Last week we announced the winner of our Early Bird Registration competition – Andrew Robinson.
He was one of 94 first-time LIANZA members who joined up between 1 June & 31 July 2009, and was therefore entered into the draw to win a full Early Bird Registration.
We thought you might be interested to know a bit more about our lucky winner of this competition, so I threw some curly questions his way last week and now you get to find out a little more about the mysterious Andrew Robinson, Libraries & Customer Services Manager, South Waikato District Council.
Andrew Robinson, South Waikato District Council
So, how long have you worked in the library sector?
“On and off for about 12 years, just started my second year as manager. I have been out of the library scene for a while but definitely enjoying being back.”
What’s the coolest job title you have had?
“Apart from my current one? Systems Administrator Linux/Unix”
What did you want to be when you grew up?
“A professional Basketball player, no wait an Astronaut, nah definitely Batman”
What’s your favourite blog?
“Too busy for blogging but ramonesblog.com – great blog for the world’s greatest band. Of course if someone starts a blog about being a basketball playing superhero who flies a space shuttle – I’m in!”
Favourite NZ holiday destination?
“Anywhere there’s sun, surf and sand.”
Last movie you saw (and did you love it or hate it?)
“Harry Potter and the Half blood prince, it was decidedly average. As usual in Book vs Movie, Book wins!”
Last book you read (and who would you recommend it to?)
“The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb, pub. 2008. Awesome story, fans of Jodi Picoult will enjoy but it has a lot more substance.”
What was the last book you didn’t finish?
“Dune…twice. 3rd time lucky maybe” (mj interjects – my response for this is Lord of the Rings, I can’t finish even the first book)
Have you ever been to Christchurch? If yes, what do you remember most about it? If no, what do you know about Christchurch?
“No I haven’t been to Christchurch so really looking forward to it and to be honest my knowledge is sketchy. I know they have a river and some hills, a cathedral, a retired Wizard, and an average rugby team.”
What are you looking forward to at this year’s Conference?
“I always enjoy the keynote speakers and I’m looking forward to hearing Richard Stallman. What’s particularly beneficial to me is the exposure to what’s happening in libraries and the trends that are emerging, it should be a great conference!”
Thanks to Andrew for answering our questions. We’re hoping that he’ll take away more than a few sketchy ideas about a southern city with a retired wizard and a cathedral.
If you have any other questions that you’d like to throw Andrew’s way, post them here and we’ll see if we can’t get an answer out of him before conference.
Regi Claire and Leila (Copyright Scotsman Publishing Limited)
I am so happy that Regi Claire agreed to this interview. Because her events were on those days that I stupidly agreed to work! Her anthology of short stories, Fighting It, inspired by a recent battle with cancer, was published by Two Ravens Press earlier this year. There is a very personal account of her illness on the Vulpes Libris blog. Today, however, we are concentrating on more positive things, delighted that Regi is now well and can present at the EIBF 2009 where she was sharing the stage with Andrea McNicoll, whose novel Moonshine In The Morning won the 2009 Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust First Novel Award (formerly known as the Scottish Council Award!).
LS: How did you become part of the 2009 Programme?
RC: It’s a simple story. I was invited by the organisers.
LS: If you’re part of a double-bill, what do you think of the book you’re paired with?
RC: Moonshine in the Morning, by Andrea McNicoll, provides an interesting glimpse of village life in Thailand, focusing on ‘ordinary’ people. Similarly, the stories in my new book, Fighting It, are mostly set abroad (Switzerland, where I grew up, France, the Canaries, the Middle East) and they all give voice to men and women who seem otherwise condemned to suffer in silence.
LS: How did you prepare for the EIBF event? Have you obsessed about your ticket sales?
RC: I had two events this year.
For the Amnesty reading, I very slightly edited the texts (a prose letter and two poems) that I’d been given, then practised reading them several times. I always prepare a lot more when it comes to performing other people’s work as I am keenly aware of my responsibility towards them.
For the reading with Andrea, I knew I’d have to edit the story I’d chosen so it would fit the time slot of 15 to 20 minutes. I started preparing the day before the gig, cutting quite a bit and rewriting a few sentences, reading the text back to myself in a whisper, then performing it aloud – a couple of times to myself and once more to my husband, Ron Butlin, and our dog. I did some final editing on the bus to and from an evening event, then fine-tuned the story one last time in bed, after midnight.
I don’t think it’s worth spending time (and energy!) worrying about sales.
LS: It’s the morning of your event – what happened beforehand? Are there any rituals to be followed before you step on the stage?
