DYS(the)LEXI

RASP

2012-01-28T10:21:00.000-08:00

http://www.facebook.com/dyslexicwriters

Missfit Hits Rome

2009-03-12T07:05:00.000-07:00

^^ Pennie and Lennie went to Roma and spread the missfit word,

We should really be doing the same around London but postcards don't stay up if you leave them places like they seem to in Rome....

The graffiti was not us... but I thought it was amazing!!!

MISSFIT MONDAYS 2009 Festival Fundraiser for DYS(THE)LEXI 2009

2008-12-21T14:55:00.000-08:00

missfit productions, the storytellers pedal stool, are at it again, producing high quality storytelling, at low cost prices. We are looking for stories in all formats: tellers, poets, visual makers, playwrights. players, directors, dreamers, idealists, rebels, and my favourite of all, missfits.

If you have a story or an idea for a story and you are looking to test it out or show it off, please get in contact asap. All submissions must be emailed to missfitmonday@googlemail.com by the 15th Jan 09.

We are offering the most developed work a maximum run of 4 performances and where necessary happy to support the writer with casting, as well as sourcing a Director.

There is no funding for this project yet, but it is an opportunity to invite industry professionals/ agents. We will be giving each writer/maker 2 comps per performance, Directors and Actors all get 1 comp per performance.

missfit mondays @ The Troy Bar, Hoxton

Performance Dates Available:
Feb: 09 - 2, 9, 16, 23,
Mar: 2, 9, 16, 23, 30,
Apr: 6,13,20,27,
May: 4,11,18,25 – Susanna - Russian Play (Calling for Dir/Cast)

DYSSING MONADYS - The End Has Come

2008-11-27T12:19:00.000-08:00

Two months have gone by so fast. Dyssing Monadys has now finished. So much has happend, we have met so many people, worked with so many writers, poets and filmakers, actors and directors.

The concept was to create an event designed for us - dyslexic storytellers, to tell our storys, our way. A place were there was no need to apologies for our erros or our weeknesses, becouse here - at the festival, we were the main stars. Our weekenesses were not important. We were seen as storytellers and for a while, people, the audenice, forgot we were dyslexic.

The audenice were often suprised and the work was so good, people even questioned if we were really dyslexic. This just show how little the genral public know about dyslexia.

We came out of the creative closet. Me included.

A dyslexic producer, writer and director, proving that her playground is better...

I dont belive in the mantra, if you can beat them join them, I belive in, "If you cant beat them, change the rules"

Susanna, By Russian Writer, N.N. Rashkin

2008-11-23T22:11:00.000-08:00

Monday 24th Nov 08

Play – 7.30pm

Susanna
By N.N. Rashkin

"I shall tell about myself something. I was born in 1964. I the writer, script writer, playwright. I have issued three books. All other my works in Russia are necessary to nobody. Oh yes, I live in Russia. I the man, not the woman. My name N. N."

Director

Vince Tycer recently moved to London from California, directing work includes Reefer Madness the Musical and Menotti's opera The Medium. He has an MA in Directing from the University of California at Irvine and studied acting at Drama Studio London.

2008-11-23T22:09:00.001-08:00

follow me on Twitter

A Wonderful Surprise

2008-11-19T21:00:00.000-08:00

I purposely made sure that I didn’t look at the script prior to the performance. By doing this it will give me a fresh approach to the play. In a strange way I’ve never felt fully connected when I see my plays acted. It’s as if someone else had written it. On Oct. 6th when the lights went down and the play started I was totally connected. The night “LD” was performed was the best theatrical event of my playwriting career.
Two amazingly talented actors and a very gifted talented director caught every nuance and every dramatic moment of my play. And that’s saying something because I’ve worked with the creative people in my other plays. They never reached height of perfection that Ms. Sorczuk and company had. Considering that I wasn’t present during the creative process made the event more exciting and a wonderful surprise.

I was a little concern about the Q & A afterwards. I never done it before. The audience members made me feel at ease. The questions were challenging and their interest in dyslexia very moving. At the end of the evening a fella told me that he wasn’t diagnosed until he was in his mid thirties and that the could identify with the characters. In every performance of this play I’ve always had people approach me with stories about themselves or loved ones effect by this disability. With these conversations I feel that I’ve done my job as an artist. I’ve opened a dialog for audience to talk freely about living with dyslexia. That was always my goal for “LD” when I wrote it.

Playwright Wendy Wasserstein

2008-11-19T07:41:00.000-08:00

Through her plays and other writings, Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein provided a voice for so many women paving their way on one or more of the multiple paths that the 1960’s and 70’s and modern-day feminism opened up to them. In fact, Wendy, herself, opened doors for women with her plays. Uncommon Women and Others, one of her early successful plays, featured a group of young undergrads at a prestigious women’s college striving to be “great before 30.” It gave now well-known actresses Glenn Close and Meryl Streep a chance to shine in their early years of acting. And, a little later on in her career, when women over a certain age were not getting roles, Wendy, again, wrote roles specifically for them in her 1993 critically-acclaimed play, The Sisters Rosenweig.

"She was known for being a popular, funny playwright, but she was also a woman and a writer of deep conviction and political activism," André Bishop, artistic director of Lincoln Center told Charles Isherwood of the New York Times (January 30, 2006. Link to article). "In Wendy's plays women saw themselves portrayed in a way they hadn't been onstage before — wittily, intelligently and seriously at the same time. We take that for granted now, but it was not the case 25 years ago. She was a real pioneer." Like the roles in her plays, Wendy created her own path as she went through her early years of school, her career, and her late-in-life and single motherhood. Perhaps this attitude began as a necessity, when early on dyslexia made reading, spelling—and writing—incredibly challenging.

“I won a Pulitzer Prize for playwriting, and I grew up having trouble reading,” Wasserstein commented in an interview with Dr. Sally Shaywitz (Overcoming Dyslexia). Reading continued to be a slow process for Wendy, but when she found an outlet in the arts, especially in theater, she began to flourish in school—yet she was not “cured.” Spelling continually proved difficult for her, and brought down her grades. But things did get better, and better, as she was able to concentrate on things that she could do—the arts, in particular plays and playwriting. “I figured out that they’re short, they’re also printed large, and there’s a lot of white space on the page. And you can go (as I used to do) to the Library of Performing Arts and read and listen to them at the same time. And later, reading the plays again, you can hear the voices of those people. (Overcoming Dyslexia, p. 351)

Despite her difficulties with reading, typing, and spelling, Wendy pushed on with her passion for writing, graduating from Mount Holyoke college with a BA in history, and then from CUNY’s City College with a MA in creative writing. She then earned her MFA a The Yale School of Drama, and continued on to playwriting’s pinnacle—Broadway. “Just because you are not a skilled reader doesn’t mean that you can’t be a writer,” Wendy pointed out, and demonstrated right from the beginning of her successful career. She further proved her point by authoring several non-fiction books, and a novel, Elements of Style, in addition to many successful and popular plays. Her 1988 play, the Heidi Chronicles earned her, among other awards, a Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Tony Award for Best Play—she was the first female playwright to win one solo.

“In some ways being dyslexic is a gift, because you think less linearly. And you have to know it’s okay to think out of the box,” Wendy remarked to Dr. Shaywitz. Indeed, her ability to think outside the box, brought her audiences and her actors pioneering plays and witty, intelligent, and strong women characters tackling all aspects of life, love, and politics.

Tony Kushner, the award-winning playwright of “Angels in America,” commented on her “tremendous vitality, optimism and determination” to Hartford Courant Staff Writer Frank Rizzo (Jan 31, 2006. pg. A.1). Her faith in humanity, her genuine kindness, wit, and honesty earned her a place in the hearts of her colleagues and critics; and her prize-winning plays placed her among the greatest drama writers of all time—Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Rogers & Hammerstein.

