WOMAD 2015 Launches

Last night, Wednesday 22 October, at the Grand Hall in Parliament, it was announced that, once again, the world was coming to Taranaki in 2015.  Supported by speeches from sponsors, Arts Minister Maggie Barrie and their local MP Jonathan Young the Taranaki Arts Festival unveiled the line up for the 11th iteration of this immensely popular all ages festival. Director Emere Wano referred to her bill as "a box of chocolates", quoting Forest Gump gleefully.  As always the 3 day festival had a mix of classical, jazz pop, blues ethnic variance and performance art.  Headlining will be three acts exclusive to WOMAD – Irish pop diva Sinead O'Connor, West African Music legend Youssou N'Dour and Folk/Blues Pioneer Richard Thompson.  In the mix were also a Balkan beat band, Spanish soul singers, innovative newsreel mash-up crew Public Broadcasting Service, traditional Mali troubadours and a band who make all their instruments from rubbish.  Kiwi artists included rising Country star Mel Parsons, legendary reggae band Trinity Roots and Wellington based meteoric risier Estere who performed her funky single "Charlie" with Lola (her MPC) at the launch.  Early bird tickets are already on the festival website, where you can find the full line up and while you’re there, don’t for get to vote for your favourite local act.  The winner will take out wildcard stage spot for next year’s WOMAD.

 

www.womad.co.nz

WOMAD 2015 is set to be the biggest ever!!!

Tomorrow night WOMAD (World of Music and Dance) will launch at Parliament, hosted by the Minister of Arts and culture (Maggie Barrie, prev. Chris Findlayson - or both - we'll have to wait and see).  Two artists have already been announced - Rufus Wainwright and Youssour N'Dour but there are big names to come - so stay tuned to Groove for more....Dean and the CoffeeBar Kid will be at the launch to bring you all the news and updates... Remember folks, don't touch that dial! Go to the official WOMAD website or log in to Groove's Facebook page for all the skinny...

Groove Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/5182849869/
WOMAD Website: http://www.womad.co.nz/

The CoffeeBar Kid interviews Editor Paula Green - A Treasury of NZ Poems for Children

Today the Kid interviewed Paula Green about her new book A Treasury of NZ Poems for Children.

The best New Zealand poems for children, collected by star New Zealand poet Paula Green and illustrated inventively by Jenny Cooper.

This exciting collection is truly a must-have for every home, school and library.

Bursting with wonderful poems that will make you laugh, cry, nod and ponder, this book is beautifully illustrated and makes a perfect gift book.

With a handsome modern design, it will make poetry fresh and alive to a new generation. There are poems by all the big names in both children's and adult writing, from Margaret Mahy and Hone Tuwhare to Denis Glover as well as some fresh new poets.
 

Useful Links:

• Follow Paula Green on Twitter
  
• Poetry Box – an NZ poetry blog for children by Paula Green.
  
• Poetry Shelf - a poetry page with reviews, interviews and other things

Today Paula is setting off on a poetry tour to celebrate poetry for and by children, my two new books (The Letterbox Cat with Scholastic and A Treasury of NZ Poems for Children with Random House) and my blog NZ Poetry Box.

She will be keeping a travel diary on her blog over the month.
http://nzpoetrybox.wordpress.com/

Adventures of the CoffeeBar Kid Rattle Special

The CoffeeBar Kid's Been Reading

Head to  http://adventuresofthecoffeebarkid.blogspot.co.nz/ to read 3 new book reviews : Simon Gault's latest, a book on smokin' everything and debut author Nic Low's new book 'Arms Race'.

The National party wins NZ general election

 Surprisingly the National party has won the general election more convincingly than last time 'round to begin their third term in Parliament.

Final results (top 4 parties):
National 48.1%
Labour 24.7%
Green 10.0%
NZ First 8.9%

They still might change slightly when the special/overseas votes are counted (last time the Greens gained a seat).

