This week, Kent is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, the world-famous author who was born in the town. Thanks to the author, Kent expects a £4m boost to tourism. Kent will become a magnet for literary travelers due to the anniversary, according to Sandra Matthews-Marsh, chief executive of Visit Kent.

Ashley Blackman, managing director of Kent-based sales and marketing company Gateway Kent, commented on the expected influx of tourism, saying, “Dickens’ worldwide fame has always encouraged tourism to the town, but this year will be particularly good, owing to the landmark anniversary.”

Dickens lived in various places around the country, before eventually being attracted back to Gad’s Hill Place in Higham, where he wrote such classics as Great Expectations and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

Ms Matthews-Marsh said, “He wrote so evocatively about places in the county, so throughout all the books you’ve got these wonderful passages about Canterbury and Broadstairs, Rochester, Chatham – just almost every place he went to in the county.” “It’s not just at this time of year, or specifically just Dickens,” said Mr Blackman from Gateway Kent, “Kent is a town with a fantastic literary heritage, and always attracts tourism based on that. Dickens is a huge part of that.”

It’s not just this week either. Throughout the year, many more events are planned, to mark the anniversary and attract more visitors to Kent. These include a free exhibition this week at Eastgate House in Rochester, and a reading by Gerald Dickens – the author’s great-great-grandson on May 16.

“Audiences are now seeing the great adaptations that are made for film and TV, and that’s bringing a whole new generation to Dickens’ work,” said Ms Matthews-Marsh, “There’s a new blockbuster due out in the summer, with Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter in Great Expectations.”

Mr Blackman from Gateway Kent added, “The tourism is not just UK based. Increasingly people are travelling to Kent from all over the world to experience the literary heritage of Kent.”

10% of users of Visit Kent’s website are interested in Dickens, which, claims Ms Matthews-Marsh, could translate to up to 400,000 extra visitors to Kent because of the anniversary.

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2012/february/4/dickens_anniversary.aspx

UnMythed is a collection of poems revealing the myths within the myths revealed: what might Pandora, Circe, Penelope, Eurydice, Persephone, the Gorgons, and others have thought and done if they had not been the creations of a chauvinist patriarchy?

Contents include poems about and ‘by’ Gaia, Narcissus, Pandora, Daphne, Daedalus, Ismene, Poseidon, Athena and Orestes, Circe, The Muses, Omphale, Hyacinth, Philomel, Clytie, Eurydice, The Danaids, Amphion, Galatea, Gorgons, Dido, Menelaus, Psyche, Hylas, Atalanta, Penelope, Jason, Macha, Penthisilea, Persephone, Adonis, Ares, Acrisius, Sirens, Iphegenia, Chryseis and Briseis, Thetis, Chiron, Artemis, Bellerophon, Sisyphus, and Prometheus.

The book sits well beside Edith Hamilton’s Mythology and is not only of interest to scholars of Greek and Roman mythology, it is also an excellent resource for English teachers who teach a Mythology unit. And, of course, poetry fans, especially feminist, will want to read UnMythed.

Magenta is delighted to publish the collection, which was rejected by at least one other publisher despite these (anonymous) reader comments: “Personally, I would not publish this stuff. This is not to say it isn’t publishable – it’s almost flawless stylistically, perfect form and content, etc. etc. It’s perverse: satirical, biting, caustic, funny. … Editorial revisions suggested? None, it’s perfect. Market potential/readership Targets: Everyone – this is actually marketable – you could sell fill Harbourfront reading this probably. General comments: You could actually make money on this stuff.”

Wind has published two previous collections in print, Paintings and Sculptures (Ginninderra Press, 2005) and dreaming of kaleidoscopes (Magenta 2010), and has had poetry published in several journals, including Alpha, The Antigonish Review, Ariel, Atlantis, Bite, Bogg, Canadian Author and Bookman, Contemporary Verse 2, grain, The New Quarterly, Poetry Toronto, Prism International, Rampike, Shard, The University of Toronto Review, The Wascana Review, and Whetstone, as well as three anthologies (Clever Cats, ed. Ann Dubras; Going for Coffee, ed. Tom Wayman; Visions of Poesy, ed. Dennis Gould). She has been awarded thirteen Ontario Arts Council grants for her writing. Further information about the poet is available at her website, www.chriswind.net.

