[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-norway-visit-2016-blest-litteraturfest":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"I'm back in Norway! (Blending in, as usual.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/tysvar_anne_rees_zpswnco8nrm-6b9c1a7e42.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>\u003Cfont size=\"1\">Photo by Anne Rees\u003C/i>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\nThis time I'm starting the trip with \u003Ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/blestlitteraturfest/\">bLEST Litteraturfest\u003C/a>, staying with Stuart in \u003Ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haugesund\">Haugesund\u003C/a>, a port town historically specialising in herring. (And yes, there was a lot of pickled herring on the hotel's breakfast buffet!)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/haugesund_breakfast_zpskf7tj35e-f44ea9499b.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nStuart and I ran around Haugesund after I'd finished school visits for the day, and here are some of the local houses. Some of the rooflines in particular are pretty spectacular. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/haugesund_house5_zps0hifi8un-a474910b53.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for lots more under the cut!-->\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/haugesund_house1_zpsxusyqldj-1cf6342928.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/haugesund_house3_zpsxau1ejos-9299097c77.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/haugesund_house2_zpsd3orkbdi-c1bf097f58.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nFor the festival, I led a Monster workshop at \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/tysverbibliotek\">Tysvær folkbibliotek\u003C/a> (Aksdal's library), where I read them \u003Ci>\u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/morris-the-mankiest-monster/\">Morris the Mankiest Monster\u003C/a>\u003C/i> and we covered a table top in monsters...\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/aksdal_monsters2_zpszdanrzno-ec8fde836f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n...and monster speech... \\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/aksdal_monsters3_zpsslrabteh-7bf27d990b.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n...and everything monstrous. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/aksdal_monsters1_zpsxt0ofohp-84e780121e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI also got to meet much-loved writer-illustrator Bjørn Ouslander:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bjorn_ouslander_working_zpsublruuzm-5a95c7d673.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWe had an on-stage drawing duel, where the kids suggested things (a ghost, a haunted house, a zombie, a pumpkin, etc) and we both drew them at the same time. Here's Bjørn's solo event, where he read part of a story, then drew a big scene in the middle, then finished with another reading. It was all in Norwegian, but I think it was about how to make a soup out of little children. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/blest_bjorn_ouslander_zpscqao7pgn-be978f063d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI also got to meet fellow speaker, novelist Tonje Tornes:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/blest_tonje_sarah_zpsrssj2otu-3ff73ecfb4.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere are some of her Norwegian books in Aksdal library: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/tonje_tornes_zps1svntxv9-8b809d9a1b.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd I did a couple festival school visits, too! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/nedstrand_school1_zpsjx8pvtbt-c322ccc277.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cb>Nedstrand School\u003C/b> was an absolute dream, lovely kids, gorgeous drawing paper, and I found out the excellent markers they bought for me to use cost something like £50 each. (There's nothing like awesome materials!) We had lots of fun creating a board game together, inspired by the Great Northern Race in \u003Ci>\u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/pugs-of-the-frozen-north/\">Pugs of the Frozen North\u003C/a>\u003C/i>. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/nedstrand_gameboard_zpsjwcmb4si-5fd268982a.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n...Which is \u003Ci>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.aschehoug.no/nettbutikk/den-magiske-vinteren-aco.html\">Den Magiske Vinteren\u003C/a>\u003C/i> (The Magic Winter) in Norwegian! I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have a first book out in Norwegian, this year! :) It's translated by \u003Cb>Tonje Røed\u003C/b> and published by \u003Cb>Aschehoug\u003C/b>. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/aksdal_bookshop_zpsky1mqwzq-f9844b9534.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's \u003Cb>Anne Rees\u003C/b>, originally from Kendal in England but living in Norway since the late '60s, working at the library. She looked after me and told me loads about local history and geography as she drove me along the fjords to each school. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/nedstrand_exterior_zpsqduajklm-32c679d17e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nLike this: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/nedstrand_landscape_zpsujaxu0r9-0b33d07630.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd this:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/straumen_AnnaRees_zpsjzb5kwoj-d0dc077a9c.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nCheck out the spread the school laid on for lunch in the staff room! Apparently they regularly do this for all their teachers! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/nedstrand_lunch_zps6qnqhquf-0c89dcafcd.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI also visited \u003Cb>Straumen barneskole\u003C/b> and they made some great Pug drawings. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/straumen_class_zpszqakpbgg-8c1b0382b0.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWe had dinner with some of the festival team and speakers, including these top Norwegian geezers, art historian \u003Ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holger_Koefoed\">Holger Koefoed\u003C/a> and political cartoonist \u003Ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finn_Graff\">Finn Graff\u003C/a>. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/HolgerKoefoed_FinnGraff_zpsiqnlquej-ab71ce2373.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nFinn had an exhibition of some of his cartoons which I got to see, and Holger told me he specialises in the work of painter \u003Ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lars_Hertervig\">Lars Hertervig\u003C/a>, who lived on an island we drove by on the way to the first school. Here's a monument to Lars next to Tysvær folkbibliotek (which is also a cinema, gallery, swimming pool, cafe and about a million other things). \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/lars_hertervig_zps9q3m5ule-d7cff7b066.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nBig thanks to bLEST for inviting me to the festival, and \u003Cb>Marit Ragnhild Lothe\u003C/b> for coordinating so much of my stay! (That's her on the right, with \u003Cb>Ingvar Frøyland\u003C/b>, Tysvær region's Director of Culture.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/blest_ingvar_marit_zpsjxb59wjg-8d69f6534c.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd thanks to the staff of Tysvær Folkbibliotek, local bookshop \u003Ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/Aksdalbok/\">Aksdal Bok & Paper AS\u003C/a> and everyone who helped out with the festival and made it so awesome! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/blest_sarah_zps7iggebte-99efce7f6d.jpg\">","2016-11-01T18:50:00.000Z","norway-visit-2016-blest-litteraturfest",[],"norway visit 2016: bLEST litteraturfest",1776628728705]