1.12.2018 - Man City match - singing The Pankhurst Anthem
What an adventure!
On Saturday December 1st, I sang the Pankhurst Anthem – specially written by Helen Pankhurst & Lucy Pankhurst - in Etihad Stadium in front of the Manchester City crowd at half time!
I can honestly say I've never sung in front of a crown of 50,000 people. What an experience.
All part of the run-up to the unveiling of Hazel Reeves wonderful statue of Emmeline Pankhurst in St Peter’s Square, Manchester on December 14th 2018.
1.12.2018 - Man City match - singing The Pankhurst Anthem
What an adventure!
On Saturday December 1st I sang the Pankhurst Anthem – specially written by Helen Pankhurst & Lucy Pankhurst - in Etihad Stadium in front of the Manchester City crowd at half time! I can honestly say I've never sung in front of a crowd of 50,000 people.
All part of the run-up to the unveiling of Hazel Reeves wonderful statue of Emmeline Pankhurst in St Peter’s Square, Manchester on December 14th 2018.
Manchester Histories Festival launch
Manchester Histories Festival at Manchester Art Gallery
7th June 2018
The Manchester Histories Festival launch was a great event. I was invited to read my commissioned piece 'Syrinx' next to the painting that inspired it (‘Syrinx’ by Arthur Hacker). And I was surrounded by the paintings targeted in the 1913 Suffragette direct action – a truly atmospheric experience.
Proud to share the evening with marvellous writers Kate Feld, Michelle Green & Maz Hedgehog.
Thank you Manchester Histories Festival!
8.6.2018 - Soapbox, Manchester Histories Festival
Soapbox, Manchester Histories Festival
Friday 8th June
5.30pm – free event
All Saint’s Park,
Grosvenor Square,
Oxford Road
Manchester, M15 6BH
Manchester Histories Festival returns across Greater Manchester for a long-weekender from 7-11 June 2018 with the theme protest, democracy, and freedom of speech. For Manchester Histories Festival 2018 and in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University, we're presenting ‘Soapbox’ from 8th-10th June where we will create a Speakers Corner at All Saint’s Park off Oxford Road. The park will be transformed artists from the region, with a hustings, new visual identity, and food and drink stalls.
On Friday 8th June at c.5.30pm, Rosie Garland will be performing her spoken word piece about the Suffragette direct action in Manchester Art Gallery, which took place in April 1913.
3.5.2018 - The Night Brother, paperback publication day!
3rd May 2018 - Very excited to announce paperback publication day of The Night Brother!
With a superb new cover.
10.12.2017 - The Time-Travelling Suffragettes, Manchester
Cherie Bebe’s Burlesque Revue
Matt and Phreds
64 Tib Street,
M4 1LG Manchester
Sunday 10th December 2017
Doors at 7pm with the show starting at 8pm.
Enjoy an evening of live cabaret entertainment, music and burlesque debauchery featuring performances from some of the finest burlesque performers in the UK, held at Manchester's iconic Matt & Phreds.
Starring:
Cherie Bebe ~ Burlesque sensation and producer of Cherie Bebe's Burlesque Revue
Kitty & Lilibet The Time Travelling Suffragettes ~ Back by popular demand after their debut at Cherie Bebe's Burlesque Revue 2016.
and compere Jonathan Mayor ~ The cheeky and utterly fabulous diva of the night.
The event will be taking place on
Tickets are £8 (plus booking fee) if booked in advance via billetto / £10 on the door. Tickets are nonrefundable.
PLEASE CALL MATT & PHREDS TO RESERVE SEATING ONCE YOUR TICKETS HAVE BEEN PURCHASED AS THE TABLES ARE STRICTLY LIMITED ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS AND WE DO SELL OUT.
0161 273 5495
www.mattandphreds.com
Here is a sneak peek of what to expect at Cherie Bebe's Burlesque Revue
11.11.2017- The Time-Travelling Suffragettes at Louder Than Words festival, Manchester
The Time-Travelling Suffragettes, Louder than Words Festival, Manchester
The Principal Manchester
Oxford Street
Manchester
M60 7HA
Sat 11 November 2017
18:15 – 19:30 GMT
Armed with banners, a twinkle in their eye and a spanner or two for throwing into the works, Kitty and Lilibet have travelled to the present day to raise their voices in rousing song. Inspired by the enduring influence of Music Hall and its power to subvert whilst being thoroughly entertaining, they cast a queerly suffragette eye upon songs such as The Boy I Love Is Up In The Gallery, I’m Shy Mary Ellen and Hold Your Hand Out, Naughty Boy – and many more. The duo combines the musical talents of multi-instrumentalist Éilish McCracken (Rose McDowall, Sgt Buzfuz, Slate Islands, Ida Barr) and cabaret performer, novelist & lyricist Rosie Garland (The March Violets, Rosie Lugosi the Vampire Queen).
