What’s on in York: An Evening With Ali Smith

York Explore Library :

Thu 23 Nov :

6.30pm – 8.00pm :

£5

Penguin and Waterstones present award-winning author, Ali Smith, who will be discussing her new novel, Winter. The follow-up to her sensational Autumn, Smith’s shape-shifting quartet of novels casts a merry eye over a bleak post-truth era with a story rooted in history, memory and warmth, its taproot deep in the evergreens: art, love, laughter.

Ali has previously been shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the Folio Prize and the Orange Prize, and has been the winner of the Baileys Prize, the Goldsmiths Prize and the Costa Novel Award.

Book at Waterstones York, by phone (01904) 620784.

To book tickets please click here.

What’s on in York: Junior Knights at Energise tomorrow (Monday)

What’s on in York: Walking Football at Energise on Tuesdays

Community Stadium Contracts signed

The York Council has announced today that the design, build, maintain and manage contract for York’s Community Stadium has finally been signed.

The announcement comes after another hitch delayed the contract completion from the promised October deadline.

The news marks a major milestone in the Community Stadium project and means that Greenwich Leisure Ltd will now formally take possession of the Monks Cross site and “diggers will be on site before Christmas”. In preparation for full construction works, site security and compounds will arrive on site within the next few weeks.

Greenwich Leisure Ltd will also take over the operation of Energise Leisure Centre and Yearsley Swimming Pool, as part of the wider new stadium and leisure contract, from 1 December 2017.

This news comes after last month, it was announced that Greenwich Leisure Ltd had appointed Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd as the new building contractor.

Once complete the new Community Stadium Leisure Complex will comprise of an 8,000 all-seat community sports stadium to host professional football and rugby league games. There will also be new leisure facilities incorporating a swimming pool, gym, dance studio, indoor and outdoor climbing facilities and a sports hall with spectator seating.

A commercial development on the stadium site will also feature a cinema complex, including an IMAX screen, five restaurants and up to three retail units. NHS outpatient services will be offered on site from a community hub and there will be a new Explore library and a York Against Cancer retail unit.

The new stadium, leisure facilities and the community hub will all open in 2019 along with the new cinema and commercial units.

The Community Stadium has had a chequed career since the Council, agreed to make land available for the project in 2010. Funding for the stadium was agreed then as part of a section 106 agreement with the developers of the adjacent Vanguard site.

Everything was on schedule for a 2014 opening when planning permission was granted in 2012 but the then Council opted for a much bigger project including the management of other leisure buildings in the city together with a new swimming pool and as substantial amount of commercial space.

That contract was held up by procurement regulations and at one point it seemed that the complex project would collapse.

Cost forecast 2014

The Council has however persisted with the plans but the bill for the scheme is now way above the initial estimates of £14 million (which would have been covered by the section 106 agreement funding)

.The following statement has been issued by the Councils Liberal Democrat Group (more…)

What’s on in York: Clay decorations and gift tags at Sanderson Court on Thursday

What’s on in York: A Shadow in My Life – A TB Sanatorium memoir

York Explore Library

Sat 18 Nov

2.30pm – 4.30pm

Free

Rita Jerram enjoyed a successful launch at Explore in 2015 for her book retelling her Grandmother’s memoirs about the 1880s Canadian prairie. A Shadow in My Life is her own story: In 1953-4, as a young teenager, Rita spent 18 months in a TB sanatorium. Her book is rare: only a handful of memoirs exist about life in a sanatorium. Rita also writes with humour and love about the 14 women and girls she bonded with.

From the Grandma’s Prairie Journals launch:

“Marvellous reading by Rita – so moving. Beautifully crafted stories from source material! Great to see you showcasing local writers who clearly have great talent.”
Sue Birtwistle

“I came with my friend’s mother who has relatives in Canada. We’ve both read other books about prairie settlers. We enjoyed the buzz and readings – quite nice to have 3 different readers. Thank you.”
Lyndon Askew

“Great readings with animated readers. Opportunity to purchase books. PLEASE MAY WE HAVE MORE OF THE SAME.”

This is a free event, but booking is required and tea/coffee are available for purchase.

To book tickets please click here.

What’s on in York: Finding the Words with poets Charlotte Eichler, Sally Goldsmith and John Whale

York Explore Library

Thu 16 Nov

6.45pm – 8.00pm

£3 (or £2 with a York Card)

Finding the Words is a regular poetry evening every month at York Explore Library. Each evening brings together three poets and we aim to include both published writers and those working towards a collection. We’ll have a bar available and readings last around an hour. The evening is also a chance to share and chat, so please feel free to bring any news or information about poetry local, regional or national.

Charlotte Eichler grew up in Hertfordshire and now lives near Leeds. Her poems have appeared in magazines and anthologies such as Agenda, The Interpreter’s House, The Rialto, and The Emma Press Anthology of Aunts. She was recently awarded a year’s mentoring with Vahni Capildeo by Poetry London magazine, and her first pamphlet will be published by Valley Press in 2018.

Sally Goldsmith As well as a poet Sally is a songwriter, historian, utopian, environmentalist and an amateur naturalist. She’s also written scripts in verse, had songs and poems inside dramas on Radio 4 and a musical feature – about the Izal medicated toilet roll. She’s won two Sony Radio awards. Her first publication was Singer which was one of the winners in the Poetry Business Pamphlet Competition judged by Michael Longley. In 2013 Smith/Doorstop published her first full length collection, Are We There Yet? She lives on the edge of Sheffield near the Peak District.

Twitter: @salthepoet

Are We There Yet? poetry collection published by Smith/Doorstop and available from:

John Whale was born in Liverpool and is a co-editor of the international journal Stand. He has published two collections under the Northern House imprint with Carcanet, Waterloo Teeth (2010) and Frieze (2013). The former was shortlisted for the Forward Prize best first collection. He is currently working on a third volume which, once again, explores the connections between history, the body, and the natural world.

Booking

In person at any Explore York Library.

By phone: (01904) 552828

Email: york@exploreyork.org.uk