Poets Corner

Last month (November) the Friends of Garston Library were joined by poets from the Dead Good Poets Society for our third literary evening.

We heard readings by published poets which made the audience laugh and cry.

We also heard from local people who shared their own work.

Clearly there's a lot of demand for poetry evenings so we're thinking of holding another one next year.

Bill Cooke, a committee member of the Friends read one of his poems as well as chairing the  event.

Big thanks to the poets who joined us and to everyone for their enthusiasm.

We want to hear your ideas about events for the future, so if you want more poetry, or have other ideas , please let us know.

Our General Meeting is on 23rd January at 7pm at ESLA on Horrocks Avenue.  But if you can't join us then, drop Paula an e mail with your thoughts.  She is at paulakeaveney@yahoo.co.uk.

Our General Meeting

We're holding a General Meeting next month (January) so that people can have a chance to give their views about what we should be doing.

It's at ESLA on 23rd January at 7pm.

Do come along and have your say.  Obviously we have already organised some events and are working on more but we are keen to get feedback and ideas.

You can get more involved too... but coming to the meeting doesn't mean you get lumbered with a job.

If you can't come, but have thoughts, do e mail the Chair Paula at paulakeaveney@yahoo.co.uk

The poem from October - Garston Has Changed.

Our literary evening in October ended with a poem read by speaker Mike Axworthy.

The poem also appears on the Friends of Garston Park art project round the sports pitches.

We thought people might like to read the poem again so here it is. Thanks to Mike for creating and sharing it.

GARSTON HAS CHANGED

From Salt works to satellite dishes

Garston has changed

From rural idyll to industrial giant

Garston has changed

Like the river it stands on it flows and grows

Garston is changing

From Ireland Scotland Wales the world they came

Garston is changing

A special place to live work and play

Garston has changed

Plenty of jobs in its docks factories and railways

Garston has changed

Look at its schools church and hospital

Garston is changing

Is it regeneration or degeneration?

Garston is changing

A proud and independent people

Nothing has changed

With a strong community spirit

Nothing has changed.

Michael Axworthy.

Our winning reviews - Jennifer Rigby on Jacqueline Wilson

Earlier this month we presented book tokens to the winners of our summer writing competition.

Now we are publishing their reviews.

This one is from Jennifer who writes about Jacqueline Wilson

My Sister Jodie by Jacqueline Wilson.

 

Reviewed by Jennifer Rigby, age 12, from Mossley Hill

 

 

"This book was written by my favourite author Jacqueline Wilson.  I love the way Wilson can project images of people, places, animals etc just by using imaginative settings and characters.  For me, this book is overflowing with imagination. 

 

I admire the way Wilson can include just the right balance of comedy and seriousness into this story.  The drama side to it brings suspense to the atmosphere the author wants the readers to feel.

 

I can tell you from experience, without ruining it for others, that when the major Final Event happens the atmosphere I get is one of great sadness and somewhat guilt. 

 

This is because Wilson uses plenty of writing techniques to not only keep the reader’s interest but to leave them wanting more.

 

This is the effect the book left with me which is why I give “My Sister Jodie” four out of five stars as it is a great read for the younger generation and includes the correct amount of everything."

ISBN:  0385610122

 

Published 2008, Doubleday.

 

 

Our winning reviews - Emily Davey on Jean Ure

Earlier this month we presented book tokens to the two young people who won our summer review writing awards.  You can see their pictures in an earlier post.  We're now publishing the reviews they wrote.

First, this one is fro Emily.

Hunky Dory by Jean Ure

 

Reviewed by Emily Davey (nine at time of writing, now ten.) from Speke.

 

 

"This is a book about Dorian, a boy in Year Seven with a mid-life crisis.

 

Girls won’t leave him alone.

 

With the help of his friends he tries to ignore the girls but it’s not easy to ignore them as they keep bothering him.

 

Dorian’s only interest is Dinosaurs.  He has a giant hole in his garden where he digs but will he cope as his little sister won’t leave him alone?

 

 

This is an excellent book to read but may not be suitable for young children as it is only meant for older children.  I think Jean Ure’s age group is nine and above.  Although this book is not meant for a young age group it is a great book to read.  Jean’s book series are amazing and have informative advice for growing up."