Tickets £8 – available here
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/time-travelling-suffragettes-tickets-36245562453
http://louderthanwordsfest.com/
3.6.2017 - The Night Brother reviewed in The Times AND Sunday Times!
Absolutely delighted – ‘The Night Brother’ has received good reviews in both The Times and The Sunday Times!
“The Night Brother by Rosie Garland is a rich and ambitious tale set in late Victorian Manchester… Garland’s prose is a delight: playful and exuberant. There are shades of Angela Carter in the mad world she creates... Full marks for style”.
Toni Senior 3rd June 2017
Full review here:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/historical-fiction-w09l76frb
“Echoes of Angela Carter’s more fantastical fiction reverberate through this exuberant tale… Garland’s narrative is enjoyably energetic.”
Nick Rennison 18th June 2017
Full review here:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/books-fiction-at-a-glance-all-the-good-things-by-clare-fisher-the-answers-by-catherine-lacey-the-night-brother-by-rosie-garland-splash-by-stephen-glover-the-idiot-by-elif-batuman-gkbbb3852
Presenting Kitty and Lilibet, Time-Travelling Suffragettes!
Armed with banners, a twinkle in their eye and a spanner or two for throwing into the works, Kitty and Lilibet have travelled to the present day to raise their voices in rousing song. They perform updated versions of nineteenth-century popular classics, making lyrical stops along the way in their musical journey towards the twenty-first century.
The duo combine the musical talents of multi-instrumentalist Éilish McCracken (Rose McDowall, Sgt Buzfuz, Slate Islands, Ida Barr) and cabaret performer, novelist & lyricist Rosie Garland (The March Violets, Rosie Lugosi the Vampire Queen).
Inspired by the enduring influence of Music Hall and its power to subvert whilst being thoroughly entertaining, they cast a queerly suffragette eye upon songs such as The Boy I Love Is Up In The Gallery, I’m Shy Mary Ellen and Hold Your Hand Out, Naughty Boy – and many more.
Kitty and Lilibet remind us that suffragettes were far more than Nice Ladies In Hats, that the battles are never done, and how far we still have to go.
In Kitty’s words – ‘we are historical oddities from a time of struggle and dissent. We beg your forbearance! After all, 21st century audiences cannot possibly comprehend what it is like to live in a world which harbours inequality…’
YouTube links:
‘I’m Bi, Mary Ellen, I’m Bi’ at Club Big, Rock Art, HOMEMcr
https://youtu.be/rbt16fUeNAY
‘A Little Of What You Fancy’ at Club Big, Rock Art, HOMEMcr
https://youtu.be/fMZVYsdLDnA
13.11.2013 - Cherie Bebe's Burlesque Revue, Manchester
Cherie Bebe's Burlesque Revue
Matt and Phreds
64 Tib Street, M4 1LG Manchester
20:00 - 22:30
Come and celebrate our 3rd birthday in true burlesque style.
We have a very special lineup taking to the stage at Manchester's iconic Matt and Phreds.
Starring:
We have the absolutely fabulous Lady Wildflower join us on stage. Voted in the Top 20 UK Burlesque Performers of 2014 & 2015 by 21st Century Burlesque She certainly is one not to miss.
We are very excited to announce that Rosie Garland, performer, award winning writer, singer for The March of Violets and her vampire Queen / mistress of ceremonies Rosie Lugosi will be taking to the stage alongside the wonderful Eilish with a brand new act
Kitty and Lilibet, Polyhymnian Suffragettes.
The devine and cheeky Freida Nipples will be joining us on stage also all the way from London!
Hosted by our resident compare, the diva of the night, the hilarious and naughty Jonathan Mayor.
....And of course Cherie Bebe.
https://billetto.co.uk/en/events/cherie-bebes-burlesque-revue-november2016
Tickets are £8 if booked in advance via billetto / £10 on the door.
Doors at 7pm with the show starting at 8pm.
