Helen Lowe's Blog, page 11

What’s Up On Supernatural Underground

New in addition to my 1 October post, Once Were Heroes that is, where the theme is champions that fall.

Yep, still can’t go past Anakin Skywalker on this one…

It is, however, only one among several offerings that may interest you, starting with #8 in Kim Falconer’s “Choose Your Weapon” series — and this month’s weapon is time travel.

Betcha didn’t think of time travel as a weapon — but Kim makes a compelling argument:

Choose Your Weapon: Time Travel

With Halloween coming up fast, you may also l...

Albert Camus Meets “Lord of the Rings”– with A Li’l Helen Lowe Thrown In

“There is no greatness without a little stubbornness… Works of art are not born in flashes of inspiration but in a daily fidelity.”

~ Albert Camus, 1913 – 1960
Nobel Laureate for Literature, 1957

 

 

 

 

 

Fidelity is a beautiful word and I particularly like its use here. For me, the reference to daily fidelity encapsulates the day-to-day constancy that brings the artist back to easel or writing desk, to “gambaru” (another great word, from Japanese) until the work makes the essential metamorph...

What I’m Reading: “Songbirds” by Christy Lefteri

I wasn’t quite sure what sort of story I was about to read (yes, I was trying to put  a ‘genre’ tag on it!) when a friend loaned me Songbirds by Cypriot-UK author, Christy Lefteri.

She did so because she thought I might like it, and she was right. I not only liked it a lot, I thought it was a beautiful, moving, but also tragic read.

The story is a fictional one, but set within the framework of (relatively recent) true events in Cyprus.  Five migrant women, all domestic workers, and two of their...

Meet Orn: Meet The Minor Players In “The Wall Of Night” Series

USA: Current cover

I think we’re back on alphabetical track this month, with Orn following Onnorin…

As those who know, know well, this series focuses on the minor (or more correctly, sometimes “more minor”) characters in The Wall Of Night series because:

“I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”

~ from my Legend Award Finalist’s Interview, 2013

Initially, the series focused exclusively on characters from The Heir...

Swing Into Spring

…with Canterbury Poets’ spring Poetry in Performance season.

As mentioned last Monday, I’m over the moon that Canterbury Poets made their funding goal and have secured the next five years of poetry in performance here in my home city of Christchurch, Nu Zild.

For those who’re local, or visitors who’re keen to check out the scene, the next four Thursday evenings will see the spring poetry season unfold.

The guest are a mix of national and local ‘names’, as well as the ever popular Open Mic, as f...

On Supernatural Underground Now: Once Were Heroes — The Year of the Villain #9

I know it’s a familiar plaint from me, but how can it be October already?!

Since it is, though, I’ve posted #9 in the Year of the Villain in Fantasy on Supernatural Underground, which explores the category of villains who begin as champions of light but fall to the dark side:

Once Were Heroes: the Year of the Villain #9

From Anakin Skywalker to Tunstall in Tamora Pierce’s Mastiff (the Beka Cooper trilogy), I hope you find something to like.

Anakin Skywalker

And that October brings you all much...

Funded! Canterbury Poets Are Across The Line!

Yes!! Canterbury Poets (CPC) have reached their Boosted fundraising goal, providing assurance for the next five (5) years of great poetry and performance in Christchurch.

And maybe, if they reach their stretch goal, farther afield. (See more below.)

I am so thrilled CPC have made it across the main fundraising line and have more financial security going forward. And very  grateful to, and deeply appreciative of,  everyone who donated and helped spread the word, for all the reasons in my two spr...

A Canterbury Poets’ “Boosted” Reminder — & Fabulous Poetry Quote

On Monday, I posted on the international-bestselling novel by Pascal Mercier, Night Train To Lisbon.

The book included this quote on poetry, which is in the “voice” of the main point-of-view character, Raimund Gregorius (aka ‘Mundus’):

“Over poetry, you didn’t gush. You read it. You read it with the tongue. You lived it. You felt how it moved you, changed you. How it contributed to shaping your own life, giving it colour and melody.”

~*~

ICYMI Last Week: A Canterbury Poets’ “Boosted” Reminder — ...

What I’m Reading: “Night Train To Lisbon” by Pascal Mercier

Night Train To Lisbon by Pascal Mercier (1944-2023)  is the sixth and final book from my Book Booty list, posted on January 22.

First published in 2004, it was a huge international bestseller and has since been made into a film (2013) starring Jeremy Irons. In addition to its bestselling status, Night Train To Lisbon has also received a multitude of critical accolades, such as “One of the great European novels of recent years” (Page des librairies – France) and “A sensation…The best book of the...

Boosted: ‘Poetry In Performance’ Fundraiser

My home province of Canterbury, with the fair city of Christchurch at its heart, is renowned for having one of the most vibrant and enduring poetry scenes in New Zealand. A major part of that scene is the annual ‘Poetry in Performance’ events put on by the Canterbury Poets’ Collective (CPC).

Now, the CPC are running a Boosted (Te Tumu Toi/NZ Arts Foundation backed) crowdfunding campaign to fund the reading seasons for the next five (5) years. They have until September 30 to raise the funds.

If ...