Thanks so much to the eLit Awards for the Gold Medal in the Short Story category!

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:

“…reminiscent of the writer who appears in one of the stories: the great Katherine Mansfield.”
Cynthia Rogerson, winner, V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize for a Short Story, 2008, UK.

DESCRIPTION

On the morning of her release from prison, the hottest day on record in England, Janice Bailey makes her way to a boarding house in London, and discovers a bizarre new world.

Part memoir, part fiction, this moving collection of seven linked short stories begins with ‘When Janice Bailey Walked’, an award-winning story first published in the Connecticut Review. It continues with six more realistic yet life-affirming stories, as told by the residents of Number 17, London Road, thus illuminating a little-known side of the most beautiful city in Europe.

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This new text-to-video has just launched so I thought I’d give it a go…

Not bad!

Just click on the text to get to the information you want.

Wibbitz.com

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Whilst in London this past August, I saw a book (Time Out’s London Through a Lens) in Blackwell’s book shop in Charing Cross and the cover caught my eye:

It made me wonder what other old photos there might be, so I did a little poking around and found these:

1898: Construction of the London Underground: creation of the Central Line. Increasing congestion in mid-nineteenth century London led to the creation of the world’s first underground. The Metropolitan line opened in 1863, followed by the other lines – Metropolitan, District and Circle – over the next few decades, and the Central line was opened in 1900. © The British Library.

1852: Hippo Obaysch catching forty winks in the Zoological Gardens in Regent’s Park. Egypt swapped him for English greyhounds and deerhounds in 1850 and he lived until 1878. Obaysch was the first hippo seen in England since prehistoric times, and the first in Europe since Ancient Rome. He was captured on an island on the White Nile when he was less than one year old. His name is derived from the name of the island. © The British Library.

1876: Two sailors on a barge on the Thames. Apart from the risk of death by drowning, these sailors, or watermen, were susceptible to bronchial diseases that could be caught from waters of the Thames. The invention of the flush toilet in the 1840′s quickly turned the river into a giant sewer causing typhoid and cholera outbreaks and the Great Stink of 1858. It forced a redesign of the city’s sewage system in The Embankment area, a popular area for watermen to ply their trade. Once redesigned, it routed sewage away from the river but also removed the stairs and sloping incline to the river and so the access points were equipped with piers. © The British Library.

1844: Nelson’s Column under construction. One of the earliest photos of London, this photo was taken from a window in Cockspur Street by William Henry Fox Talbot. Talbot revolutionized photography by inventing the calotype. It lacked the clarity of a daguerrotype (invented by Frenchman Louis Daguerre) but created a negative, which made prints possible. © The British Library Board.

The Daily News existed in London from 1846 to 1900. Will newspaper buildings shrink back to this size – or smaller – in the digital age?

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If you’re in the New York area, Tessa teaches at Sarah Lawrence College. Details for this fall and sign up link below. Follow along with class at echook.com (in Story Studio).

Writing for Digital Media

Fridays: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
September 30 – October 28
5 sessions; Tuition: $280
Register online»

In this workshop we’ll explore the multiple platform options for writers today, both paid and free, from iPhones to tablets to Web-based writing, and the differences between long-form and short-form writing. Short creative writing—fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and essay—has developed into a distinct form with its own specific demands. People are reading anywhere and everywhere, and distractions are rife—how can writers produce work that captures their attention from the first sentence and holds it till the last?

To get the words flowing, we’ll read stories that have been published by various digital platforms and write some of our own. We’ll consider best practices on Facebook and Twitter, and how authors can make effective use of social media.

There are no prerequisites for this class, but writers should come ready to embrace new ideas, produce new writing, and offer and receive productive critiques. Please bring your laptops.

