1000 Books Campaign

Cinnamon Press have a fantastic offer on at the moment – a selection of fiction and poetry titles are on sale for just £3 each, including UK delivery. This includes The Schoolboy! It’s part of their 1000 books offer, which aims to sell as many books as possible to fundraise for new up-and-coming titles. For more details, click here

Exposure has arrived

I woke up this morning to my postman bringing me my copies of Exposure, the prose poetry and microfiction anthology I co-edited with Jan Fortune-Wood last year. The copies look beautiful, and for a moment I felt much like a proud parent must when they leave their child at the school gates on their first day at school. Exposure, you are now in the world!

I am so proud of this anthology; the pieces inside are some of the best short pieces I have read in my many years of researching the genres of prose poetry and microfiction. It was a lot of hard work – the submissions we received were well into the thousands – but was all worth it! Congratulations to everyone whose work is inside.

Buy your copy now, by clicking here

Hay Festival, this Sunday!

Don’t forget that I’m reading at Hay Festival this Sunday, 6th June. It’s part of an event based around ‘coming of age’ novels, so I’ll be reading with Stephen May, author of Tag (Cinnamon Press), and Elaine Walker, author of The Horses (Cinnamon Press), and answering some questions from Jan Fortune-Wood, who is editor at Cinnamon Press.

It starts at 11am in the Welsh Literature marquee on the main festival site, and best of all, it’s free entry. See you there!

Hay Festival 2010

I am delighted to post that I’m reading at the Hay festival this year, on Sunday 6th June. It’s part of an event based around ‘coming of age’ novels, and I’ll be reading with Stephen May, author of Tag (Cinnamon Press), and Elaine Walker, author of The Horses (Cinnamon Press).

It starts at 11am in the Welsh Literature marquee on the main festival site, and best of all, it’s free entry. I hope to see you there!

Reading in Clapham Library/Cinnamon Anthology Update

Just a quick entry tonight…

Firstly, I just want to remind you that I’m reading from The Schoolboy on Saturday 5th December (this Saturday) at 7pm in Clapham Library. The nearest tube station is Clapham Common. It’s free entry, and there will be a wine reception. I’ll be reading, followed by a Q&A, and signed copies will be available to buy.

Secondly, Jan and I are currently emailing respondents to the Cinnamon prose poetry/microfiction anthology. You should hear from us about the status of your piece(s) in the next week. We received far more entries than we ever expected, and because of this we have taken a little longer to get back to you than we originally anticipated. Thanks for your patience.

On Tour

I have been up and down Wales promoting The Schoolboy over the last few weeks. The last venue was Bangor, and I’d like to thank everyone who made the effort to attend on such a blustery, rainy evening.

But I will also be bringing The Schoolboy to London. The last leg of my 2009 ‘tour’ will be on Saturday, 5th December at Clapham library, from 7pm. There will be refreshments available (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), and it’s free to get in. Here’s a map to help you find it. The address is 1 Northside, Clapham Common SW4 0QW. The nearest tube station is Clapham Common. See you there, I hope!

One down…

So, I had a lovely audience at the Aberystwyth reading, and some fabulous, startling and intelligent questions. Thanks to all of you who attended. I have two scheduled readings left in the next two months, which are:

Saturday 7th November (this Saturday!), Blue Sky Cafe, Bangor, 7.30 pm.

This is a free event with bar. Blue Sky is tucked away up an alleyway on the south side of the High Street. It shares its building with Gecko, a clothes shop. See www.blueskybangor.co.uk.

Saturday 5th December: London.

Clapham Library, 7 p.m. 1 Northside Clapham Common SW4 (near Clapham Common tube station). This is a free event with refreshments available.

If you missed my launch in Cardiff, and my reading in Aberystwyth, it’d be lovely to see you at another event.

In other news, I am still carefully sifting through microfictions and prose poems submitted for the anthology I’m co-editing. The submissions were well into the thousand mark, so please be patient as we want to make this a great book, and we want to take time and care going through the pieces. Thanks again if you sent in your work; we will get back to you as soon as humanly possible.

Lots of readings!

I have a whole host of events coming up all over the UK, so please do come along and say hello, buy books, and have a chat. I’ll be reading from The Schoolboy, so if you missed the launch, don’t worry!

Thursday 22nd October: Aberystwyth.

Bookshop @ Aberystwyth Arts Centre, 7.00p.m. This is a free event with refreshments available.

Saturday 7th November: Bangor.

Blue Sky Cafe, Bangor, 7.30p.m. This is a free event with bar. (Blue Sky is tucked away up an alleyway on the south side of the High Street. It shares its building with Gecko, a clothes shop. See www.blueskybangor.co.uk.)

Saturday 5th December: London.

Clapham Library, 7 p.m. 1 Northside Clapham Common SW4 (near Clapham Common tube station). This is a free event with refreshments available.

I hope to see you at some point soon!

Thanks!

This is just a quick post to thank everyone who came to my launch last week. Photos and details of where to view the performance online will follow shortly.

I’ll be doing a series of readings from The Schoolboy over the next few months, so keep an eye on the site for further news. And if you still haven’t got your copy of The Schoolboy, just pop over  here where you can get your hands on one for only £6 including UK delivery.

Cordially Inviting You (Yes, YOU) to The Schoolboy Launch

Invitation from Cinnamon Press:

An invitation to the launch of Holly Howitt’s brilliant and controversial debut novel, The Schoolboy

Cinnamon Press and Holly Howitt in association with Academi invite you to the launch of The Schoolboy

Tuesday September 15^th, 7.30 pm

Bar One, (upstairs) Wales Millennium Centre, Bute Street, Cardiff.

Free event with bar. RSVP to jan@cinnamonpress.com

If you can’t make the launch please support this fantastic novel by buying a copy from www.cinnamonpress.com – currently on offer at the pre-order/introductory price of only £6.00 inc p+p in the UK

Or look out for other readings coming up soon in Aberystwyth, Bangor and London.

About The Schoolboy

Controversial, dark and funny; The Schoolboy is an astonishing psychological study of a disturbed adolescent mind, a commentary on morality and society and a gripping read from one of the most talented young writers around.

The Schoolboy follows Nick in his last year at school. Plagued by secrets, self doubt, guilt and fury, the flaws in his character inevitably lead him into the hands of the damaged, unscrupulous and malevolent. With his options rapidly closing Nick, as insecure as he is angry, has to make decisions fast.

“The Schoolboy is an astonishing debut from an outstanding young writer. With her sharp, uncluttered prose and spiky wit, Holly Howitt explores a teenage boy’s inner violence and sexual rage with a finely-tuned ear for the nuances of spoken language and a superb eye for detail…a brilliant and shocking novella from a highly talented young writer.”

Richard Gwyn