Matt and Phreds Happy Hour Offer ~ 'Buy two alcoholic drinks get a free pizza' will be available on the evening between 7pm-9pm!
PLEASE CALL MATT & PHREDS TO RESERVE SEATING ONCE YOUR TICKETS HAVE BEEN PURCHASED AS THE TABLES ARE STRICTLY LIMITED ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS AND WE DO SELL OUT.
0161 273 5495
www.mattandphreds.com
News and Events
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10.8.2019 - Val McDermid's 10 most compelling LGBTQI writers in the UK today
Written on Wednesday, 14 August 2019 08:44
I’m thrilled to announce that Val McDermid has selected me as one of the 10 most compelling LGBTQI+ writers working in the UK today!
Val said: “These writers are writing for everyone. These are not words for a niche readership. These are not writings for a ghetto. These are the works of writers who have something to say that can be – and should be – heard by as many people as possible.”
She continued: “Auden was wrong when he claimed “poetry makes nothing happen”. Words do change the world, reader by reader. They open our eyes, they provoke thought. The work of these 10 writers… will awaken in us fresh delight in the wonder of words.”
The list was commissioned by the National Centre for Writing and British Council, supported by Arts Council England as part of a two-year programme to promote writing from the UK to an international audience. It also includes the amazing Colette Bryce, Juno Dawson, Juliet Jacques, Keith Jarrett, Kirsty Logan, Andrew McMillan, Fiona Mozley, Mary Paulson-Ellis & Luke Turner.
The Guardian - The Word Is Out. Val McDermid selects Britain's 10 most outstanding lgbtq writers
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20.6.2019 - Peterloo: massacre or riot? The John Rylands Library
Written on Sunday, 21 July 2019 10:32
Peterloo – massacre or riot?
On June 20th 2019, The John Rylands Library staged a live performance event to mark the bicentenary of the Peterloo Massacre. It was a first for the library and I was excited to take the part of Jemima Bamford – one of the thousands of men, women and children who gathered at St Peter’s Field in August 1819. I donned bonnet and shawl and created a speech, imagining how she might have spoken out against the actions of the militia, who charged into an unarmed crowd, and murdered up to 23 people.
Then joined by 5 other actors, I took part in a public debate as we decide: was Peterloo a massacre or a riot? At the end of the debate, votes were cast, and Manchester decided overwhelmingly – massacre.
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8.6.2019 - Guest vox with The Bellwether Syndicate, Wave-Gotik Treffen
Written on Sunday, 21 July 2019 10:20
Guest vox with The Bellwether Syndicate at Wave-Gotik Treffen
The high point of WGT 2019 was being invited to be guest vocalist with The Bellwether Syndicate from Chicago! Rocking out to a special rendition of The March Violets track ‘Snake Dance’…
The gig on Saturday 8th June 2019 at Taubchenthal, Leipzig was packed out – and what a crowd…A great pleasure to work with William Faith, Sarah Rose (aka Scary Lady Sarah), keyboards Phil Destefano, bassist Paul Sin & drummer extraordinaire Stevyn Grey
https://www.wave-gotik-treffen.de/ro/go4it.php?id=197&loc=en
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'How to ask for a residency' - The John Rylands blog
Written on Sunday, 24 March 2019 10:08
How to ask for a residency
Since I wrote about the Power of Asking, I’ve been heartened by how many writers have told me they’re going to ask for Writers’ Residencies too. There are plenty of questions: What do you say? What do you ask for? This blog offers a few suggestions.
Where do you want your residency to be?
Chip shop, bus stop, lighthouse, theatre, cemetery. The choice is yours. Think of where you’d love to write. It may be a place you pass every day on the way to work, or somewhere you’ve stumbled on by chance. Perhaps you have a connection already. For example, when I was invited to read at The John Rylands Library, I fell in love with this Mancunian gem. It sparked a train of thought…What do you want to do?
I’ve a pretty simple plan: my next novel is set in The John Rylands and I’m exploring what it’s like to write ‘on site’, drawing inspiration from the spirit of the place. You’ll have your own ideas. It’s a wonderful opportunity to try something new, with time to focus on your writing in an inspiring workspace. The clearer you are about what you’d like to create and how it’s connected to the venue you’ve chosen, the better. Do your research, and put together a proposal. I’ve broken this down below.How long is a residency?
Weeks, months, or a year – it’s largely up to you and the organisation. My residency is running for a calendar year; time to produce a first draft of the novel. I’ve committed to being on site for one day a week, but can’t keep away from the place…What can you offer?
