SIOBHAN’S STORY: “MATILDA” Friday, 12 February 2010
Posted by edincityoflit in Schools blog.Tags: Hilarie Belloc
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Siobhan carries the poem “Matilda” by Hilarie Belloc. Siobhan writes, “I have chosen this poem because in primary school my teacher use to read it to the class. I really enjoyed it, and I still remember it well.”
from Matilda
Matilda told such Dreadful Lies,
It made one Gasp and Stretch one’s Eyes;
Her Aunt, who, from her Earliest Youth,
Had kept a Strict Regard for Truth,
Attempted to Believe Matilda:
The effort very nearly killed her,
And would have done so, had not She
Discovered this Infirmity.
Siobhan is a pupil at South Queensferry High School.
Diana’s Story: Haiku Friday, 12 February 2010
Posted by carryapoem in Schools blog.Tags: Alan Spence
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Diana carries two haiku poems by Alan Spence. She writes:
“They are small enough to fit into my wallet, but big enough to fill my heart.”
One of the haiku selections:
damp leaves drift to earth
the sun hangs tangled
in the branches of a tree
Alan Spence is a poet, professor of creative writing at Aberdeen University, and director of the WORD festival. Find out more about Alan on his website.
Diana Wild is the school librarian at Queensferry High School.
Making the animated trailer #5 – animation Friday, 12 February 2010
Posted by Helen in Animation, Behind the Scenes.add a comment
Previous instalment: Making the animated trailer #4 – storyboards
Although there aren’t any characters in the Carry a Poem trailer, there were plenty of things to animate. The biggie was the poetry cloud – thousands of particles that needed to be wrangled into position. Then, the camera movements had to be created, the Carry a Poem logo had to dance down the street and the poetry-carrying objects needed some spin.
The animation technique we use here at Binary Fable is 3D CGI – three dimensional computer-generated imagery. We use software called 3DS Max to build and animate computer models. It allows “particle systems” to be created, which made the poetry cloud possible. A particle system lets the animator control a large number of objects at the same time – by setting up rules and then adding a bit of randomness – rather than animating each object separately. This is what the interface looks like:
Here’s a “rough” of the short teaser film. The rough shows all the animation, but the visuals don’t yet look polished. It’s important to agree an animation freeze based on the rough so that work on the soundtrack can begin. The composer and sound designer need to know that the timings of the action aren’t going to change.
Helen Jackson will be writing each week until the end of February about the production of the Carry a Poem trailer. For more blog posts about animation, take a look at Binary Fable’s blog.
Kara, Amy and Daniel’s Stories Friday, 12 February 2010
Posted by edincityoflit in Schools blog.Tags: Tom Leonard, William Samson
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Kara carries the poem “Dead Smart, One Of The Boys” by William Samson because “its about school & being naughty “
Amy carries the poem “Don’t Quit,” by Anonymous, writing “I like this poem cos it has good words in it and its good advice and its also true:)”
You can read the text of the poem here.
Daniel carries the poem “The 6 O’Clock News” by Tom Leonard. “It was a very funny and Scottish poem so i thought i would pick it.”
You can read the text of the poem here.
Poets For Haiti Event Thursday, 11 February 2010
Posted by edincityoflit in Events, Poetry in Edinburgh.Tags: Alasdair Gray, Andrew Greig, Aonghas Macneacail, Carol Ann Duffy, Don Paterson, Douglas Dunn, Frances Leviston, Gillian Clarke, Imtiaz Dharkar, Jackie Kay, John Glenday, Kathleen Jamie, Liz Lochhead, Robert Crawford, Rody Gorman, Ron Butlin, Sean O'Brien, WN Herbert
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The Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, is to lead a once-in-a lifetime line-up of award winning Scottish and UK poets in Edinburgh to raise funds for the Haiti earthquake disaster appeal. The event will take place on Sun 28 Feb at 6pm in the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh.
Carol Ann Duffy said “Poetry has the power of prayer and is the place in language where we are most human. The people of Haiti need our humanity right now.”
20 of the foremost poets in the land are coming together for an unforgettable evening of the finest poetry for the most urgent of causes. The event was inspired by the Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, and Dundonian Don Paterson, who next month will receive the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry. Poets reading on the night include such major literary figures as Alasdair Gray, Douglas Dunn, Jackie Kay, Kathleen Jamie and Sean O’Brien (the only writer to take the UK’s top two poetry awards – the Forward Prize and T S Eliot Prize – in the same year); as well as four UK poets laureate – Liz Lochhead (Glasgow), Ron Butlin (Edinburgh), Gillian Clarke (Wales) and Carol Ann Duffy.
Don Paterson said: “We’ve been completely overwhelmed with the speed and generosity of our colleagues’ response – it should all add up to the most spectacular poetry event ever seen north of the border, and we hope as many people as possible will come along and show their support.”
The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has given his full support to the event, describing Carol Ann Duffy as a “visionary humanitarian” and saying ”she has summoned together an amazing array of talent on one day in the service of one hope; a better future for the people of Haiti.”
Booking
The event will take place at the Queens Hall in Edinburgh on Sunday 28th February 2010 6.00pm – 8.00pm. Tickets are £15 or £10 and available from the Queens Hall Box Office on www.thequeenshall.net or 0131 668 2019. All participants have generously given their time in order that the proceeds from ticket sales and donations can be passed onto Mercy Corps for the Haiti Earthquake Emergency Appeal.
PARTICIPATING POETS
Ron Butlin Gillian Clarke Robert Crawford
Imtiaz Dharkar Carol Ann Duffy Douglas Dunn
John Glenday Rody Gorman Alasdair Gray
Andrew Greig WN Herbert Jackie Kay
Kathleen Jamie Frances Leviston Liz Lochhead
Aonghas Macneacail Sean O’Brien Don Paterson