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Monday, October 22, 2012

A Durban Tweetup for a good cause - #rememberme









We all know someone whose life has been affected by a road traffic accident.
World Day of Remembrance is the day we get to stand together and
remember lost loved ones.

Not only do we want to celebrate their lives, but we want to create
awareness about safety on our roads, especially the No 1 cause of
accidents – drinking & driving.

Spiga, along with Anna Savage – one of the creators of the I Heart
Market, are collaborating with SADD (SA against Drunk Driving) and a
host of other likeminded businesses to host an interactive family
friendly event on Sunday, November 18th.

Keen to find out what we are doing and how you can be a part of it?

Join us for a Tweet Up on Tuesday 23 October at The Upstairs (above Spiga)

Get to meet your fellow tweeters and let us show you a quick
presentation on the history of World Day of Remembrance, what we are
doing and how you can be a part of it!

Tweeps are being asked to use the hashtag #rememberme and to tweet about this event to 
create awareness of it.

Time: 18h30
Dress: Casual
Food: Snacks will be supplied by Spiga
Bring: your phone
Hashtag: #rememberme

Twitter Handles:
@SpigaDurban
@UpstairsDurban

Facebook

(Source - Word Day Of Remembrance - Durban) 



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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Look out for Writer Daniel Dinnie on his Author Tour


Author and Blogger Daniel Dinnie continues his Author Tour as he goes around
Durban introducing people to Authors from around Durban.
Next stop Glen Ashley Library on Sat 20 October 10am to 11am.


                             Follow him on Twitter -  https://twitter.com/danielalex_book

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Interview with Writer Amelia du Plessis


Amelia du Plessis

This weekend we have a interview with Writer and Editor Amelia du Plessis.
We asked her some interesting questions and she proves to be a interesting lady.

1.  Who is your favourite writer?


2.  Tell us about Voxate?

I'm a freelance writer with a varied repertoire.  I write online content, features for the newspaper,
biographies and coffee table books.

3.  What do you love about Port Elizabeth?

Our beautiful beaches.

4.  Which is your favourite book?

Gosh, that's a tough one.  A Prayer for Owen Meany, if I'm forced to choose.

5.  Do you blog and if so how often?

I have a blog as part of my website, yes but I don't use it nearly as much as I should.  

6.  What does an editor do?

Makes other people's writing sound good.  

7.  What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Be very thick-skinned and never submit something that you don't know is worth publishing.

8.  What is your favourite colour?

Black.

9.  Where do you write?

In my study or in local coffee shops.  

10.  As a writer, how do you use social media?

I have a Facebook page on which I share useful articles that I've read, as well as news updates.


For more about Amelia vist her website -  www.voxate.co.za

Feel free to like her Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/VoxateWritingEditing

As I said, a very interesting lady indeed.

This interview was part of a Blogger Tour of interviews with interesting writers and bloggers
around South Africa.  If you are a Blogger or know a Blogger in South Africa feel free
to contact us for an interview.

Interview by - @fredfelton 

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Thursday, October 11, 2012

Interview with Author and Blogger @danielalex_book


Welcome to this issue of Umhlanga Life.
This week we have a treat for you, we interview the writer and blogger Daniel Alexander.


Follow him on Twitter @danielalex_book

Ten Questions With Daniel Alexander.

1.  Tell us about your blog?

 I mostly blog about topics relating to my book: parenting, growing up, children, writing, the mind (something that as a society we don’t pay enough attention), marketing and communication. I also do very unusual author interviews. Don’t you get bored of the same old same old interview questions, such as “How long did it take to write you book?” The sad thing is, often it’s authors interviewing other authors, and if that’s how creative you can be in writing, I can’t imagine how good your book can be… Thus, I think of very imaginative questions to ask people. In addition, sometimes I blog about the most random stuff. This past Sunday was “Sunday madness.” I was designing a poster and I’m not a designer. So all this stuff was just coming to my head, in my design process, and I blogged about it all. Those posts provided many good laughs. Here is a link to Sunday madness http://daniel-alexander-book.blogspot.com/2012/10/sunday-madness.html


2.  What advice do you have for bloggers?

Have fun with your blog. I think there is a misconception that there is loads of money to be made on the internet. “Build it, and he will come.” The reason I bring that up is, it seems as if many people want to make millions on a blog. Rather do it for fun. If you do get a lot of traffic great. The purpose of my blog is to share information about my book, and just get some random stuff out.