Quite an surprising result when a majority of the country claimed to want to stop things like asset sales that National have been championing as well as all the accusations of dirty politics that have been levelled against them.

The CoffeeBar Kid interviews the very Fast Food Truck Man!!!!

The Kid recently interviewed Michael Van de Elzen - Click here to hear the interview: 

http://adventuresofthecoffeebarkid.blogspot.co.nz/2014/09/the-coffeebar-kid-interviews-very-fast.html

http://vandeelzen.com/product/fast-good-home-cooking/

Check out the latest book reviews brought to you by the Coffee Bar Kid : http://adventuresofthecoffeebarkid.blogspot.co.nz/

We talk about: The Keeper of Lost Causes - Jussi Adler-Olsen
The Thrill of it all - Joseph O'Connor
Tom Clancy's Support and Defend - Mark Greaney

 

Winter Reading?  Check out book reviews by the CoffeeBar Kid.
Click here for a collection of the latest books available.

The Skeleton Cupboard by Tanya Byron

Every life has a story.

Inspired by Professor Tanya Byron’s years of training as a  clinical psychologist, The Skeleton Cupboard offers extraordinary stories of ordinary people struggling to cope with the challenges of life.

Through them we attempt to understand the line between sanity and insanity - and come to realize that it does not exist. The most fragile, vulnerable people can still offer strength and wisdom. Those hardened by cruel circumstance can show real kindness and compassion towards those who treat them. And those of us who outwardly appear untroubled can mask an inner life of turmoil.
With startling poignancy and powerful, affecting storytelling, this book is a testimony to anyone who has strived to make the journey from chaos to clarity.

A gruesome family death set Tanya Byron on the path to becoming a child psychologist, a journey she describes in her new book.

How did you get here? Why now? What is your story and how would you like it to continue? For 25 years, psychologist Prof Tanya Byron has been asking these questions of her patients to help them ‘make that journey from chaos to clarity’.

Last year, while writing The Skeleton Cupboard, a memoir of her early years training as a clinical psychologist from 1989 to 1992, she asked herself: ‘I first became fascinated by the frontal lobes of the human brain when I saw my grandmother’s sprayed across the skirting board of the front room of her dark and cluttered house. I was 15,’ she writes in the introduction to her book.

Dog will Have His Day by Fred Vargas

This is the second instalment in the chilling Three Evangelist Series, from quadruple CWA International Dagger-Winning author Fred Vargas.
Louis Kehlweiler has been a powerful investigator with the Ministry of the Interior. Since he was sacked by newcomers who didn't respect his powers he has still kept up his investigations with the help of his old cronies, with Marthe, an elderly prostitute, leader of the band. He still uses the park benches of Paris as his lookout posts which he has numbered for convenience up to 137.

One problem is that Marthe is getting old and confuses 102 for 107. Louis is also showing the strain and now that his latest girlfriend has left, the "love of his life" is Bufo, a toad that he carries with him almost everywhere except cafè's where Bufo gets a bit panicky and would do the same to the patrons.

Spying through the windows of a Paris flat belonging to a politician's nephew, Louis Kehlweiler catches sight of something out of place down on the footpath - an object, small and white, surrounded by dog poo.  A human bone!  But when Kehlweiler takes his find down to the local police station, he's ridiculed and teased. Yet this tiny fragment obsesses him so much that he starts to investigate, following the trail to the tiny Breton fishing village of Port-Nicolas where there's a dog. A dog that would take a bite out of anything. Even the foot of a corpse.
  
However, where is the corpse? Or the murderer?

This week it's the Jazz Festival!

Tune in at the earlier time of 6PM for a special pre-festival show.  we'll be attending a few of the concerts and reporting back next week but for now we'll give you a run down of what to see and groove to.  Tune in from 6.00PM. 

Go here to check out the programme: http://www.jazzfestival.co.nz/shows/all/#shows