Hello!

Happy April!

Book News . . .

Well, it’s been an exciting month! First of all, Dirt won the Gold Medal for ‘Best Book for Teenagers’ in the Wishing Shelf Awards!

Secondly, the ever-brilliant designer Jet Purdie has finished the book cover for Nourish, my forthcoming YA novel to be published by Habitat Press this July. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Finally, I’m very much looking forward to speaking at the Tunbridge Wells Literary Festival on 2^nd May. The other panellists are fantastic poets and novelists, so I can’t wait to hear their thoughts and explore the idea of ‘New Narrative Forms’ together.

If you’re in the area, do come along – Saturday 2^nd May at 4pm.

Reading recommendation

This Earth Day, 22^nd April, Bending The Arc launches its 3^rd edition! BTA is an online magazine that I co-edit, publishing fiction, poems and articles that bend the arc of the possible towards a thriving future on Earth. This time we’re featuring the original thrutopian himself, Professor Rupert Read, and the inspirational activist and writer, Rob Hopkins, as well as many more visionaries of all kinds! Do subscribe for a free fortnight of uplifting reading.

Lazy green wins #22

Two upcoming events this month caught my eye…

Happy World Book Night and welcome to the Reading Hour! On 23^rd April, people across the country will be celebrating the joys of reading from 7-8pm. So wherever you are, whatever you are doing, stop and take a break with a book. To make it a lazy green win, pick up a book from your local library…

Libraries are 'green' because they’re a key element in the concept of a sharing economy. Did you know that the average drill is used for just 18 minutes a year?! If we shared more, had ‘libraries of things’ as well as libraries of books, we could reduce both carbon emissions and clutter. So I’ll always be happy to hear that someone has borrowed a book (by me or anyone else) from a library – share more, buy less! And don’t forget, these days most libraries offer ebooks, audiobooks and films as well as print volumes…

Next week is also Fashion Revolution Week, with 25^th April being ‘Mend in Public Day’! This appeals both to my innate frugality and love of craft – I enjoy sewing but rarely make time for it. I will be darning some socks that Saturday, perhaps ostentatiously on a park bench, anyone care to join me?

What will you be reading or mending next week?!

Until next time, Happy reading! Laura