Tessa Smith McGovern is a short-story writer whose numerous publication credits include the Connecticut Review and the English Arts Council at the Southbank Centre, London. She is founder and editor of eChook Digital Publishing, which publishes short-story collections on multiple platforms: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, Nook, and Kindle, as well as original Web-based stories at echook.com. The stories—memoir, fiction, and essays—have been read by thousands of readers in 90 countries. eChook has six million impressions on Facebook and 500 Twitter followers.

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A female osprey – Wales’ rarest bird of prey – has laid an egg at a nature reserve in Wales for the first time in 400 years.

Emyr Evans of the Dyfi Osprey Project told the BBC: “It was in 1604 that ospreys were last recorded breeding on the Dyfi and now we are witnessing history in the making.”

The ospreys set up home at the top of a telegraph pole in a man-made nest.

To see an amazing webcam video of the osprey mum and chicks, CLICK HERE.

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Yes, you read that correctly.

In the past couple of decades, the British royal family has had its fair share of (very public) difficulties with infidelity. There’s no need to detail each one, although the photo of poor old Sarah Ferguson* having her toes sucked by her financial advisor in 1992 is something of a classic. If you must, you can view it HERE.

Anyhow, the Church of England and the Catholic Church obviously decided a bit of prayer might do the trick. Jolly decent of them, I say. Who among us would sniff at a little divine intervention if it makes life easier? You can read the C of E prayer at the Daily Telegraph website.

There have been many responses by commentators, jolly wags all of them, but this post on the Daily Torygraph website caught my eye:

monarchist
04/14/2011 11:35 AM
By the way, whoever wrote this prayer, didn’t know, or forgot, that William is often known as Wills. Therefore “and strengthen their wills” sounds slightly comic.

How about this?…….

O Lord, strengthen William’s willie so that he can do his will and produce an heir and a spare.

That should do the trick.

~ ~ ~

LOL, monarchist!

* BTW, Fergie was always one of my favorite royals. I used to love her joyous smile and lack of pretension, and it’s been very sad to see the older, dull-eyed Fergie of recent years. She made some big mistakes, for sure, but now has a new lease of life and her new OWN network TV show, Finding Sarah, will debut in June 2011. Go, Fergie!

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For a young friend currently at Breadloaf:

Go placidly amid the digital and techno worlds, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be generous to other writers.
Write your truth quietly and with persistence, and read others’ work without envy.
Avoid loud and egotistical writers, they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with other writers, you may become vain and bitter; for there will always be greater and lesser writers than yourself.
Enjoy your own completed writing as well as new.
Keep interested in your own writing career, however humble, it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of the publishing world.
Exercise caution in your writing affairs, for the internet is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is, many persons strive for high ideals and everywhere life is full of people who are writing and reading more than ever before.
Be yourself. Especially do not copy another author’s voice or style for too long – keep a journal to develop your own voice.
Do not pretend passion where there is none, neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all criticism and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of editors and workshop peers, gracefully surrender that which is unclear or superfluous, but remember that your own opinion is irreplaceable.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you against harsh or inept criticism from graceless or misguided writers. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Their opinion, whether accurate or not, is not final.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. Write from gratitude whenever possible, and walk with friends each day.
Remember there are endless types of writers, all with different processes. You must seek your own way of working.
You are part of the digital universe, no less than iTunes and Amazon, you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Each new story leads to the next.
Therefore be at peace with the divine in your writing, whatever you conceive ‘divine’ to be, and whatever your choice – self-publishing, agent, traditional publisher – in the noisy confusion of the digital revolution, keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world full of stories.
Be careful with your energy.
Strive to do your best writing and be happy.

With thanks to Max Ehrmann, who said: “I should like, if I could, to leave a humble gift – a bit of chaste prose that had caught up some noble moods.”

Today the Queen became the second longest reigning monarch (after Queen Victoria) in the world. If she stays on the throne until September 2015 – 63 years and seven months – she will beat Queen Victoria too. I think that’s worth celebrating! So here are some details and photographs to do just that.