Her legacy and works continue to touch and inspire others, and beg answers to important questions, despite her shortened life and career. When she died of Lymphoma at the age of 55 in 2006, the lights on Broadway were dimmed in her honor.

*****

Read more:

Wendy Wasserstein writes about her characters and diversity in her plays for Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts.

Playbill's memorial tribute to Wendy Wasserstein by Robert Simonson.

A Wendy Wasserstein Retrospective by Morgan Allen. (Playbill)

A girl who met her other side

2008-11-19T07:10:00.001-08:00

Film 7pm

Screening on Monday 17 & 24 Nov 2008

By Lucy Fry Mixed media artist, MA Fashion design and Enterprise at the University of Westminster. During the last year, my style has been to communicate ideas around Contemporary Fashion through performance in Photography and short Art Films, using light, colour and camera technology to bring a painterly quality to my images. I've exhibited Sculpture and video installation as part of 'Lucid Intervals' hosted by the Bricklane gallery and the Rag factory gallery September 08. Also through this year I discovered I was Dyslexic this was truly a relief to know why I'm like I am. My main focus now is to just keep making art. I feel positive attracts positive energy and good things come to those who keep trying.

What is Dyslexia?

2008-11-19T06:23:00.000-08:00

The below text is taken from : http://www.dyslexia.uk.com/page30.html

No single definition currently exists to adequately define dyslexia,
including our own definition. The truth is, at present nobody
really knows exactly what dyslexia is or what causes it. However,
we do know much about the dyslexic condition and as a consequence
dyslexia tends to be described in terms of its symptoms or
alternatively in terms of what it is not. For example 'Dyslexia is
not due to low intelligence' or 'Dyslexia is not a disease, it has
no cure'

In your search for information you will discover many definitions
and proposed causes of dyslexia. Writers will put forward their own
views and theories, which will generally differ from the views and
theories of others. Understandably, this is often confusing.
However, if you find yourself in this position and are wondering how
on earth you can begin to understand a condition that has no single
definition, do not despair.

Those who work with dyslexic children and adults on a day-to-day
basis quickly learn to recognise the signs of dyslexia. Although no
two dyslexics are the same, all dyslexics share enough common
symptoms to make recognising the condition possible.

Unlike others, we do not wish to attempt to impose one single
definition upon you. Instead we have listed below a few of the
common definitions currently in circulation.

Whichever definition you identify with, if you suspect that you are dyslexic
yourself or that your child may be dyslexic. Be totally honest with yourself,
because deep down inside you will known that some kind of problem exists
and that is the first step to resolving it.

Definition 1)

Our own simple definition of dyslexia is 'Intelligent, bright or
even gifted individuals, that for no obvious reason, struggle to learn through
the medium of written or spoken language'.

Definition 2)

The World Federation of Neurology defines dyslexia as
'a disorder manifested by difficulties in learning to read, despite
conventional instruction, adequate intelligence and socio-cultural
opportunity'.

Definition 3)

Dyslexia is not just a severe reading disorder
characterised by reversals. It is a syndrome of many and varied
symptoms that affects millions of children and adults.

Definition 4)

Dyslexia is the ability to see multidimensionally,
all at once, or from any one place at a time. The ability to think
in pictures and to register those pictures as real. Thus, you mix
in creative thinking with reality and change what is seen and heard.

Definition 5)

a) To read and spell requires co-ordination of many brain
functions. Problems arise at one or more functional levels.

b) Developmental dyslexia is a neurobiologically-based deficit in
acquiring reading and spelling skills, relative to the person's
general intellectual abilities.

c) Dyslexia is a discrepancy between a high score on intelligence
tests and low scores on reading/spelling tests.

Definition 6)

Dyslexia is a disability that alters the way the
brain processes written material. Affects vary from person to
person. However, all dyslexics read at levels significantly lower
than is typical for their age or intelligence.

Definition 7)

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty characterised by
problems with written or spoken language such as reading, writing,
spelling, speaking, or listening. The word dyslexia describes a
different kind of mind, often gifted, over-productive, and that
learns in a different way.

Definition 8)

Dyslexia is a congenital disturbance of brain
function causing a variety of learning difficulties, especially
relating to reading, writing and spelling.

http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk
http://www.dyslexia.org.uk
http://www.dyslexia.uk.com

Dyslexia has a language barrier

2008-11-19T01:30:00.000-08:00

Readers of Chinese use different parts of the brain from readers of English, write Brian Butterworth and Joey Tangguardian.co.uk, Thursday September 23 2004 01.13 BST Article historyAlan's parents are English, but he was born and grew up in Japan. He would pass as a native speaker of either language. What brought Alan to the notice of Taeko Wydell, an expert on Japanese reading, and Brian Butterworth, was that he was severely dyslexic, but only in one language. In the other, he was probably in the top 10% of readers of his age.

New research by US and Chinese scientists challenges our interpretation of how it is possible to be dyslexic in one language but not another. It shows that readers of Chinese use a different part of their brains to readers of English.

The study, led by Li Hai Tan and reported in Nature, may unexpectedly tell us some key things about how dyslexia affects the brain. Brain functioning, and indeed structure, is moulded by experience. Learning a regular spelling system such as Italian creates differences in brain organisation compared to learning highly irregular English. Italian has 26 rules to learn, which takes about six months; English takes longer because there are many irregularities (and several hundred rules). In Chinese 3,500 characters are needed to read the equivalent of the Daily Mail and about 6,000 characters to read books.

The second main difference is that in English each linguistically distinct sound, or phoneme, maps to a single letter. For example, the three phonemes in "bat" map on to three letters. If one letter is changed it makes a new word. A Chinese character maps to a whole syllable. In Putonghua, the national language of China, there are about 1,800 distinguishable syllables; each syllable can have several meanings and each meaning is typically represented by a distinct character.

How will these differences be reflected in brain organisation? Learning Chinese creates specific demands on the areas for remembering visual patterns. English readers make more use of areas for phoneme processing.

This ability to analyse syllables into phonemes is the key problem in dyslexia. Dyslexics have difficulty segmenting the word "that" into three separate sounds - so fare much worse in learning English than Chinese.

Reported prevalence of dyslexia is much higher in English (about 5-6%) than Chinese. I surveyed 8,000 schoolchildren in the Beijing region, with Yin Wengang of the Chinese Academy of Science, and found that about 1.5% were dyslexic.

This kind of evidence suggests that a single underlying deficit of the ability to analyse words into phonemes can cause dyslexia for any reader, but will be more severe where phonemes are involved. A European team led by Uta Frith of UCL reported in Science a few years ago that English, French and Italian dyslexics all showed the same abnormal activity involving the brain system underlying phonemic analysis.

In Alan, this theory predicts accurately that the affected language will be English, since Japanese does not require analysis into phonemes.

Research by Frith's team shows that small variations in brain organisation are due to orthography, with Italian making more demands on the phonemic system, because it is regular, and English making more demands on the naming system because words cannot be read correctly using phonic rules and have to be named - for example: colonel, yacht, pint. We assume the part of Alan's brain that deals with phonemic analysis is not working efficiently, which causes a problem reading English, compared to Japanese.

The first surprise in Tan's study was that a key peak in brain activity in Chinese readers fell outside the network typically used by European readers. The second surprise was that dyslexics showed lower activation in several key reading areas compared with normal Chinese readers, but this was in a very different brain area from Frith's European dyslexics.

Both Frith and I have argued that dyslexia has a universal basis in the brain that affects phonemic analysis. Tan and his colleagues, by contrast, conclude that "the biological abnormality of impaired reading is dependent on culture". If we are right, Alan uses the same brain network for English and Japanese, and the malfunction only affects English reading. If Tan is right, Alan has separate networks for English and Japanese, and only the former is affected.

