it. Northern Michigan is a location that craves brotherly love, and they are ready for change. A lot can be done in that location.

The Free Spirit Ministries said, “That mission is a critical part of who we are, and we found we just can’t recreate that experience anywhere else.” They too were glad to be “going home.” There is already a backup plan for larger crowds should they arrive.

The 2014 Big Ticket Festival will be held in Detroit, Michigan on June 18, 2014. It is a place where all Christians from all walks of life and of all ages will be able to come together in brotherly and sisterly love to glorify the Lord.

Again, there will be amazing live music, food and fun. There is a kid’s zone and lots to do, so call and book your spot in one of the largest Christian concerts and fellowship events in the nation.

The children will have an awesome time with Cran-Hill Ranch sponsoring and operating many fun things for them to do. There will be a ton of activities throughout the entire Country Music Festival in Michigan like Karaoke, Dancing, Kids music stages, a huge sandbox that has hidden treasures and a booth for funny family photos. There is also tie dying, puppet shows, inflatable’s, wall climbing and games with prizes just to name some.

For the bigger kids there are some extreme inflatables. Also no strangers to Christian Conferences in Michigan, the STAND Strength Team will be there. They are also a nonprofit group. They go to schools and promote anti-violence and anti-bullying across the nation.

STAND Strength also stands against things like peer pressure, alcohol and drugs. They teach the importance of respect for self and others as well as academic excellence. STAND athletes demonstrate motivation and positivity using strength. They reinforce making good decisions and offer a great motivational message.

Do not miss out on the pre-party events like Big Ticket Country either. The doors will open on June 18th at 5 p.m. and they will remain open until 11 p.m. at Otsego’s fairgrounds in Gaylord, MI. This year’s Christian Music Festival in Grand Rapids is going to be one for the record books, and we hope to see you there!

Please visit bigticketfestival.com for more information on this life changing event!

The post Michigan Welcomes Home The Big Ticket Festival in 2014 appeared first on Jessabella Reads.

By Chloe Foster

We have seen an abundance of Very Short Introductions (VSI) authors appearing at UK festivals this year. Appearances so far have included at Words by the Water festival in Keswick, Oxford Literary Festival, and Edinburgh Science festival. The versitility of the series and its subjects means our author talks are popular at a variety of different types of festivals. First up, Words by the Water:

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  The perfect scenery to accompany a day of VSI talks at the Words by the Water festival

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  The beautiful backdrop to the Words by the Water festival in Keswick

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  Richard English is introduced before his talk on Modern War

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  Robert Eaglestone at the signing table after his talk on Contemporary Fiction at Words by the Water in Keswick

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  Klaus Dodds gets on his Geopolitics soapbox at Oxford Literary Festival

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  Keith Grint captures the crowd with his talk on Leadership at Oxford Literary Festival

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  Jonathan Herring's soapbox on Family Law at Oxford Literary Festival

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  Jamie Woodward's soapbox on The Ice Age at Oxford Literary Festival

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  William Allan's Classical Literature Soapbox at Oxford Literary Festival

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  The backdrop to Edinburgh Science Festival

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  Russell Foster prepares for his talk on Sleep at the Edinburgh Science Festival

Later this month, we’ll have talks from VSI authors at Chipping Norton Literary Festival on the 26th and 27th April. This is followed by a series of talks at Ways with Words festival in Devon on the 12th July, Kings Place festival in London on the 14th September, and Cheltenham Literature festival from 3rd -12th October.

The Very Short Introductions (VSI) series combines a small format with authoritative analysis and big ideas for hundreds of topic areas. Written by our expert authors, these books can change the way you think about the things that interest you and are the perfect introduction to subjects you previously knew nothing about. Grow your knowledge with OUPblog and the VSI series every Friday, subscribe to Very Short Introductions articles on the OUPblog via email or RSS., and like Very Short Introductions on Facebook.

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The post Very short talks appeared first on OUPblog.

        

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Hi everybody! I have a few things that are out in print this month so I wanted to get them up on the blog.

First up is a spread I did for the Jan-Feb ’13 issue of Chirp magazine. This was a lot of fun to assemble and figure out, to have characters applying and wearing body paint. I learned a lot about the art form just doing research. Some samples of the spread are below. Thank you, Owlkids, for the fun project!

Closer…

Closer again.

Bobo went missing for 3 days, tried to save herself from the end of the world. Finally we found her at a hidden corner in the store room. I thought this would be her last image I drawn!

Well, the Sun still rises, so MERRY CHRISTMAS!

