Monday, 18 April 2016
Winner of the Book Illustration Competition
Tuesday, 1 March 2016
Calais - An open letter to Witney
Dear Witney... dear anyone who might read this blog,
after yesterday's and ongoing events at the Calais Refugee Camp, I felt the strong need to write this, because 140 characters on Twitter cannot convey the pain, sadness, frustration, anger and helplessness I have felt following the disastrous "eviction" of the Jungle. A euphemism if there ever was one. I'm sure many of you feel the same, wanting to do something and feeling your hands tied by so many things: commitment to family and work, money, etc etc. Believe me, I myself felt like shutting shop and driving down there to help and express my solidarity, and I am sure my colleagues felt the same, but I have an obligation to our company and you, our customers.
This is why we wanted to help in any way we could.
Waterstones as a company made - I say that as a freethinking individual, not a "company drone" - a decision I admired, to raise a million pounds with the Books for Syria campaign. And all our heartfelt thanks go out to every one of you who bought the books donated by authors and publishers and dropped change into our collection box (which alone came to over £100!).
But we have also offered to be a drop-off point for donations, as you may have seen on the poster in the window, and over the last few months Witney folks generously donated items desperately needed in the camps: sleeping bags, warm coats, blankets, shoes, you name it.
This is something close to our heart not just because we want to do something to help those who have nothing left but the skin on their backs and, if they're lucky, their families. It is also because it has grown out of the fantastic community spirit in Witney, which I have never encountered anywhere else, and which has made me feel at home here ever since I moved here nearly 7 years ago.
Working in this store, you do see a lot of the same faces, and you get to know the people and stories behind them. It's one of my favourite parts of the job. I have met so many fantastic folks and it's awesome to see them in the street and smile and say hello.
Some of you will recall the community meeting that was held in the Como Lounge in September, where a local couple talked about their trip to the Jungle to drop off donations. I recognised many of your faces there and felt something I had never felt before: community pride. So many Witney folks came and asked how they could help the refugees. Even the council got involved.
Since then, a massive group has grown in Witney, out of just 3 or 4 people who started a Facebook page and asked friends to help and donate items Calais desperately needed, to channel them on to bigger, more organised grassroots groups like Calais Action to take to the camp. The response was overwhelming and the group grew and grew, and took on a life of its own. This was all YOU! This was evidence of the big heart that beats in Witney.
Some may be suspicious of a randomly created group collecting donations, but I know every single one of the creators and admins personally and guarantee you they are the kindest and most generous people you will ever meet.
Recently, a bunch of them decided to take trips down to the Jungle to drop off donations - items YOU dropped off in our store and elsewhere - and help out on site, and I am hoping they will soon be able to post stories of their experiences on here as well.
One of them you may even know yourself - Yasmin Mo, daughter of legendary Henry Mo, owner of the town's best sandwich bar Sandwich de Witney. Yasmin used to work for us as a children's bookseller a while back and was nothing but a delight. Always laughing, smiling, great with kids. She was always engaged in humanitarian and environmental matters and just a golden soul through and through. I am so proud of her engagement in this. She has also been updating us a lot on what is going on down in the Jungle, and all the stories filtering back were inspirational, beautiful and heartbreaking.
We all became so personally involved with the lives in Calais, the current events just broke our hearts. These volunteers have build a network, and communicate with each other, and many of them have been sending live updates from the Jungle "eviction" which shocked us.
The media has vilified the refugees' response, depicting them as violent and destructive, and of course, I would not be surprised if any of you now have second thoughts about helping.
But from what we could garner from those volunteers, the picture has been massively distorted. And in the end, rubber bullets and tear gas has still been shot at children - children who have known nothing but trauma in their short lives. I won't go too much into it, as the picture is too complex to be addressed in one blog post, other than to ask you to take media representations with a pinch of salt - and PLEASE don't let it turn off your heart and humanity. This isn't a political issue, it is a humanitarian one.
A recurring question that popped up whenever donations were dropped off was: "Is it too late? Do you still need those? Has the convoy left yet?"
It is never too late to help. And the humanitarian crisis we have is not going away. Yes, they still need help. Cars are still going there with donations. People are still going there to help, to stand in solidarity. The Witney Refugee Action Group on Facebook is an open group anyone can join.
