Latest news with #MichaelMorpurgo
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Michael Morpurgo to recite Vivaldi-inspired poetry at inaugural Cornwall festival
The author Sir Michael Morpurgo has spoken of the importance of taking the arts to places off the beaten track as he prepares for a recital of new poetry inspired by Vivaldi at a festival on and around Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. Morpurgo agreed to perform at the inaugural Music on the Moor festival, partly to draw attention to inland areas of Britain's far south-west often missed by visitors heading for the coast. He said the festival, which begins on Wednesday, was being staged in 'the middle of wonderful nowhere'. Morpurgo, who lives across the border in Devon, said the arts survived relatively easily in towns and cities. 'There are more people there to come to concerts and plays and theatres. We are left certainly down in the West Country with very little. When someone starts up something like this in the middle of wonderful nowhere, it must be supported. Local people have a longing for this sort of thing. I love it when someone says, we're starting up a festival.' The events are taking place in the villages of Blisland, St Breward and St Neot, as well as the town of Bodmin. Murpurgo will recite his re-workings of poems believed to have been written by Vivaldi as an accompaniment to The Four Seasons. The poems will be heard at St Petroc's church in Bodmin alongside renditions of Vivaldi's Four Seasons by musicians including Krysia Osostowicz, the first violinist of the Brodsky Quartet and players from Cornwall and Devon. Morpurgo said: 'It's a church in not the richest town in Cornwall. It has high levels of unemployment and difficulty but we're doing it in that place. The thought of bringing Vivaldi to Bodmin with the grey skies and the storms is so completely wonderful.' The writer said The Four Seasons was as relevant and vital now as it had always been. 'We are so often detached from our seasons. Seasons become a nuisance to us. We complain about the weather, and the seasons are changing because of global warming. But it is the case that there is this rhythm to life. And we have been guided by this rhythm for centuries and centuries and centuries. It's in our DNA. And I love to be reminded of that.' Osostowicz, who is also the festival's artistic director, said: 'When you read about Cornwall in the news it's all about the coast and tourists and fishing. Nobody seems to think about inland Cornwall very much and it's just a wonderful area.' A focus of the festival is 'music bouncing off other art forms', Osostowicz said. Other highlights include the poet Ruth Padel and the Brodsky Quartet performing together at the church in St Neot. Earlier, there will be a talk on the church's medieval stained glass. The festival opens at Blisland on Wednesday with How Pots Sing, a demonstration by the potter Chris Prindl accompanied by music by Bach, with tea and cakes also available. Music on the Moor festival takes place around Bodmin, Cornwall, from 9 to 13 July
Glasgow Times
18-06-2025
- General
- Glasgow Times
Local educator wins national award for cancer support work
Neil McMullen, academic leader at New College Lanarkshire, has been named a Silver winner in the Pearson National Teaching Awards. He scooped the award in the Further Education (FE) Lecturer of the Year category for his work in community initiatives, including a collaboration with Macmillan Cancer Care to support women undergoing chemotherapy. Read more: Celtic and Rangers in top level meeting to tackle football related disorder All the banned items from Glasgow's Summer Sessions this year 999 crews including air ambulance race to street after man 'stabbed' The Pearson National Teaching Awards are run by the Teaching Awards Trust, an independent charity, which aims to shine a spotlight on the "pivotal roles" teachers, support staff, colleges, schools, and early years educators play in "inspiring young people, every single day". The winners are part of a group of 93 teachers, lecturers, leaders, support staff, and institutions across the UK who have been recognised on National Thank a Teacher Day for their contribution and commitment to education and the work they have done to improve the lives of young people. Sir Michael Morpurgo, author, former children's laureate, and president of the Teaching Awards Trust, said: "The dedication and impact of those involved in educating young people is truly remarkable. "Their influence extends well beyond the classroom - offering encouragement, inspiration, and unwavering support that can shape lives for years to come. "I'm also delighted to be able to congratulate this year's Silver Award winners. "Your passion and commitment to shaping the next generation is extraordinary. "Thank you for the difference you make every single day." Sharon Hague, chief executive officer of Pearson UK, said: "Every day, educators across the UK go above and beyond to inspire, support, and shape the future generation. "Our Silver Award winners represent the very best of the profession, and we're thrilled to celebrate their dedication and achievements." The Silver Award winners now progress as finalists for the Gold Award, which will be announced at a prestigious awards ceremony in London and on BBC One's The One Show later this year.
