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Two things don't make you special in Oxford: being a writer, and having an Oxford degree. The person pouring your pint probably has 2 Oxford degrees and is working towards their third. The chap who's just rung up your copy of The Independent and your pint of milk is probably on his third novel - having branched out after winning a prestigious award for his poetry.
In London, you're never more than ten feet from a rat. In Oxford, you're never more than ten feet from a writer. Whereas the High Street and the Meadows have discreet blue plaques celebrating the balloonists, engineers, physcists, and chemists that hung out there, the discreet wooden plaques celebrating writers tend to appear in the pubs and bars.
Moral of the story? If you want to find writers, go to a bar in Oxford. More specifically... If you want to find this writer, go to a bar in Oxford this Saturday. And more specifically still...
The Corner Club on Turl Street, this Saturday 22 November 2008, all day from 10:30 am to 5pm but especially from 3pm onwards where I'll be doing a reading and book-signing.
All part of the Writers in Oxford Christmas Bookfair and perfect timing to do the rest of your Christmas shopping in the Covered Market just round the corner beforehand (and you can die happy once you've tried Chocology's very serious hot chocolate for people who are Very Serious about chocolate, also in the Covered Market) - plus the Corner Club (which used to be QI) is now a members-only (phner phner) private club, so if you've been hankering to see the interior of the prestigious enclave, now's your chance. Just say you're with me...
About 20 authors will be variously reading and signing books, including Frank Egerton, Peter Guttridge (author of the Nick Madrid series), Donna Dickenson, and me, Olivia Knight. I'll be got up in my finery, reading from The Ten Visions and signing books - copies of The Ten Visions will be available, but I'll also happily sign Enchanted, Magic and Desire, or - if you're the man above - your naked gleaming chest.
Here's the Oxford Times article and here's a helpful wee map. See you there!
5 comments:
Whoo-hoo! good luck!
We have a book festival in my town every year but I've never been brave enough to stick my head over the parapet and suggest an erotica reading. Maybe I should ...
Have fun! I wish I could be there. I did a reading in Brighton recently and had a fine old time. I especially liked it when people laughed in the right places.
Has Peter Guttridge upped sticks and moved to Oxford, then? I know him as a Brighton-based writer. Do say hello from me, won't you? (Although, um, he may just look at you blankly.)
Wish I could be seen laughing in all the right places (Brighton, Oxford ...). Enjoy!
Olivia I wish I could be there, and I salute your countrypeoples for including erotica in their reading events. It'll be a frosty Friday here - um, actually it'll be a frosty Friday here tomorrow but - it'll be a frosty Friday in hell before such a thing would happen here. The bookstores don't even want me to sign my books - I suppose in case they wish to return them.
I'll be with you in spirit, Olivia...
Oh, the English are great that way, Madeline. They'll eagerly book it, make every opportunity to mention it in publicity, and then get all tittery and skittery every time anyone says "sex". Great fun!
I love performing, though, so I'll not only stick my head above the parapets, I'll leap on top of them and strike up an air-guitar... erm - perhaps not quite, but I do enjoy speaking in public. (And apparently you can't see my legs shake at all. At least my friends assure me you can't.)
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