RC: A mad dash as usual. For my own event (at 10.15 am): getting up too late, then running to the bus stop, putting on the earrings and final touches of makeup on the bus while scan-reading the story one last time, then another sprint from the bus stop in George Street to the authors’ yurt.
Can going for a quick pee and brushing my hair be called rituals?
LS: How did the events go?
RC: Both events went really well. Pretty much a full house each time, and lots of books sold.
The Amnesty reading was very moving as, thanks to the charity ‘The Medical Foundation for the Care and Resettlement of the Victims of Torture’, the authors of the texts were present and introduced themselves to the audience before we read (‘we’ being Moris Fahri, Otto de Kat, Ron Butlin, and myself). One young man, from Iran, struck us all as exceptionally gifted, and I’m quite sure we’ll hear more of him. His pen name is ‘Dusk’.
The event with Andrea worked very well as we seemed to complement each other perfectly, with respect to both our work and our style of performance. The literary agent Jenny Brown was excellent at introducing us and then chairing the Q and A session. So, only happy memories!
LS: How did you choose which extract to read?
RC: I chose a story that was listener-friendly – with dialogue, vivid descriptions and action – fun to perform and which I hadn’t read at a venue in Edinburgh before.
LS: Book-signing – love it or hate it?
RC: I enjoy interacting with my readers, and find it a rather humbling experience. I always make sure to have a quick word with them rather than just sign their books like a machine.
LS: What did you do after the book-signing?
RC: My husband and a very good Swiss friend of mine went back to the authors’ yurt for a chat with Andrea and Jenny, and a celebratory drink with some other writer friends (even though it wasn’t quite lunchtime yet…).
LS: How do you feel about book festivals in general? The EIBF in particular?
RC: I love book festivals, both as a performer and as a reader. They provide a wonderful opportunity for authors to meet their audience as well as fellow authors. Having lived in Scotland for the past 16 years, I’ve got to know many of the writers based here, but the EIBF (with its magic authors’ yurt) has allowed me to make the acquaintance of authors from (much) further afield, which has been really exciting. This time round, we made friends with a writer from New York, George Dawes Greene, who set up ‘The Moth’. We ended up going out for dinner with him and some friends three evenings in a week.
LS: Did you attend any other book festival events?
RC: Yes, quite a few. My husband’s events, of course, but also several others. So far Margaret Drabble, Ian Rankin, A L Kennedy, Alasdair Gray, (The European premiere of) The Moth, and the James Tait Black Memorial Prizes (the latter was held during a power failure, which meant that the chairman, judges and winners had to speak/read by torchlight, without mikes – quite an experience!). I enjoyed them all and hope to have learned from each of them in a different way. And I’m looking forward to hearing Dubravka Ugresic, Frank Gardner and Margaret Atwood over the coming days.
LS: Thanks, Regi. Would you mind telling me (in comments) the title of the story you read? I’ll be reading your anthology during my Short Story September and I’d like to relive the atmosphere in the Spiegeltent at Charlotte Square.
Kate Davies, Romance novelist and European soap addict, interviewed all three of us here at EKP for her spotlight on M/M theme this week on her blog. Check it out here, and give her some love from us while you’re at it.
In not-so-awesome news, Episode 747 is temporarily offline on YouTube, but you can now find both parts at our back-up Daily Motion account.
And now back to our regular schedule for today, which consists of gleeping, flailing, squeeing, and otherwise exploding with love all over Episode 750! EEEEEEE!
Her popular blog A Year ‘Til I’m Thirty shows you just what can be achieved in one year. One year. Many challenges. One inspirational woman. Ladies and Gentlemen, Rin Simpson.
Why did you decide to start a blog?
I’d been thinking for a while that I’d enjoy writing a blog, since I’m a serial journal keeper, but didn’t want to just ramble. It was only as I was approaching my 29th birthday, and thinking about all the things that I wanted to achieve before the big 3-0, that I realised my last year as a 20-something could make for an interesting blog topic. And what better way of motivating myself to actually do the things I wanted to do, than sharing my goals with an audience?
What are or were (if you’ve already achieved them) some of the things you’d like to achieve by the time you turn 30?
It’s a really random list which runs from small, easily achieved goals like baking a pie in my as yet untouched Pampered Chef pie dish (still haven’t done that one!) to getting published in a national newspaper (something I achieved just a fortnight ago, when my first, albeit anonymous, article appeared in the Guardian). Other things I’ve ticked off include completing a teaching course, knitting a jumper, and seeing the balloons take off at 6am at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta – but I’ve still got loads to do, like cycling from Bristol to Bath and cooking a three course meal for my whole family.
