[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-ireland-listowel-writers-week-2016":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"This weekend \u003Ci>Pugs of the Frozen North\u003C/i> met the blazing heat of the west coast of Ireland for \u003Ca href=\"http://writersweek.ie/\">Listowel Writers' Week\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://writersweek.ie/category/the-national-childrens-literary-festival/\">The National Children's Literary Festival\u003C/a>. The lovely Irish even provided us with a splendid pug named Oscar!  \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/sarah_philip_oscarpug_zpsmv49v9ye-24354ccce4.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listowel\">Listowel\u003C/a>'s gorgeous, my co-author \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/philipreeve1\">Philip Reeve\u003C/a> and I had fun wandering around looking at the beautifully painted shop fronts, bakeries and pubs. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listowel_town_zpsgd9dkbz5-8ce783c4ba.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd we even got to meet the wee folk! Here I am, after partaking of the 'Drink Me' bottle, meeting the Queen of Listowel, \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/EvelynWalsh61\">Evelyn Walsh\u003C/a>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listowel_queen_zpsxtzmttli-1c772b7ed7.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI didn't get time to do a lot of drawing (other than on stage) but here's a rough one I did after a couple hours at John B. Keane's pub.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinner_doodle_zpswdaridun-25564b4ef2.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for more under the cut!-->\\r\nOur first event was to a couple hundred kids for a \u003Ci>Pugs of the Frozen North\u003C/i> schools event. Here's Philip showing off the yellow trousers he uses to scare off polar bears. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/sarahwebb_tweet2_zpsrni1lsvw-a24db76b06.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>Tweeted by Sarah Webb\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\nWe got to see some excellent pug drawings...\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listowel_pugdrawing_zpsc7crazd8-07239a4952.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe following day, we did another Pugs event, then I did a \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/dinosaur-police/\">\u003Ci>Dinosaur Police\u003C/i>\u003C/a> picture book event. And I'm VERY SAD I don't have any photos of Philip being Trevor the T-Rex. He did an excellent job. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listoweldinopolice_philip_tweet_zpswjlakxkl-e58989ab19.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI did a little experiment for the drawing part of the event; usually I just teach everyone how to draw a T-Rex, but I got a bit more ambitious and thought I'd start them off making their own T-Rex-themed book. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dino_booklet2_zpsmj0kbvrx-a3841422ab.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nIt was quite a stretch, particularly for the concentration span of the youngest children, but their parents were awesome about pitching in and helping, and I actually had a slightly older crowd than usual for this event, so lots of them tackled the project admirably. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dino_booklet1_zpsmgxqnd49-e02a726292.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nIn this one you can see the cover, decorated front endpapers, three pages of story, and a back cover with blurb and price tag. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dino_booklet3_zps2jkmnvha-4af9f2340e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI was impressed with what the kids did and I hope they go away and finish their books, it'd be fun to see how they do it. I told them that the difference between an aspiring author and an author is that an author finishes creating the books. So if they finish making their book, they will be a genuine author. Which is true! And to be a published author, all they need is to make more than one copy of the book (with a handy photocopier or printer), and that's being self-published. So perhaps we will get a few self-published authors coming out of that event. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listowel_dinner_zpscfqyvuvu-72036cb5f1.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>Tweeted by Sarah Webb\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\nOne of the fun things about book festivals is catching up with friends I've seen in various events around the country in past years. Here's the most excellent \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/KimHarte\">Kim Harte\u003C/a>, who is a Book Doctor! You can go into her Book Clinic and she will listen to what you're interested in and recommend books you might like. It was very popular, I don't think she had even time for a loo break for four hours! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listowel_kim_zps4mdrxnwm-717c64ef92.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's Ireland's new Children's Laureate na nÓg, illutrator \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/PJLynchArt\">PJ Lynch\u003C/a>. Philip and I got to see an exhibition of his work from the span of his career at St John's Theatre in the centre of town. He did a video interview with me about drawing, so maybe I'll get to post that fairly soon. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listowel_pjlynch_zpsdxbpahqc-0ebc2403ff.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nMore fun guests we ran into: \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Joannechocolat\">Joanne Harris\u003C/a> (whom we'd gotten to know a bit at the Emirates Lit Fest a couple years ago)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listowel_joanne_zpszuzvk5hi-f8257b08dd.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/simon_francesca\">Francesca Simon\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/sbutlerbooks\">Steven Butler\u003C/a>, whom we actually see fairly often! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listowel_francesca_steven_zpsgqqa3r0a-49b694ce55.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWriter\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/sarahwebbishere\"> Sarah Webb \u003C/a>was in charge of Author Care for the children's book part of the festival, and we couldn't have been cared for better. Sarah's one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet, but she also manages to do ten times more than any of us. Here she is with PJ and \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/AlNolan\">Alan Nolan\u003C/a> (who was very nice in giving us lots of lifts in his car). \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listowel_johnbkeanbar_zpsufn2riiy-ed4153ce33.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nIt'd been cold in London but Ireland was ROASTING hot. Here's Philip, attempting some extreme sunscreen:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listowel_phil_baghead_zpspiu4ldsp-66574825bd.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHuge thanks to everyone who helped make the festival run so smoothly! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listowel_group_zpsc2csreu8-6986772f40.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/writersweekdunn\">Liz Dunne\u003C/a>, the chair of the festival, who was awesome at making sure we always had good food and drink and introduced us to lots of people. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listowel_liz_zpsdvr3u0gm-d37440e72b.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI wasn't in Ireland very long, but one morning I did manage to get down to the beach at Ballybunnion with Philip right before our event. (Which explains why I'm here in a sea cave in slightly odd beach wear.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listowel_sarah_cave_zpswivrmkwe-d40facd0c9.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd a few more shots of Philip and me attempting to make the perfect Irish rock album cover. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listowel_albumcover_zpssubwsqcb-70e1decf70.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listowel_beach_zpsbqitkjih-9d79f17b62.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listowel_sarahphilip_castle_zpscdpyyxla-2fb2f1ae35.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/listowel_beach2_zpsbqy1bcgp-0804e62ab7.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nYou can follow Listowel Writers' Week on their \u003Ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/writersweek/\">Facebook page\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Writersweek\">Twitter\u003C/a>.","2016-06-05T12:02:00.000Z","ireland-listowel-writers-week-2016",[],"ireland: listowel writers' week 2016",1776628728440]