One Night Stanzas

Just a few of the things I’ve loved this week. This illustration makes the list!

Patrick Green’s “Melodrama.”

I’ll admit: I was worried. Patrick Green got in touch with me a while ago to say his new album, Melodrama, would be released on band camp in early November, and would I review it? I said sure, why not. Then I hit ‘play’ on Notte, the album’s first track. A spooky, breathy sound echoed out of my speakers and a tiny part of my brain wondered what I’d let myself in for. Would I like this album? What if I didn’t? That’d be awkward. Then a growly, almost-heavy-metal-style bassline kicked in and I thought, really awkward. But then…

Then, at 45 seconds in, the various disparate elements the song had been slowly layering one on another kind of… clicked. Patrick’s vocal line came in. I started tapping my foot, realising I was listening to a song that sounded a little bit like what might happen if The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Hollies got together to make a record. In other words — damn good.
I listened all the way through, and found there wasn’t a single track I didn’t like. That’s not the sort of praise I hand out lightly — as a vinyl aficionado, I know that “there’s not a bad track on the album” is an expression that’s usually reserved for only a precious few records. Elvis Costello’s My Aim Is True, for example. Now, I’m not suggesting that young Patrick is any Elvis C or anything… but really, genuinely, every track here is great. I have favourites, of course: track two, ‘Halo,’ has a whole ton of stuff going on, but manages to be spare and haunting at the same time. (It starts with a vocal line that’s reminiscent of 1960s male vocal groups like Herman’s Hermits and the aforementioned Hollies, before morphing into something more contemporary… I thought of Turin Brakes, briefly. And then in the middle of it all you get this guitar line that sounds almost like something from an Old Western.) Probably my absolute favourite is ‘Other Worlds‘, which is much more contemporary — fans of Bon Iver, Jose Gonzalez and Broken Records will dig this track. But I also love the closing track, Lifespan, which has a sweeter side than some of the others — threads of Aberfeldy and Belle and Sebastian run through this sunny little song.

Every track has a thoroughly different feel to it — every track on this short-but-sweet album is working hard to do something interesting with it’s three-or-so minutes. That’s so rare these days, when big albums are released by big artists who waffle on in press releases about how This Is A Reinvention or This Is Me Being Original or whatever. Melodrama is chameleon-like, surprising and really enjoyable. Go listen to it now. All of you.

(You can check out more of Patrick’s work at his Bandcamp homepage, talk to him on Twitter or like his Facebook page.)

Christmas giftie things at Edinburgh Vintage

OK folks — whether you’re already excited or just totally in denial, Christmas is most definitely coming. The annoying TV ads have begun, which means it is definitely time to at least start thinking about what you’re going to buy for your loved ones. Personally, I am in the ‘already excited’ camp, and because I am super organised, I bought my first Christmas present way back in AUGUST. Yep, you heard me right! Anyway, for other organised folks, here’re a few suggestions for possible gifts from my very own lovely Etsy store, Edinburgh Vintage. Hope you like!

Lock & Key gold plated heart charm bracelet

Two for Joy novelty vintage bunny ring tray (oh, that amberish-looking necklace? Also for sale!

Owl Always Love You pair of real alabaster owlets (are you an owl lover?)

A History of Song antique 1930s Sonny Boy harmonica

Sleepy kitty porcelain ornament from The Cat Shop

Miss Scarlet stunning kick-flare vintage coat

What are YOU loving this week?

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You can also visit Read This Press for more poetry (and typewriter paraphernalia!). Alternatively, check out Edinburgh Vintage, our sister site. If you want to get in touch you can follow OneNightStanzas on Twitter, or email claire[at]onenightstanzas.com. I reply as swiftly as I can!

(Photo credit)

When my students not only exceed my expectations, they hit them right out of the park

I’m currently teaching this class of students — mostly women — who are studying a unit that is basically Literature 101. Some of them did English in school, but none of them are pursuing a humanities subject now: this unit is a requirement for them, not something they chose. When the term started, a lot of them were bemused about why on earth they were having to do a literature course at all. We did an introductory exercise in which I asked them to list the first ten words that came to mind when they thought about poetry. “Boring”, “pretentious” and “pointless” all came up.

Fast-forward a month: last week we started talking about literary techniques. I decided that, rather than me just producing a Xeroxed A4 handout that they’d probably all just stuff into a folder and forget about, I’d get them to make their own literary techniques resource to refer to. That way, they’d have to go away and research the techniques, and they could put together something to use that would suit their own personal learning style. I told them they had one week, could be as creative as they liked, and that there’d be a small prize for the best resulting handout. I then promptly forgot all about it.

Imagine my utter, utter delight when I walked into the classroom this week and started being handed things like this:

^ This student hand-bound her book from scratch and used 100% reclaimed materials, including old envelopes. Meanwhile, check out the booklet below, which has pop-up pages, pull-out tabs and tons of illustrations:

One of my favourites came from a student who’d decided to focus on the fact that many of the class find poetry “boring.” She decided to come up with a way to make it Definitely Not Boring… um, success! Check it out:

“And just like magic, poetry suddenly bored no one.”

All of the resources the class came up with were thoughtful, creative, colourful and fun.