Are the things you want to achieve before you turn 30 recent goals or are some of them lifelong ambitions?
Getting published in a national was a pretty long standing goal, as are a few of the other, but others are more recent. I think the very act of writing down my goals made me realise how many more I had that I hadn’t even realised – and I seem to be adding to the list all the time!
A lot of people have goals they’d love to achieve but, for whatever reason, they just don’t “get round to it”. What advice would you give to someone who wants to achieve a goal or ambition but doesn’t know where to start?
Put a date in your diary. Honestly, it’s the only way you’ll do it. It could be that you need to block out just one Saturday afternoon to actually get yourself to that museum you’ve always wanted to visit, or maybe you need to pencil in half an hour each morning to train for the marathon you keep saying you’ll run. Whatever the case, having it there in black and white is a great motivator.
Is planning important? Is it important to make lists and write your goals down on paper?
I would say definitely, but then I’m a visual learner (something I learned about myself on my teaching course!) Not only will it help you stay focused, and not let you forget anything, but there’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing items on the list get gradually crossed off. Whether you prefer pen and paper, like me, or an electronic version, I would definitely recommend making lists.
It’s August and, once again, the promised barbeque summer has materialised as a monsoon (well, it has here in Cardiff anyway). How are things progressing? Have you had any major successes you’d like to share? Have you achieved many of your goals so far?
The most exciting thing I’d like to share is that, after writing fiction for about 25 years but being too scared to let anyone other than close friend and family see it, I finally sent in a short story for publication – and had it accepted! I just cannot believe that the first thing I submitted is now going to be published. It’ll be out in January – just in time for my birthday in February – in an anthology of fashion related stories called Cut on the Bias, which is being published by a Welsh women’s press called Honno.
Have any of your goals proved more difficult to achieve than you had previously expected?
Probably those that involve other people. It’s all very well motivating yourself, but motivating other people can be a nightmare. I want to go ice skating at one of the outdoor rinks at Christmas, for example, something which should be simple, but I know it will prove a lot more complicated than some of the goals which I can get on with quietly without any input from anyone else.
Achieving just one goal takes a huge amount of confidence, tenacity, motivation and inspiration. Who or what motivates you and who or what inspires you?
Different things motivate different goals. Sometimes it’s people (cooking a three course meal for my family, for example, is less about achieving culinary greatness than blessing my family), other times it’s curiosity (I really want to know what my Austrian great grandfather’s letters to my grandmother say, something I’ll never know until I get them translated). But mostly I guess it’s just a quirk of my personality – I like to achieve. It makes me happy.
Would you agree with the statement that, in terms of achieving goals: talent is nothing without tenacity?
Definitely. The world is full of talented people, so why should anyone pay attention to you? You can’t wait for things to happen to you, you have to make them happen, and you have to keep persevering until you reach your goal.
My challenge brought me many unexpected rewards: I can order a pint of beer in Cornish and I got to meet a few of my heroes. Has trying to achieve any of your goals led to any unexpected rewards and/or unexpected positive things being added to your life?
I think what I hadn’t expected was the overall change it has caused in me as a person. I’ve always been a real dreamer – full of ideas but pretty lazy – but that’s started to change now, and I’m starting to get off my backside and do more. Which was the whole point of the exercise really, so I’m glad it’s working!
Can you speak any foreign languages?
I’m not fluent in any one language, because I’ve never really tried hard enough, but I can speak little bits (literally the ‘hello, how are you, my name is’ stuff) of a few obscure ones – German, Afrikaans, Xhosa and Japanese. Oh, and British Sign Language. I can also say ‘where’s the party?’ in Spanish, on account of one very cool holiday in the Dominican Republic a few years back!
What do you think of my language learning challenge and blog?
It’s a great idea. People think that there’s no point in learning a language unless you go the whole hog and get fluent, but I think we need to change the reputation Brits have for steadfastly refusing to learn any language other than our own. Even if you only learn how to say please and thank you, or to ask for directions, it shows willing – and you might discover you want to learn more.
Do you think it is important that all of us celebrate the things we achieve in life (no matter how small the achievement)? If you do, why?
Absolutely. Who’s to say someone’s ‘big’ achievement is any more important than someone else’s ’small’ one? Also, if you don’t encourage yourself the small achievements, how will you ever have enough enthusiasm or belief in yourself to reach the big ones? Remember, they didn’t think ‘hm, let’s put a man on the moon’ and then do it the next day.
