It may be mid-May, but is it really spring? There’s snow on the forecast as I write this. NOT FAIR.
So here’s my news. I’m running a blogging workshop at Castlefield Gallery on Tuesday 28 May at 6:30pm and at time of writing there are a few places left. It’s for beginners and more experienced folks who are in need of some bloggy inspiration and guidance. For more info and booking head over here.
My work spreading the gospel of blog continues. Recent workshops have included sessions with the Haelo team at Salford Royal Infirmary and for Creative Industries Trafford, as part of a course on social media marketing with the ace Mandy Martinez. Future plans include sessions for Bolton Library and Museum and a session specifically for artists at Castlefield Gallery (date tbc). If you’re interested in having me set up a workshop for your organisation, get in touch.
I’ll be doing digital marketing for the lovely Manchester Literature Festival. It’s a pretty spectacular programme with more than 80 (!) events this year so I should be pretty busy. Some of my favouritest writers ever are reading there and I wish I could tell you who and when, but you’ll all have to wait until the full programme gets announced in a month or so (bwa ha ha…)
The past couple of months have been very busy. On the Openstories front, we’ve submitted a bid to the Arts Council that would cover our literary activities for the next 18 months. We’ll need to keep shtum until we hear back on our grant (fingers crossed) but we have big plans for our old friend Rainy City Stories.
Planning is also underway for the 2013 Blog North Awards. Right now I’m currently talking to sponsors for this year’s event (email me for details if your company might be interested in being a sponsor. This year’s sponsorship package is pretty freaking awesome if I do say so myself.)
The Blog North Network’s fourth event, a food-centred gathering of bloggers in Leeds, was a big success, and I’m already planning the next one along with my co-conspirators Susie Stubbs and Emma Bearman. It’s going to have a feminist theme and will take place in Manchester this Autumn.
I’ve been writing lots. Totally enjoying the food writing I’ve been doing for Creative Tourist lately, like this review of improbably-named Tex-Mex joint Luck Lust Liquor and Burn or this review of Simon Rogan’s new restaurant at The Midland, The French – a meal I’m still daydreaming about. I also enjoyed writing this profile of Manchester Art Gallery/Whitworth Gallery director Maria Balshaw .
And I’ve been reading some great books: The Serial Garden by Joan Aiken and my former professor Cynthia Zarin’s beautiful essay collection, An Enlarged Heart. Both highly recommended.
Kate Feld 