If you want to have the real-life Nellibobs reading experience, there’s still plenty of time to sign up to Brian’s Dorset Delights course  at Birkenhead Central Library. The course takes place each Thursday morning, 10.30am-12.30pm for the next nine weeks, exploring literature inspired by the county. Places on the course cost £60; £50 for pensioners, students and those on income support; £40 for Get Into Reading members and £30 for GIR members receiving income support.

To book your place, download a booking form here or e-mail Jessica Reeves: jessicareeves@thereader.org.uk

This, for all fans of The Wire, Shakespeare and, well, anything-that-will-almost-certainly-be-brilliant, is a very exciting prospect but it’s not the first time The Bard and The Wire have come together…

Cast your minds back 11 and a half months and you might remember that Sonja Sohn (The Wire‘s Kima Greggs), paid us a visit to read the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, as part of our Merseyside Community Theatre project.

Sonja Sohn in Liverpool with her Romeo (Steve McGowan)

You can see her in action on Channel Four News by clicking here.

We were also joined by a number of media folk and there’s also some footage to see on:

• BBC North West (we’re from 20 minutes in for two minutes);
• Granada Reports (14 minutes in – and I think, for one day only!);
• Guardian Books Podcast (25 minutes in)
• BBC Radio Merseyside Breakfast Show (2 hours 28 minutes in) and the Sean Styles Show (10 minutes in)
• Liverpool Echo video
• Wirral News

And here’s some pics, (c) Liverpool Daily Post and Echo:

And here are some of ours (c) Charlotte Weber at TRO (and a few others!):

In the First Class Virgin Trains Lounge

The 'man who can' from Virgin Trains, Gary Iddon

Wirral Councillors Sheila Clarke and Don McCubbin

Our Read's First Class Carriage!

Frank and Jane at the Children's Library in Idea Store Whitechapel, London

That’s just the start of it! More to follow over the weekend and next week…

Did you miss Romeo and Juliet at the Fire Station? Want to relive some of the memories? No idea what I’m talking about?!

Not to worry on any count, here’s a short film, made by Kev Higgins (Merseyside Community Theatre‘s Media Assistant), which captures the essence of this huge community project in the Alt Valley area of Liverpool and some of the magic created by the shows (one of the highlights being the brilliant ‘Thriller’ routine at the end of this film):

Here’s a few comments from people that saw, or were involved in, the show:

One of my friends has seen ‘Romeo and Juliet’ on five other occasions and she mentioned that this was the best version she had ever seen.

Thanks to The Reader Organisation also for having the guts to bring this to my community – not many would have given us the chance to shine – now, for the first time in a long time, good things are being reported about the area and everyone is buzzing. A great positivity seems to be in the air.

I had low confidence before this project and was very shy meeting people, but now I’ve made some great friends, become more sociable, and have more confidence within myself. My eyes have been opened to the possibilities in life and I feel I can deal with anything.

I wasn’t too sure what to make of it at first, nothing like this had happened in Croxteth before, but when I saw how many people came to watch and just how good it was.  I thought it was fantastic, for all the people involved and for the image of the area.  Well done, more please.

CONGRATULATIONS FROM US ALL AT TRO, HOWARD!

To celebrate, how about a look at a featured poem from two years’ ago: Howard reading Wordsworth in a Soho restaurant whilst having dinner with Jane and Phil Davis.

Here’s what Howard recently said in support of our Reading Revolution:

Everything The Reader Organisation touches turns to gold.  A Little, ALOUD is wonderful – a luscious, challenging enticement to read and hear and share the love of doing both. We don’t read with the eye only.  Until we hear literature we don’t possess it.  This anthology is more than a collection of good writing, it wakens the ear to what good writing is.