Finally, the recession seems to be impacting on a lot on people’s lives. One of the main things that hold people back from achieving their goals is money. Any tips for making positive changes to your life when you’re on a budget?
Actually, I’ve recently gone through a break up which means my finances are well short of what they were when I started my blog, and if anything the lack of funds has encouraged me. Where I used to eat out, I’m trying more recipes at home. Where I would have spent a fortune on Christmas presents, I’m now making my own. There is absolutely nothing that can stand in your way if you really want to achieve, so don’t let a little thing like a tight budget get in your way.
The following set of blog posts summarizes the work I have done with an organization called Changing Lives Through Literature (CLTL). This second post, “Interview with Ken,” highlights the unique interview I conducted while at Boston’s Dorchester Court House. I believe a program similar to CLTL could succeed in Canada, but it will require a great deal of lobbying and effort by committed individuals. Now that I am finished my Master of Arts degree, perhaps I will begin this process.
Ken
Built in Boston’s densely populated inner city, the Dorchester men’s CLTL program is by far the largest, graduating a cohort of 37 men last year and requiring a staff of eight, including two English professors (Taylor Stoehr and Bert Stern), three to four probation officers, a judge, and two former program participants. The class meets for ten weekly sessions of ninety minutes each and uses Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of an American Slave as a primary text. Ken is a graduate from that large cohort who promptly arrived to meet me at the Dorchester District Courthouse to cover for a last minute interview cancellation.
When asked about his experience in CLTL, Ken particularly appreciated the feedback he received on written assignments:
[CLTL] opened up my way of thinking a whole lot differently. I found myself writing about stuff that I wasn’t even thinking about. And the more I wrote, once I started writing I couldn’t stop. . . Taylor, when he used to give us comments, he said I got a knack for [writing]. Now I want to write my own autobiography one day . . . [Taylor] gave me a lot of input and he gave me some places where I can go if I want to go to school, you know? Like, who to contact for loans or whatever . . . after you graduate you get this booklet, when they read it, they was like, wow man you got some talent . . . [Taylor and Bert] knew I had a real talent in writing, and Taylor he really made me feel good, his comments . . . I felt real good about myself after that.
When asked whether or not CLTL changed his opinions of other people, Ken recalled being struck by a story the presiding judge told during a group session:
We had a judge there, and he made a movie, a documentary about his father. About how him and his father didn’t really get along, and his father was a just a provider and this and that, but there was no connection. And we talked about how a male child needs is his father; even though a girl needs her father too. So, we touched a lot of subjects like that. Which was good because like I said it opened up different avenues of my mind. You know what I’m saying? My brain. Where before I wouldn’t even think of something like that. I started writing you know and I enjoy it . . .
Aside from the interaction between the instructors and students, that he and his classmates mainly agreed to take CLTL to get six months taken off of their probation:
Some dudes told stories about how what his father did to him to make him do what he’s doing and how he was sleeping in abandoned buildings, and his alcoholism and things like that . . . A lot of people had a lot of different stories. And I think they felt the same way that I felt: that they didn’t realize that they was going to be talking about this stuff. You know what I’m saying? You know, like you going in and you’re like, I’m just going to read some books. But a lot of people opened up.
Ken’s statements reveal that, along with literature, writing, and the facilitators, interactions between class participants are another important part of CLTL. Ken’s indication that “they felt the same way that I felt” indicates sentiments of empathy amongst the group.
My next post will summarize my interview with former CLTL participant, Ken. Please leave comments or check other posts I’ve written for the CLTL blog, Changing Lives Changing Minds:
Book Review: “Missing Sarah” by Maggie de Vries
Has the Torch Been Passed? A Review of the 2008 Annual Conference
A Different Light: Report from the 2009 Changing Lives Through Literature Conference
Starting and Maintaining a CLTL Juvenile Program: An Interview with Michael Habib
IN PREPARATION FOR HIS FORTH COMING ALBUM “BLUEPRINT 3″ JAY-Z WILL BE GRACING THE COVER OF THE OCTOBER ISSUE OF XXL MAGAZINE. YOU KNEW THAT WAS COMING THOUGH RIGHT? ALSO AS THE LEAKS KEEP COMING, BELOW IS A DOWNLOAD OF A NEW TRACK PRODUCED BY TIMBALAND CALLED “VENUS VS. MARS”. IN MY PERSONAL OPINION IT’S HIS BEST LYRICAL PERFORMANCE SO FAR OF ALL THE BP3 LEAKS AND SINGLES.
