The Humber Mouth Literature Festival 2009 (5/7)

(1/7), (2/7), (3/7), (4/7), (5/7), (6/7), (7/7).

Sunday June 28th Richard Reynolds: Guerrilla Gardening Pave Cafe Bar, 16-19 Princes Avenue 7.30pm £5 Tickets available from Pave 'I am a guerrilla gardener, one of hundreds around the world, who illicitly cultivate public space under the cover of darkness...' When Richard Reynolds began gardening secretly outside his council block in south London, he had no idea he was part of a global movement committed to combating the urban forces of litter, pollution, vandalism and, worst of all, apathy about public spaces.

On Guerrilla Gardening is his call to arms that charts the revolutionary history of guerrilla gardening from its roots in 1970s Manhattan, and proffers advice on tactics, equipment and recruitment. It is also a manual for a very particular form of gardening, whose 'weeds' are crisp packets and whose 'wildlife' is drunks. This is a book for all would-be activists, green-fingered or otherwise, who believe we should seize control of our shared environment Ð and start cherishing it once and for all. Reynolds' stance appeals to those who want to take back some responsibility for communal spaces. But on a wider level, this is just a front in the global war against the scarcity of land, environmental abuse and wasted opportunities. On Guerrilla Gardening represents guerrillas in all forms, from the peasant farmers of Latin America who battle for the right to grow their own food on their own plots of land to the more light hearted but no less political seed bombing guerrillas of London, New York and Paris. Exciting, high-adrenalin stuff. This is gardening repackaged for the 21st century' New Statesman 'Reynolds is quickly becoming both a subculture celebrity and a public intellectual, challenging ideas about what it means to live in a city' New York Times

Monday June 29th Luke Wright: A Poet's Work is Never Done Hull Truck Studio 8pm £5 Box Office 01482 323638 4Talent award winner Luke Wright might just be the hardest working man in poetry. Since 2006 he's launched his own curve-ball bid to become Poet Laureate, programmed and hosted Latitude's poetry arena (the largest poetry event in Europe) and has become the newest poet-in-residence on BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live.

In 2009 he took contemporary poetry onto primetime TV, writing all the poetry for Channel 4's The Seven Ages of Love, a 30 minute documentary that gained 'pick of the day' in 8 national publications and was broadcast to over a million people. A Poet's Work is Never Done is Wright's third consecutive Edinburgh Fringe show and the most poetry-packed to date. Working without the constraints of a theme Wright offers us ten new poems, all written since last year's festival. Follow Camping Dad on his ''perpetual tow," do meths with Cool Mum and meet Wright's Sex Butler. 'The best young performance poet around." The Observer 'The hard working heir to John Hegley." The Guardian Presented by 'Write to Speak', Yorkshire's first theatre based spoken word/poetry event. As well as showcasing the best spoken word performers, 'Write to Speak' also aims to encourage new, up and coming talent as part its open mic section with Joe Hakim and Mike Watts. Edgy, dynamic and sometimes shocking, 'Write to Speak' will challenge and entertain Ð leave your preconceptions at the door. Tuesday June 30th

The Dead Yard: Tales of Modern Jamaica Ian Thomson Costa Coffee, Waterstone's, Jameson Street 6pm FREE A talk, Q&A session and book signing from an author who has been described as 'a chronicler of formidable power' (Guardian). Jamaica used to be the source of much of Britain's wealth, an island where slaves grew sugar and the money flowed out in vast quantities.

It was a tropical paradise for the planters, a Babylonian exile for the Africans shipped to the Caribbean. Since independence in 1962, it has gradually become associated with a new kind of hell, a society where extreme violence has become ordinary and gangs control the areas where most Jamaicans live. Ian Thomson's new book explores a country of lost promise, a country that older Jamaicans in Britain cannot recognise as their own. Once a beacon of optimistic third world politics, the island is now sunk in corruption, hopelessness and drug wars. Jamaica's music was once the lilting anthem of idealists everywhere; now it is a repetitive glorification of homophobia and violence. Thomson walks the streets and rides the buses that most middle class Jamaicans, let alone white visitors, avoid like the plague. He describes poverty, the reality of gang rule and police brutality. He meets Jamaicans who are trying to make a difference, and astonishingly complacent members of the elite. This is an unforgettable portrait of a country that has had a huge influence on British culture.

John Boyne ArtLink 7.30pm £5 Box Office 01482 226655 Meet bestselling author John Boyne when he talks about his new novel, The House of Special Purpose, what makes him tick, and the art of writing. The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas was a no. 1 bestseller in the UK, Australia and many other countries.