 

 

ISBN: 0007224605

 

Published 2007, Harper Collins.

 

Our Winners get their awards!

Friends of Garston Library were delighted to meet our competition winners at our recent meeting.

The two  young people won our competition to write a review of a book they had read and enjoyed.

And the Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Erica Kemp, joined us to present their prizes.

The pictures show our two winners.  On the left is 12 year old Jennifer Rigby with Paula Keaveney (Chair of the Friends), dad and the Deputy Lord Mayor

On the right is ten year old Emily Davey with family member (one a bit shy by the looks of things) and the Deputy Lord Mayor.

We'll be publishing the work by Emily and Jennifer on this website.  Thanks to everyone who took part or helped with the competition.  It's great to meet young people who love reading as much as we do.

Our winners!

Tonight (17th October) Deputy Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Erica Kemp, will be joining us at Garston Library to present prizes to the two winners of the Friends of Garston Library writing competition.

The winners are 12 year old Jennifer Rigby from Mossley Hill and ten year old Emily Davey from Speke.

Each wrote a review of a book they had read and enjoyed.

We'll be publishing the reviews on this blog and in our programme for tonight's event.

Tonight also sees our second literary evening, which has a focus on local history.

The event(s) start at 6pm at the Library. It's absolutely free to come along and all book lovers are welcome.

Call for budding poets!

The Friends of Garston Library are looking for keen poets to send their work in ahead of a special poetry event next month (November).

And they'll be inviting people to read out their own work, if selected.

The event is on November 21st and is part of a series of literary evenings organised by the Friends.

Taking place at Garston Library, there'll be speakers from the Dead Good Poets Society and a chance to discuss poetry and ask questions.

The event, which starts at 6 with  a drink , is completely free.

If you have poems to send in, please let the Friends have them by the end of this month (October).  Please e mail them to  friends-of-garston-library@hotmail.co.uk.

Do also use this e mail address for questions about the Friends or to make suggestions of topics you'd like to see covered in future events.

Garston Reads more!

Many thanks to everyone who came to our first Literary evening in September.

We heard about writing detective fiction from local author Martin Edwards.

Our next event is on Thursday 17th October at 6pm at the Library.

This time we'll be hearing about local history writing from local author Mike Axworthy



The events organised by Friends of Garston Library are free to attend and you'll even get a free drink. 

We start at 6 with the talks starting shortly afterwards.

Garston Library is on Bowden Road in Garston (where it joins on to St Mary's Road)

Do come along if you want to hear more about books and literature.

Literary evenings coming up - Garston Reads

This Autumn sees our first series of  literary evenings.  These are free events at Garston Library (we'll even give you a glass of wine).  It's a chance to hear from, and question, published writers and our third event also includes the chance to read some your own work.

We'll be publishing more details of each event as they get nearer, but for now here are the details.

Each event has a six pm start for refreshments and a six thirty start for the talks.  We'll be finished by eight.

Thursday 19th September - Martin Edwards is the author of two series of murder mysteries as well as some stand alone novels and short stories.  Martin will talk about his work and the art of crime writing.

Thursday 17th October - Local history author Mike Axworthy joins us to shed some light on how he writes and on the wealth of local history works about Garston and nearby.

Thursday 21st November - Members of the Dead Good Poets Society will read from published and unpublished work and there's a chance to read your own poetry to the audience.  We will need your work in advance - watch out for a future post on this.

These events are part funded by the Community First fund, which is government money allocated to projects in our area through the Community First scheme. 

Our next meeting

Our next meeting, of the Friends of Garston Library, is this Saturday (6th) at 11 am at Garston Library.

We're usually at the table on the far right hand side as you come in.

We'll be talking about follow up from the Fun Day, progress on the writing competition and planning for the autumn literary evenings.

Garston Fun Day

Frirends of Garston Library had a good day at the Garston Fun Day on Saturday (22nd).  The photographer (Paula) clearly had a less good day!

However here we are (Bill, Michelle and guest of honour the Lord Mayor) on our stall.

We raised our first lot of funds as well as talking to people about our children's writing competition and our literary evenings.

Our next meeting, before some of us take a break , is at 11 am on Saturday 6 July.

