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Mind-altering magical herbs, poisonous and healing, grow here in this beautiful physic garden, rich in ancient myths and modern science. Create poetry or short prose, or kick-start that novel, from the sights, sounds, and scents of this wild garden of drugs and simples, rushing river and sighing trees, devise powerful spells to focus the mind – to change your mind, and even your life. The garden won’t be open to the public so we can spread out and expand our minds! Only £5 special Residency price, including herbal infusion and home made cake.
Skullduggery in the herb garden, as we unleash the deadliest poisons and their evil effects on our imaginations! Learn about the powers of herbs grown to heal and to harm, how they work on the mind and body, the signs and symptoms to look out for, and have a go at committing murder – fictional of course! In this remote physic garden, with its wild waters rushing by and beautiful but potentially sinister woods and fields, anything can happen. Start something scary to continue at home, as you choose your poison! Special residency price, only £5, including herbal infusions (if you dare!) and home made cake.
CONTACT info@valerielaws.co.uk FOR DETAILS AND TO SIGN UP. Visit www.dilstonphysicgarden.com to find out more about the garden.
early 2012 readings: Jan 27th, Morden Tower Benefit, Bridge, Newcastle: March 27th, CBI, Cambridge: April 23rd, World Book Night, Bewick on Tweed Library: April 27th, Poetry Cafe, Betterton St, London, with Peter Daniels. More to come!
Readings from All That Lives at events: Wantage Betjeman Festival, Wantage, Sept 13th : Literary Lunch on the brain, Lit and Phil Newcastle, Sept 30th : Durham Book Festival, Oct 22, 5pm with Linda Gillard http://www.durhambookfestival.com/home.html : Cornelia St Cafe, New York, Nov 4th http://www.corneliastreetcafe.com/ : Winter Book Festival, Newcastle Central Library, Nov 27th, 11.30: and many more to come.
'a fresh and talented new voice in crime-writing,' Ann Cleeves. 'a darkly intriguing debut,' Val McDermid.
'...opens with a bang...a suspenseful story with graphic extracts from the Skull Hunter's Blog...Laws brings her locations vibrantly to life.' Time Out
First World War heroism, action, and friendship at Gallipolli, linking Australia and north east England, through the story of John Simpson Kirkpatrick, born in South Shields, still Australia's most loved war hero, who saved countless lives and took none. This play's got battles, controversy, comedy, tragedy and donkeys! Went down a storm at Customs House South Shields, hope one day it reaches Australia!
POETRY INSTALLATION 'SLICING THE BRAIN' IN MAJOR NEW EXHIBITION, JANUARY-MARCH 2011! with work by Renoir, Degas, Henry Moore, and contemporary artists at 'Coming of Age: the Art and Science of Ageing', an Exhibition at Great North Museum, 12 January-2 March. The poems were projected on a 50"screen with accompanying recorded sound. One of the poems forms a sequence which echoes the process of dementia, dwindling away at each viewing. See http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/greatnorthmuseum/thingstoseeanddo/exhibition/2011/01/12/coming-of-age-the-art-and-science-of-ageing/
VALERIE SIGNS UP WITH LITERARY AGENCY Valerie is now represented by Sheil Land Associates, in London.
Valerie is working with scientists as Writer in Residence at the Institute for Ageing and Health during their special 'Changing Age' year, also working with children, older people, dementia patients, families etc, to produce a book about ageing, dementia and dying, linking the generations, and linking scientific accuracy with creative poetry. She has given a PERFORMANCE/SEMINAR at Newcastle University, IAH, a presentation of multi-media work resulting from Wellcome Trust funded project 'This Fatal Subject', during which Valerie worked with scientists at IAH and ION at Newcastle, as well as Kings College London.
Valerie featured in WHY POETRY MATTERS, a documentary by Griff Rhys Jones, activating a new random haiku in Hackney Lido, on inflatable beach balls. She is keen to try this on a bigger, oceanic even, scale. Valerie specialises in public art/science/poetry projects and commissions, site-specific, using new forms of moving, changing, visual poetry in which form fits meaning and location. (see Quantum Sheep).
National Poetry Day, 8th Oct 2009: Royal Festival Hall, London, 2-5pm, BBC/Poetry Society Centenary Event. Valerie was invited to recreate her beach ball random haiku (as seen on BBC2's Why Poetry Matters) live, in the august company of Carol Ann Duffy, Roger McGough, Lemn Sissay, and many more.
THE ROTTING SPOT profiled in CRIME TIME: (http://www.crimetime.co.uk/mag/index.php/showarticle/1325 )
The Rotting Spot was featured at Theakstons Crime Festival, Harrogate. Valerie's first crime novel is published by Red Squirrel Press (http://www.redsquirrelpress.com/index.php?rottingspot). It's about skull hunting, binge drinking Geordie charvas, William Blake, and features Erica Bruce, homeopath detective. It was one of New Writing North's Read Regional titles promoted across the region. Valerie won a New Writing North 'Northen Writers' Award' (Northern Promise) for the novel, including mentoring by top agent and editor Lisanne Radice, and has also had editorial advice from CWA Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award winner, Ann Cleeves. Valerie has had successful book signings and readings at Blackwells Newcastle, Borders Newcastle, London, York, Team Valley, Edinburgh, and many libraries, inc. Newcastle Central, Morpeth, Whitburn, Whitley Bay, South Shields, North Shields,Hartlepool, many as part of New Writing North's Read Regional.
Valerie has been working with a group of young people in the north east, with science explainer Rella LaRoe from the Centre for Life in Newcastle, to evolve (see what I did there?) a performance of their poems, raps and songs, inspired by Darwin and his Origin of Species. This nationwide project, helmed by Elizabeth Lynch, is funded by Wellcome Trust. The group performed as part of Centre for Life's Newcastle Science Festival, at Customs House Theatre South Shields, Theatre Royal Studio Newcastle, Cumberland Arms Byker, and at York. They were broadcast on Prague radio, and featured in a short film of their poetry and performance. The culminating performance with other regions' poets was on November 19th 2009, in London at the Wellcome Collection.
Our This Fatal Subject exhibition at Old Operating Theatre Museum, London, Jan 27-Feb 27 2009, was listed as a Guardian Guide Pick of the Week! More details below or http://www.thisfatalsubject.org/weblog/ . AWellcome Trust Arts Award funded this project resulting in some new multi-media work, by Valerie and artist Susan Aldworth, both resident artist/writer at Gordon Museum in London. Fab animated poetry film by Susan of Valerie's kinetic poetry sequence, which undergoes 'cell death' (apoptosis) to change meaning, projected art and poems.
BBC Radio 3 play: 'NOWT TO LOOK AT' by Valerie Laws, was broadcast Saturday 25th Oct 08. The severed head of a disfigured Tyneside woman speaks from a jar, giving a wry, often funny, look at the two young people who find her body... Directed by David Hunter.
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