I couldn't wake you from your slumber / Letter from your General / Standon No.1

Dearest Darlingheart,

As I write this I am watching you sleeping softly and how angelic you look, how peaceful. I dare not wake you, my love, so you will find this letter on your pillow and when you open your beautiful eyes I will be gone far, far away to fight in this beastly war. It’s a bookclubboutique thing, it is our duty, each and every one of us, to fight in these battles for the love and the freedom and the joys of books, booze and boogie-woogie. Apple-pops, my dear skies, you know you would have only cried, if I had let you see me off at the station and I cannot stand long goodbyes nor to see you tearful. I will be back and under your feet, leaving the top off the milk and toast crumbs in the butter before you know it. Dear Sugarcheeks, we mustn’t make a fuss, we must all keep a stiff upper hip and put our best book forward. Thank you for the extra pair of clean socks and the photograph of your Mother I find you have slipped into my kit bag, this is most kind and thoughtful of you. Please tell little Johnny the General said he must eat his greens if he wants to grow big and strong and read and write the big books like his heroes. And tell dear little Lucy there are no monsters in the wardrobe! Ah dear Lucy, she is growing so fast, I do hope she will remember the General when I return and dare I say I hope she will include me with fondness in her childhood memoirs one day. Buttercup, I promise I will send correspondence from the front line as best I can. Please don’t find these missives from the trenches too strange. But heed that these letters will reach you from a war torn mind. You cannot imagine what I now face, how all that mud and hay, the barrage of constant bright lights and loud music, what that can do to a human being. Don’t fret I will spare you the grimy details, the agony of gangrene, trench foot and the weevils. Luckily we have Colonel Boris McNabb in charge of the mess and rations, so we’ll no doubt be well fed, there will be decent tea and tiffin’s a-plenty. Major Max and I have ensured that the BCB will be able to broadcast to your wireless and stereographs via radio telecommunications from the front line to you and all of your friends and families in the England Town, the city of Europe land and beyond.

The first ever BOOK CLUB BOUTIQUE RADIO SHOWS will be aired live from STANDON CALLING on DIESEL RADIO. On line, On site, On it! We will play archive BCB recordings, going back from the early heady Dicks Bar shows in Soho up to the present, live at Standon Calling, including clips from our show, backstage chat & star interviews! You will hear TWO Book Club Boutique Radio broadcasts: The archive hour: Friday 1pm - 3pm The live hour: Sunday 10am – 11am Just go to: www.dieselradio.com And so off I go to war whistling “Oh pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile smile!”

Keep your powder dry and your ink wet!
love.life.live.long.alive-o Y
ours Generally General Godden


TOP SECRET INFORMATION FOR BOUTIQUERS ONLY For those of you that will be at Standon Calling…Disguised heavily as ‘cigar chewing gangsters’ and ‘whiskey sipping molls’ The Book Club Boutique Speakeasy Standon Battalion roll call and battle plan is thus:

SCARFACE! THE AL CAPONE SPECIAL Friday Nights Grand Opening 7pm: DJ Redman Host: Salena Godden & The Book Club Boutique Band Amah-Rose Mcknight Nikesh Shukla Moustache Man Stuart Evers Orlando Seale & Band DJ Carbo & Hydrate Amber Marks Sara StockBridge Jont Trash Money The Book Club Boutique Band finale’ DJ Boris McNabb

MA BARKER’S SAFE HOUSE SET Saturday’s Daylight Robbery 12:00 DJ Zion Bru Hosts: Amah Rose McKnight & Oli Spleen Xavier Leret Orlando Seale Kim Sherwood Amber Marks Niall O’Sullivan Ray Shell Fran & Josh Moustache Man Kate Daisy Grant DJ Matt Gross THE JOHN DILLINGER SUITE Saturday Night Watch 8pm: Hosts: Nikesh Shukla & Salena Godden The Book Club Boutique Band Stuart Evers Nikesh Shukla Kate Daisy Grant Moldeviant Lisa Lore Salena Godden (spoken word set) Claire Nicolson Band Pink Narcissus host: The Book Club Boutique Band finale’ DJ’s Carbo & Hydrate

DON’T WAKE THE BABY! BABY FACE NELSON’s Sunday Lunch Out 12:00 chill out in the hide out and lay low Wise words and mellow tunes from: Jont David J Kate Tempest Kim Sherwood Karen Hayley Lisa Lore Salena Godden Delirium Tremens Amber Marks Central Reservation plus a Sunday roast of BCB DJ’s & open mic too!