Magenta has recently released two other ebook collections by wind. Soliloquies: the lady doth indeed protest is a collection of soliloquies by Ophelia, Lady MacBeth, Regan, Portia, Desdemona, Kate, Isabella, Juliet, Marina, and Miranda – protesting the role given to them by Shakespeare. Thus Saith Eve is a collection of epistles, each written from the point of view of one of the women from The Bible, as if she had a contemporary feminist consciousness. For example, Eve does not accept blame for choosing the apple, for choosing knowledge over obedience. And you can imagine what Noah’s wife had to say about his grand idea.

Two more collections are planned: Deare Sister, a collection letters that might have been written by Lady Godiva, Milton’s daughter, Rubens’ model, Mozart’s mother, Freud’s wife, Plato’s students, and others – assuming a feminist consciousness, and Snow White Gets Her Say, a collection of classic fairy tales retold – what would have happened if Gretel, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and others had been strong and critical girls and women living today?

UnMythed is available now in various ebook formats at Smashwords, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other online stores ($2.99 USD).

UnMythed
by chris wind
published by Magenta
ISBN: 978-1-926891-06-4
ebook

UK Author Michael Madden not only celebrated his 50th birthday in October 2011, he also used the milestone to launch the UK edition of his comic novel Stags! at the Levenshulme Festival.

Stags! has been available in the US and on Kindle and other eBook formats for some time, reaching the top 100 in Amazon>Books>Fiction>Humour, but the UK launch is a significant step. “The comedy has a very English flavour to it, ” explained author Madden. “Some things translate well across the Atlantic, but jokes do not always fall into this category. This is definitely one for the UK market so I am delighted to finally be able to make it available over here.”

Stags! centres around a group of lads who meet regularly to discuss women, football, and anything else that springs to mind, over a beer. With Soccer Saturday playing in the background, and opinions on City and United being shared, it is a scene that plays out regularly in many Manchester pubs.

“They are a group of fictional characters, but they will be familiar to anyone who has spent any time in a local pub. From best man Pete, to the rather unpredictable and somewhat dangerous Bird, they will all be recognisable,” said Madden.

With the action centred around Manchester, the Levenshulme Festival is the ideal event for the launch. Author Madden elaborated on this. “The Festival has been around a long time, and the book launch has been slotted into an ‘Open Mic’ night at the popular M19 Bar. The Festival will be opened on 21st October by Sir Gerald Kaufman, at which I will be handing out flyers and cards, whilst the book signing will be on Thursday 27th. The Open Mic event should be a very popular night, and I am hoping to get coverage on local radio and in the local press.”

Publicity is very important, as is an eye catching product. “Drinking, football, women. A hilarious window into the world of blokes being blokes” is the strapline of the book, whilst the publicity material describes it as “The Laugh Out Loud Novel For Blokes (And Their Women)”, a claim that has been backed up by independent reviews on Amazon.

However, a bestseller can never be guaranteed, and Stags! has a more difficult obstacle to overcome as the author explained. “Many literary agents and publishers are of the opinion that there is no market for this kind of male orientated comic fiction, and that is why there are no books in this area. This is almost a self fulfilling prophesy, but I have had enough positive feedback to feel confident that I can break this perception,” said Madden.

The book is now available in paperback on Amazon and at www.fast-print.net, as well as on Kindle and other eBook formats, and readers can view the first six chapters and other sample excerpts at www.stags-book.co.uk

Get In Get Out and Get Away – Memoirs of a National Serviceman has hit the bestseller on Amazon for the Kindle in the categories of National Service and African History

Further information can be found on the website http://www.getingetoutandgetaway.co.uk

Thus Saith Eve is a collection of epistles, each written from the point of view of one of the women from The Bible, as if she had a contemporary feminist consciousness. Eve should be blamed for choosing the apple? For choosing knowledge over obedience? Knowledge of good and evil? She thinks not. And, well, you can imagine what Noah’s wife had to say about his grand idea. Other women present are Lilith, Abel, Cain’s wife, Noah’s wife, Hagar, Zipporah, ‘the certain woman’, Delilah, Eshta, Ruth, the Queen of Sheba, Vashti, Judith, Mary the mother of God, Mary of Bethany, Mary Magdalen, Thecla, and Satan.