A lot will turn on which of us is right. Dyslexia frequently runs in families, and there has been much research trying to identify the genes responsible. If dyslexia is governed by culture, then Chinese dyslexia may be caused by a different genetic anomaly than English dyslexia.

· Brian Butterworth and Joey Tang are in the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London

Monday 10th November 2008

2008-11-09T16:39:00.000-08:00

Film - 7pm
Rahidian Gutterfish
By Benjamin Otos
London’s 8th International Disability Film Festival runs next weekend at the BFI Southbank in London. The events begin on Thursday, February 14th with a screening of the opening night film, Special People, and runs throughout the weekend with a variety of programs that include screenings of older and recent films from around the world, short film collections, conversations with filmmakers and panel discussions. Each film or event will be soft-titled, audio-described, BSL interpreted and/or Palantype transcribed as appropriate. The event is organized by the London Disability Arts Foundation (LADF), a disability-led organization focused on promoting Disability Arts and the work of disabled artists. The LADF was founded in 1986 and registered as a charity in 1992 with core funding from Arts Council England. For more information about the LDAF, and a detailed list of the events, please go to http://www.ldaf.org/index.htm, http://disabilityfilm.org.uk/ http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=b8agdmkpCf4, http://withtv.typepad.com

MONDAY 3rd NOV 2008 BEHIND THE WIRE

2008-11-03T06:16:00.000-08:00

Behind the Wire’ set in 1970’s Belfast, examines the conflicts in Northern Ireland during its most tumultuous time in history. The play examines what happened to the families, those left behind and the lives lost to the Maze Prison. Rebecca Gooden trained at The Central School of Speech and Drama as a playwright and graduated 08. Behind the Wire is the first play she has written.

Director Chris Lynch graduated from Central School of Speech and Drama where he majored in writing and directing. He has assisted Richard Foreman in the creation of ' Deep trance behaviour in Potatoland’ (Jan 08). His writing debut in the Buxton Fringe 2006, receiving a best young company nomination for his show '10 ways to fake your own death'. The second son of a former Collary Worker Chris was diagnosed with dyslexia aged 10 and has used it as motivation ever since, taking inspiration from his hero Jackie Steward. Chris is currently writing 'for when the wind blows' as well as several minor plays.

THE STORY

2008-10-28T12:44:00.000-07:00

missfit productions, (www.missfitproductions.org) was born while at Central to present my MA show – a wonderful experiment in which I mixed performance and film in a photobooth – made out of wood and a computer monitor. This is where it began, this interest in crossing the boundary between the forms.

After graduation I new that if I did not carry on making work straightway, there was a chance I may not make anything at all. Once you graduate it’s so easy to get caught up in life and work and surviving, that the privilege of actually being able to make theatre seems like a luxury most cannot afford.

In 2006...feeling a little lost I became self-employed and began teaching drama, even though I did an MA in writing for performance. I worked with Bigfoot for about 18 months. An opportunity arose to hire a small theatre for a week and I jumped for it. A friend and I went half on the fee and we set up a new festival called WRITE SIDE OF THE BRAIN which invited filmmakers, poets and playwrights to submit their work. Another friend sorted the website, which made missfit real in cyber space, who also sorted out the postcards and made up the logo and before I new it, a producing energy was in force. (In February 2008 Burning Houses and missfit co-produced the second WRITE SIDE OF THE BRAIN festival).

I wanted to do it again, only the second time I was looking for a new angle...the angle was me, a dyslexic writer, a secret poet and an aspiring filmmaker. I knew there had to be more people like me out there. I was convinced that if missfit produced a festival for dyslexic storyteller’s, a new experience of entertainment would blossom on the horizon. The concept of the odd becoming accessible also excited me.

DYS(THE)LEXI open its wings in 2007 - the odd kids were telling their stories and now people were paying to hear them, it was wonderful, I felt like I was building playground and inviting all my friends to play. It had a raw energy to it, a raw and low production quality that somehow worked and continues to work into DYSSING MONADYS.

We are now half way through the DYSSING MONADYS Festival. There have been ups and downs and wonderful moments of complete synergy. Most of all it has been emotional because missfit is creating a playground were the 'odd' kids rule and play their, 'games', even if it is only for one night.

This concept coins the philosophy that 'in the playground we play and by playing we discover, and by discovering we learn and by learning we become all knowing'...Well, this is what I teach my 9 year old drama students :) (MAD ABOUT TALENT WEEKEND PERFORMING ARTS)

Every night I learn something new about the kind of theatre I want to be part of. The kind of event I want to create. I discover the possibilities and limitations of my own imagination and will. (Like I said...its been emotional)

So, how do you make good theatre and build a great festival? Bottom line, money because money means good lights, technicians, props, design, costume, salary, venue...and everyone seems impressed with the smell of it too.

If you don't have money, you hope to have some of the magic that money cannot buy. This magic is priceless and being so really hard to cultivate. But it can be found in the people you work with, their generosity and faith in what you are trying to do and these three words, Magic, Generosity, and Faith have made DYSSING MONADYS happen.

I would like to say thank you to the writes, filmmakers, poets, directors, actors and every audience member who has believed in my playground and invite other missfits to get in touch as I am always looking for good storymakers.

Next year I want to co-produce with a company bigger then missfit and am always looking for these creative partnerships so please do email me at dysthelexi@gmail.com. Please visit http://dysthelexi.blogspot.com for up to the minute information on the festival.

MONDAY 27th OCT 2008

2008-10-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

CHO SAB SEC NIGHT

2008-10-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

The second night was so much better, the actors were on form, the projector was working, the audenice was warm and the envoroment was cosy...not to mention lots of cakes to go around...thank you god and everyone elas involved :)

Emma Elliott - The Dog and Duck Fables

2008-10-26T18:08:00.000-07:00

Emma was part of the first DYS(THE)LEXI festival and has gone on to write a book which is now being published by Olympia. It stated for her with missfit and we are very happy to be mentioned in her book as an infulence.

MONDAY 20th Oct

2008-10-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

Hello

So, just to give people the low down - those who could not make it on Monday. We kidded off with short animations followed by a short film and then my play, which, compared to last week, was a huge sucsess.

MONDAY 20th OCT

2008-10-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

Emma Elliot

A Duck's eye view of a dog's world. Emma is a writer, A duck's eye view of a dog's world. Occupation: writer – performing poet – teacher – therapist – professional speaker. Aim: empower - inspire – enlighten. Emma's latest book: 'Back to the Sky: how to fly with DYSLEXIA' is to be published by Olympia Publishers this year. www.olympiapublishers.com
Emma's current performance is a collection of fables called The Dog and Duck Fables. These powerful fables share valuable lessons: to embrace your true nature, to put down the boxing gloves and find inner peace, to face inner fear and to follow your inner calling. Emma_Elliott88@hotmail.com

MONDAY 20th October

2008-10-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

FILM

WATCHING
by Anita Gallo

Anita Gallo is passionate about writing, Anita has had a theatre play performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (2006) and short films screened on Sky TV (2007-08). Ceri Mill (playing Katie) and Morven Scott (playing Miriam).
anita@anitagallo.com

Monday 13th Oct 2008 - Chocolate Sabotage

2008-10-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

CHOCOLATE SABOTAGE
By lennie varvarides

What a night...Talk about waiting till the eleventh hour, but we all pulled it off, even with the last minute changes like adding live music on the night, adding waitress, i mean actors to new scenes, stepping in on the day of the show with trays of food, I mean cakes, I mean chocolate eclairs, and if all this was not enough to test the best actors in the world, our first show was in fact our dress rehearsal. The very first time the whole cast was together and performing with all their props and waring their costumes.