BLOW THE SAFE! THE BONNIE & CLYDE FINALE Sunday (after Buenavista Social Club) Did you know Bonnie & Clyde took 50 bullets when they were finally caught?! And so we bring you the 50-Bullet All-Star Super-Jam! THE BONNIE &CLYDE GRAND SLAM FINALE 50 quickfire surefire sets, last man standing… The Book Club Boutique Band / Salena Godden / Sara Stockbridge / Amah-Rose Mcknight / Kate Tempest / Vashti / Kim Sherwood & Pink Narcissus / Oli Spleen / Nikesh Shukla / Xavier Leret / Moustache Man / Trash Money / Lisa Lore / Orlando Seale and Band / Claire Nicolson and Band / Niall O’Sullivan / Jont / David J / Karen Hayley / Central Reservation / The Book Club Boutique DJ’s Followed by the J Edgar Hoover-up! Tune into Diesel! Over and out! Pip Pip!

ARE YOU READY FOR THE BCB SPEAKEASY AT STANDON CALLING?

A LETTER FROM THE GENERAL DELIVERED VIA EAGLE UPON THE EVE OF THE AUGUST OFFENSIVE TO THE BATTLE OF STANDON IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD TWENTY TEN: For the eyes of Boutique Army only, please burn your lap top and poke your eyes with pencils after reading: Dearest troops, Following the battle of the Fort of Port Eliot they did me a mischief and did manage to capture me once more! I cannot believe my bad luck! This time they have me under lock and key up some mountain in a Godforsaken place they call The Peak District. I am sure its a cover up and that them mountains are made of cardboard! I am surrounded by purplish and green hills and paper mache sheep. i know these sheep and believe they are the same ones from last time! I have very little time to write this missive before they do cut me off by the goolies and sense the signal...I have managed to get a signal by dangling this lap top out of my cell barred window and attaching it to the wings of a duck...but while i have signal i must say 'twas an awesome battle we did fight upon the barricades of St Germans! Port Eliot was amazing! Thank you and hurrah to all Port Eliots! You who were so kind and generous in spirit and body and soul and cider and hay. I thank you for all the kind words which have reached me via code, via pigeon and telepathically, thank you, we loved the Port Eliot too, so many fine shows were seen, such wonderful poets, authors and musicians, oh how i love thee all. I have a bunk bed and a cell not much bigger than a tea bag box where i do share bunkers with Dockers, otherwise known as Ms Laura Dockrill to you. They also captured the brilliant author Nii Parkes who is down the corridor from us. We have been up with the larks to climb mountains with our bare hands and we have drank from rivers - a copper taste meets upon the tongue with a hint of heather and gorse weeds - At the peak we looked down into a rainbow and were not without praise for this creation and the spinning earth that is this planet upon which we fight for freedom of books and booze and boogie woogie. I have no idea how long they plan to keep me inside this time. As you know the next battle is that of THE STANDON CALLING FESTIVAL on the AUGUST 6TH, 7TH & 8TH...our soliders for this are fearless, our barricade strong, our fortress without holes and our army is almighty, we will see you there, my love, we will fight and we will dance, we will sing hurrah for books and booze and boogie woogie and we will have the most wonderful weekend of it at the Bonnie and Clyde speakeasy! Your disguise should be that of cigar chewing moll or gangster or cop! Do you have your papers and passes for this weekends battle sorted and your disguises and uniforms ready? Boots polished and guns greased? Are you ready to hide out and lay low at our tasty crime themed speakeasy literary extravaganza at Standon Calling festival! Only 5 days to go! We'll be there, disguised as whiskey sipping gangsters, Bonnie and Clyde, baby, prohibition has never been sexier! oh cuff me! When you come by the Book Club Boutique Speakeasy at Standon Calling you can have your very own mug shot taken! We'll be booking 'em, hauling 'em in, and posting you and all your cronies on our very own Wanted page. Styling tips? Check out these glamour-pusses:http://picsdigger.com/image/f57fb464/ And what an almighty army we have too, this will be one magnificent and glorious 3-day books, booze and boogie-woogie extravaganza - check out the line-up! AUTHORS & POETS: SARA STOCKBRIDGE; AMBER MARKS; RAY SHELL; SALENA GODDEN; AMAH-ROSE MCKNIGHT; DAVID J; NIALL O'SULLIVAN; KATE TEMPEST; XAVIER LERET; OLI SPLEEN; KIM SHERWOOD; NIKESH SHUKLA; STUART EVERS; MOLDEVIANT; KAREN HAYLEY LIVE MUSIC: THE BOOK CLUB BOUTIQUE BAND FEATURING THE NEW YORK CHIC OF MS MAX DORAY & THE LEGENDARY COBALT STARGAZER SUPER STARRING: JONT; LISA LORE; CLAIRE NICOLSON; TRASHMONEY; PINK NARCISSUS; ORLANDO SEALE; KATE DAISY GRANT; MOUSTACHE MAN; CENTRAL RESERVATION SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCES FROM: DELIRIUM TREMENS, SOUND OF RUM AND FRAN & JOSH DJ's: CARBO & HYDRATE; DJ REDMAN; BORIS MCNABB; MATT GROSS; DJ ZION BRU FILM & VISUALS: SALLY DUNBAR THE BOOK CLUB BOUTIQUE's SPEAKEASY LOUNGE MENU! SCARFACE! THE AL CAPONE SPECIAL Friday Nights Grand Opening / 7pm - 3am MA BARKER’S SAFE HOUSE Saturday Afternoon's Daylight Robbery / 12pm - 7pm THE JOHN DILLINGER SUITE Saturdays Night Watch / 7pm - 3am DON’T WAKE THE BABY! BABY FACE NELSON’s SUNDAY SESSION The Book Club Boutique's hide out & lay low / 12pm - 7pm BLOW THE SAFE! THE BONNIE & CLYDE GRAND FINALE’ The BCB fifty-bullet bust! All-Star Super Jam / 7pm - midnight THE J EDGAR HOOVER-UP - We Get Busted! Get out of there before the dawn raid! get your documents and mission papers here: http://www.standon-calling.com/tag/the-bookclub-boutique/ see you in the trenches, love.life.live.long.alive-o The General

