William Sutton's Blog, page 24

Risk Wise

Risk Wise: a review

As Polly Morland heads for Portsmouth Bookfest to discuss her new book Metamorphosis, I review her previous book Risk Wise, one of my Books of 2016. Also recommended: The Society of Timid Souls.

Risk surrounds us.

Polly Morland’s book Risk Wise, a slim elegant volume of non-fiction, illustrates and examines the depression and grandiosity that accompany our everyday milieu of risk: depression, because we can’t cope with the anxiety; grandiosity, because we believe somehow (indeed, need to believe) that we can evade these ubiquitous threats, by being smart, prepared, or lucky.

Anxiety’s counterpoint, posits Morland, is Risk-Wisdom.

To institute our journey of gaining Risk-Wisdom, Morland takes us on a tour of risk-takers, risk manipulators, risk trainers and risk analysts. Through her gentle interviews, insightful and generous, weighty and humane, these specialists guide us with their various subtle crafts: the vulcanologist, the ballet dancer, the air traffic controller.

Morland writes well. How I envy the succinct chapters. This appealing book touches upon so many familiar areas of life, consequential yet slim. I admire its brevity and clarity, the poetic turn of the sentences, the engaging rhythm of the chapters, weighing interview and exposition, personal and global, psychological and sociological. All is made clear through these delicately managed interviews, with minimal academic arguments and statistics sparingly scattered.

The photographs (by the hawk-eyed Richard Baker) add verve and life to the words of the interviewees. I had the feeling that I had seen and heard these nine interviews, as if in a TV documentary, yet somehow a more rarefied experience than telly watching.

Morland herself hides in the shadows of her own prose: she is an excellent interviewer, allowing us to get to know her subjects through their own words, their lives, their gestures and omissions. She occasionally allows herself a judgement, and, even more rarely, a poetic summation of the upshot of an interview.

If news of threat, hazard and disaster overshadows your verve for life, this is the tonic you are seeking.

Read more at pollymorland.com

 

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Valentine’s talkers, stalkers, squawkers

Valentine’s Day Massacre included a lyrical stalker, a Facebook stalker, a vampirical stalker. We had a song about a therapist, a story about an octopus, and a visit from the goddess of love. There was Broken Heart gin, Dark Matter spiced rum, and Squid Ink ale, for whose inkiness I can personally vouch.

Thanks to Ali and Paul and Bea and all at The Wave Maiden, to our lively audience for their support.

Thanks to Clare & her team at Portsmouth Bookfest and Team Locals for helping us sell out.

Thanks to VH Leslie for the grisly art work, and Tessa Ditner of Portsmouth Writers Hub for support throughout.

Great to meet Rob and Christine Richardson, whose Write Invite event has shone the light for stories, alongside Tongues and Grooves’ poetry.

Biggest thanks to this talented bunch of maniacs who made it so worthwhile. Here’s our wonderful line-up:

William Sutton with my imaginary affair

Sweet-talking charmer Matt Wingett

Lyrical stalker Anthony Noon

Maggie Sawkins ‘Come Back My Love and Other Poems’

Christine Lawrence’s entracing storytelling (her novel Caught in the Web)

Katie Gill‘s punchy poetry

Gobby goddess of love, Charlotte Comley

INTERVAL

Songs from Jamie West & Jets & Jamie’s album launch Feb 26, Petersfield

Diana Bretherick gave us an octopus tale

Story weaver and novelist Victoria Leslie

Justin MacCormack’s lovely story can be found on his blog and his novels on Amazon

See more of Lord Byro‘s mad bad dangerous poetry on Youtube: a fittingly frightening finale to a valentine’s more venal than venial.

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Valentine’s Day Massacre

Following an articulate outing at Canvas Coffee for Premature Articulation, I can’t wait for:

Valentine’s Day Massacre
Choose beer. Choose cheese. Choose rage.

£6 entry 6.30pm Tuesday 14 February

Upstairs at the Wave Maiden, 36 Osborne Road, Southsea, P05 3LT

Tickets.

Further Info.

Dish up some retribution in your Reuben sandwich with stories and songs from Portsmouth Writers Hub (makers of Day of the Dead). Following last year’ sell-out show, come and discover what Valentine you prefer: romance and roses, or acrimony and ale?

Beer & food available at the bar. 

Photos and videos to follow soon from Premature Articulation.

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Philip Jeays, Tongues and Grooves, Project Adorno, Dennis Potter

Malevolently musical, poetically perverse, as seen all over Portsmouth Darkfest, Day of the Dead & Dark Songs, and at Philip Jeays gigs everywhere, Philip Jeays will be at Tongues and Grooves 19 Feb supporting superb pungent popsters Project Adorno (Dennis Potter in the Present Tense) supported by Croydon Tourist Office, in Portsmouth Bookfest 2017.