What a show...the joys of low budget productions and gorilla marketing to get the job done. To keep going and keep believing in what you are going for. I love it. I really love it...even when everything goes wrong. Thank God we have Monday 20th to put it all right.

Dyslexia Awareness Week

2008-10-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

Today i got an email about Dyslexia Awareness Week from the Equality and Diversity department at my university.
I decided send them an email about the festival and about the 20th Oct in particular as that is the show on during awareness week.

I am now going to email the E&D departments of other London Uni's and see if they can incorporate the festival into their awareness week events.

Pennie

Chocolate Sabotage

2008-10-12T13:36:00.001-07:00

The women in Larry's Life...

Monday 13 October 2008

2008-10-12T13:27:00.000-07:00

This will be our second night.
We have animation by Sarah Murphy & Tasha Hollywood and poetry Sarah Murphy
and theatre and...cakes, well they are not cakes, they are chocolate eclairs.....

DYSSING MONADYS 2008

7:30PM PLAY:
Chocolate Sabotage
by Lennie Varvarides
directed by Lennie Varvarides
cast: Alex Tanner, Louise Morelll, Claire Rafferty, Chryssanthy Kofidou

THE FIRST NIGHT

2008-10-06T16:20:00.001-07:00

Q&A time with the playwright... Is it fashionable to be dyslexic? - If it is not, it will be :)

What a wonderful start to the festival. Great energy, cosy atmosphere and cheap beer...and we have not even began to explain the production yet.

LD, by Matt Heftler received a debut performance in London, previously the play had a staged reading in New York, but MH said, "The past production did not have the same insight, or illustrate the same emotion." We take it the playwright was happy with our rendition.

Samantha Hopkins was both believable and slick as Tracy Johnston, the determined and ambitious book editor, while Adrian Rodrigues portrayed both the passion and frustration of Michael Greene, the dyslexic playwright with emotional problems.

One hour flew by so fast and now there are only another 7 nights left. Each Monday missfit will be producing one new play, as well as presenting short films/animations by dyslexic makers and a bit of poetry to get us all in the mood for contemplation.

Please come out and support these nights - you will be inspired !

LD by Matt Heftler

2008-10-05T06:29:00.000-07:00

By Matt Heftler,

Directed by Malwina Sworczuk,

Staring Samantha Hopkins as Tracy Johnston and Adrian Rodrigues as Michael Greene

Music by Jerzy Bielski

LD is about the relationship between Mike Green, a crabby and frustrated dyslexic novelist and his new no nonsense editor, Tracey Johnston. Tracey's son, Kenny is also dyslexic and she doesn't know how to handle his disability. Whilst working with Mike she learns of the physical and emotional difficulties that are part of being dyslexic. Through this new relationship, Mike also discovers how to cope better with his disabilities.

LD by MATT HEFTLER - ONE NIGHT ONLY - Monday 6 OCT 7PM

2008-10-05T06:24:00.000-07:00

THE CAST -

ADRIAN RODRIGUES (Michael Greene) Graduated from Drama Studio London in July 08. Previously he has played a chain saw killer in a short film, Mendoza on Fonejacker (E4), and DL in Feelgood. (The Times weekend choice May 07).email: acrc68@yahoo.co.uk

SAMANTHA HOPKINS (Tracey Johnston)
Graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Credits include, Madame de Tourvel in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Sarah in O Go My Man. Mira in Pluto (Grit Productions/Mokita Productions - Blue Elephant Theatre) and Gemma in Involution (Mokita Productions - Pacific Playhouse and then Pleasance Dome for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival). She was a finalist for the 2007 Alan Bates Bursary offered by the Actor's Centre and assessed by a prestigious panel including Janet Suzman and Anton Lesser. Short films, including Dulcie in The Most Important Question You Will Ever Ask (Storm56). Samhops@hotmail.com

LD - By Matt Heftler Opens 6th Oct 2008

2008-10-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Sabotage, Monday 13 & 20th Oct

2008-10-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

Do they

love each other...what keeps them together? what stops Larry cheating? .... why does Sasha like to flirt...a modern day love story where love is all a bit too complicated to explain.

DYSSING MONADYS

2008-10-01T16:46:00.001-07:00

Not long to go now .....

Another night up late, but I am excited and extremely happy that so many people are getting involved and caring about the festival. It has a real feeling of community and a sense of...well, it just feels like everyone care. I now, it sounds a bit wet, but I'm feeling emotional.

This event has come toghter with a shoe string budget but the work is exceptional. Each of the plays have strong directors with passionate casts. Every night of DYSSING MONADYS will be magical. Though, I could do with a few more poets and short filmmakers.

Know any?

Please help to spread the word about what we are doing and raise the profile of talented dyslexic around the world as part of Adult Dyslexia Awarness Week.

DYSSING MONADYS FESTIVAL LINE UP

2008-09-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

MONDAY OCTOBER 13
7pm FILM/Animation: Tasha Hollywood
7:15pm POET: Sarah Murphy
7:30PM PLAY:
Chocolate Sabotage
by Lennie Varvarides
directed by Lennie Varvarides
cast: Alex Tanner, Louise Morell, Claire Rafferty, Chryssanthy Kofidou

MONDAY OCTOBER 27
7pm FILM: TBA
7:15pm POET: TBA
7:30PM PLAY: Deception, Illusion and Nate
by Catie O'Keefe
directed by Amanda Guiseppi

MONDAY NOVEMBER 10
7pm FILM: TBA
7:15pm POET: TBA
7:30pm PLAY: The Crucifixion Of Madeline McKay
by Alex Morris
directed by Steve Harris
cast: ‎Beverley Eve, Louise Jackson

MONDAY NOVEMBER 24
7pm FILM: TBA
7:15pm POET: TBA
7:30PM PLAY: Susanna
by N. N. Rakshin
directed by Vince
cast: Suzanne Goldberg, Gabriella Schmidt, Natasha Radski, Simon Burbage, Neil Suarez, Frank Threapleton-Horroks, John Hickey

DYSSING MONADYS FESTIVAL LINE UP

2008-09-30T17:01:00.001-07:00

MONDAY OCTOBER 6
7pm FILM/Animation: Sarah Murphy
7:15pm POET: Henry Fleet
7:30PM PLAY: LD
by Matt Heftler
directed by Malwina Sworczuk
cast: Samantha Hopkins, Adrian Rodriguez-Cova

MONDAY OCTOBER 20
7pm FILM: TBA
7:15pm POET: Emma Elliott
The Dog And Duck Fables
7:30PM PLAY: Chocolate Sabotage
by Lennie Varvarides
directed by Lennie Varvarides
cast: Alex Tanner, Louise Morell, Claire Rafferty, Chryssanthy Kofidou

MONDAY NOVEMBER 3
7pm FILM: TBA
7:15pm POET: TBA
7:30pm PLAY: Behind The Wire
by Rebecca Gooden
directed by
cast:

MONDAY NOVEMBER 17
7pm FILM: TBA
7:15pm POET: TBA
7:30PM PLAY: Susanna
by N. N. Rakshin
directed by Vince
cast: SuzanneGoldberg, Gabriella Schmidt, Natasha Radski, Simon Burbage, Neil Suarez, Frank Threapleton-Horroks, John Hickey

Under her spell: Sally Gardner's I, Coriander, was voted best book by a 55,000-strong panel of schoolchildren.

2008-09-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

Michelle Pauli
guardian.co.uk,
Wednesday December 14 2005 15:52 GMT
Article history

An author with severe dyslexia, who did not learn to read until she was 14, has beaten Philip Pullman to this year's Nestle children's book prize. Sally Gardner's fantasy adventure, I, Coriander, was chosen by a panel of schoolchildren as the best book in the nine-to-11 years category.