THE BOOK CLUB BOUTIQUE WEDDING!

THE HOUSE OF ST BARNABAS, 1 GREEK STREET, SOHO. FRIDAY JULY 2ND, 7PM.
We invite you to: GET HITCHED! GET COMMITTED!
A marriage of Books, Booze and Boogie-Woogie!
Dress Code: Strait Jackets / Top Hats & Wedding Dresses / A Ball and Chain.

Starring: MELISSA MANN. ROBERT AUTON. CURIOUS.STUART EVERS. TONY WHITE. MALCOM BENNETT Plus we'll hear from our very own... MICHAEL CURRAN of Tangerine Press and DWANG 2 superstars: JENNI FAGAN. JOE RIDGWELL. THE DERZ PLUS live music from goddess poetess singer songwriter: LISA LORE and BCB favourite the wonderful CLAIRE NICOLSON Hosted by Yours Generally, SALENA GODDEN Starring the New York chic of Ms MAX DORAY and the legendary COBALT STARGAZER in THE BOOK CLUB BOUTIQUE BAND!

You will be welcomed into the wedding party with a FREE speciality GET COMMITTED cocktail. The actual (mock) wedding will be held by our very own Reverend Major Max Doray. There will be deliveries of tongue-in-cheek wedding tomfoolery. Expect brilliant bad best man and impromptu additions to the bill with some wild objections. There will be a plethora of poetry, songs and stories on themes of mad mad mad love, that crazy thing called love...love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like...
 

Our special guest publisher for this event is the brilliant TANGERINE PRESS to celebrate the issue of DWANG 2 out now! Dwang 2 features: Fred Voss, Billy Childish, Gerald Locklin, Salena Godden, K.V. Skene, M.J. Duggan, Joseph Ridgwell, Adelle Stripe, Rob Plath, Ben Myers, K.M. Dersley, A.D. Winans, Charles Plymell, Jim Burns....and many, many others! http://www.eatmytangerine.com/dwang.html "It's a nice day to start again, come on, It's a nice day for a white wedding, It's a nice day to start again...."

£6 for BCB members with membership cards £6 for HOSB members £8 for newcomers

*not only are you supporting great books, artists and writers, you are helping the local Soho homeless with a percentage of entry fee going to the HOSB charity!