　　我还以为这会是Bobo留下的最后倩影！

　　话说在传说中的世界末日前一天（20/12/2012），发现Bobo居然徹夜不归，到处都找不到。

　　一开始我还自我安慰並玩笑的想，不怕，她只是去躲世界末日了，末日后自然就会回来，其实希望她只是在那里玩野了，迟早会回来的，根本从心里逃避她会有不测的想法，而且这只猫非常的贪生怕死，一点风吹草动，车过人过，她早已先一步跑去躲了。离家出走？她可不捨得，这点信心我还是有滴！

　　到了傍晚却还是渺无踪跡，我开始慌了，于是一条条马路去找，一辆辆汽车底下去看，一路喊着她的名字，结果一无所获。这时眼泪开始垂，多么希望还能像平时一样在她回来时说一声，“Bobo，妳回来了！”然后心里帮Bobo ＯＳ，“废话！”

　　第二天和第三天，黎明一样到来，Bobo却还是无影无踪。抱着一线渺茫的希望开始在各大宠物领养论坛，网站和facebook上寻找她的踪跡，当然这一丝梦想也破灭了！我的心一点一点的往下沉，我对自己承诺，只要Bobo回来，我要加倍宠她，既往不咎。但是如何加倍宠她？睡床？她天天都在睡！吃喝？在能力范围內从沒亏待她，导致她严重挑食，连新鮮的水煮鸡肉和煎香的魚肉都不吃，只爱吃乾糧！睡刚舖好干净床单的床？嗯！行！只要她回来，任她睡！心里还默默祈祷，就算真失踪了，也希望是有人把她当流浪猫给抱回去养，到时她好好的表演她的才艺，也许会因此让她的新主人在网路上炫耀她的才华，进而让我发现她好好的，则心足矣！

　　昨天（23/12/2012）下午阿嫲去楼上和媳妇联络感情，问起有否看到Bobo，结果被投诉有猫在她们的床上便溺，阿嫲尝试叫声“Bobo”，结果她居然应了，原来躲在人家储藏室一个隱密的角落，叫死不敢出来，后来还是阿嫲通知我把她抱下来了。这一次真是丟脸丟到姥姥家，给补偿人家也不要，人情欠大发了！鉴于之前的承诺*，我还不能惩罚她，真正悲催！不过看到她好好的，心还是高兴滴！

　　难道她真的是去躲世界末日了？

　　日还是一样升，月还是一样落，所以大家继续庆祝圣诞节吧！圣诞快乐！


注：玛雅预言说，2012年12月21日的黑夜降临以后，12月22日的黎明永远不会到来。

 

Uhm…Kinda a day late, though today is the day government offices, etc. are closed in Quebec. Celebrations were everywhere in the province yesterday. I’m using the occasion as a warm-up drawing, cartoon-style. Have a great Monday!

Okay, I know I’m rather delayed in posting about this… but at least I did get around to it!

This year I headed off to Chicago, IL again to attended my 2nd year at the Printers Row Lit Fest. Last year I had a blast, met a lot of wonderful people and sold a bunch of books. This year didn’t disappoint either!

Let’s start at the beginning.

I flew into O’Hare Thursday evening (June 7th). Last year was great, but I didn’t get to see any of Chicago and was determined to fix that this year! My sweetie Sean Hayden was kind enough to pick me up (for those who didn’t know, we met for the first time at PR last year!)

Chicago!

We found our hotel, which I found using Expedia and got for an awesome 32$ a night. It was the Extended Stay American Chicago in Hillside. Considering the price, I was beyond relieved to find out it was not only easy to get to, but in excellent condition. Though not at all fancy (and no maid service though you could exchange sheets and towels at the front desk) it was VERY clean, the room was huge with a full kitchenette and everything worked. I would certainly stay there again.

On Friday we toured Chicago a bit, and visited the most awesome Navy Pier. It was a hot day, but we had a load of fun watching the boats, touring the shops and eating funnel cakes!  We had dinner at the famous Bubba Gumps. Which was pretty neat, though I found my memories of the details in the movie Forrest Gump weren’t so great.

Saturday was the big first day of Printers Row! Which meant getting up at like 5am to have everything ready and loaded. Luckily traffic was awesome and we got to the site early and were able to drive in to unload. Everyone else started arriving and it was a flurry of hellos and set up. The weather was hot but otherwise fantastic. The crowd didn’t seem to be as big as last year, but they were buying! A lot of people stopped to chat, browse (and buy) books and get autographs. Luckily we had a cooler full of ice to keep us from melting in the heat. By 6pm we were closing up (and btw, yes that is a verrrrry long day) and packing our stuff into the center of the tent. We all had dinner across the street where we ate and chatted for a few hours and then I think we all went back to hotels for some sleep.

Sunday we were there early again, set everything up again, and kept on selling! Flashy Fiction and Other Insane Tales did absolutely fantastic! (Of course it does have a really cool cover Add a Comment

SWELL Sculpture Festival at Currumbin Beach celebrated the unity of nature and art under a shining Sun. September 18th 2010. Spread wisely along the Currumbin Beach, the contemporary visual arts exhibition of sculptures, by artist from around Australia, is rapidly gaining huge popularity among Gold Coasters and tourists from all over the world. This was my first visit and I can only thank my friend Olga for inviting me there. The frustration of being unable to find a parking place was a clear sign of the growing popularity of the SWELL Sculpture Festival that started seven years ago. The impact of each unique sculpture integrated into the natural landscape is a quite powerful experience.  Nature seemed to like it too, with the Sun shining down and a friendly breeze from the blue Pacific Ocean seemingly inviting viewers to stroll along the beach from one sculpture to the next. My favourite was #02 by John Dahlsen from NSW. Photo ... Read the rest of this post