Our little shop may have a brand name on our door, but we are part of your community, it is filled and run by human beings with lives, hearts and opinions who are members of this community and care for it, and I wanted to express this on our behalf.
after yesterday's and ongoing events at the Calais Refugee Camp, I felt the strong need to write this, because 140 characters on Twitter cannot convey the pain, sadness, frustration, anger and helplessness I have felt following the disastrous "eviction" of the Jungle. A euphemism if there ever was one. I'm sure many of you feel the same, wanting to do something and feeling your hands tied by so many things: commitment to family and work, money, etc etc. Believe me, I myself felt like shutting shop and driving down there to help and express my solidarity, and I am sure my colleagues felt the same, but I have an obligation to our company and you, our customers.
This is why we wanted to help in any way we could.
Waterstones as a company made - I say that as a freethinking individual, not a "company drone" - a decision I admired, to raise a million pounds with the Books for Syria campaign. And all our heartfelt thanks go out to every one of you who bought the books donated by authors and publishers and dropped change into our collection box (which alone came to over £100!).
But we have also offered to be a drop-off point for donations, as you may have seen on the poster in the window, and over the last few months Witney folks generously donated items desperately needed in the camps: sleeping bags, warm coats, blankets, shoes, you name it.
This is something close to our heart not just because we want to do something to help those who have nothing left but the skin on their backs and, if they're lucky, their families. It is also because it has grown out of the fantastic community spirit in Witney, which I have never encountered anywhere else, and which has made me feel at home here ever since I moved here nearly 7 years ago.
Working in this store, you do see a lot of the same faces, and you get to know the people and stories behind them. It's one of my favourite parts of the job. I have met so many fantastic folks and it's awesome to see them in the street and smile and say hello.
Some of you will recall the community meeting that was held in the Como Lounge in September, where a local couple talked about their trip to the Jungle to drop off donations. I recognised many of your faces there and felt something I had never felt before: community pride. So many Witney folks came and asked how they could help the refugees. Even the council got involved.
Since then, a massive group has grown in Witney, out of just 3 or 4 people who started a Facebook page and asked friends to help and donate items Calais desperately needed, to channel them on to bigger, more organised grassroots groups like Calais Action to take to the camp. The response was overwhelming and the group grew and grew, and took on a life of its own. This was all YOU! This was evidence of the big heart that beats in Witney.
Some may be suspicious of a randomly created group collecting donations, but I know every single one of the creators and admins personally and guarantee you they are the kindest and most generous people you will ever meet.
Recently, a bunch of them decided to take trips down to the Jungle to drop off donations - items YOU dropped off in our store and elsewhere - and help out on site, and I am hoping they will soon be able to post stories of their experiences on here as well.
One of them you may even know yourself - Yasmin Mo, daughter of legendary Henry Mo, owner of the town's best sandwich bar Sandwich de Witney. Yasmin used to work for us as a children's bookseller a while back and was nothing but a delight. Always laughing, smiling, great with kids. She was always engaged in humanitarian and environmental matters and just a golden soul through and through. I am so proud of her engagement in this. She has also been updating us a lot on what is going on down in the Jungle, and all the stories filtering back were inspirational, beautiful and heartbreaking.
We all became so personally involved with the lives in Calais, the current events just broke our hearts. These volunteers have build a network, and communicate with each other, and many of them have been sending live updates from the Jungle "eviction" which shocked us.
The media has vilified the refugees' response, depicting them as violent and destructive, and of course, I would not be surprised if any of you now have second thoughts about helping.
But from what we could garner from those volunteers, the picture has been massively distorted. And in the end, rubber bullets and tear gas has still been shot at children - children who have known nothing but trauma in their short lives. I won't go too much into it, as the picture is too complex to be addressed in one blog post, other than to ask you to take media representations with a pinch of salt - and PLEASE don't let it turn off your heart and humanity. This isn't a political issue, it is a humanitarian one.
A recurring question that popped up whenever donations were dropped off was: "Is it too late? Do you still need those? Has the convoy left yet?"
It is never too late to help. And the humanitarian crisis we have is not going away. Yes, they still need help. Cars are still going there with donations. People are still going there to help, to stand in solidarity. The Witney Refugee Action Group on Facebook is an open group anyone can join.