Speaking after the lunchtime ceremony at the British Library, Gardner said that she was "bowled over and completely flabbergasted" by her gold medal win. "If some of my teachers could see me now, they would not believe it," she added.

Gardner was labelled as unteachable and sent to a special school as a result of her dyslexia, which remained undiagnosed until she was 12. She changed her first name from Sarah to Sally because it was easier for her to spell and she believes that her learning difficulty helps her to write for the preteen age group.

"I really have to think about long words," she explained. "If I can't spell them I won't include them unless they are really necessary or are simply wonderful words."

Her winning novel tells the story of Coriander, the daughter of a 17th-century London silk merchant, who endures a miserable childhood in the care of a Puritanical stepmother. Escaping to a "fairy kingdom", she learns about herself and her mother's heritage and returns to Cromwell's London charged with a task.

Maddie Toole and Laura Palmer, both 10, of Beccles middle school in Beccles, Suffolk, were part of the 55,000-strong children's judging panel for the prizes, and attended the ceremony with their classmates. They both voted for I, Coriander. "The description of the characters and the fairy world is really good," Maddie said. "And the plot was really good too - I couldn't put it down!" agreed Laura.

Philip Pullman's The Scarecrow and His Servant won the silver medal in the age category, with Livi Michael's The Whispering Road taking third place.

In the six-to-eight years category, Nick Butterworth's The Whisperer, a tale of two cats who fall in love, won the gold medal. Corby Flood by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, who won the gold last year with Fergus Crane, came second this time and Michael Rosen's marvellously brave and mould-breaking Sad Book, based on the author's own pain after the death of his son Eddie, was awarded bronze.

In the five-years-and-under picture book section, Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers won the gold medal for a book described by the chair of the adult judging panel, Julia Eccleshare, as "an emotional and beautiful journey" by a penguin. The Dancing Tiger by Malachy Doyle won the silver and Wolves by Emily Gravett, the bronze.

The Nestle prize is now in its 21st year and previous Nestle prize-winners include all the children's laureates - Anne Fine, Quentin Blake, Michael Morpurgo and Jacqueline Wilson - while JK Rowling and Lauren Child have each won three medals.

Makeing Waves

2008-09-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

Just under three weeks to go and we have six amazing plays by new writers who are also dyslexic. Being dyslexic means you have a pretty mad time learning, plus side is you come up with new ways of making sense of the world, new ways of memorising and filling in the blanks. My biggest issue is spelling and organisation. I am not very practical and I do not have any concept of time, but I do enjoy saying YES alot and believing that I can do it...I read this article that said dyslexic people make wonderful entrepreneurs because they cannot see the risks involved in a new business venture - I totally agree with this. RISK - what risk....

We need Performance Poets and Filmmakers

2008-09-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

We are looking for 24 dyslexic performance poets and 12 filmmakers -

PERFORMANCE POETS:
Ten poems max. May sent in CD or/and DVDs of live performances, along with CV's.

FILMMAKERS: 1-20 minutes max. You many submit more than one film on any subject matter. Films must have a title, full credits, and CV.

please contact lennie asap at dysthelexi@gmail.com before 30 Sept

Monday's Rehursals

2008-09-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

Larry and Sasha

CASTING FOR MALE AND FEMALE ROLES

2008-09-09T17:28:00.000-07:00

DATE: WED 10 SEPT 08

TIME:7PM

PLACE: 35 KINGSLAND ROAD, SHOREDITCH

PLEASE BRING YOUR CV AND HEADSHOT ON THE DAY

YOU WILL BE READING FROM THE SCRIPT ON THE DAY

Please email vinceldt@aol.com for a time slot and email him your CV and Headshot too.

PARTS:

Peter – 5'10 to 6'2 – dark hair – very fit - 20s (to play 40s) A student making a living working on the docks. He is a romantic. Singer. In Act 2 he is financially secure but not happy with life.

Alexander – medium length dark hair - average build – 20s (to play 40s)A student. Good natured. Enjoys life.

Michael / Arthur – short blonde or ginger – bearded – husky frame - 20s (to play 40s) Michael
A student. Obsessed with telling the truth. He is very self-assured. / Arthur – an adoring fan of

Peter's who is also sleeping with Peter's wife, Olga.Mr. Andrew / Ivan – 5'10 to 6'2 – dark hair – slim - early 20s (to play 60s)Mr. Andrew – Old drunk landlord. / Ivan – a young impulsive romantic. His mother is Susanna.

Susanna – 5'6 to 5'10 - long dark hair – athletic – 20s (to play 40s) A student studying literature. Witty. She believes herself immune to passion, but falls for Peter. In Act 2 she is married to Arthur.

Irina / Olga – blonde hair – imposing figure - 20s (to play 40s)Irina – A headstrong woman also studying literature. Olga – She is the eccentric daughter of a wealthy family. She babies her husband Peter as well as her lover Arthur.

Nina / Elena – dark or multi-colored hair – petite – early 20sNina – She is studying literature and plans to become a teacher, but isn't 100% happy about it. / Elena – a troublesome servant who falls for Ivan.

In the Rehearsal Room - For Chocolate Sabotage

2008-09-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

DYSSING MONADYS

Sasha needs to be sick, Larry has to wach, Sasha knows Larry is whatching, and Larry feels bad, but he cant say he feels bad, so they have a domestic in their bathroom....instead.

Well suspend your disbelief.

2008-09-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

This is what we do - do it with us

DYSMING MONADYS

2008-09-03T14:04:00.000-07:00

Back in May 2006, while we were putting on Write Side Of The Brain, I had this mad idea that there should be a festival for Dyslexic writers. I had the name of the festival in my head. It was going to be called, DYS(the)LEXI. in March 2007 DYS(the)LEXI took form.

Ideas are powerful so have as many of them as you can, often and without rest. The more you have, the more you keep getting and each and everyone is completely possible.

We never got any funding for DYS(the)LEXI - well we did, but the £250 RB was able to get, vanished in the expenses of our budget before we even saw it.

This year we have even less money to work with, but somehow what we lack in money we make up in people and people are a more valuable currency in theatre.

Amy H for example is my rock. She made the website and got us a top google ranking in the first few months of going live, because she is amazing and know what she is doing.

People all over the world have hared about us through our gorilla marketing and I know that missfit productions will be around for as long as I am.

DYSSING MONADYS is low budget, but that means we have all the freedom in the world to play by our own rules.

DYS(the)LEXI Presents DYSSING MONADYS

2008-09-03T04:18:00.000-07:00

2008 is even bigger then last year, its become fashionable to be dyslexic and everyone is coming out of the closet...yeah.

DYSSING MONADYS is part of the Adult Dyslexia Awareness Week and we are doing everything we can to promote our festival playwrights, poets and filmmakers. Its a shame we can not find any brave directors who want to work with us...we are just too challenging, obviously:)

If you are brave and think you can direct, what many other directors are saying they cant, email lennie at dysthelexi@gmail.com today.

It's finished, but not over

2007-04-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

Well, DYS(the)LEXI is finished, for the time being.

We've had some wonderful feedback from people, and will be posting it all up here over the next few weeks.

This from one person:

"Those two days will probably go down as the most significant in my life. There was a fellowship that was like a psychic force. I can't explain it as I have never experienced anything quite like it before. At the end of each night, like a child at the end of a party, I did not want to go home."

Thank you all for your hard work and collaboration on making DYS(the)LEXI a success, especially wonderful Lennie.