Six Archbishops of Canterbury and 12 prime ministers have served under her, she’s hosted over a million garden party guests, dozens of foreign heads of state, five astronauts and two popes.

At 85 years old, she completes about 430 engagements a year. She’s attended about 25,000 official engagements, conferred 400,000 honors and awards, and received 3.5 million items of correspondence. Her value to Britain – and the world as a role model of decency and integrity – is inestimable.

Read the full article at the Daily Telegraph HERE.

Long may she reign!

This is the final blog in this countdown to the wedding, an historic event that makes me proud, all over again, to be British. In celebration of that, here’s my prediction for the future of the monarchy:

In time, Charles will be king, and he deserves to be. He’s put his time in. Hopefully not soon, because I’d like Elizabeth to live a long, long time, but in time. We’ll have to put up with a divorced woman being Queen but hey, life is messy. Camilla’s a decent sort.

Many people like the idea of the crown going straight to Will, but a monarch needs experience and wisdom – Charles has both, whether you like him or not. On top of that, Will and Kate need time to adjust to the pressures of public life and that’ll be easier if his dad is king. The more time they have without the extra pressure, the better.

Will and Kate will carry themselves well, will involve people in their public activities more than any other royals, and over time, people’s faith in the future of the monarchy will be restored. Kate being a ‘commoner’ (ridiculous word – you won’t see me use it often) will add a much-needed element of down-to-earth, common sense.

There will be snafus. Royals are just people, after all, a family, and which of us has a perfect family? Speaking of which, I’m a fan of Charles, but these mental-patient photos of him at FunnyorDie are too funny to miss. CLICK HERE TO VIEW.

And finally, I know it’s not cool to say this, but I’m excited! I think I’ll get up early after all and watch it live at 6am on The Royal Channel on YouTube. I’m not much of a ‘girly girl’ but I can’t wait to see Kate’s dress. Enjoy!

Even the Daily Telegraph is offering suggestions for people who want to avoid The Wedding. What? The Daily Torygraph, stalwart of tradition? That’s a shocker.

But the existence of anti-wedding feeling is undeniable, so let’s look at some possible causes.

First of all, as the late great Paul Newman said, people can be divided into two groups: those who’ve been lucky in love, and those who haven’t. My mum, by her own admission, has not been lucky in love (two husbands and two divorces) and she’s sick to death of the wedding. Understandable.

Then there are those who say the extravagance is unconscionable in these times of economic difficulty. Also not a bad point, but according to walletpop.co.uk the wedding will cost about £100 million, and could generate revenue of £600 million. (Read the full article HERE.) Hmmm…

Finally, there are the anti-monarchists (Republic, Britain’s main republican campaign group has seen its membership jump to 14,000 since Will and Kate announced their engagement.) They have numerous reasons on their website for why there shouldn’t be a monarchy, and one of the most elemental is this: “they [the royals] demand respect and deference from everyone. The most talented and accomplished commoner is expected to defer to princes Harry and William.”

I completely get this. The class system is alive and well in England, it’s simply gone underground. Think of the snide comments made about Kate’s mum being a former air stewardess. I’ve had many, many experiences of being looked down upon by people who went to better schools or belonged to a better ‘set’. My grandparents’ occupations were maid, cafe owner, waitress and lorry driver. One of the reasons I’ve come to love America as much as England is because the value system is different – here, if you’re talented and willing to work hard enough, you can succeed. No-one will care where you came from.

As Mr Forrester says in an article on Wales Online, “I don’t see why we should be worshipping people by accident of birth. People are so sycophantic about it as if they’re from a higher plane – they’ve got the same DNA as the lowliest person on the planet.”

I couldn’t agree more. But I have – sort of – a solution:

Don’t give it. Don’t defer to or respect any of the royal family just for being royal – respect them if they earn it, the same way you would with any other individual.

This way, it might be easier to find the pleasure in what is, after all, a truly joyous occasion: two people in love getting married.