The book sits well beside Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s The Woman’s Bible and is also a great resource for actresses seeking fresh, new audition monologues.

Wind has published one previous collection, Paintings and Sculptures (Ginninderra Press, 2005), and has had poetry published in several journals, including Alpha, The Antigonish Review, Ariel, Atlantis, Bite, Bogg, Canadian Author and Bookman, Contemporary Verse 2, grain, The New Quarterly, Poetry Toronto, Prism International, Rampike, Shard, The University of Toronto Review, The Wascana Review, and Whetstone, as well as three anthologies (Clever Cats, ed. Ann Dubras; Going for Coffee, ed. Tom Wayman; Visions of Poesy, ed. Dennis Gould). She has been awarded thirteen Ontario Arts Council grants for her writing. Further information about the poet is available at her website, www.chriswind.net.

Magenta has recently released Soliloquies: the lady doth indeed protest, a collection of soliloquies by Ophelia, Lady MacBeth, Regan, Portia, Desdemona, Kate, Isabella, Juliet, Marina, and Miranda – protesting the role given to them by Shakespeare, and plans to release three more ebooks in the series: UnMythed, a collection of poetry exposing the myths within the myths – what might Pandora, Circe, Penelope, Eurydice, Persephone, the Gorgons, and others have thought and done if they had not been the creations of a chauvinist patriarchy?; Deare Sister, letters that might have been written by Lady Godiva, Milton’s daughter, Rubens’ model, Mozart’s mother, Freud’s wife, Plato’s students, and others – assuming a feminist consciousness; and Snow White Gets Her Say, a collection of classic fairy tales retold – what would have happened if Gretel, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and others had been strong and critical girls and women living today?

Thus Saith Eve is available now in ebook form at Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble ($2.99 USD). Thus Saith Eve by chris wind published by Magenta ISBN: 978-1-926891-05-7 ###

For more information, contact the publisher at ptittle7@gmail.com or magentabooks@rogers.com.

Soliloquies: the lady doth indeed protest, by poet chris wind, is a collection of soliloquies delivered by Juliet, Ophelia, Lady MacBeth, Portia, Kate, Desdemona, Regan, Isabella, Marina, Miranda – protesting the role given to them by Shakespeare.

Lady MacBeth kill herself? Please. And Portia—you don’t think someone that intelligent would be pissed to be bait and trophy? And Juliet, well, Juliet just wants to have—sex..

Soliloquies formed the basis of a recent theatrical production by Venus Theatre in Laurel, Maryland:

“Deconstructing the traditional interpretations of some of the most fiercely fascinating female characters of all time, the playwright is able to “have at it” and the characters finally have their say. And oh, what tales they have to weave.” Debbie Jackson, dctheatrescene.com

And the collection is currently under consideration by Judith Shakespeare:

“As Founder and Artistic Director of Judith Shakespeare Company NYC I’ve made it a priority to find more opportunities for women in classical performance, and this work certainly provides very exciting opportunities for women performers. I know many actresses who would love to get their hands on this material!” Joanne Zipay, of Judith Shakespeare says. “As a Shakespeare director, I’m thrilled by the perspective which Chris’ pieces provide of the plays and characters which they challenge – I believe these will be sought after by theatre companies which also do solid classical work, as new material for their audiences, embraced by a season of Shakespeare plays. “As a feminist, I’m excited by how these characters come alive and point up the perceptions and misperceptions that have shaped their literary and theatrical destinies. “As a dramaturg, I’m more than pleased to find modern playwrights who can write in heightened language and/or verse. This is a rare gift, and Chris has this gift.”

Wind has published one previous collection, Paintings and Sculptures (Ginninderra Press, 2005), and has had poetry published in several journals, including Alpha, The Antigonish Review, Ariel, Atlantis, Bite, Bogg, Canadian Author and Bookman, Contemporary Verse 2, grain, The New Quarterly, Poetry Toronto, Prism International, Rampike, Shard, The University of Toronto Review, The Wascana Review, and Whetstone, as well as three anthologies (Clever Cats, ed. Ann Dubras; Going for Coffee, ed. Tom Wayman; Visions of Poesy, ed. Dennis Gould). She has been awarded thirteen Ontario Arts Council grants for her writing. Further information about the poet is available at her website, www.chriswind.net.