As well as being clear about what you want to achieve, think about what you can offer your host organisation. Ideas can include giving talks, workshops, writing tutorials or readings, and writing blogs on the progress of the residency. You might produce a poem etched in the window, or devise a grand finale performance. There’s no limit.
If you’re unsure, ask for advice from writer friends (or friends of friends) who’ve done residencies in the past. If you don’t know any – ask the internet. Social media can be a lot more supportive than you might imagine.How do you get an introduction?
You’ll need to approach your chosen organisation to find out of they’re interested in your idea. I asked writer friends for signposting, and got an introduction. People were only too pleased to help, a warm reminder that we’re in this together. There’s a community of writers out there, and we are pretty groovy people.What about money?
This blog is about building your own residency from scratch, not applying for a funded opportunity. So, when the question of money and payment arose (pretty much the first question), I said no. Nowhere has money for residencies, unless it’s a regular gig like The Forestry Commission
And, unsurprisingly, these residencies are massively oversubscribed.
A personal tip is to source funding elsewhere. I applied to The Arts Council - Successfully.Then again – aim for the stars! One writer told me she’s asking for a residency at a private members’ club with buckets of money. Needless to say, she IS asking them to fund it.
What’s the worst that can happen?
Fear of the word no can stop us asking in the first place. Your chosen venue may say no. But they’re not going to poke you with forks. Trust me on this one. And in the words of Steve Jobs: “Most people don't get experiences because they never ask. I've never found anybody who didn't want to help me when I've asked them for help.”Keep going. Keep asking.
https://rylandscollections.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/how-to-ask-for-a-residency/
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'The Power of Asking' blog - The John Rylands Library
Written on Saturday, 02 March 2019 15:36
As part of my Writer’s Residency at The John Rylands Library, I’m writing a series of blogs… here’s the first – The Power of Asking.
“I’ve just been appointed the first writer-in-residence at The John Rylands Library. How did I manage this wonderful achievement? I asked.
Sounds easy.
It wasn’t. If you’re anything like me (and the longer I live, the more I realise I’m not alone), asking is far more difficult than it sounds.
Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. Unless you were born with a set of silver spoons in your mouth (which is everyone reading this, right?), then you’ve worked out that opportunities don’t fall magically into your lap. You’ve had to work hard to get where you are.
I like what Julia Cameron (author of the inspirational ‘The Artists Way’) says: “Pray to catch the bus, then run as fast as you can.” It’s a reminder to put myself into the path of opportunities. The bus does not come to the front door. I have to leave the house, and darn well run for it.
I have to take a deep breath, and ask. So, why is it so difficult?
Here’s my take. I grew up with a spectacularly unhelpful dictum: Ask, don’t get. Don’t ask, don’t want. I shared this with friends recently, and was shocked to discover it’s very common. I end up stuck in a bizarre Catch 22 situation, thinking that if I have to ask for something, then I don’t deserve it. Or, that I must to wait for someone else to ask me. The most I’m allowed to do is stand around looking hopeful.
This lose-lose mentality is combined with a vicious internal critic. I call her Mavis (I’ve blogged about her here and run Anti-Mavis workshops). She never, ever says anything nice. If someone says they like my writing, Mavis jumps in and whispers ‘they’re only being nice.’ In fact, she can be neatly summed up by this great Savage Chickens cartoon (Doug Savage):Naturally, my internal critic undermined any notion that somewhere as amazing as The John Rylands Library would want the likes of me.
So – standing up and asking for what I want can be pretty damn hard. I’m swamped with fears of rejection, coming over as needy, an underachiever, someone who’s failed because they need to ask.
Luckily, this isn’t a poor-me blog.
Years ago I decided that I was not going to let fear of rejection stop me living a life that is too darn short as it is. I take inspiration from Jia Jiang, whose TED talk about dealing with rejection is well worth 15 minutes of anyone’s time.
So, however hard it is to ask, to put myself forward, to send that manuscript to a competition or agent – I take several deep breaths and do it. In the words of Susan Jeffers: ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’.
And here’s the good news. The John Rylands Library is delighted to have a writer-in-residence. Correction: The John Rylands Library is delighted to have me as a writer-in-residence.
I have told Mavis to put that in her pipe and smoke it.
Coming next – what I asked for, and how to ask for a residency.”
https://rylandscollections.wordpress.com/2018/12/10/the-power-of-asking/
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