Irish Times
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Poem on ecology and friendship wins Caterpillar Poetry Prize 2025
'What a joy this was,' Kate Wakeling said of judging the Caterpillar Poetry Prize 2025. The annual prize, run by The Moth, which celebrates its 15th birthday this month, has been judged in the past by Michael Morpurgo and Roger McGough, and shines a much-needed light on poetry written by adults for children. The winner this year is Laura Theis, with her poem, I complain to my friend who has been turned into a tree. 'There is depth and complexity here – about ecology, about friendship – but this is all worn lightly, and the tone is sustained with great skill and beauty from start to finish," Wakeling said. 'Picking a favourite line is almost impossible but if I had to choose one, I'd plump for 'She greens at me, wistfully', which is such a gorgeous image, expressed with such economy, music and charm. I don't exactly know what it means – except I also do. For me, this is the sort of magic that only a poem can accomplish." Theis grew up in a German town where each street was named after a different fairy tale, and she now lives in Oxford. She writes in English as her second language, for readers of all ages. She has a distinction in creative writing from Oxford University, and her work has been widely anthologised and appears in Poetry, Oxford Poetry, Rattle, Crannóg, Tyger Tyger, Berlin Lit and many others. She has been awarded the Alpine Fellowship, the Mogford Prize, the AM Heath Prize, the Live Canon Collection Prize and the Arthur Welton Award from the Society of Authors. She was nominated for the Forward Prize and the SFPA Elgin Award and was a finalist for the Bridport Prize, The National Poetry Competition and the BBC Short Story Prize. Her most recent books are A Spotter's Guide To Invisible Things and Introduction To Cloud Care . Her children's debut, Poems From A Witch's Pocket , will be published by The Emma Press this September and will contain lots of magic spells, letters, to-do-lists and of course her prizewinning poem. READ MORE 'Winning the Caterpillar Poetry Prize is an absolute dream come true!!' Theis said. 'I found out that I had won first prize on my birthday, and it was the best birthday present I could ever have imagined - especially because I'm about to publish my children's debut, Poems from a Witch's Pocket, this autumn. 'It felt like a magical stamp of approval for the kind of writing I put in the book, so it has made me extra-happy. Writing and reading poetry for children is such a complete joy, I love it so much, and I have been a fan of The Caterpillar for years and have discovered so many wonderful poets through the prize, I still can't believe I have now joined their ranks ..." I complain to my friend who has been turned into a tree I complain to my friend who has been turned into a tree. You have it so easy. She greens at me, wistfully. Do I? She shakes her branches, sways towards me. What makes you think so? I just envy you, I say. You're going to live for hundreds of years now, with no stress and nothing to worry about. She drops a leaf on me as if I'm being stupid. Not in this city I won't, not in this day and age. I might even die before you. And as for stress, how about worrying about winter, and water too much of it, or too little, and what about soil compaction, pollution, bug infestations, lice, exposure to road salt, the construction site right by my roots? What about fires and lightning? Sometimes the dust on my leaves gets so thick I can no longer breathe. You know those nightmares where you are rooted to one spot and can't get away? Yeah, that's what I thought. I do not sleep now, not ever. I fling my arms around her, feeling contrite. Forgive me, I had no idea, I whisper into her bark. You never asked. Theis will receive €1,000 and spend a week at Circle of Misse in France, a retreat where creativity takes centre stage – set on the banks of the Thouet River, a tributary of the Loire. Nicky Hetherington Second prize is awarded to Nicky Hetherington's poem Dyslexia. Hetherington lives in rural mid-Wales. Her work has been published widely and includes her children's book, Jack and the Dog Boy and a poetry pamphlet Cultivating Caterpillars . She also produced and edited a small anthology of poetry, A Spot of Poetry for Kids , raising money for Children in Need. She has been placed in several competitions, including the Oriel Davies Competition, and this year she was selected to participate in Literature Wales's Speak Back project, developing poetry for performance, from which a video anthology will be produced. Hetherington often finds inspiration in nature and the countryside and issues of social justice, especially of the marginalised or invisible. Or sometimes just plain nonsense, because, when the world doesn't always make sense, sometimes nonsense is the only sensible response. 'I had been keeping my eyes open for a really funny and surprising poem,' Wakeling said, 'and was so glad to come across this delight. Of course, this poem is also grounded in something thoughtful and perceptive. Through the joyfully absurd imagery at its close, it expresses something very particular and poignant about the challenges of living with dyslexia. 