Our little shop may have a brand name on our door, but we are part of your community, it is filled and run by human beings with lives, hearts and opinions who are members of this community and care for it, and I wanted to express this on our behalf.
Thank you Witney!
Lots of love,
Patty
Tuesday, 16 February 2016
When Featherbones took flight
"That's what it means to be mad. To be stripped of meaning, stripped so bare you feel like the skin's been torn from your back and you're just bones. Bare bones and nerves, stuck out in the cold, where it stings, it burns like nothing you've felt before."
FEATHERBONES
The initial reading was a fine sample, but to truly appreciate the prose, the rhythm of the tale and the blurring of reality and Felix's delusions, you really need to read the whole thing! (hint hint)
After, Thomas revealed to us about his inspirations for the novel, which include the amazing artist Kate MccGwire and her creepy yet beautiful feathery sculptures, author Poppy Z. Brite, Clive Barker and Marilynne Robinson's watery imagery from Housekeeping.
Many thanks to all who came and made this day as wonderful as it was. And thank you to our own bookseller Matt! for climping lofty heights to get some good photos.
We totally sold out, but fear not, more are to come.
- Love, Patty
Saturday, 6 February 2016
Book Launch of Thomas Brown's Featherbones
One of the greater pleasures of running a bookshop is to receive the honour of hosting a book launch. It doesn't happen very often, which makes the times when it does happen all the sweeter. Launching a book is a little bit like the baptism of a baby. I wouldn't call it a birth - it would take away from the labour of love, pain, frustration, elation, white heat frenzy followed by staring helplessly at a blank screen, unable to form a single sentence, until suddenly that sentence is ready to be born and bursts out of you, and this happens about a million times where you take all these images and moments and scenes and weave them into a tapestry of narration, in which the aim is to never let the reader see your technique but to create the illusion of an alternate reality so seamlessly that characters become alive and sceneries burst with a life of their own.
Most writers can quite possibly relate to that type of birth - it can take months, even years. But all the pains will be forgotten as soon as you hold your baby in your arms. Letting go of a book is often like letting your kid go out into the world, perhaps never completely happy or comfortable with it, but there it goes.
Hosting a book launch is like having a party: to welcome the kid, to celebrate the efforts of its parent, to appreciate the beauty of the finished work and marvel at the complexity of its creation.
So we at Waterstones Witney are delighted to invite everyone to the baptism of Featherbones, the wonderful brain child of Witney author Thomas Brown.
Please join us on Saturday, 13th February, from 1-3 pm, for a reading, a Q&A session, signing and general merriment with snacks, cake and drinks.
If you ever wanted to chat to an author about writing, his inspiration and his way to getting published, now is the opportunity.
Plus, a party at a bookshop? Come on! It doesn't get better than this!
Some of you may remember the launch of Mr Brown's first book Lynnwood, back in June 2013, which was a wonderful experience for everyone involved. Mr Brown's dark tale of the primal appetites of a small New Forest village was since shortlisted for the People's Book Prize.
His second novel again deals with the darker side of the human soul. It is an intricately woven tale of a young man's slow mental unravelling as he tries to come to terms with not just a traumatic incident in his childhood, but the very nature of his being. At times, the story is hard to take, as the bleakness and loneliness of the protagonist infiltrates your heart like a cold fog - unlike in other tales, his struggle is not romanticised or sentimentalised, despite the stunning beauty of the prose.
Leaving the reader defenseless in Felix's increasingly unhinged mind, it begins to blur the lines between nightmare and waking, between reality and delusion, employing all the senses... all the while Felix's ordinary life continues.
Featherbones, with it's mythological elements and intense symbolism mixed into a bleak reality, reminded me much of Patrick Ness' A Monster Calls or Stephen King's Rose Madder - but just as if Susan Hill or Angela Carter had written it.
We do hope you'll be able to join us.
Lots of love,
Patty
Tuesday, 2 February 2016
Harry Potter Book Night - A Night of Spells
Calling all witches and wizards - and any muggle wannabes, too!
Join us at Hogwarterstones (see what we did there?) on Thursday the 4th of February for Harry Potter Book Night, our annual celebration of all things mysterious and magical!
If you're feeling creative, why not contribute your most effective and enchanting spell to our highly sought-after Hogwarterstones Book of Spells, a tome so powerful that in the wrong hands could bring down civilisation as we know it? Or, cook up your most intoxicating potion recipes, and commit them to our anthology forevermore.
