To the YORKSHIRE SCULPTURE PARK on Monday, and to my delight found that a piece of soundscape art had been renovated fairly recently. Though it looks like a simple domed gazebo, once you step inside, your movements activate varied patterns of music and speech and applause and more. Great fun!

Tomorrow I'm off to the Key Stage Two children at WHELDRAKE NEAR THORGANBY PRIMARY SCHOOL, for a morning of talking about writing and some writing time too. Looking foorward to seeing you all! (And seeing SAVIOUR PIROTTA there too!)

I'm also feeling a little smug as I today I finished a short story that - fingers crossed - may end up in an anthology. If not, it''s written anyway, so maybe someone else might like it. And I can cross it off on my To Do list as well!   ¶ 10:09 PM

Yes, everything went brilliantly at OXFORD LITERARY FESTIVAL. With no modesty at all, I can report that Helena Pielichaty and I gave a stunning session, with mentions of chewing gum, mysterious keys, old photos, broken statues, football scarves, cuttings from old newspapers, portions of snacks, plus much laughter and no tears. If you were there, all this will make sense. If you weren't, what a session you missed! And we decided we'd BOTH won the debate! Many thanks, Helena! (Check out her website too!)

Then, just as I'd unpacked all my "talk-bag" stuff for the Easter break, came an emergency phone call! So my last last-gig-of-the-term became three stand-in sessions at Adrian Thompson's "LEAP INTO BOOKS" festival for children from Year 5 to Year 8 at LAISTERDYKE COLLEGE, Bradford. It was great fun with great people, though annoyingly I had to escape before BOB PEGG did his musical performance. I had to stock up with Easter eggs for the weekend's visitors, and clean the floors. Hey ho, such fun!

Today I'm having my after-Easter tidying time - except for a meeting this afternoon . . Ooops Must hurry!

Labels: Oxford Literary Festival

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