3.  Noticed that you are an author, tell us about your latest book?

Why thanks you for noticing. My book is a story of growing up. I didn’t have a great childhood and as a result I have researched the way children are growing up today. I know it’s often difficult for parents to accept or acknowledge that something is wrong. Nevertheless, the statistics show that something, somewhere has gone awry. So my book is my story of growing up and all the lessons that I wished I had learned, all from the perspective of a child. Communication is supposed to be a two-way street. However, for a long time society adopted the attitude of, “children are to be seen and not heard.” Unfortunately, we are seeing the ripple effects of that now. That’s why I’ve written everything from the perspective of a child. I want to share the voice of a child in a way that many people can understand and relate to.

4.  Where is your favourite place to hang out in Durban?

The beach

5.  Which book do you love and why?

This is going to sound clichéd, however, I have to say my book. I don’t have any real connection with any other book out there. There are a lot of books that I like; lots of good material out there to read: The Shining by Stephen King, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. My book though, because of what I learned while doing it. So, I’m not just saying it because it’s mine, I’m saying that because I learned a lot from writing it.

6.  What advice do you have for writers who want to market their books?

When I figure out the answer to that, I’ll let you know…

7.  How do you use Twitter?

Usually with a keyboard J

8.  Tell us about your favourite movie.  Why do you love it?

Let me think… I’m going to say The Other Guys. Man that was too funny! Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are hilarious together. I love Will’s acting style. He’s such an idiot.  I have no idea how he says some of the absolutely absurd rhetoric he had to say, with a straight face. Tuna that hunts lions… Really?

9.  Name 3 interesting websites that you have seen recently?

http://foundmagazine.com/
Today I killed four people and a clown...
Can’t think of any more interesting sites at the moment.


10.  Do you know the moves to Gangnam Style?

No, no I do not. I Googled it now. I didn’t actually know the name to the song. I’ve heard it on the radio. However, I thought he was saying, “Condom style.” That kind of goes with the song because other parts of the song go, “Heeeeey, sexy lady.” So it’s like, “Hey sexy lady, come back to my place and let’s do it condom style.” I’ve had this song stuck in my head all day long now. East Asians are crazy. Go them!

                                                             
                                                                  His Latest Book

Useful links for the Author Daniel Alexander:

Fax: 086 232 5217

Well I hope you enjoyed that interview Dear Readers.

This is all part of a blogging tour where famous bloggers from around SA are being interviewed.
You can read his interview of Fred Felton here

