Elizabeth Hopkinson's Hidden Grove

  This time last week, I was at the joy that is Bradford Literature Festival. My whole town taken over by all things book-related! I went to three completely different talks, two of which I had bought and read the books for in advance. (The other one I will probably buy when it comes out in paperback). They were: The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph Painted People: Humanity in 21 Tattoos by Matt Lodder Among the Eunuchs: A Muslim Transgender Journey by Leyla Jagiella Three completely different subjects. But what they had in common was that they were all about people on the fringes of society’s so-called norms: Black Britons in the Georgian era; people who have decorated their own skin; traditional third genders in India and Pakistan, along with transgender Muslims. I’m by nature a curious person, who is drawn to anything different to me. So I’m keen to learn about and include these histories. But it seems that society in general is much less interested, ...

We might not have seen much of them during the pandemic, but bookshops are still here for us. Personally, I've still been ordering through bookshop sites, even while I've been at home. And now that I'm tentatively stepping back outside, the one thing I look forward to most is time spent browsing in bookshops. But this week, I'd like to give a specially big shout out to the three bookshops who are now stocking copies of Asexual Fairy Tales and Asexual Myths and Tales . That's: Bookish Type in Leeds  [here] Gay Pride Shop in Manchester  [here] Lighthouse in Edinburgh  [here] THANK YOU!! And a big contratulations to my local bookshop, Waterstones Bradford Wool Exchange, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this month. Not only is it in one of the most beautiful historic buildings, but is a great supporter of Bradford Literature Festival. This week, I had my first proper visit since lockdown. Not only did I buy a couple of young adult titles with asexual representat...

It was a beautiful sunny day in Bradford on Saturday for Bradford Lit Fest 2019. And what a lovely, happy day it was for me. I started off by going to a panel on Mapping Fantasy Worlds. Who doesn’t love a fantasy map? Or indeed any map? I was pretty surprised, though, by the answer to my question: did any of the panel have imaginary worlds as a child? None! Adrian Tchaikovsky said he got into fantasy worlds through role playing games. Interesting, because I’m currently listening to the audio book of Ready Player One (narrated by Will Wheaton aka Wesley Crusher). Personally, I’ve never been that interested in RPG. I always preferred to create my own worlds. But there you go! I then moved onto The History of Snow White, with one of my favourite BookTubers, Jen Campbell. Again, what could I not love about that? The nicest thing was that, when I asked her to sign my copy of The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night, she remembered my name! What a lovely person! ...

"I write asexual fairytales" - BBC How often does an opportunity like this come up? "The BBC are running a special week on Bradford, across all media. Send us your stories." My home town. On the BBC. And it coincides perfectly with my crowdfunding campaign for Asexual Fairy Tales . I can't send the email fast enough! Which is how it happens that - on an unusually springlike morning - a shiny, black vehicle containing camera equipment turns up on my street of small, back-to-back houses, with an operator and a reporter, ready to start filming. I have warned Louise from BBC News how small my house is, and have been assured the camera will be a small one. Obviously, she meant small by BBC standards. Still, the cameraman is unfazed by the fact that one camera and stand fills up practically all the available floor space. We squash in, just as we always do with friends and relatives. And, as it's a nice day, we film some stuff on the front step, and in the...

 Ann Millmore with fellow-Swanwicker Roy Devereaux, back in the day. Courtesy of Mike Brewer. Without doubt, one of the highlights of my year is my annual visit to Swanwick Writers' Summer School. This 6-day long writing fest takes place every year at Swanwick in Derbyshire. It's always good to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, to give and receive encouragement and inspiration.  This year was particularly special as it was the school's 70th anniversary. There were special celebrations, '40s themed events (work it out!) and even a giant birthday cake. One thing that connects the school's past to the present is the Swanwick Yearbook. Every year, delegates are asked to sign their names, along with where they come from. Unsurprisingly on this special year, the book was left open on past years, for current delegates to enjoy the nostalgia. I was reading through the page for 1967 when I came across two names from my home village of Clayton in Bradford. I had no id...

This is my last day at the festival, as I have responsibilities tomorrow.  Looking at my planned line-up of events, I expect to have my mind blown! I begin in the Old Building of Bradford College, which feels like a fascinating journey into the past.  I took a course here once, but have never been in the Sir Henry Mitchell Hall.  It feels like one of the theatres from my Angelio Trilogy.  I'm here for  Jerusalem: The Anthem , although we have to wait a while for all the speakers to be ready.  One of them is Ben Okri, who I had to study at uni, so this should be interesting, since I studied Blake as well. We are given some background to the poem, which originally appeared in the preface to two handmade copies of Milton .  We learn of Blake's pacifism, his unique but strong brand of Christian faith, and his sense of himself as a prophet, who saw a landscape infused with the spiritual.  We also hear how Hubert Parry was commissioned to write the musi...