As if that wasn't enough, we will also have with us a certain nasally-challenged special guest - yes, the Dark Lord himself (no, not Peter Mandelson). He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will be joining us for a game of Pin The Nose On Voldemort, so start getting some practice in!
Plus, of course, we'll still be open for business, selling all your prescribed wizarding textbooks, as well as the brand new Harry Potter Magical Creatures Colouring Book and the beautiful Illustrated version of The Philosopher's Stone - don't forget your galleons!
The official event starts at 4:00, but we'll have Harry Potter colouring out all day.
Don your robes, grab your wards, jump on your brooms, and join us for a magical evening!
Love, Owen
Tuesday, 17 November 2015
Thoughts on Selznick's The Marvels
Our former bookseller Lewi, poet, writer and aficionado of all things art and Victorian, posted an interesting comment on Facebook about Brian Selznick's beautiful book The Marvels - nutritious food for thought:
"I go to bed tonight a little saddened. I have just finished reading the most beautiful book, recommended to me by my even more beautiful friend Patty, which is 'The Marvels' by Brian Selznick. It is a tale of two halves where 60% or so consists of hand-drawn scenes which tell one story (and reminded me of a visual representation of a Sigur Ros song), while the rest is dedicated to the written word, which frames the first story in another incredibly delicate, plot-twisting, happy-and-sad-at-the-same-time theme which rounds everything off so sweetly. Without giving too much away, there are a gay man and a gender-fluid girl in the story (who just so happen to be gay and non-binary without having the story revolve around those aspects), which, considering the book is primarily aimed at teenagers, I think it is an absolutely incredible way of showing diversity and a 21st century attitude to "different" types of people with whom we share this planet, no?
However, upon looking to amazon to see what others thought of it, I was upset and, to be honest, quite angry about how many adults consider the aforementioned themes as, and I quote, "controversial", "not suitable for a young audience" and "requiring parental involvement".
I'm sorry, but what? How on earth can the account of a fictional man expressing his love for another man, and a girl who does not wish to necessarily be represented as such, be considered as "not suitable" and "controversial"?! How else will teenagers, especially those who are struggling with gender and sexuality identity issues, empathise with others, real or not, who are or have gone through the same thing? How else will they learn tolerance for homosexuality and so forth, if this is being attempted to be taken away from them by fully grown adults - a lot of those reviews were from teachers too! What is it going to take to make people realise that it is okay to have gay and gender-fluid characters in books and for it not to affect the storytelling and the plot and so forth?
I don't know if it is because of the friends I have or how I was raised or my liberal, mostly left-wing views but I see absolutely no problem with any of it in the slightest, and people suggesting that others do not buy this book for their children because of those "issues" (yet they are quick to say how good Selznick's other books are, which contain heterosexual, gender-conforming characters) are purely adding to the problem by creating a stigma around two already very sensitive issues. I thought this was 2015, not 1815. Many, many people are becoming more open-minded, I know, and I think that is fantastic, and I know those reviews are just electronic words on an electronic screen but they have dampened my spirits and shed a perhaps unwanted light on the fact that we still have a long way to go in the name of social equality."
Thursday, 12 November 2015
And the winner of our Halloween Short Story Competition is...
FRANKIE HOLLIS, age 9, from Witney!!!
Frankie displayed a ferocious imagination with this little terrifying tale, with an incredible attention to gory detail. What send an icy shudder down our backs was the image of stairs covered in hair and moss. Reminded me of a brief scene from the Pet Sematary film (which Frankie must promise to not watch for another 10 years or so!).
And you will be pleased to know, Frankie, that I've showed your story to horror author Adam Nevill, and he approved of it very much!
So without much further ado, here's Frankie's tale of doom!
Frankie displayed a ferocious imagination with this little terrifying tale, with an incredible attention to gory detail. What send an icy shudder down our backs was the image of stairs covered in hair and moss. Reminded me of a brief scene from the Pet Sematary film (which Frankie must promise to not watch for another 10 years or so!).
And you will be pleased to know, Frankie, that I've showed your story to horror author Adam Nevill, and he approved of it very much!
So without much further ado, here's Frankie's tale of doom!
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