I had mentioned before that I would like to share interview’s of people who have used the C25K as a way to become more fit and healthier. My hopes were that these interviews would bring us closer as a running community as well encourage those of us who needed some more motivation. I asked Erik a few weeks ago if he could share his experience(s) of running with us. He gladly agreed and below you’ll read his road to running success.
In his comments below Erik tells us how he started running and in what ways he prepares himself for the race.
Thanks again Erik for sharing your experience with Couch to 5K. Keep up the good work!
Read on…
Question: Tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you do for a living? Are you a exercise/fitness buff?
Answer: I’m a system admin for a company that creates custom voice-over-IP telephony solutions.
Question: How did you discover Couch to 5K running plan? Were you physically active before starting the C25K?
Answer: I used to be very active in high school, running long-distance events in track and field, but 10 years of college and working in IT took their toll on my body. I put on close to 70 lbs. I finally decided to start running again after reading an article on the Couch-to-5K running program on Lifehacker. I knew I needed to start out running shorter distances and work my way up, but I didn’t have any idea how to go about doing it, and I liked that the C25K intervals were already well-thought-out.
Question: What were your goals when you started the C25K plan?
Answer: My primary goal was to lose weight. The weight I had put on since high school was causing me a lot of back pain. I also had a couple friends that got themselves into shape after years of being inactive, and they were a real inspiration to me.
Question: How do you fit in the workout in your daily routine? What do you do to keep yourself motivated?
Answer: I usually run in the evening after work. I do most of my running on the treadmill in the fitness center at the apartment complex where I live, but I’ve recently been doing a bit of outdoor running in the morning before I leave for work. I have done a couple 5K runs now, and I’ve been planning other ones to keep myself motivated. My goal is to continue to improve my time each time I run a 5K, and that is what is keeping me motivated.
Question: What iPhone apps / gadgets do you use for your workouts?
Answer: I’ve gone all the way through the C25K app and am almost done with week 8 of the GW28K app. I also have been using RunKeeper Pro to track my outdoor runs. I’ve been trying to do a small 20-minute run in the morning if I know I won’t be able to do a C25K/GW28K run that evening, just to keep myself going.
Question: So, you’ve completed a few 5K races and are about to do another one soon. What’s your best time? How did you get there?
Answer: Shortly after I began doing C25K, I attempted a 5K for a couple reasons: 1) to see if I could finish, and 2) so I would know how much I improved as a result of doing the program. I finished in 50 minutes even. Just over 3 months later, after completing the C25K workouts and beginning the first few weeks of the GW28K runs, I ran another 5K run last month and improved from 50:00 to 36:36. I’ve got another one planned for September and my goal is to get under 34 minutes.
Question: What do you do to prepare for the race day? How is running a race different than your regular 5K run?
Answer: I usually eat a big meal the night before, and then no breakfast the morning of the race. I eat an energy bar about half an hour before the race, and drink a little Gatorade to hydrate myself. Race day is different from my normal runs in that most of my workouts have been on a treadmill, so it’s different when you’re running outside. You use different muscles than you do running on a treadmill, so I’ve experienced a lot of muscle aches the day after a race. I’ve been running more outside recently to try to build up those leg muscles I don’t use as much on the treadmill.
Question: How has doing the Couch to 5K program changed your life? Did you become more active or loose weight, etc?
Answer: So far I’ve lost 30 lbs, lost 4 inches in my waist, and gone down 2 shirt sizes. I’ve also started personal training to build more muscle in my upper-body, something that running doesn’t really address. Overall I’m much more active than I used to be, and I just feel so much better. I can go to a place like the county fair for a couple hours and walk around and not feel pain in my lower back.
Question: What would you recommend to someone thinking about starting the Couch to 5K program?
Answer: I highly recommend it. When I started, I had trouble moving to the second week’s workouts. I couldn’t even run 3 minutes without being completely worn out. Now I’m running two 20-minute intervals, and I’ll be stepping it up to 25-minute intervals later this week. Set goals for yourself. Register for one or two 5K runs a few months down the line when you’ll be done with the C25K program. The fact that you are already registered will give you something to work towards. Set realistic goals for yourself, and keep setting new ones as you achieve each of them.
Question: Anything else you’d like to add?
Answer: The C25K and GW28K apps have been a huge reason for my success, so I’d like to thank Alex for his hard work. It’s a lot easier to have the voice cues telling you when to run/walk than it is keeping track of it on the treadmill’s timer, or carrying a stopwatch with you and constantly checking it.
