The Story So Far:
The Brilliant Books team are on our second school (and have had meetings with two others) and are running our second Brilliant Books session at Nottingham Free School.
Brilliant Books?
A reluctant readers project aimed at Inner City schools. Eight sessions with twenty school children over eight weeks.
Eight successful hosts from the arts, politics, business and industry address groups of reluctant readers about how important reading was in their successful careers.
The kids take home loads of books and fall in love with reading again and finally, they write a short story which is included in an anthology, presented in front of parents and the whole school.
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| The anthology |
This is its unique selling point.
It demonstrates boys in particular that there IS a point in reading, that it is NOT just a boring exam exercise. That reading is essential.
So far, it's working.
The story continues every fortnight HERE
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| The Scribes of Seely visited Nottingham Council House and met the Lord Mayor as part of Brilliant Books |
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| A youngster from the Free School examines Great Expectations - a gift from Brilliant Books |
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| MBa, editor and publisher, Valentine Nkoyo, who blasted through Masai cultural norms to gain an education, celebrates Girl Power at the Free School - courtesy of Brilliant Books |
Benefit Night.
My colleague, and co-designer of Brilliant Books, Phil Pidluznyj (top right, photo one) is the lead singer in a band - New Apostles.
He came up with the idea to organise a benefit night for Brilliant Books to buy books for schools, pay for core costs and purchase equipment - like a laptop projector we don't currently have and desperately need.
Full details are HERE
As I can't sing a note, even in the bath, and also, as most of my friends through writing are scattered around the world, I came up with an idea to compile and publish an ABSENT TICKET BOOK, so people who would like to attend the benefit night and who would like to support the Brilliant Books project can actually do so.
Tonight, we published the e-book. It's called...
and entitles you to go everywhere with us on November 13th.
The bar, backstage, in the VIP section with the glitterati, the smoking section at the back (under the umbrellas) and the Laguna Restaurant afterwards for a traditional Ruby Murray (but not Chambers - oh no, not Chambers).
Eleven writers. New short stories, memories, and recollections of Brilliant Books and the author's love of reading.
You'll recognise a lot of the writers. They include:
Best-selling chickliterati, Katie Oliver
Best-selling chickliterati, Annie Lyons
Queen of Steampunk and huge supporter of BB, Rae Gee
Ever-popular romantic suspense writer, Georgia Rose
Massive Indie supporter and "faction" trilogist Brenda Perlin
and
Huffington Post columnist and brilliant writer of my favourite book of 2014, Lorraine Devon Wilke
who are all significant players in the game we play.
Plus, Phil has written his debut short story (a dark Christmas tale), and there are solid contributions from quirky short story expert Sally-Anne Wilkinson, world-travelling genealogist, Lynne Morley, a lovely, topical tale from Nottingham's Clare Stevens and my first short story since the stories I wrote in number one selling anthology, LA Punk Rocker.
The quality is high. Very high. The piece is well worth a read.
It costs $6.19/£3.99 for the e-book and all profits go to Brilliant Books. I've paid for everything else so your money will be going straight to buy books for the kids - kids who would rather be shooting machine guns at passers-by in GTA than reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid and who are running the risk of never reading a book again after 16.
What a world that would be! Can you imagine?
Amazon UK Customers can buy the E-book HERE
Amazon.Com Customers Can Buy the E-Book HERE
Paperback
Amazon UK Customers Can Buy The Paperback HERE
Amazon.Com Customers Can Buy The Paperback HERE
Please support us - your money goes straight to helping the kids.
Added Bonus:
As an additional bonus, if you are a writer/author/publisher, and if you do buy a copy, I will feature you and your books in (infamous) footnotes inside next year's sequel to The Night Porter, which is tentatively called The Romance Writer.
Loads of people hated those footnotes. I loved them! If I knew you in 2013, its probable your book is in there already, but next year, you can earn it :-)
(After all, it's for the kids!).
We would love you to join us on November 13th.
But if you can't -well, you can join us virtually.
And if you live in the US, Europe or Australia, please feel free to steal the model and harass your local school. A world which doesn't read would be a cold world indeed.
Thanks, Mark xx