Magenta plans to release several additional collections by chris wind in the coming year: Thus Saith Eve, epistles written by Eve, Cain’s wife, Noah’s wife, Delilah, the Queen of Sheba, Mary, and others – as if they were feminist; UnMythed, a collection of poetry exposing the myths within the myths – what might Pandora, Circe, Penelope, Eurydice, Persephone, the Gorgons, and others have thought and done if they had not been the creations of a chauvinist patriarchy?; Deare Sister, letters that might have been written by Lady Godiva, Milton’s daughter, Rubens’ model, Mozart’s mother, Freud’s wife, Plato’s students, and others – assuming a feminist consciousness; and Snow White Gets Her Say, a collection of classic fairy tales retold – what would have happened if Gretel, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and others had been strong and critical girls and women living today?

Soliloquies: the lady doth indeed protest is available now in ebook form at Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble ($2.99 USD). Soliloquies: the lady doth indeed protest by chris wind published by Magenta ISBN: 978-1-926891-08-8 ebook

The Road Trip Dialogues (paperback 286p and ebook) is a new comic novel by Jass Richards. Rev and Dylan are intelligent, sensitive, idealistic, enthusiastic, and – utter failures. When they reconnect twenty years after teacher’s college, Rev is en route to Montreal to see the fireworks festival. (Something with great social and political import.) (Oh shut up. I tried. For twenty years. So to hell with it.). Dylan goes along for the ride. (Typical.) The Road Trip Dialogues is a coming of age story. For those in their forties.

Richards, an ex-stand-up with Master’s degree in Philosophy (www.jassrichards.com), has written one previous book, This Will Not Look Good on My Resume, a collection of short stories described as “a bit of quirky fun that slaps you upside the head.”

Richards has been awarded a Writers’ Works-in-Progress grant from the Ontario Arts Council to work on The Blasphemy Tour, the sequel to The Road Trip Dialogues. It is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The Road Trip Dialogues will be available in print August 1 at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other online outlets. It will also be available as an ebook (Kindle, Nookbook, iBook, and Smashwords).

The Road Trip Dialogues
Jass Richards
Magenta 2011
9781926891422 (print) $9.99
9781926891439 (ebook) $4.99

Architects, contractors and clients were among guests celebrating the tenth anniversary of a Crowborough garden design business on Friday evening, June 10.

About 60 people were welcomed by Mary Stevenson at the Royal Wells Hotel, Tunbridge Wells, for the occasion.

There was a chance to socialise, see a rolling slide show of gardens Mary and her teams have created, enjoy drinks and canaps and admire, then taste, the cake which featured a 3D version of the poppies to be seen on Mary's business cards.

Mary, who has been involved in horticulture for 40 years, turned her company's anniversary into a celebration of the whole garden design industry, particularly recognising the importance of the role of the British Association of Landscaping Industries (BALI).

BALI's directory is an indispensible tool for Mary. The work of members is rigorously vetted and she chooses contractors from among fellow members as she tackles projects across the country.

Mary, who lives in Queens Road, Crowborough, with her husband John, had wanted to design gardens from childhood but it wasn't until 2001 that she took the plunge and started her business.

She was preparing for the moment from the time she chose her A-levels, botany, zoology and geography, and went on to gain a degree in horticulture from Wye College, University of London.

She then worked for a commercial landscaping company, Blakedown Landscapes in the West Midlands, supervising the setting out of thousands of plants on commercial sites, car parks, around office blocks and along motorway embankments.

Mary joined the plantsman's nursery, Perryhill Nurseries, in Hartfield, after a move to East Sussex and was in charge of the sales area there.

A career change followed when mother-of-three Mary became a teacher but she says the best thing she ever did was to return to her true profession by starting her own garden design business.

Mary said: "It took me 30 years to do what I always wanted to do and it feels immensely satisfying and quite exciting to be celebrating my tenth anniversary in business."

At the party Mary talked about the team effort that went into creating her clients' gardens.

She singled out for special praise contractor Brian Woodgate, from B.D. Woodgate, and surveyor Nicola Godfrey, from ACAD Mapping. Both are based in Crowborough and work very closely with Mary.

