Authors Electric

Coventry's Lady Godiva, Pru Poretta at the Heritage weekend. Photo by Rob Tysall. As most people will know, Coventry, which is my home city, is to be the UK City of Culture 2021. Naturally, everyone is delighted and hoping that the new status is going to bring more prosperity into the city, as it has done for Hull, the current UK City of Culture. There was competition for the title from Paisley, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland and Swansea. And actually, if Sunderland had won it, that would have been my second choice as my parents and past ancestors all hail from there. The title is awarded every four years and Coventry will be the third UK City of Culture. Londonderry being the first in 2013, followed by Hull. Our city has so much going for it despite no longer having the motor and machine tools industries that it once had. During the 1950s  and 60s Coventry was the second largest car manufacturing city in the world. It also led the way with machine tools. Alfr...

I’ve just got back from a school visit. It was just an hour with Years 5 and 6 of a local primary school. In about three hour’s time, I’m off to our Central Library to run a writing workshop for children. It’s all part of Literally - Coventry Book Festival which started yesterday (Monday as I write this) and runs till the weekend. It’s a busy week and I love it. I’m hoping some of this morning’s youngsters will get along to the workshop later. There were some really keen readers and writers in the group. But I’m also hoping that the little boy who put his hand up to ask a question about characters will come along. His teacher told me afterwards that he never asks questions, he’s never interested in books or writing – and they were gobsmacked to see he’d put up his hand to ask such a question. “ And did you see his face when you were reading?” One of the other teachers remarked. “His eyes were almost popping out of his head!” Another teacher was very excited about one ...