The Banshees of Inisherin

Ruth Hartley Storytelling, Art Process, Conflict, Film, Music, Politics, Uncategorized2 Comments

The Banshees of Inisherin was on at the local cinema the night after the Golden Globe event on TV. We decided to see it because Colin Farrell had won an award for his role in it. The film is set against the background noise of the guns of the Irish civil war. Innis Erin – Inisherin means the island of […]

Stories and books are what make us human

Ruth Hartley Storytelling, Books by Ruth Hartley, Festival, Film, Promotion, Reading, Southern Africa, Writing Process1 Comment

The importance of books This Saturday, I’m at the Au’Tour du Livre book festival in the nearby town of Vic en Bigorre behind a table loaded with my books. I’ll be hoping for readers and I’ll be talking to writers I know. Last weekend I spent magic moments hunting through boxes of second-hand books at the Amis des Animaux fete. […]

The Society of Spectacle and what ‘appearance’ signifies for writers

Ruth HartleyArt Process, Creativity, Film, Identity, Politics, Promotion, Reading, Visual ArtsLeave a Comment

Marketing books and the writer as commodity I didn’t know yesterday what I would post today until a television programme last night that was supposed to be amusing made me angry. There was noisy laughter, mockery and four-letter words. Frankie Boyle, the presenter joked that Guy Debord had shot himself in his heart – or  – maybe his head – […]

Tanvir Bush’s novel, CULL is personal, political, & passionate

Ruth Hartley Storytelling, Book Launch, Book Publishing, Books by Ruth Hartley, Politics, Reading, Video4 Comments

Tanvir Bush’s novel, CULL is launched What a launch it was too! There were 100 people in the Town Hall for the event. The Corsham Bookshop laid on the wine and snacks and managed the book sales. The event was filmed and will shortly be on YouTube. There were reading and performances and  guests, Miro Griffiths and Esther Fox, colleagues […]

About good writing – but also about good films

Ruth HartleyBooks by Ruth Hartley, Film, The Tin Heart Gold Mine, Writing ProcessLeave a Comment

Films need plots Good films depend on good stories according to Steven Spielberg. I watched the BBC’s The Little Drummer Girl with dread and delight. Would it be a pleasure? Could it live up to expectations? It was and it did! I sat down happily afterwards to reread John Le Carré‘s brilliant novel. Film and book had to be different but […]