'A compelling story about love and devotion set against the backdrop of superstition, pestilence and hardship that dominate the muddy 14th century landscape. Poetic, surprising and ultimately deeply moving, Vixen will have you hooked faster than it takes to drink a jug of ale and – unlike ale – it will stay with you long after you've reached the final page.'
Diva august 2014
Rosie Garland - author of 'The Palace of Curiosities' - will be launching her brand new novel 'Vixen' here at News from Nowhere.
News From Nowhere,
96 Bold Street,
Liverpool L1 4HY
Phone on 0151 708 7270
Time – 7pm
This is a free event - all welcome!
Rosie is an eclectic writer and performer, ranging from singing in Goth band The March Violets through touring with the Subversive Stitch exhibition in the 90s, to her current incarnation as cabaret chanteuse, incomparable compere and electrifying poet. She has published five solo collections of poetry and her debut novel, The Palace of Curiosities won Book of the Year in the Co-op Respect Awards 2013 and was long-listed for the Desmond Elliott Prize.
DEVON, 1349
In Brauntone, where seagulls screech across the fields and the wind has a mind to change, Father Thomas arrives as the new priest. Determined to impress his congregation, he quells fears of the coming pestilence with promises of protection.
For Anne, the priest's arrival is an opportunity. Convinced a grand fate awaits, she moves in as Thomas's housekeeper, though hopeful of more. But his home is a place without love or kindness.
Meanwhile, a strange mute Maid is dancing with Death through the forest. She is discovered, washed up in the marshes, and taken in by Anne. Their friendship is to give Anne the chance of a happiness she thought she'd never know.
But soon the plague strikes Brauntone, spreading panic. And as the villagers' fear turns to anger, Thomas must sacrifice anything to restore their faith in him.
THE SHED OF STORIES
Tucked away in the Faraway Forest, The Shed of Stories will house storytellers from all walks of life, lighting the imagination and weaving the audience into their tales.
Announcing the London launch of Rosie Garland's second novel, Vixen.
Along with Sarah Waters we at Gay's the Word are massive fans of Rosie Garland's beautiful writing and are incredibly happy to be hosting this publication day launch event for her second novel, Vixen.
Event entry £2, payable on the door. Complimentary refreshments. Please RSVP on Facebook.
Click here for Facebook event page
66 Marchmont Street,
London WC1N 1AB
The Novel:
It is 1349.
In Brauntone, where seagulls screech across the fields and the wind has a mind to change, Father Thomas arrives as the new priest. Determined to impress his congregation, he quells fears of the coming pestilence with promises of protection.
For Anne, the priest's arrival is an opportunity. Convinced a grand fate awaits, she moves in as Thomas's housekeeper, though hopeful of more. But his home is a place without love or kindness.
Meanwhile, a strange mute Maid is dancing with Death through the forest. She is discovered, washed up in the marshes, and taken in by Anne. Their friendship is to give Anne the chance of a happiness she thought she'd never know.
But soon the plague strikes Brauntone, spreading panic. And as the villagers' fear turns to anger, Thomas must sacrifice anything to restore their faith in him.
Praise for Rosie Garland's debut novel, The Palace of Curiosities
'Garland's lush prose is always a pleasure' Guardian
'An alternately brutal and beautiful story about love and belonging' Metro
'Bewitching' Good Housekeeping
'A jewel-box of a novel ... Garland is a real literary talent' Sarah Waters
'Reminds me of Angela Carter' Jenni Murray
'Fabulously strange historical debut... sheer, demented fun' Suzi Feay
Announcing the Manchester launch of Rosie Garland's second novel, Vixen.
The Portico Library is hosting this PRE-publication day launch event. Bookshop provided by the lovely folk at Chorlton Bookshop – copies available a day before publication!
Contact the Portico Library for tickets 0161 236 6785
www.theportico.org.uk
Price tbc
The Novel:
It is 1349.
In Brauntone, where seagulls screech across the fields and the wind has a mind to change, Father Thomas arrives as the new priest. Determined to impress his congregation, he quells fears of the coming pestilence with promises of protection.
For Anne, the priest's arrival is an opportunity. Convinced a grand fate awaits, she moves in as Thomas's housekeeper, though hopeful of more. But his home is a place without love or kindness.