Worldwide, it was the no. 6 bestselling novel of 2008 and has sold more than 5 million copies as well as being made into a top-ranking film. John Boyne was born in Dublin in 1971. He studied English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin, and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. His novels are published in 41 languages. He's published six novels, two short novellas aimed at improving adult literacy, over 70 short stories and many book reviews, articles and non-fiction pieces. "A book so simple, so seemingly effortless, that it's almost perfect." The Irish Independent "A small wonder of a book." The Guardian Gagging For It 8pm Hull Truck Theatre Studio £5 Box office 01482 323638 This new play, set against the backdrop of the stand-up comedy circuit and exploring our contemporary obsession with fame and celebrity, highlights the work of four of the city's home grown creative talents. Harri is a pathological stalker of stand-up comedians. Having identified her latest victim and planned her every move, Harri waits to pounce on her prey from the dark corners of a comedy club. In the spotlight Harry, a stand-up with a cult sit-com and a growing army of fans on his hands, is focused on rising to the very top of his profession. Tonight's the night, then, that Harri and Harry's peculiar and somewhat absurd worlds collide. This black comedy will take us on a terrifying journey into the darker realms of what makes us laugh, and what happens when the laughter stops and reality kicks in. Gagging For It stars Lee Green (Sully, Kicked Into Touch) and Rachel Helen (The Play About Charlotte, Up On Roof) and is co-written by Morgan Sproxton (Fathers 2B, Royal Court 50, 24 Degrees) and Dave Windass (Sully, On A Shout). Lee Green also directs.

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Reviews, Books - Mark Frankland The Long and Winding Road to Istanbul (Glenmill Books) Reviewed By Nick Quantrill
	It's 1977 and Liverpool FC are set to compete in their first European Cup final. For football crazy 13 year old Mickey McGuire it's the night of his life. Elder brother, Frank has different plans, as he starts working his way up the criminal career ladder alongside local hard-man and minor criminal, Eddie Tate. Volunteering his brother for a Tate job, Mickey is introduced to Eddie's sister Read more...

Reviews, Theatre - October 06 - The Northern Theatre Company - Thoroughly Modern Millie By Dirk Snatch
	It was a Monday and after a cruel weekend of amphetamine abuse and barely legal sex, all I wanted to do was to slip into a Night Nurse induced coma and dream of Monica Bellucci's backside. However my rat bastard agent informed me that unless I produced a theatre review within the next 24 hours, he was going to stop paying my liquor bills and feed me to the poor and so it was, Read more...

Reviews, Books - The Damned United By David Peace Reviewed By Nick Quantrill
	This latest work from Yorkshire born Peace is another slice of his distinctive style that combines fact with fiction to boil down the story to its true essence. Previously tackling the Yorkshire Ripper investigation in his Red Riding quartet, and the miners' strike in GB84, this time Peace turns his attention to Brian Clough's turbulent 44 day reign of Leeds United Read more...

Reviews, Books - Perfume - The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind Reviewed By Laura Kilvington
	Perfume - The Story of a Murderer was recommended to me by a friend who described it as, one of the books you just have to experience before you die. Now, after reading it for myself, I have to agree. Perfume is a bildungsroman (a novel of education), which tells the story of Grenouille who is born into the slums of Read more...

Reviews, Books - The Night Gardener By George Pelecanos Reviewed By Nick Quantrill (Available 10th August)
	The 14th novel from George Pelecanos, The Night Gardener sees him weave an ambitious story that aims to lift him up and beyond the conventions of the crime-fiction genre. Pelecanos has never flinched away from tackling difficult social issues, and his remit here is to take a broad look at how crime touches the lives of those outside of its direct consequences, Read more...

Reviews, Humber Mouth 2006 - Friday 30th June 2006 - Galloway: A Language Of Dissent? A Personal View By Pablo Luis González
	Having watched the rather impressive performance that George Galloway MP put at Hull Truck Theatre on Friday 30th of June 2006 as part of the Humber Mouth Literature Festival, where he spoke without notes or sitting down for nearly an hour, in spite of the rather fancy white leatherette chair provided for him on stage. I was enthralled not only for what he Read more...

Reviews, Theatre - Northern Broadsides Company at Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough - Wars of The Roses by Patrick Henry
	Battles depicted by semaphoric flag-wielding and huge rattling drums, vigorous balletics, sack-barrows deployed as steeds or track-turning tanks; speeches characterised by robust Northern or Midlands accents, and their inherent ironies and wiliness; intrigues concocted rapidly and sadistically, mirroring statecraft strategy related to our day now. Such are the best Read more...

Reviews, Humber Mouth 2006 - Saturday 1st July - Germaine Greer at Hull By Laura Kilvington
	As a enthusiastic follower of feminist literature, I attended the talk by Germaine Greer with the expectation of an intense, second wave feminism discussion like the, all societies on the verge of death are masculine (Greer:1984) type opinions which I associated with her. Instead, the rubric of Greer's discussion was Anne Hathaway, the older and greatly overlooked Read more...