It would be great to keep this blog going. One of the aims of the festival was to start a community of dyslexic creative practitioners - and this blog is a great place to let everyone know how you're doing, to start new projects, and to keep friendships going.

Hope to see you all again soon.

Best wishes

WE ARE HERE

2007-03-19T15:10:00.000-07:00

So here we are. The night before the festival kicks off. Everyone is working flat out to get everything done in time. Thanks to everyone for all their hardwork so far. And now the fun really starts.

But it won't be so much fun if no one comes to see the shows. It's only a small theatre but please keep encouraing people to book their tickets. Encourage people to come and see your work, our work, everyone's work.

Just come.

Looking forward to meeting you all properly and seeing your wonderful creativity in full swing.

Break a leg!

2007-03-17T07:09:00.000-07:00

I have just read the piece from Mr/Mrs anonymous. I won't pretend it didn't rattle me, and unfortunately, it is not the first time I've heard such opinions.

Let me explain: I have spent 50% of my life being stupid because I was told I was. What you think, you become. When I was introduced to the Arts Dyslexia Trust that suggested the dyslexic had created abilities, my misconception became a conception of ideas.

At the time I wasn't aware of any creative ability that I may have. But because somebody told me that I was creative, I started to search and find that creativity within. Years later I have written novels, poetry, textbooks, articles... I'm creative all right, creative beyond my dreams.

I don't believe that I am better than anyone else, nor worse. I think in a particular way that allows me to express myself visually, dynamically and from a place where I can see the world from way up high. With these skills I celebrate life through my creativity. I cannot separate my creativity from my dyslexia, because the way I am creatively, is directly linked to how I think, and how I think is directly linked to my dyslexia.

In my opinion, every individual is special, unique, and has something wonderful to offer the world. I don't believe that anyone is stupid; stupidity is a state of mind based on someone else's judgement. Stupidity is a choice, not a limitation of someone's mind. I have never met anyone stupid, dyslexic or non-dyslexic, but I have met many a person who cannot see because they have been blindfolded by set ideas and conditioning.

I hope the work we are celebrating doesn't make anyone feel inadequate, dyslexic or non-dyslexic, but instead, inspire and encourage each and every one of us to celebrate what we have to offer the world. Remember, I was a stupid person who became bright and creative through someone pointing out the pluses not the minuses of my way of thinking. Who knows what potential lives inside each and every one of us, dyslexic or non-dyslexic: ‘those who seek will find’.

Thank you missfitproductions for allowing us to celebrate who we are.

Preparation time - what an eye opener

2007-03-17T06:07:00.000-07:00

I felt it was needed to perform my work to as many audiences as I could find willing. Having been a bit of a closet writer I have not shared shared my work openly in such a way.

To be directly in front of an audience, and to watch their faces as you share your work gives you a direct connection and feedback. I have had people: crying, smiling, enjoying and thinking about my thought-provoking words.

It has been such an eye-opener, what I have to say has suddenly come to life and those that have heard my work, have been changed in some way by my words. The feedback has been so varied and so personal. I now realise criticism in the past for work I have done could well have been someone's opinion rather than a direct reflection on how good my work was. I have had some wonderful feedback in the past but I tended to forget that in favour of the less positive.

The good thing is, I haven't had negative feedback with regard to my performance work for this festival. But I am beginning to understand that writing is not there to be liked but to be stimulating, invoking, emotionally engaging, in whatever way it comes out.

I would like to thank the festival organisers for this amazing platform that gets people like me out of the closet so that I can be heard,

Thank you

Emma

Getting Closer

2007-03-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

Well folks, the very first DYS(the)LEXI festival is approaching now.

Don't forget that we're holding an exciting and innovative creative workshop on this Sunday (the 18th) at the Barons Court in the morning. It would be great to see some more of you there. Any work that comes out of the festival could be performed on our final day, Sunday the 25th, in our giant celebration of all things neurodiverse and creative. Please book your place by emailing dysthelexi@gmail.com - and hurry, only 10 places left!

And keep selling tickets. We need people to come and support the festival. Lennie and I both want to make DYS(the)LEXI an annual event - and it will be a lot easier if this event is well supported and attended.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon.

Rachel

2007-03-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

A message of support we have received from a dyslexic novelist:

"What you are doing - celebrating the particular creativity of the dyslexic brain - is really excellent. Too often we accept the implication of the name 'dyslexia' and define the condition in terms of our specific weaknesses. So all power to you, and the best of luck with the festival."

dear Anonymous

2007-03-05T13:43:00.000-08:00

Anonymous said...
People with dyslexia are just NORMAL people. Some are very intelligent, some are stupid, most are average. Some are incredibly creative, some couldn't think how to escape from a wet paper bag and most are average.

Dylexia does not come with a creativity 'gift'. Some dyslexics are very creative in the same way as some people with red hair are too! You are creative people who happen to be dyslexic - or dyslexic people who happen to be creative - however you wish to view it.

This matters because of what you are inadvertantly saying to ordinarily creative dyslexics (the vast majority) who feel doubly hard done by or even worse, doubly stupid because they don't seem to have this 'gift'.

----

dear Anonymous

thank-you for your message. dyslexics are normal people. if only we knew what normal was. maybe it matters maybe it doesn't. dyslexia is generally diognosed using what is called a discrepency model, which means it is identified when there appears to be a discrepancy between expected and actual attainment (Snowling, 2000: 16). this generally means you cannot be dyslexic and stupid, however, if you are suggesting that dyslexia shoudl be diogosed through the pattern model (miles) then i can see your view point - although this perspective is widely criticised for being too broad. thus the very methods of diognoses is thought on the one hand exclusive and on the other over inclusive, which problematises the very notion of dyslexia.

this is i guess where the who 'dyslexia is a myth' preposeal came from - documeneed on tv last year and followed up by the 'death of dyslexia conference' - where most speakers tended to agree that dyslexia DOES exist and the commenst it is a myth was generally unhelpful

you say that "Dylexia does not come with a creativity 'gift" well ... there is evidence (miles) that dyslexics are generally psychologically different rather than soley having an impariment in relation to reading and writing. and there was some suggestiong that it could be linked with creativeity (west, 1990). in this view one of dyslexias attributes would be 'pattern' or visual thinking - this is an idea that has come into circulation and support over the last decade or so and an aspect highlighted by a significant number of independent researchers (Geschwind, 1982; Gordon, 1983; Rourke & Finlayson, 1978; Winner & Casey, 1993; Winner, Casey, DaSilva, & Hayes, 1991).

i am a bit of a postmodernist at heart - and tend not to believe in any absolute authority - therere i believ ein multipe truths. however i can assure you that it is certainly not the aim of my work to make "the vast majority" to feel "doubly hard done by .... doubly stupid because they don't seem to have this 'gift'" ... rather to create a space in which dyslexics brace the idea of seaking, sharing idewas, and exploring their potential so as to create change. the change i would like to see is to move away from the perspective that having dyslexia is a curse ... or something that needs a cure ... and to have more dyslexics doing something about defining their own needs, rather than having them defined by non dyslexics ...

I am most grateful to (wonderful dyslexic) rebecca longcrane who inspired me with this thought on the matter ...