Come and meet us on Saturday.

Friends of Garston Library will be at the Garston Fun Day this Saturday (22nd).

We are running a stall where you'll be able to find out more about membership, about our summer writing competition and our autumn literary evenings.

Oh and we'll sell you some raffle tickets too!

The Fun Day is on Garston Park and runs from 11 till 2.

Writing competition launched

We are launching a competition for anyone aged 18 or under who loves books and loves to write.

What we are after is a book review.  This can be about any book.  The only condition is that the book has to exist in the Liverpool Libraries catalogue.  You don't need to borrow the book to review it, merely to check that it exists there.  You can check the catalogue in a library or at www.liverpool.gov.uk

The review needs to be at least 100 words but after that it can be as long as you think it needs to be.

Winning reviews will be published, and the winners will also be invited to take part in a special awards presentation.

You can send in your entry by:

* putting it in the Friends of Garston Libary box in the library
* giving it to us at the Friends of Garston Library stall at the Garston Fun Day (22 June- Garston Park)
* sending it to 75 Canterbury Street, L19 8LQ
* e mailing it to us (word attachment please) at friends-of-garston-library@hotmail.co.uk

We need to know your name, contact details, age and school (if you are still at school)

The closing date is 31 July.

If you have any questions, please drop Paula Keaveney (Chair of Friends of Garston Library) an e mail at
paulakeaveney@yahoo.co.uk

We've written to local schools about this competition, but if you run a youth group and would like more details, please do let us know.

Our next meeting

Our next meeting is Saturday 4th May at 11 am at Garston Library.  We've e mailed everyone who said they were interested but do feel free to come along anyway! (Best to let us know though as we don't have loads of chairs)

Our next meeting

The next meeting of the Friends of Garston Library is the first Saturday of May at 11 am at the Library.  Do come along if you want to get involved.  It would help us if we know you are coming if you haven't been before so we an move enough chairs!

Survey results

Big thanks to everyone who has filled in the survey so far (see previous post).  There is a lot of interest in events with speakers so we'll do our best to sort out an events programme.

You can also join the Friends, without being obliged to get involved in organising things, by filling in the first bit of the survey so if you haven't yet,please use the link in the previous post.

Sign up - and take our survey

We've designed an on line form so that people can sign up as members of the Friends of Gaston Library, but can also let us have their views on some library related things.  Do please have a look and give us your thoughts.  We hope you'll join us too.

The form is at
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LNQJ82C

It's only 10 questions.

Sign up - and take our survey

We've designed an on line form so that people can sign up as members of the Friends of Gaston Library, but can also let us have their views on some library related things.  Do please have a look and give us your thoughts.  We hope you'll join us too.

The form is at
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LNQJ82C

It's only 10 questions.

Our new contact details

Friends of Garston Library now has a dedicated e mail address which is
friends-of-garston-library@hotmail.co.uk

Do get in touch if you want to find out more.

Our next meeting is the first Saturday of April at 11 am in the Library.

Liverpool Literary festival announced

The details of the "In Other Words" literary festival, which includes several high profile writers speaking in Liverpool, have been announced.

You can read more at this link.

Our meetings

We've agreed that the Friends of Garston Library committee (which also welcomes people who want to get involved) will meet on the first Saturday of the month at 11 am at Garston Library.  If you are interested, do make a note and come along next month (April).

We've agreed some people to take on particular jobs.  Paula Keaveney will be the Chairperson.  Michelle Knox has agreed to be secretary and Roger Brown will be treasurer.

We'll shortly be organising sign up sheets for people who want to become members.  Becoming a member means we will e mail you with details of events etc. It also means you will have a vote at our Annual General Meeting and any other General Meeting organised.

Our next meeting

Our next meeting of Friends of Garston Library is 2 March ( a Saturday) at 11 am at the Library.

As we don't have an infinite number of chairs, it would  help hugely if you could let Paula know if you are coming by e mailing paulakeaveney@yahoo.co.uk

Welcome to our blog

Welcome.  We are the Friends of Garston Library.  We exist to promote, protect and improve our library.  We come from different parts of the area but we have one thing in common, we love books and the library.

Do please get in touch if you want to join us.