Nicola's land surveys are the starting point for Mary's designs and Brian has built a number of her clients' gardens.

Brian commented: "I enjoy working with Mary. She always listens to what others have to say."

Architects, represented by Malcom Cassam from M.E. Cassam Associates, of Crowborough, and Gail Brooks from Cowan Architects, East Grinstead, were reminded, tongue in cheek, that their main role in the context of garden design was to provide the perfect back drop for a garden.

There was more praise too for Mary from her guests. Pete Chapman from Perryhill Nurseries said she was "always smiling, very easy going, very knowledgeable with a good eye for detail".

He added: "Mary has always made an effort to keep up her plant knowledge. It is very easy for a designer to have their favourites. We can often tell who is designing gardens just by plants on a list because they tend to use the same things. Mary can design whatever is wanted and is open to working with a client."

Client Andrew Hunot, who lives in a Grade 2 listed farmhouse in rolling countryside near Uckfield, said Mary really added value to a project by getting the right contractor in. He was impressed by the way she worked with Brian Woodgate and the final result exceeded expectation.

Rob Livett, administrator at All Saints Church, Crowborough, where Mary leads a volunteer gardening team, said she was always an easy person to contact, always giving of her time to help them out and her efforts were very much appreciated.

Another client Judy Goode, of Crowborough, said she had total faith in Mary. "I knew she would do a good job on our garden. She is very professional. The things she says she will do she does. She knows her plants and her decisions have all been the right ones."

Judy also appreciated the way Mary monitored progress of the build by liaising with the lads on site.

John Morell, of Sevenoaks, said Mary transformed the garden belonging to his apartment in a Grade 2 listed Georgian mansion. The garden was "unbelievably dreadful" but the transformation was "stunningly successful". He and his late wife Judy derived enormous pleasure from seeing it develop.

"The design was of great artistry and scale. The proportions are excellent and I think that must have been quite tricky, the proportions of paving to beds," he said.

Mr Morell added the relationship with Mary was very easy, very happy and trouble-free.

Mary told her guests that she hoped to have another party in ten years time when she celebrated the 20th anniversary of Mary Stevenson Garden Design.

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Greenleaf Urban Tree and Landscape Products have launched StrataCell, a large soil structure module that encourages tree root growth in urban plantings whilst providing complete support for any paved surfaces that are located above the rooting zone.

Extensive computer modelling and laboratory testing have established StrataCell as both the strongest and most spacious large soil structure module on the market, supporting maximum traffic loads whilst simultaneously leaving 94% of overall soil volume available for tree root growth. Furthermore, the open structure of a StrataCell network provides generous apertures for the passage of utilities, service pipes and irrigation systems.

Over two years in development, StrataCell represents the fourth generation in Greenleaf's innovative range of soil structure units, all of which are designed to help trees overcome the inhospitable soil conditions of towns and cities that would otherwise be directly opposed to healthy root growth.

A correctly installed StrataCell network will cope with both vertical and lateral forces. Finite Element Analysis has shown that StrataCell can safely support the National Bridge Loading requirements for Europe, the USA, Australia and New Zealand, with only 300mm of compacted granular pavement above the rooting area. Cyclical testing has also demonstrated that the structural integrity of a StrataCell module is unaffected even after 10,000 repeated applications of an 8.6 tonne load, verifying StrataCell's ability to withstand heavy vehicular traffic.

In the development of StrataCell considerable attention has also been given to logistical considerations. As a result, StrataCell units stack easily for lower storage and transport volumes, and a reduction in the associated financial and environmental costs.

A spokesman for Greenleaf said:

"StrataCell has been designed with the assistance of our partners in Australia to help trees survive and thrive in what are often congested or cramped rooting environments. Its unique structure not only allows trees to extend their root networks as they would in a natural environment, but it also provides passage and protection for utilities and other undergrounded services that can otherwise be damaged by errant roots."

Further information about StrataCell and other products in the Greenleaf range is available on their newly redesigned website at www.greenleaftrees.co.uk, and in the latest version of the Greenleaf Design Guide, both of which also contain a wealth of additional resources to assist architects and contractors in the planning, design and implementation of urban tree plantings.

Alternatively, Greenleaf can be contact by telephone on 01424 717797.

—ENDS—