Meanwhile, a strange mute Maid is dancing with Death through the forest. She is discovered, washed up in the marshes, and taken in by Anne. Their friendship is to give Anne the chance of a happiness she thought she'd never know.
But soon the plague strikes Brauntone, spreading panic. And as the villagers' fear turns to anger, Thomas must sacrifice anything to restore their faith in him.
Praise for Rosie Garland's debut novel, The Palace of Curiosities
'Garland's lush prose is always a pleasure' Guardian
'An alternately brutal and beautiful story about love and belonging' Metro
'Bewitching' Good Housekeeping
'A jewel-box of a novel ... Garland is a real literary talent' Sarah Waters
'Reminds me of Angela Carter' Jenni Murray
'Fabulously strange historical debut... sheer, demented fun' Suzi Feay
Click link to go to The Portico Library events page
Thrilled that 'Now that you are not-you' is Guardian Poem of the Week!
"A very modern, secular kind of elegy reflects on death with a surprising lightness" - Carol Rumens
"This week’s poem is from What Girls Do in the Dark, the latest collection by the multi-talented Rosie Garland. It stands alone, while extending the narrative of the short poem that immediately precedes it, Stargazer. The setting of Stargazer is a hospital bedside, where the dying patient’s visitor must navigate “the vertigo tilt / of old words like spread, outlook, time.” That poem ends with the metaphors that will be reconfigured in Now that you are not-you. “Doctors / murmur the names of new constellations / - astrocyte, hippocampus, glioblastoma – and calculate / the growth of nebulae; this rising tide of cells that climbs / the Milky Way of the spine to flood your head with light.”
Read the whole article here...
7.30pm GMT
Join us to celebrate the launch of What Girls Do in the Dark by Rosie Garland, with guests Tania Hershman & Ian Humphreys
About this Event
Join Rosie Garland, plus guest writers Tania Hershman & Ian Humphreys to celebrate the publication of Rosie's new poetry collection What Girls Do in the Dark.
Thursday 12th November 7.30pm (GMT)
This event will be streamed live & can be viewed now, through the Nine Arches Press YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9Z7yq1Ey_U&feature=youtu.be
I thought it wasn't possible to feel any more thrilled about joining Nine Arches Press
- then I see the stunning cover of my new poetry collection, 'What Girls Do In The Dark'.
Out October 2020
https://www.ninearchespress.com/publications/poetry-collections/what-girls-do-in-the-dark.html
Dystopian classics to modern crime - Nine must-read Manchester novels
“Fantasy, romance, sci-fi, comedy…we’ve got a genre for everyone
There’s a very good reason Manchester is a UNESCO City of Literature, as we highlighted before its bid to join the prestigious network in 2017. Innovative publishers, diverse bookshops and a lively events scene make it an unrivalled literary melting pot.
Rosie Garland’s The Night Brother is our historical highlight
Ever the entertainer, Rosie Garland sung in post-punk band The March Violets and now performs ‘twisted cabaret’ as Rosie Lugosi the Vampire Queen. But she’s also a literary maverick with an array of essays, short stories and poetry to her name (much of which she also reads at spoken words events citywide) and three acclaimed novels. Her latest, The Night Brother, navigates themes of gender and identity through two siblings in Victorian Manchester. Rich and Gothic, it’s a must for fans of Angela Carter.”
https://confidentials.com/manchester/dystopian-classics-to-modern-crime-nine-must-read-manchester-novels
An unexpected & encouraging piece of news!
Northern Soul has selected 'The Night Brother' as a Best Northern Read
Desmond Bullen, Northern Soul writer
“In days that can seem desolate and uncertain, there’s a lot to be said for windows into a better world and, ultimately, joyfully, that is exactly the view that The Night Brother by Rosie Garland affords. Not that its window seat is cheaply achieved. Far from it.
Rooted with disbelief-suspending specificity in Manchester at the end of the 19th century, Garland’s novel blossoms compellingly from the exquisite simplicity of its central conceit, one which owes the tiniest debt to the 1971 horror film Dr. Jekyll And Sister Hyde. Edie and her brother Gnome are joined in a very particular symbiosis, so that their singular sibling rivalry threatens to be the undoing of both. Themes that could be leaden in other hands emerge from the premise with a beautiful lightness of touch, developing into a persuasive fable of inclusivity and self-acceptance. This is a book that sings a rainbow at its end.”
https://www.northernsoul.me.uk/books-best-northern-reads-part-one/