WARNING: Not suitable for those of a nervous disposition. A daring, dangerous and diabolical show for Halloween.

SÉANCE FICTION: An evening of literary necromancy. 7-10pm, Wednesday, 31th Oct 2012,

The Bongo Club, Edinburgh.

In the months running up to All Hallow’s Eve, the members of  Writers Bloc have been contacting the spirits of the dead – invoking the shades of literary giants, and using spirit guides to produce terrifying tales of The Other Side.

On Halloween, Writers’ Bloc invites you to a thrilling live séance at The Bongo Club. Using black magic and cutting-edge technology, Bloc will command the dead to speak, or at least tip some literary tables over. You will see them rise from the grave, and catch a thrilling glimpse of the ghosts, demons and bogles who reside beyond this mortal coil.

Come and witness the birth of a new literary movement: SÉANCE FICTION.

The programme for this year’s Science Festival is out – download the PDF.

Bloc’s next gig will be Brave New Words, at 8pm on Wednesday 4th April, Scottish Storytelling Centre.

How many clones does it take to change a light bulb? Why did the chicken cross the wires? The members of Edinburgh’s premier spoken-word performance collective offer their unique perspectives on science and fiction in all-new stories. Warning: may contain rocket science, brain surgery and assorted nuts!

Tickets are £8/£6 and should be booked through the Science Festival.

Thursday 27th October 2011, from 8pm
Canon’s Gait, 232 Canongate, Edinburgh, EH8 8DQ
Admission: £4.00, £2.00 concessions

10 years of soviet lunacy

Comrades,

To mark 10 years of Writers’ Bloc spoken word performances you are invited to the launch of our new 10 year plan:

Better Read Than Dead

Favourite stories from the past 10 years, plus new initiatives forged in the heat and sweat of the bars of Edinburgh. Presented by comrades old and new.

Highlights include:

• Will our production targets continue to be gloriously exceeded?
• Will our drinking consumption continue to be gloriously excessive?
• Will the return of comrade Stefan – hot from the barricades of Aix-en-Provence – be prevented by the running dogs of revisionism?
• What is revisionism?
• Will the regressive ideologies of Halloween – Satanic worship, drugs and orgies – distract our pure-hearted footsoldiers of literary endeavour?

Not so much a 10 year plan as a way of life

Long live the revolution!

Writers appearing at Better Read Than Dead will include: Kirsti Wishart, Andrew C. Ferguson, Jane McKie, Andrew J. Wilson and Gavin Inglis, new members Helen Jackson, Stuart Wallace, Bram E Gieben, Mark Harding.

Plus a special appearance of comrade Stefan Pearson.

I’m pleased to announce…

…drumroll…

…the members of our Electric Lit Orchestra!

On the words, we have: Morag Edward, Andrew C. Ferguson, Bram E. Gieben, Mark Harding, Gavin Inglis, Helen Jackson, Stuart Wallace, Andrew J. Wilson and Kirsti Wishart.

And, providing the music, there’s:

• The multi-talented Andrew C. Ferguson.

• The equally multi-talented Bram E. Gieben aka Texture.

• The wonderful Charlotte Halton on sax teaming up with Kenny MacKay (perhaps best known for being in the Architects of Fear with Andrew J. Wilson?).

• More from Charlotte Halton in collaboration with Mark Allan (of Isaac Brutal and Shock and Awe) and Kelly Brooks (of Tribute to Venus Carmichael).

• The amazing Yann Seznec, aka The Amazing Rolo with a new soundscape composed specially for the show.

• Singers from two brilliant Edinburgh choirs: the Wildfire Women’s Choir and Protest in Harmony.

• And more!

Electric Lit Orchestra, Tuesday 23rd August 2011, 9-11pm, Charlotte Square Spiegeltent, Edinburgh International Book Festival. Why should the story stop when the band comes on?

Here’s the lastest listing of August activities for the Writers’ Bloc comrades, starting with a Tribute to Venus Carmichael gig tonight:

• Friday 12th August, 7:30pm – Venus in Eclipse (Andrew C. Ferguson)
• 13th & 14th August, 7:30pm – Havers and Blethers (Gavin Inglis MCing)
• Sunday 14th August, 2:30pm – The Writers’ Bloc Think Tank (Bloc event)
• 15th-20th August, 1-1:50pm – Neuromonster (Bram E. Gieben)
• Tuesday 16th August, 9:50pm – The Last Man in Space (Andrew J. Wilson)
• Wednesday 17th August, 7pm – Edwin Morgan international poetry prize (Jane McKie)
• Thursday 18th August, 4pm – Story Shop (Helen Jackson)
• Friday 19th August, 7:30pm – Havers and Blethers (Bloc event)
• Tuesday 23rd August, 9pm – Electric Lit Orchestra (BIG Bloc event)

It’s entirely possible that more shows will be announced, so keep an eye on our events pages for the latest information.

The Writers’ Bloc comrades will be keeping busy in August. First up, two new Bloc shows:

• The Writers’ Bloc Think Tank – Wordpower Books, Sunday 14th August 2:30pm, FREE

  Following on from Mr Big Society, we present another show of spoken word and unlikely social policy.

• Havers and Blethers – Captain’s Bar, Friday 19th August 7:30-8:30pm, FREE

  Including a sneak preview of some of the material for Electric Lit Orchestra

And, don’t forget:

• Electric Lit Orchestra – Unbound, EIBF, Tuesday 23rd August 2011, 9-11pm, FREE

  This is our main show for August and it’s going to rock! Why should the story stop when the band comes on?

Bloc will also have a table at:

• Edinburgh Zine & Small Press Fair – The Forest Cafe, Sunday 7th August, 12-5pm, FREE

  For one day only, The Forest Cafe will be turned into a bookshop – featuring rare and hand-made zines, chapbooks, books, CDs and other ephemera.