After seeing the colourful graphs and
complex data we begin to dismember ourselves.
Our minds are chopped up into good and bad.
I can’t do this but I might be able to do that.
It’s a mental dissection, where a scalpel is carefully,
lovingly, drawn along the innards of the mind,
slicing the brain, separating it into
clear, transparent, distinct sections.
What you’re good at and what you’re not so good at
can’t be connected; what hurts you, gives you pain,
can’t be a part of what saves you.
It’s a rule, a law.
To see the two as one is out of the question.

becoming visable

2007-03-02T05:56:00.000-08:00

hi

trying to make a contribution but having to make up words in between thoughts of other expressions. not always able to refine the seniment and this is apparently quite pretentious. i wanna say thanks to lennie for making this happy hi to the people that i havent met, wow to mike and michelle that i have met either cybically or mometerily, who are doing amazing things and making really worthwil contribution to the . refining of the dyslexia concept from a better, more refreshing angel or angle never remember which. angels with anles must be ok anyway. flighty in a cubic kind of way. but yeah - everything that contributes to people becoming aware of different ways of viewing dyslexia - and i think that rcnceptualising went completely awry ... aria ... aray .. arrie? i cant remember but deconformed. n ot wll forumalted. miss formulated. all efforst to link dyslexia with creativity are valuable because creativti is in itself valuable. as is dyslexia - even though so much more needs to be understood before the forms and the dimensions of this claim are fully clear - and i think that the onlyu way a better understadning of these dimensins and forms are going to become clear is by dyslexic people experiemtting and exploring and pushing the boundaries ... and this envolves performance but it also involves thought and talking.

milke asked how did dyslexia affect you creatvity (brilliant question) mine is: if there was a metaphor that describes what dyslexia means to you - what would it be?

thanks anyone who is contributing to RASP - anyone yet to send a script the quicker the better cause time is tocking

kindly, nim

we have bigger brains you know

2007-03-01T05:11:00.000-08:00

Hi all

My name is Mike Juggins and I am making a documentary about this wonderfull festival. I met some of you last week and was very impressed by the talent you all have. I have been active on the issue of dyslexia for a long while and this event is a real fill up for me… dyslexics of the world untie (spelt correctly!)

I have a 4 min doc at chan 4 web site if people want to know about my politics regards dyslexia. But for once this is a chance to be positive and celebrate. I am performance painting on the Tuesday (my birthday!) and am looking forward to that imensly. The paint will be my narritive.

Regards the doc… I aim to make a one hour piece and this means that I cant guarentee everyone having their whole performance in the final doc. However I will endevour to included as many people as possible in some way or another. I should be able to record all the live stuff so if people want just their own stuff for promotional purposes then have a chat to me during the week in march and we can sort something out maybe.

If anyone has not filled in a release form then please email me at mike@juggins1.freeserve.co.uk and I will send one digitally.

If I could also ask people to have a think about how their dyslexia impacts on the creative practice then that would be cool. It doesn’t need a speech or essay (lol) but I will be interviewing dyslexics to give the doc a clear context.

Well enough already, no one likes reading pages and pages of text.

Cheers
Mike

E-mail to Lennie

2007-02-25T05:54:00.000-08:00

Dear Lennie,Thank you with the help you gave me on Monday and the time you gave over the telephone to listen to my new poem. I have made the changes I think are required and attached my whole listing in the order you suggested. I was so nervous on Monday, but you have the qualities of an amazing director. You have such a big heart and your love pours out through your eyes. It took less than moments for you to put me at ease and get me to recite my poetry with emotion.I would like to change the title of my performance to: 'back to the sky'.With thanks for your inspiration and enlightenment Emma Elliott

Trip to London

2007-02-25T05:47:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
I come from Gloucestershire and I took the trip to London to see Lennie and Mike. It was a day full of inspiration and renewed confidence. To work with people who think like me is a breath of fresh air. I could have stayed there all day putting the world to rights. The poetry I put forward was received with great enthusiasm. However one my pieces wasn't quite working, I knew that, but they picked up on it. It was done in such a way that instead of feeling knocked, I felt inspired. I found myself sitting opposite an underground musician playing blues. And wrote my final piece.
Look forward to sharing my work and experiencing the enlightened work of fellow dyslexic artists
by for now,
Emma

2007-02-23T14:11:00.000-08:00

Hello!Mmmm...well, errrr...yes, well, this is the first time I've done any blogging. If this post actually posts I will most probably get over-excited and turn into a blog addict and spend the rest of my life blog bothering everybody with ten second updates on my increasingly uninspiring existance.

For now though, I'm really looking forward to being part of DYS(the) LEXI. I think lennie and Sarah and everyone involved are brilliant for getting this going. It's a priviledge to be part of it.I'd like to think it has also kick started me into producing not just some of my better poems but also potentially a whole new show about dyslexia which will fuse comedy, poetry and storytelling, with lots of visuals and audience participation.

All of that is later, but for now - or at least on the 22nd March at 7.30pm when i'm doing my bit - I've got a good twenty minutes of cheeky banter and rhymes, and maybe one or two silly pictures and some embarrassing dancing. The emphasis is going to be on celebrating the more upbeat and ridiculous sides to being dyslexic.

I have also been writing some more traditionally downbeat poems too, like this one below which is written about "Jumble", who is the main character in the aforementioned not yet written show. This poem might make the final show, but I won't do it on the 22nd, as I'd rather do some funnier stuff, which is more my thing. Anyway, good luck and all the best to everybody taking part.......

He reads the same simple sentence again
The sense of it, simply, will not sink in
He’s the Jumble Boy who can’t spell his name

The panic runs manic about his brain
Letters give him jitters: jest and jinx him
He reads the same simple sentence again

But it’s too hard for him. He can’t explain
The problem is he can’t stop from thinking
He’s the Jumble Boy who can’t spell his name

Teachers can’t reach him but to shout his shame
He’s not got a clue, they’ve not an inkling
He reads the same simple sentence again

One dreamday he’ll teach them. He’ll find his aim
And hurl the world such a tale worth printing
Of the Jumble Boy who can’t spell his name

But now Jane likes Peter. Peter likes Jane
And he hates the school and all who sink him
He reads the same simple sentence again
Just the Jumble Boy who can’t spell his name

Looking forward to not spell checking

2007-02-18T14:24:00.000-08:00

Hey all

thank you R for making this blog. It is so important. As for me i am so happy to be able to write with not spell checking my work. This is the only place where i feel i can write myself. Anyway, another way of describing the liberation of not dressing up my words in the correct grammer and feietics, is comparing this site to my very own nudiest beach.

So with only a few weeks to go a bit over a month i am excited. Very one i know is excited and i really hope that this project opens up a lot of doors for people.

Thank you all for your involvment and your support

much love

Hello, it's both exciting and nice to be taking part.

2007-02-14T01:50:00.000-08:00

I'd like to say hello to everybody. I've never taken part in a literary festival before, although I've done a poetry reading, and a little acting. So this is all new and exciting. I've written quite a few comic sketches. I'm planning to read poetry, or an excerpt from my novel. But if anyone is interested in comedy please let me know. I haven't planned anything to write here, I'm afraid. So, if you'll pardon me, I'll insert an author's interview that I've done. Please feel free to ignore it! I've done my best to make it chirpy.

I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Pat

Interview with Patrick Mackeown, January 2007

About Patrick Mackeown

Patrick Mackeown was born in London in 1966. Adopted by Anglo-Irish parents, he grew up in Turkey, Wales and in several parts of England. He studied analytical philosophy. Having been variously a chef, salesman and computer operator, he was caught up soon after graduation in the Dot-Com bubble. Already having learned to program computers, he soon became useful and worked as a senior technician for what was, at the time, one of England’s foremost Internet Service Providers, Demon Internet, where he was responsible for the operation of several commercial services. He left the ISP in early 2000 to join an internationally renowned news corporation, but soon became disillusioned by the petty nature of that organisation. While waiting for the heady days of the technical revolution to return, he implemented many computing projects there.

When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve decided to be a writer several times. The first time was when I must have been seven or eight years old. My parents gave me a book, and on its rear-cover the publisher encouraged its readers to send anecdotes and what-have-you to their London head office. I submitted to them The Trials Of A Young, Welsh, Hill Sheep-Farmer. Since then I moved house several times and lost the publisher’s response. But, I remember that it was a charming one.