I start the week tired, but excited to see Bradford Lit Fest on the Channel 4 News.  Added to the fact that AA Dhand is on the cover of Writing Magazine , and that the David Hockney celebrations also make the national news, I feel that Bradford is getting some amazing positive exposure. I hope to return to what I've dubbed "Bradtopia" on Wednesday, for Lunch Bites: Fantasy Fiction , but unfortunately it is cancelled as speaker Naomi Foyle has broken her ankle.   So, it's Friday again, and I'm going to A Nearly Infallible History of the Reformation . I approach with some trepidation.  As a Christian who is committed to ecumenism, and whose spiritual DNA is part-Baptist, part-Catholic, there a few events in history I feel more conflicted about. It turns out to be an enjoyable and informative event.  Author Nick Page manages to inject humour and a balanced view into an incredibly complex history.  Our whirlwind tour takes in Playmobil Martin Luthers, Top Trumps of ...

It's day two, and I have considerably less energy than yesterday.  Still, I manage to drive down the hill and park in the Broadway.  (A considerable acheivement for a nervous driver!)  To do this, I have had to leave partway through a sermon entitled: "Are you in prison?"  The question resonates. Today, I have my 1-1 Meet the Literary Agent with Kate Nash.  Bizarrely, I find this less helpful than my impromptu chat with Lisa Milton yesterday, as Kate is clearly expecting less experienced writers.  I  feel somewhat dispirited as I eat my jacket potato in Esquires. I am now pinning considerable hope on the experience of hearing  David Olusoga speak to his book,  Black and British: A Forgotten History.   I have brought my own copy from home, in the hopes that he will sign it, and maybe allow a selfie.  I do my lipstick, just in case.   Mercifully, David does not disappoint.  I am completely starstruck as he talks through them...

          The Arabian Nights panel.   Abdul-Rehman Malik,  Robert Irwin and SF Said. It's the first full day of the festival and I can't wait to get going.  I even do my nails! My first event of the day is Book Bidding Wars , which takes place in City Hall.  One of the panellists is Kate Nash, with whom I have a 1-1 tomorrow, so I am listening carefully.  The panel take us on a fascinating tour of the inner workings of publishing, such as:  What makes a bestseller?  What makes for a distinctive authorial voice?  What happens in acquisition meetings?  The impact of cultural trends (both platforms like Netflix and YouTube, and values like kindness and self-care). And the struggle to achieve diversity in publishing.  A lively Q & A time follows, and the festival volunteers have to evict us from the room to set up the next talk. I then miss my next event on  The Arthurian Legend because I am asking panellist...

400 Writers. 300 Events. 10 Days. One City. Bradford Lit Fest is here again! It's truly incredible how this world-class festival has been built up in only three years by Syima Aslam and Irna Qureshi. In true Bradford style, it's a cutting-edge festival that reflects our city's diversity and desire to discuss religion and politics openly. It's also an intelligent festival.  There are serious academic discussions with serious academics, alongside fun, family events. And on the menu for 2017, a whole stream on Fairy Tales, Myth and Legend! This year, I have been offered a feedback pass by the festival organisers, which means I will be going to LOADS of events!  And I'm going to attempt to blog about every single one of them. My first event is Mastering Eloquence with linguist David Crystal.  I've heard David - and his actor son Ben Crystal - speak more than once at Swanwick Writers' Summer School, so I know to expect something good. David doesn't disappoint...

This week I read Bradford: A Centenary City by Tom Montgomery  , written 20 years ago in 1997.  Tucked away between the familiar tales of Lister's Mill, Saltaire and the Bradford Pals were less familiar stories from the history of Bradford - stories ripe to be retold, adapted and used as springboards for fiction. I can't possibly write them all myself.  And, even if I did, I wouldn't write the same story you would.  So, for your delight and delectation - and for your inspiration too - here are 10 stories from the history of Bradford that deserve to be told: 1770s-90s: The move from the piece-work of cottage industry (spinning, weaving and wool-combing) to the very first machines and mills.  A key player here is the Quaker John Hustler, after whom the street Hustlergate is named. The "Wild West Riding" of the 1820s-40s, when Bradford was a "lawless frontier town."  Before the Incorporation Act of 1847, Bradford was a squalor of mills and slums,...

As promised, here is an update on my Big Week in Bradford: Here is my photo from the T&A, publicising the National Poetry Day film, with two of the other readers/writers. Here is a link to the film, with all the poems: http://bradford-city-of-film.com/big-screen/national-poetry-day/ And here I am, reading in the moon at The Wild Wood. Until next time!

It seems that this week, I will be popping up all over Bradford like a meerkat.  (Apologies to those of a nervous disposition!)  Several things have coincided at once, which is no bad thing.  Here's where I shall be: Wednesday 5th October: I may well appear in the Bradford Telegraph & Argus, as publicity for event #2. At any rate, I was photographed for it this afternoon. Thursday 6th October: It's National Poetry Day!  Along with a whole group of other people (mostly poets) I helped Bradford Libraries put together a poetry film, which will be shown on the big screen in Bradford City Park, as well as on YouTube .  I am reading one of the many poems from The Lord of the Rings , which seemed appropriate to my identity as a fantasy writer. (And a fitting thanks for how I began my career, as a LOTR fanfic writer). Friday 7th October: I will be reading three of my stories at the Wild Woods Bradford Launch Party.  This is a wonderful creative initia...