One student even went to the trouble of making a “poetree”! It’s made from real twigs she found around the place, and each leaf has a different literary technique defined on it. It clearly took a heck of a lot of thought and effort — and when she produced it from a carrier bag under her desk, it got a huge cheer from the rest of the group!

I’ve had something of an epiphany about my job these past couple of months. Only a few weeks ago I was applying for jobs at universities and going to very stuffy and often downright unpleasant interviews for entry-level faculty posts. Then a bunch of things like this happened, kind of like the Universe was slapping me around the head and going, why the hell would you want to work in a university when community education offers you this sort of stuff?! Now I can’t quite believe I was ever thinking of leaving. I’m so happy to be working in this incredible community (Granton and Pilton REPREZENT!) with these amazing young people. No matter what my expectations are, they’re exceeded. No matter how much I think I’ve seen, I can still be not just surprised, but overwhelmed, by the incredible creativity and flair of my students. This sounds mushy, I know… but these past couple of months have been a massive emotional turnaround for me. I’ve taken stock and realised that actually, I freaking love my job. Thank you, lovely students, and thank you, Universe, for waking me up before I made a massive career mistake!

The Folio Society

My unrequited love affair with the Folio Society has been going on for years. It started when I was about 12 and my parents signed up to be members. When they joined up, they got sent some kind of new members reward which basically amounted to a huge stack of the prettiest books I had ever seen. I remember spending a lot of time perusing the catalogue, folding over many a page, trying to decide which of the incredible gilt-edged, beautifully illustrated, cloth-bound, gift-boxed tomes I would like for Christmas. It was basically book porn.

I was pretty psyched this summer, too, when I found out that The Folio Society were sponsoring what was without a doubt my absolute favourite event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival: Marina Warner, talking about her new book on the Arabian Nights. Not only was Marina on top form (I so fangirled all over everywhere), but after the very fabby event I was chuffed to be handed a free Folio Society gift bag full of free goodies! Thank you very much indeed, Folio Society!

But the Folio Society have now outdone themselves by sending me this utterly gob-smackingly gorgeous special edition copy of The Master and Margarita (full disclosure: in exchange for a mention in this post. But I’d've been happy to shout my love for them from the highest rooftops anyway). This book is super-special to me, and my little cheapie paperback copy is pretty battered and worn-out. This shiny new hardback comes in its own cloth-covered box and I mean… look. Just look at these illustrations!

It’s like Christmas come early here at ONS Towers, it really is!
Anyway, I urge you to go and check out the Folio Society website, because it is full of drool-some delights. The Master and Margarita, which you can buy here, is only one of the hundreds of beautiful books on offer. If you’re a bookworm, you might want to add a few (dozen?) to your Christmas list — if you know a bookworm, anything from the Folio Society store is a guaranteed Christmas present winner! Get shopping!

What are you loving this week?

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You can also visit Read This Press for more poetry (and typewriter paraphernalia!). Alternatively, check out Edinburgh Vintage, our sister site. If you want to get in touch you can follow OneNightStanzas on Twitter, or email claire[at]onenightstanzas.com. I reply as swiftly as I can!

It’s been several months since I did my last TiLT, and I’ve had quite a summer! Here are just a few of the things I’ve been loving loads since I last expressed my gratitude here!

Long, summery days in my sunshine-filled living room, crystals in the window throwing tiny rainbows everywhere, drinking tea, reading books, writing poems, not having to go to work.
(Like my mug? I got it from Rust Belt Threads, perhaps my favourite Etsy vintage store after Edinburgh Vintage!)

Hydra, Greece — Lovely Boyfriend and I stayed there for a week, holed up in a tiny whitewashed-stone cottage, writing, reading, occasionally going out to swim in the sea or scratch the noses of the town donkeys. This^ was the view from our living room window!

My SUISS class of 2012 — Jill, Joanna, Linda, Dan, Daniel and Sarah, thank you so much for all your hard work and inspiration!

I MET GEORGE WATSKY, and it was amazing! Thank you a million billion to McGuire, Ryan, Jenny, George and Paul for making One Night Stanzas presents Watsky x2 such an amazing success.

A great summer for Edinburgh Vintage with tons of lovely new stuff being added to the store all the time, nearly 200 sales and some really lovely customer encounters! Thank you everyone who’s browsed, bought, clicked, liked, re-tweeted and given feedback!

Yet more delicious vegan food — since my last TiLT, Lovely Boyfriend has also gone vegan! This means even more delicious vegan meals for my very happy belly. ^These are sweet potato pancakes with maple syrup, and they were UTTERLY LUSH.

Autumn arriving — my favourite time of year. I have already started taking autumnal walks, foraging for early brambles, sitting in the blustery Meadows with my boy watching cute dogs chase leaves, drinking amazing Chocolate Tree vegan hot chocolate, and planning my Halloween antics.

What are YOU loving right now?

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You can also visit Read This Press for more poetry (and typewriter paraphernalia!). Alternatively, check out Edinburgh Vintage, our sister site. If you want to get in touch you can follow OneNightStanzas on Twitter, or email claire[at]onenightstanzas.com. I reply as swiftly as I can!