Who would you say has influenced you the most?

Very recently, Ismail Kadare’s Broken April, without question. It’s a story which haunts the reader long after its final page. It has a sadness which hangs outside the novel. It touches the subject of mankind’s beastliness in a tender and almost loving fashion. And, of writers generally, I’d say that Gerald Durrell’s humour is rarely far from my mind. To constantly poke fun at life, I think, is a writer’s solemn duty. Any refugee from Dickens’ Hard Times, who has been made to sit through a dose of Josiah Bounderby’s insufferable rhetoric, will know that well enough. In contemplating what cannot be contemplated, William Golding’s The Inheritors showed me that an author can write magnificently about sensory perceptions which Neanderthal Man possessed, and modern humans do not.

How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?

I can’t honestly say that many of them have, at least not that I’m aware of. Thankfully I’ve never been pursued by armed men, or tortured. That said, however, I suspect that the cynicisms, which I acquire during my researches, find an outlet in my poems. Cruel World is a good example. It was published only days ago, in Lionheart Press’ poetry anthology: Ancient Heart Magazine (ISSN 1751-4835).

What are your main concerns and challenges as a writer?

That’s a difficult question, almost too difficult; I have several. The accuracy of my research troubles me to distraction. I’ve been known to telephone foreign embassies to ask them about the colour of their carpets. I must stop doing that. But, on a more sombre note, I’d have to mention corruption and genocide. It’s a task of thriller writers to point out how political elites abuse their charges. And, it’s certainly a task I relish. However, it’s difficult to study inhumanity on a daily basis and still believe in goodness. I’d have to say that I find that aspect of my work challenging.

How do you deal with these challenges?

Put simply, the question is: How can I continuously write about abuses of authority without becoming jaded and cynical? There might be a temptation to assume that I succeed! I hope it’s possible to be cynical without becoming too jaded. Cynicism visits all of us, occasionally, I’m sure. But, my wife reminds me, simply by being there, that life itself has a beauty which can’t be measured. I think, when pressed, I remind myself that mankind possesses the unfortunate ability to promote his own interests above everything else. And, this is a mistake. I suspect that it’s my realisation that individual men are in error which releases me from a constant cycle of worry.

In all, how many books have you written? When and where were they published? How were they received?

So far, I’ve only written one book, a thriller called The Expendability Doctrine, published by BookScape (ISBN-13: 978-0-9554328-0-4). It’s been highly recommended by the Midwest Book Review, who had this to say about it:

"The Expendability Doctrine is an oil conspiracy thriller, about utterly ruthless criminal behavior motivated by sheer lust for money and power. When a British industrialist is professionally murdered amid an international oil crisis, his wife absconds, and a malicious pattern begins to unfold. A suspenseful saga stretching from Britain’s east coast to the nightmare slayings in Libyan gaols, The Expendability Doctrine revolves around a creed that lives up to the ruthlessness of its title. Highly recommended."

It’s only been out since November of 2006. But, already it’s been featured on the front page of Independentpublisher.com, Christmas edition. Since this is my debut novel, I’m very pleased.

I also write satires as an outlet for my cynicism. President Bush has done badly by my hand, I must admit, much to the delight of several well-known, American webmasters and radio talk show hosts. Lisa Casey’s website Allhatnocattle.com, and Terry Coppage’s Bartcop.com have posted copies of my parodies on their hugely popular pages. I’d have to say that in addition to contributing a little towards the entertainment of Lisa and Terry’s website viewers, I’ve also had great fun myself.

Links:

The President Has No Clue

http://www.bookscape.co.uk/short_stories/no_clue.php

Hilarious Nigerian Scam Story

http://www.bookscape.co.uk/short_stories/scam_story.php

What is your latest book about?

My next thriller, The Cardinal’s Blood, combines details from the mysterious death of an Italian banker in London in 1982 with a series of Mafia crimes.

How long did it take you to write it?

It’s not finished. I’m still writing it. I have been working on it for more than a year.

Which aspects of the work that you put into the book did you find most difficult?

I’d say that I find researching my books most time consuming. I wouldn’t say that it’s difficult. Perhaps it’s difficult to know when to stop. I think when the author begins to wonder exactly how much darker a carpet would have been, given a certain amount of exposure to sunlight, a decade ago, and so on, it’s time to take a break!

Which did you enjoy most?

When my characters say funny things I find it entertaining.

What sets the book apart from the other things you have written?

The main difference between The Cardinal’s Blood and The Expendability Doctrine is that the former novel is written in the recent historical past. It’s not an extraordinary challenge, because of course, I’m quite familiar with the Eighties, but still, it’s more challenging, I’d say, setting a narrative in a different time frame from the one in which the author sits.

In what way is it similar?

The fact that it’s a thriller, and that it’s international in its scope characterises it as one of my novels.

Do you write every day? How much time would you say you spend on your writing?

I write for at least eight hours a day. But, I do include research in that calculation.

What will your next book be about?

I’m not sure yet what my third novel will be about. There are so many interesting subjects.

What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?

I expect that writing good books and obtaining good reviews is a challenge for many writers, myself included.

How did you get there?

Attention to detail, persistence and determination.

Airborn

2007-02-13T12:29:00.000-08:00

We're a few weeks away from the festival now and things are beginning to take off. We've found an exciting and talented group of creative practitioners to showcase in the festival and their work is looking very exciting indeed.

Through the run up to the festival we will all be posting on this blog - check back regularly to read about our progress and also our thoughts on the creative potential of people with dyslexia - which is what this festival is all about!

Hope to see you soon.

Work in Progress

2007-02-03T09:28:00.001-08:00

Watch this space for information about DYS(the)LEXI ...

DYS(the)LEXI

RASP

Missfit Hits Rome

MISSFIT MONDAYS 2009 Festival Fundraiser for DYS(THE)LEXI 2009

DYSSING MONADYS - The End Has Come

Susanna, By Russian Writer, N.N. Rashkin

missfitUpdates

A Wonderful Surprise

Playwright Wendy Wasserstein

A girl who met her other side

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia has a language barrier

Monday 10th November 2008

MONDAY 3rd NOV 2008 BEHIND THE WIRE

THE STORY

MONDAY 27th OCT 2008

CHO SAB SEC NIGHT

Emma Elliott - The Dog and Duck Fables

MONDAY 20th Oct

MONDAY 20th OCT

MONDAY 20th October

Monday 13th Oct 2008 - Chocolate Sabotage

Dyslexia Awareness Week

Chocolate Sabotage

Monday 13 October 2008

THE FIRST NIGHT

LD by Matt Heftler

LD by MATT HEFTLER - ONE NIGHT ONLY - Monday 6 OCT 7PM

LD - By Matt Heftler Opens 6th Oct 2008

Chocolate Sabotage, Monday 13 & 20th Oct

DYSSING MONADYS

DYSSING MONADYS FESTIVAL LINE UP

DYSSING MONADYS FESTIVAL LINE UP

Under her spell: Sally Gardner's I, Coriander, was voted best book by a 55,000-strong panel of schoolchildren.

Makeing Waves

We need Performance Poets and Filmmakers

Monday's Rehursals

CASTING FOR MALE AND FEMALE ROLES

In the Rehearsal Room - For Chocolate Sabotage

DYSMING MONADYS

DYS(the)LEXI Presents DYSSING MONADYS

It's finished, but not over

WE ARE HERE

Preparation time - what an eye opener

Getting Closer

dear Anonymous

becoming visable

we have bigger brains you know

E-mail to Lennie

Trip to London

Looking forward to not spell checking

Hello, it's both exciting and nice to be taking part.

Airborn

Work in Progress