Author diaries

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10 December 2004 Entry: "The Blue Room is a victim of its own success."

I like to think that the Blue Room was instrumental in the whole move towards the increased demand for good, interesting live literature events.
When we first came up with the idea of a friendly venue for nervous new readers, especially aimed at encouraging women, back in April 1997, there were only a few live literature events a month:
I can think of The Modern Tower, The Lit and Phil, Stand and Deliver and Colpitts poetry, the annual Durham Litfest as regulars, and others that came and went.

Since then, New Writing North has established a whole host of live literature events, with Live Theatre, Northern Stage, Central Library and elsewhere; the two Universities have both established Creative Writing MAs with series of extra reading events attached, as well as nurturing groups of new writers eager to read their work. The Lit and Phil have developed a full and lively programme of readings. The Poetry Vandals and New Word Order are going from strength to strength, and The Northern Fringe are hosting monologues in a variety of venues. And that's just in Newcastle.
Independent Northern Publishers have got themselves organised and are putting on readings to promote local presses output, which is also growing: in the last year at least three new groups have joined the ranks of INP, with accompanying output - Smokestack Books in Middlesbrough, and Bullet Magazine in Newcastle, and Zebra Press (I think that's the name) the publishing arm of The Poetry Vandals. New books mean book launches - and that means more demand for a space and time for a live literature event.
Also, most events are very light on the pocket or even free, usually because the organisers want you to spend money buying books at the event. There's often the lure of free refreshments as well (alcohol helps you part with your money more easily).
Is it any wonder that events clash ?
There's almost no point in trying to co-ordinate events, there aren't enough nights to avoid clashes. Unfortunately there are so many, that you can't go to them all; I have even heard people say 'well, I won't go to any' and give up.

Is this proliferation of live literature events a good thing or not ?
Does it reflect a growing audience, hungry for the live word ? or is it the same crowd stretching itself thinly across the north east ?
I went to the Blue Room on December 4th and it was a great night, it was also heaving with people, much to my surprise, as I knew there were quite a few alternative events on. What was the magic draw for that evening ?
Was it a well known writer like Fiona Cooper?
Was it the well publicised 'raunchy' material ?
Was it Beccy Owen playing music, hot from a new cd launch ?
I doubt if we will ever truly know these mysterious reasons. But perhaps we should try harder to find them out.
I looked around the room, and there were a majority of folk of a 'certain age'.
Perhaps we need to reach out to a young wider audience - I don't just mean the blue room, I mean all the literature events. Maybe we should have (dreaded word) evaluation sheets at every event, with questions that try to discover why the audience decided to come that particular evening. Not evaluation sheets with tick boxes that aren't relevant -
e.g. Was it good/bad/don't know ?
but with open-ended questions and lots of space so people can write all sorts of things, such as:
'what made you decide to come along tonight?'
well, my friend phoned up and said I'm going to such and such tonight, why don't you come along...
'what stops you going to events ?'
when my cat is ill and the weather is cold and wet
I don't know what we'd do with the answers but it may be helpful to guide us with future planning.
Why do I go to events ?
If I'm honest and I had a free evening I might think of the cinema first. I go to readings partly because I want to see a particular poet or writer read, but sometimes I go for other reasons: to support the reader, because I know them, or I know I will meet other writers and friends to chat to, or I want to keep up to date with new writers on the Oscene' or becuse if I go and support the event, then I hope they will come and support something that I organise. I'll buy your book if you buy mine.
Maybe I'm not your Mrs Average audience, but then who is I'd like to know ?