I would like to thank the wonderful people at Waterstones, Bradford Wool Exchange for a brilliant prize that I won a few weeks ago - free lunch and a copy of The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.  You can see the lunch here, right before I ate it! I've now finished reading the book, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  It's one of those books that is a physical object of desire, before you even start reading the story.  It has maps!  (You've got to love a book with maps.)  Actually, the main protagonist, Isabella, is a cartographer's daughter - hence the ink and stars of the title - and maps play a big part in the story.  The book also has blue and yellow map-themed decoration on every page, and blue writing.  Perfect. The story itself is a children's/teenage fantasy, set on an island called Joya.  According to myth, it used to be a floating island, but is now divided and ruled by a cruel governor.  However, when Isabella's friend goe...

Today was Clayton Dickensian Market day in my home village.  Unfortunately, the weather is so awful that the outdoor events had to be cancelled and as many stalls as possible moved indoors.  Claytonians showed true Yorkshire grit, however, and the indoor venues were packed. So, to cheer us along through the storms, I have posted the little story I wrote for this year's programme.  I hope it brings back memories of better years... Back to the (Dickensian) Future Scrooge raised an eyebrow.  “I assure you, Spirit, we have not met.  I think I would recall such outlandish dress.” “Oh, we have!”  The Ghost chuckled.  “Under rather different circumstances.  I dressed in black in those days and did not speak.  You were rather afraid of me, I think.” Scrooge blinked at the Spirit’s youthful smile and colourful, floppy clothes.  It couldn’t be…  It must be… “The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come?” Scrooge mumbled the words...

I've just spent a magical day at Bradford Industrial Museum, at an art workshop tied in with their current exhibition, Shadow Machines and Singing Paintings by Bradford-born artist, Steve Gumbley.  The day-long workshop had us using found and created objects to make artistic tableaux on a chosen theme.   The objects were arranged on circular stages, in a way that would cast interesting shadows and tell some kind of story.  Our group chose to combine birdcage ornaments with the cut-out Stuart silhouettes I had made for my birthday masquerade, to create a magical townscape.  Not too different from Angelio, in fact!  (The setting for the historical fantasy trilogy I am currently writing).   When the tableaux were complete, they were each transferred in turn to a revolving turntable, with a light shining on them.  The effect was truly magical!  Like a Lotte Reiniger movie.  There was also an additional activity, in which we each made an object to...

Today I'm trying something new - a live blog!  I'm in City Park, Bradford on Positive Bradford Day, manning a stall with my husband for something we call Bradford Dragon Hunt. This actually started with my Bradford: City of Fantasy short story reading at Ilkley Literature Festival, in which I read stories inspired by aspects of Bradford, accompanied by a slide show of fantastical architecture in Bradford.  As a booming city in the Industrial Age, Bradford contains loads of Victorian gothic, which is full of stone dragons and other mythological creatures.  As a result, my husband became really interested in stone dragons in the city centre and started photographing them.  Today's stall encourages people to take part in a dragon hunt around the city, counting the dragons in three "hot spots" to receive a certificate.  We're hoping it will encourage people to look at Bradford in a new way. As a little extra, I've also added a "find the hidden dragon...

Recently, I signed up to receive the first of the Gray Fox Epistles from Sylvia V Linstead, a writer from California.  If you have the money to try this, I thoroughly recommend it.  Every month, Sylvia retells a classic folktale in the context of her native California (March was the Children of Lir and April will be Tsarevna Frog).  She then posts them out to her subscribers, along with beautiful artwork, craft and pieces of nature.  I was especially happy to receive needles of a Redwood tree - not something I am ever likely to see in Yorkshire.  Have a look at Sylvia's blog if you would like to know more.  You can even see behind-the-scenes pictures of how she puts it all together. Actually, I think handcrafts and writing make wonderful partners.  That's why I will be having the launch for my novel, Silver Hands at the wonderful Hand Made in Bradford , which celebrates its first anniversary today.  This has been a wonderful initiative for my...

Last night, I spent several hours with a very enthusiastic bunch of people who were doing a sponsored sleepout for the homeless as part of a national initiative called Sleepout 2012.     The group I was with were in the car park of a charity called Keyhouse in Bradford, but there were similar groups up and down the country sleeping for homeless charities, live-linked to London via the Community Channel, where celebrity sleepers included "Branson" and " Daisy" from  Downton Abbey !   The Bradford group raised over £10,000.  One chap raised nearly £1000 on his own.  As some residents of Keyhouse were there, we could see for ourselves what a difference the money would make. I was invited to read a "bedtime story", although I don't think anyone was remotely ready for bed at that point.  As I was there for several hours, I also wrote a flash fiction "in situ", partly inspired by a piece of artwork being created during the course of ...