As if three Writers’ Bloc shows and a book sale weren’t enough, we have confirmation of the first few other shows that will include appearances by Bloc comrades. There will be more to add to this list, so check the Comrades in August 2012 page for the latest updates.

• Venus in Eclipse – Captain’s Bar, Friday 12th August 7:30-8:30pm, FREE

  Hear parts of the legendary singer-songwriter Venus Carmichael’s life story with performances of her songs by Tribute to Venus Carmichael. Featuring Andrew C Ferguson, Helen Jackson and Kirsti Wishart.

• Andrew J. Wilson – The Last Man in Space – The Banshee Labyrinth, Tuesday 16th August 9:30-11pm 9:50-10:50pm, FREE

  For one night only, Scottish spacemen, doo-wop devil worshippers and quite possibly the end of the world as we know it. Part of the Free Fringe.

• Edwin Morgan international poetry prize – EIBF, Wed 17th August, 7-8pm, £10/£8

  Jane McKie has been shortlisted in the prestigious Edwin Morgan International Poetry Competition. The prize ceremony, which will include readings, is part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

The programme for Unbound is out so it’s time to tell you about our next event! Unbound is the Edinburgh International Book Festival‘s late-night Spiegeltent series.

Writers’ Bloc will be performing Electric Lit Orchestra on Tuesday 23rd August 2011, 9-11pm in the Spiegeltent in Charlotte Square. Here’s what the Unbound brochure says:

Electric Lit Orchestra

Why should the story stop when the band comes on? This local ‘spoken word performance collective’ are modern day champions of the often overlooked Scottish literary tradition – the fantastique. Edinburgh collective Writers’ Bloc presents an evening of new fiction about, and set to, music. Expect hidden nightclubs and soul trades, celestial harmonies and ram raids in this event where anything literal could literally happen.

Unbound events happen every night from 14 to 29 August in the Spiegeltent in Charlotte Square Gardens as part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. All Unbound events are FREE and unticketed. To get in, simply turn up and walk in. All events start at 9pm so arrive early to get a seat and the bar will be open until 1am.

There are some great events in Unbound, so pick up your programme in The Skinny, or check out Unbound on the EIBF website.

Mr Big Society is tonight: 8pm at the Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh College of Art. If you move quickly you can still book your ticket online for a discount and a free Mr Big Society badge. Or, it’s £4/£2 on the door.

Bloc is presenting an all-new illustrated Mr Men story, featuring appearances by several characters you may not remember from the first time round. Other stories feature improvised weaponry in Asda, warring troops of worthy youth organisations, William Burroughs, rooftop gardens, eerie doors, rage, and Edinburgh City Council. The lineup is:

Gavin Inglis reads Mr Big Society
Stuart Wallace reads Break On Through
Morag Edward reads Eat Your Greens
Helen Jackson reads Banana Republic

Gavin Inglis reads Mr Big Society
Bram E. Gieben reads Small Utopias
Mark Harding reads 28 Minutes Later

Gavin Inglis reads Mr Big Society
Andrew C . Ferguson reads Die Hard by George
Kirsti Wishart reads Operation Fairycake

Follow the adventures of Mr Big Society and his friends!

Yes, it’s the Writers’ Bloc contribution to the big debate of our time. All the things you really wanted to know about The Big Society but were just too sensible to ask.

Original, unscholarly research on the key economic questions: What happens if you literally pay peanuts? What happens when ‘Fairy Cakes for Fire Engines’ collides with ‘Lemoncake for Lifeboats’? Is The Big Society fact or fable? Bird or plane? Can you return it if it’s the wrong size? Will Mr Big Society, Mr Banker, Little Miss Librarian, Mr Jihad and all the other friends have the best time ever? Or will there be tears before bedtime?

A revolution of the Public Services and Charity Sector – what could possibly go wrong? Or to be more accurate, what could impossibly go wrong?

The Writers’ Bloc Think Tank will present a night of unlikely social policy – short stories that blur all distinction between fact, fiction, sense, nonsense, inaccuracy, good ideas and bonkers brainstorming sessions.

Having trouble understanding The Big Society? Just wait until we’ve finished! *

Writers appearing at Mr Big Society will include: Morag Edward, Andrew C. Ferguson, Gavin Inglis, Jane McKie, Andrew J. Wilson and Kirsti Wishart plus new comrades Bram E Gieben, Mark Harding, Helen Jackson and Stuart Wallace.

8pm, Wednesday 1st June 2011, Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh College of Art, EH3 9DF. Admission is an affordable £3 if you book your ticket online, or £4 (£2 concessions) on the door.

Newsflash: Writers’ Bloc bribery scandal. Buy your Mr Big Society ticket online through WeGotTickets and receive a limited-edition Mr Big Society badge on the night. Possibly in a brown envelope.

* Not approved by the IMF, OECD or The Institute for Economic Affairs.

No Country for Dead Men: New Stories for Samhain

Edinburgh, 2nd November, 2010 – Fresh from a barnstorming performance at the Edinburgh International Book Festival’s Unbound programme, Writers’ Bloc announces an evening of spoken word with an uncanny twist.

Expect new stories about: Gertrude Jekyll and Mr Hyde; a board game played with real human beings as the pieces; not-so-little green men; and the Hound of the D’Urbervilles. All will be performed with Bloc’s trademark energy and verve.

No Country for Dead Men takes place at the Ghillie Dhu, 2–6 Rutland Place, Edinburgh EH1 2AD, on Tuesday 2nd November from 8 p.m. Admission is an affordable £4.00 (£2.00 concessions).