Interview by @fredfelton    












Friday, October 5, 2012

Fashion and Art at St Clements on Saturday




‘Fashion and Art against Thunder: RE:BOOT Event at St. Clements’
What is the boundary between Fashion and Art? Is Food a Fashion? Is it an Art? Does commercialism cheapen or value Fine Art? Can a brand be artful? How can Art engage the public in a world of instant messaging? These are some of the questions that audiences will be asked to confront this coming Saturday 6 October 2012 at the inaugural ‘Fashion and Art Against Thunder: RE:BOOT’ event taking place at St. Clements Garden Café, 191 Musgrave Road, between 6.00 and 10.00pm.
In an evening filled with Fashion, Food, Theatre, Fine Art and Music, this popular and quaint venue will be transformed into an Adult Wonderland where guests will be invited to interact, confront and question the installations on show. At this present moment artists, designers and performers around Durban are dreaming up unique ways to ‘upset the applecart’ and entertain an enlightened audience often dulled by the complete onslaught of the media and popular culture.
‘Fashion and Art against Thunder’ is the brainchild of local entrepreneur and chef extraordinaire, Jason Turner; and actor/ writer turned model agent, Ian Gareth Hadfield – who have decided to pool their talents in a collective environment to re-invigorate the local Arts and Hospitality Industry. Jason is well-known amongst local food aficionados as the chef with passion and flair, having made a name for himself at illustrious venues such as 9th Avenue Bistro, Plum, Café Jiran and most recently Bertoua Café Lounge. Ian has built on his career as a performer and writer, having appeared in numerous theatre productions around the country, by establishing his talent agency, Role Models, both in Johannesburg and Durban.
‘Durban, as a cultural centre, has the rather odd reputation of being progressive and forward in terms of food and the arts; yet, at the same time, strangely reticent in pushing this progressive agenda,’ says Jason. ‘In addition, we all know that times are hard and trend analysis tells us that we need to take a fresh approach towards the way we engage with, and present, our food and entertainment. Around the world there is a huge movement towards the concept of ‘pop up’ as a way of presenting challenging culinary experiments in an environment that is willing to take on this challenge without breaking the bank should the ideas not appeal to a general public palette.’
‘Coming from an Arts background we all know that emerging artists in all disciplines are often constrained in terms of the platforms available to them,’ continues Ian. ‘Jason and I then decided to put our heads together to create a series of events that allow us to combine our skills to create a unique an unforgettable experience for those who wish to be exposed to cutting edge experiments in across the board disciplines. This brought us to the question of where the extreme boundaries of the concept of ‘Art’ exist and ultimately: ‘What can become Art’ and then ‘What is Art becoming’.’
‘It all sounds terribly serious,’ continues Jason, ‘but in fact a large part of our brief to our participants was just to have fun and take your audience on an exciting journey! And we have certainly had fun putting this event together.’
Audiences can expect to taste a variety of different molecular gastronomy experiments and unusual and non-mainstream wines. Fine artists will both be exhibiting and creating works within the space. Models will show clothing that pushes the envelope in terms of construction and styling. Dancers will present performance interventions that question movement. Poets and Actors will perform and musicians will engage with projections and cinema. Live tattooing and performance installations will all combine to create a unique and unforgettable experience for all who attend.
Tickets are available from St. Clements or by telephoning Jason on 0846060846 or Ian on 0727085535. R120 a ticket

Source - Ian Gareth Hadfield and Jason Turner 

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Monday, October 1, 2012

Creative Programme for Unemployed Youth in KZN



We have just heard of a great opportunity for unemployed youth in KZN.
If you are interested in theatre or creative works, this one is for you.

Debby Shapiro will be running a creative programme exclusively for PANSA members.  Her communication and socials skills programme offers young people the opportunity to learn more about their current abilities in these areas and plan where they want to be and how they want to get there.

She has 17 years experience working to help individuals develop their potential through her creative therapy work in the UK.  She is also a qualified TEFL instructor (Teaching English as a Foreign language) and is well versed in interviewing and communication skills.  In marrying the two, she offers a tailor made programme to help youngsters improve in their interviewing and presentation skills.

"I have heard from employees at NYDA that the area of communication skills is one that youngsters require assistance with. To this end, I could offer an individual programme of role play with mock interviews. I will help individuals improve and refine the areas that need attention. I would use a check list and mark for improvement in the different areas.  I feel I could greatly benefit youngsters by listening to their presentations and giving them feedback."

She will facilitate youngsters to produce creative productions.  These productions can be used in a number of ways-

i) Presenting educational plays to schools which get an important message across in a stimulating, fun way.
ii) Offering companies free market research in the form of a stimulating theatrical/musical reflection of people’s perception of that company.  This can be used to add value to an AGM or bonding/team day as well as offering creative insights to management about what the company means to local society.

This programme will be of tremendous benefit to youngsters who are unemployed.  Any interested people to email kzn@pansa.org.za with their names, contact number and email addresses.  Please note that this programme is free and will run on a weekly basis for the month of October and half of November.  Space is limited so hurry and book your spot!

Source - Pansa 




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