 

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Performances 2016

#antidoteto2016

I’m looking back at performances and events of 2016

Premature Articulation. Cool afternoon at Canvas Coffee
Valentine’s Day Massacre. Brilliant evening’s storytelling at The Wave Maiden


Murder at the Theatre. Wonderful team for our crime writing workshops at the New Theatre Royal


The Art of Crime, Hampshire Libraries talks
The News interview. My desk on the front cover

CSI Portsmouth: interviewing highly articulate authors crime writers JS Law and Diana Bretherick
That’s Solent TV interview
Interviewing Lorraine Bowen
Interviewing Kassassin Street. Proud to get front cover of Southsea Lifestyle two months running
Interviewing Joe Black

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Plotting

#amwriting

#Lawless & the #HouseofElectricity

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Dark #antidoteto2016

#antidoteto2016

I’m looking back over my year of performances and events.

Performances Bookish & Musical

DarkFest. Proud to be at the forefront of this weird groundswell of creative talent.
Dark City. Launch of short story collection; top readings and cake at Hunter-Gatherer cafe.
Day of the Dead. Fourth annual show, performers better than ever, audience cool vibe.
Dark Songs. Brilliant songwriters. An awesome night.
Dark Victorians. Terrific panel, mix of the fictional and the academic.    

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#antidoteto2016

#antidoteto2016

A year of performances and events for me. I’ll be looking back in more detail in the coming weeks at Exciting Moments of 2016.

Thanks to many collaborators, readers, accomplices, band members, and fellow scribblers. 

Flowers of Sin: Mail on Sunday’s Books of the Year list


Finishing first draft of Lawless & the House of Electricity


Forbidden Planet, launch of Flowers of Sin

4. Morning Star review, + lovely reviews from bloggers

5. Flowers of Sin Portsmouth launch

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My Books of 2016

My Books of 2016

Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut
Viral, Helen FitzGerald
Bodies of Water, VH Leslie
Risk Wise, Polly Morland
Reclaiming Epicurus, Luke Slattery
Do No Harm, Henry Marsh
William Armstrong, Magician of North, Henrietta Heald

Wuthering Heights I re-read for the first time since I was 15, and was electrified. I listened to an old BBC drama version, and to Charlotte Bronte’s letters.

Cat’s Cradle is just astonishing, and hilarious.

Viral by Helen FitzGerald I read in 24 hours, and I’m generally a slow reader.

Polly Morland’s Risk Wise is a beautiful meditation on modernity, its dangers and opportunities, and I can’t wait to see her at the Portsmouth Bookfest 2017: 

 

Bodies of Water takes VH Leslie’s storytelling to a more complex level.

Luke Slattery’s Reclaiming Epicurus and Henry Marsh’s Do No Harm made my head swirl with philosophy and neurosurgery, while William Armstrong, Magician of North (Henrietta Heald) has helped me finish my third Lawless novel. Phew.

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Antidote to 2016

Exciting Moments of Last Year #antidoteto2016

A year of performances and events for me: I’ll be looking back in detail at 2016 over the coming weeks.  Thanks to collaborators, readers, accomplices, band members, and fellow scribblers. 

Flowers of Sin: Mail on Sunday’s Books of the Year list
Finishing first draft of Lawless & the House of Electricity
Forbidden Planet, launch of Flowers of Sin
Morning Star review, + lovely reviews from bloggers
Flowers of Sin Portsmouth launch
Esopus Magazine collaborative conversation on George Cochrane’s Lost in Music, Richard Nonas, Tod Lippy



Performances Bookish & Musical
DarkFest
Dark City launch
Day of the Dead
Dark Songs
Dark Victorians 
Premature Articulation
Valentine’s Day Massacre
Murder at the Theatre
The Art of Crime, Hampshire Libraries talks
The News interview
CSI Portsmouth: interviewing JS Law and Diana Bretherick
That’s Solent TV interview
Interviewing Kassassin Street
Interviewing Lorraine Bowen
Interviewing Joe Black
Glastonwick
Beside the Birdbath
Philip Jeays‘ Christmas Bash
Open Ealing: Noel Le Bon & Jamie West
Front Room Words @Aurora
Petworth PoPuP: Radio KWG, Philip Jeays, Jamie West
Harting Roundhouse
JS Law’s launch of #Tenacity paperback at Blackwell’s
VH Leslie’s launch: Bodies of Water
Created in Portsmouth Art Trail
Doodle Club drawing my characters



Events
Writing Retreats with Sarah Salway & SJ Butler
Bloody Scotland
Ferry Tales Workshop – Maggie Sawkins
Erotic Writing Workshop – Tessa Ditner
Authors CC XI dinner at Lord’s
CrimeFest, Bristol

Books of the Year

Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut
Viral, Helen FitzGerald
Bodies of Water, VH Leslie
Risk Wise, Polly Morland
Reclaiming Epicurus, Luke Slattery
Do No Harm, Henry Marsh
William Armstrong, Magician of North, Henrietta Heald

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