Reviews, Humber Mouth 2006 - Friday 30th June - Galloway Trucking in Hull By Martin J Deane George Galloway Photographs by Ben Gurevitch
	George Galloway, MP for Tower Hamlets in East London played Spring Street Theatre, Hull on Friday. Despite introducing himself as having spent 6 hours in the back of a car suffering from food poisoning he delivered an entertaining, insightful and though-provoking show. Here is a flavour of it! It's not verbatim but from notes so any errors are my own! Read more...

Reviews, Humber Mouth 2006 - John Pilger at the Ferens By Martin J Deane
	Blair is the most right wing Prime Minister I have ever known. And that includes Thatcher! In a wide ranging talk on Tuesday night, John Pilger shared his experiences of nearly 40 years of investigative journalism giving a flavour of the man who, over 40 years, has made it an art. In his opening remarks, John Pilger said how he used to cover northern England for Read more...

Reviews, Books - The Storm Watcher By Graham Joyce Reviewed by Steve Rudd
	Simultaneously an unusual and extraordinary story set in France, a multitude of winning elements ensure that The Storm Watcher is always an engrossing read, as sheer drama is played up against some chilling thrills and spills. The author in the award-winning Joyce grew up in Coventry, but over the years he has lived in various places, such as on Read more...

Reviews, Books - Bowie : Loving The Alien By Christopher Sandford Reviewed by Steve Rudd
	Rock writer Christopher Sandford sure doesn't beat around the bush when it comes to writing highly detailed and thoroughly engrossing biographies of some of the biggest names in rock music. As well as having written this mini-masterpiece about Bowie, he's also dedicated huge swathes of time and energy to documenting the fascinating lives and times of other rock Read more...

Reviews, Books - Lunar Park By Bret Easton Ellis Reviewed by Steve Rudd
	This has to have been one of the most extraordinary and surprising books published in 2005, simply because it has been written by the hugely controversial author of American Psycho - and because the form that Lunar Park takes is so jaw-droppingly unexpected. Bret Easton Ellis is one clever man, as revealed by the way in which this novel unfolds, Read more...

Reviews, Books - Surfacing By Margaret Atwood Reviewed by Steve Rudd
	Poetry and prose. Two separate entities, right? Wrong! Surfacing bears full-frontal, gob-gawping witness to that as one of the most important novels of the 20th century (according to the New York Times anyroad) in this bizarre beauty naturally glides with sheer poetry within rasping prose. Set in remote Quebec, this super slow-burning drama shadows a young Read more...

Reviews, Films - Welcome to Silent Hill By Margaret Ryan
	A deliciously dark film of fear mongering, Silent Hill takes you on a terrifyingly absurd quest. Where to? That is a question this film doesn't answer, but enjoys twisting round you to find it. Of course playing the game helps understand this film. I found the game itself to be relatively arbitrary and linear, rather like this film. However, the game is foreboding and visually Read more...

Reviews, Books - Magic Hoffman by Jakob Arjouni Reviewed by Steve Rudd
	'We were young then, as if getting older were some kind of illness for which there was no cure.' Magic Hoffman, the novel, is translated from the German original and follows the captivating story of Fred and his best friends Nickel and Annette. Following a botched bank heist, Fred serves 4 years' porridge and - as any friend would do - refrains from dobbing his mates in. Anyway, Read more...

Reviews, Films - An American Haunting (15) By Margaret Ryan
	Possession? On rental, probably. Call yourself a horror movie fan? Perhaps you'll get something from this. Not particularly focused on horror movies? Then you may still enjoy it. Imagine The Exorcist set in 1800s God-fearing America over the period of several weeks. The premises for this film look awesome on paper. Taking into account you've watched the trailer, Read more...

Reviews, Books - Stuart MacBride - Dying Light (HarperCollins) Published 2nd May 2006 Reviewed By Nick Quantrill
	Dying Light is the eagerly anticipated second novel from new crime-fiction hotshot, Stuart MacBride, and follows sharply on the heels of last year's critically acclaimed debut, Cold Granite. Once again following the story of Detective Sergeant Logan 'Lazarus' McRae, Dying Light opens with him set to cement his position as the rising star of Aberdeen's CID. Read more...

Reviews, Films - The Dark (15) By Margaret Ryan
	Clever psychological horror, perhaps too clever? This clever psychological horror film perhaps lets itself down by being too clever? If you enjoy the blurred boundaries of the supernatural/subconscious, however, this is a well-paced, atmospheric film about a couple losing their daughter, only to believe they can bring her back from the dead. There are criticisms, however, that Read more...