'I especially loved the framing device of the 'dry stone wall'; this slow intricate craft is an excellent metaphor for writing as a whole, while the particular weight and labour of the process also conveys something powerful about dyslexia. And then bang , out of nowhere land the squirrels and saucepans. I did a proper lol." Dyslexia It's like building a dry stone wall. Every stone is a different shape and size so it's really tricky … to see which ones … will fit … the gaps. You try your best, sorting through your pile of stones to find the right one ... for each spot. Then, when you've finished, someone says, 'That's not a stone, that's a squirrel, and that one's a saucepan! Why are you building a wall with squirrels and saucepans?' Lorraine Mariner Third prize goes to Lorraine Mariner, a librarian at the National Poetry Library in London, for her poem Food Bank. Mariner has published two collections of poetry for adults with Picador, Furniture and There Will Be No More Nonsense , and has twice been shortlisted in the Forward Prizes and also for the Seamus Heaney Centre Poetry Prize. Working with the children's books and on school visits and early years Rug Rhymes at the Poetry Library inspired her to start writing poems and picture books for children. She's published her poems for children and young people in The Dirigible Balloon , Paper Lanterns , The Toy and Tyger Tyger . She is currently completing her third collection for adults which features poems about her Greek and Irish family history. 'This accomplished sonnet packs a punch through such simple and direct language,' Wakeling said. 'It is powerful and moving in its dignity and precision. The use of a child's voice, so matter of fact, is skilfully handled and I thought the use of form here was especially effective: the poem feels taut and controlled, which reflects its subject very sharply. This was a poem I found myself hankering to return to, and each time I read it again I found another glinting detail of the poet's craft and care, which in turn led me deeper into the poem's meaning and purpose.' Food Bank Josie saw me coming out the Food Bank. I was helping my mum to carry the bags. On the bus to our flat I couldn't speak and the silence made Mum sad. Josie's the coolest kid in class 6B. She has great hair, I'm jealous of her clothes. Will she tell the other kids she saw me? Her mum's a lawyer, they have a pool at home. Today I told my mum I was poorly but her thermometer said I was fine for school. Josie's chatting with her friends like normal, won't look at me as the class walks to our room. But on my chair there's a bag of cakes and a note, 'I baked too many, these are for you.' Wakeling also commended poems by Carole Bromley, Helen Dineen, Victoria Gatehouse, Jemima Laing, Kate O'Brien, Rachel Piercey and Melinda Szymanik. Alongside The Caterpillar Poetry Prize, The Moth runs three annual literary prizes. The Moth Short Story Prize, judged by Evie Wyld, closes on June 30th; The Moth Nature Writing Prize, judged by Mark Cocker, closes on September 30th, and The Moth Poetry Prize opens again in August.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gavin & Stacey's Ruth Jones gets award at Hay Festival
Actress and writer Ruth Jones has been awarded this year's Hay Festival medal for drama. The Gavin and Stacey co-creator was honoured in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, where she was speaking about her new novel. War Horse author Michael Morpurgo won the fiction medal, while British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak won the medal for prose. "We are honoured to celebrate three exceptional storytellers," said Hay Festival chief executive Julie Finch, who said the three winners had "each done much to push the boundaries of contemporary writing and spread the joy of stories here and around the world". Jones, from Bridgend, writes about finding joy in unlikely connections in her new book, By Your Side. Morpurgo is one of UK's best-known children's authors, writing more than150 books and serving as Children's Laureate. Shafak's most recent novel, There Are Rivers in the Sky, is the story of three lives – in Victorian London, 2014 Turkey and 2018 London – connected by a single drop of water. Postbox topper marks Gavin & Stacey festival talk Why Ruth Jones accepted Nessa's Bafta in bare feet Ruth Jones hints at new project with James Corden
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Hay Festival: Gavin & Stacey's Ruth Jones gets award
Actress and writer Ruth Jones has been awarded this year's Hay Festival medal for drama. The Gavin and Stacey co-creator was honoured in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, where she was speaking about her new novel. War Horse author Michael Morpurgo won the fiction medal, while British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak won the medal for prose."We are honoured to celebrate three exceptional storytellers," said Hay Festival chief executive Julie Finch, who said the three winners had "each done much to push the boundaries of contemporary writing and spread the joy of stories here and around the world". Jones, from Bridgend, writes about finding joy in unlikely connections in her new book, By Your is one of UK's best-known children's authors, writing more than150 books and serving as Children's Laureate. Shafak's most recent novel, There Are Rivers in the Sky, is the story of three lives – in Victorian London, 2014 Turkey and 2018 London – connected by a single drop of water.
