I spent most of this afternoon organising the Fox Mason website, ensuring that all the author information is up to date with photos, and information about any prizes the books have won. I'm glad I decided against taking next term's 'prize culture' module now - I've had a crash course today. Thankfully Becky is more than happy to answer all of my annoying tech questions whilst balancing a dozen other things. I admit that I was positively awestruck this afternoon as I watched her book a launch party venue, text a potential client and negotiate foreign rights ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
To be honest, I'm not sure how helpful I'm actually being to the company. I am however learning an awful lot about the business just shadowing my boss and feeling really inspired, both by Becky herself and the writers she's been introducing me to. I keep hearing that a good agent has an eye for talent, and the fact that Becky and I appear to have similar tastes has given me a bit of a confidence boost.
This morning she began talking to me about an artist who she's particularly proud of representing, the multi-talented Kate Tempest, (poet, playwright, performer to name a few skills) who's profile, even in the three years she has been with Fox Mason has skyrocketed from underground rapper to established artist and writer. 'She's just really amazing', Becky tells me. 'And she was so shy about the book that I had to get her drunk and almost trick her into sending me it'. I know better than to trust this self-depricating account of acquiring the multi-book deal. In the last few days I've learned Becky has a certain way of encouraging her writers that never fails to get the very best out of each and every one of them.
I've heard of Kate Tempest before, I remember reading somewhere about her winning the prestigious Ted Hughes prize but mostly i know her name from hearing people rave about her work. Performance poetry is kind of a big thing right now in Bristol, particularly amongst students, because there are so many little theatres/venues who host nights and Kate is a major inspiration for loads of performers in that scene. I pinch a copy of 'Brand New Ancients' from the office to read at lunch.
Funny enough, poetry has never really been my thing, which is weird because I like novels that are really densely packed with symbolism, mirrored metaphors etc. (all that A-level English crap - love it!) but I find that there is something really exciting about Kate's work. Maybe its cause she's a musician or maybe its because of her urban style, but in any case, her work is far from the stuffy books of straight poems which I'm used to passing over. Brand New Ancients reads like a beautifully visceral string of stories, and I think that the poetry gives them this real sense of fluidity as she moves between different characters and action. You can't just pick it up and put it down, its a book that demands to be read from start to finish. Thankfully its pretty slim, you only have to disappear into it for an afternoon.
What I've found really interesting about reading Kate's book and then talking to Becky, is that I've started thinking about modern poetry in a totally different way, and the potential for performance or slam to translate to the page in ways that are entirely new. I'm not going to try and summarise Brand New Ancients, there are so many important elements that I would butcher in explaining. You're better off just watching the video of her performance.
To be honest, I'm not sure how helpful I'm actually being to the company. I am however learning an awful lot about the business just shadowing my boss and feeling really inspired, both by Becky herself and the writers she's been introducing me to. I keep hearing that a good agent has an eye for talent, and the fact that Becky and I appear to have similar tastes has given me a bit of a confidence boost.
This morning she began talking to me about an artist who she's particularly proud of representing, the multi-talented Kate Tempest, (poet, playwright, performer to name a few skills) who's profile, even in the three years she has been with Fox Mason has skyrocketed from underground rapper to established artist and writer. 'She's just really amazing', Becky tells me. 'And she was so shy about the book that I had to get her drunk and almost trick her into sending me it'. I know better than to trust this self-depricating account of acquiring the multi-book deal. In the last few days I've learned Becky has a certain way of encouraging her writers that never fails to get the very best out of each and every one of them.
I've heard of Kate Tempest before, I remember reading somewhere about her winning the prestigious Ted Hughes prize but mostly i know her name from hearing people rave about her work. Performance poetry is kind of a big thing right now in Bristol, particularly amongst students, because there are so many little theatres/venues who host nights and Kate is a major inspiration for loads of performers in that scene. I pinch a copy of 'Brand New Ancients' from the office to read at lunch.
Funny enough, poetry has never really been my thing, which is weird because I like novels that are really densely packed with symbolism, mirrored metaphors etc. (all that A-level English crap - love it!) but I find that there is something really exciting about Kate's work. Maybe its cause she's a musician or maybe its because of her urban style, but in any case, her work is far from the stuffy books of straight poems which I'm used to passing over. Brand New Ancients reads like a beautifully visceral string of stories, and I think that the poetry gives them this real sense of fluidity as she moves between different characters and action. You can't just pick it up and put it down, its a book that demands to be read from start to finish. Thankfully its pretty slim, you only have to disappear into it for an afternoon.
What I've found really interesting about reading Kate's book and then talking to Becky, is that I've started thinking about modern poetry in a totally different way, and the potential for performance or slam to translate to the page in ways that are entirely new. I'm not going to try and summarise Brand New Ancients, there are so many important elements that I would butcher in explaining. You're better off just watching the video of her performance.