New Fundraising Idea - Calling all Budding Poets .......

[Sue New]

Hi Guys,

Here is a quick update about the booklet.

I have been putting the pages together as and when I havew been getting your submissions and it is starting to take shape now - I just need a few more of you to submit your intros and photos. It looks like there will be 48 inner pages, plus the front and back cover. My previous booklet was only 32 inner pages so this is going to be quite a bit thicker and therefore perhaps a little more expensive to produce. Hopefully though, the man I know at my hubby's bowls club will give me a good quote on the cost as he knows it is for charity. He told me last time when he saw the booklet I had done at a highstreet printing shop that he could have offered me a better price - so fingers crossed :wink: .

I have been thinking about the colour of the front cover. Last time I did 5 different colours and obviously this worked out more than just using white card for the cover. What do you all think? Shall we keep it simple and have them all done in good old fashioned white? The front image of the happy and sad mask does look good against a white background, so I am tempted to go for this option, but would like to get the opinion of the other people who have submitted poems as well as this is afterall a group effort.

I have written a letter today to Dr H, including an early draft copy of the booklet, asking hime if he would be willing to write a 2 page foreword for us. I really hope he agrees to help.

I don't want to come across as a nagger, but if those that have not yet submitted their intros and photos could do so as soon as they can I would really appreciate it (Ellie, I know you are tied up until after your diploma).

I am going down to Devon for a week from July 28th, so if we could possibly say that everyone has submitted their bits by the time I return -on August 4th, that would be brilliant. Ideally I would like to have got the project finished and the booklets printed by September (before Christmas at the very, very latest).

I think that's it for now. As soon as I have got a tentative quote from the printer, I will let you all know about the final per poem cost. It may end up that I have to say to him, we have x amount to spend (i.e. £5.00 per poem) - how many copies of the booklet can you do for that? It may mean we get less amount of copies of the booklets for each poem we contribute, but I will make sure I make it as fair as I possibly can. because the final amount has not yet been determinded, please hold off sending me any money for now - I will let you know as soon as I can.

See ya folks :wink:

Sue.

[elliewelly]

Thanks for being so understanding, and you're not nagging at all. In 10 days the diploma will be over with and I can concentrate on other things again - yay!

I think a variety of colours would be nice. I think I will be able to sell a fair few.

I also haven't forgotten that I am going to buy a copy of your booklet.

Thank you for organising this Sue!

[Sez]

Argh!! Panic! Have got serious writers block, so third poem is coming along incredibly slowly, and I haven't got a clue what to submit for my intro bit (although I do have a photo that I love which is already in grayscale!). Can someone please PM me an example of what they've written, otherwise I'm liable to write all kinds of irrelevant things

[Sue New]

Hi Sez,

I know what you mean about the writers block. I was like that for quite some time too. No immediate panic regarding the 3rd poem as I am still waiting on some others to submit theor intros and photos.

I have PM'd you some exmples of people's intros to give you an idea of what sort of thing to write.

I hope they help

Sue.

[Princess_Sarah]

Oh Sue could you pm me some samples of other people's intros too. I have no idea what to say.

Thanks,

Sarah x

[Sue New]

Hi Srah,

I have sent you a PM

Just a quick update everyone, here is a link to the happy/sad masks image I am planning (unless a certain person comes up with a photo for me) to use for the front cover (and on each persons intro page if they do not submit a photo).

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p240 ... age1-1.gif

To me, this image sums up what life is like when you live with an invisible illnees. We put on a brave "happy" face to the outside world, but inside we may feel lost and uncertain about the future, or frustrated because we can't do the things we would like to do etc....

I hope you like it.

Sue.

[elliewelly]

It's great, I like the reason behind it too.

[Princess_Sarah]

Yeah its really good.

Thanks for the pm Sue, it should all be with you very soon!

[Sue New]

Hi Guys,

Here's a quick update regarding who I am still waiting for submissions from:

Karen73 - Full Name/Photo/Intro
Elliewelly - Photo/Intro
MKing30 - Photo
Katie - Photo
Kit - Photo
Sez- Full Name/Photo/Intro/3rd Poem?
Hannah - Photo
Rosie - Full Name/Photo/Intro
Jenny Whitmarsh - Photo
Aquamarine Water Nymph - Full Name?/Photo?/Intro?

As requested before, if people could get all these outstanding things to me by the time I return from my week's holiday down in Devon on August 4th, I would really appreciate it.

I am still waiting for the man from my hubby's bowls club to get back to me about the cost for printing the booklet. There are going to be 52 inner pages now, so it is going to be a fairly substantial volume .

Bye for now,

Sue.

[Princess_Sarah]

Oof thats great - I cant wait for it to actually be in print
I've already been broadcasting it to family and friends hehe!

[Sue New]

Good news peeps

Dr Hakim has agreed to write a Foreword for the Poetry Booklet

He is going to read through the poems over the weekend and get back to me.

I also have now had all the submissions from the contributors of the booklet, and plan to chase up the printer to get a final cost asap. I am just waiting on one person to confirm whether they wish to submit 1 or 3 poems and then I will know how many pages the book is going to have - it will be either 52 or 56 inner pages depending on the reply I get from this person...

Bye for now,

Sue.

[Princess_Sarah]

Excellent news

Glad its all coming together!

[Sue New]

Hello again

It's me

The photographer from the Phillipines who let me use one of his photos for my previous poetry booklet has given me his permission to use this photo for the front cover:



What do you think? I think it is quite reflective of the title of the antholgy and gives the right sort of feel for what I think the booklet is all about- it shows a scared looking young girl who is half concealed behind a veil - her mouth is covered which can suggest that we are trying to provide a voice for other people suffering from HMS/EDS who cannot speak up for themeselves, or don't know how to express their inner feelings. It's as if she desparately wants to say something but is unsure of whether she should "come out of the shadows" or not - I am sure we have all felt like this at some time in our lives before.

I think it is a bit more of an abstract image than the happy/sad masks I was originally going to use, and it is always nice to have a proper photo on the front cover to give greater impact (I still plan to use the masks image in various places inside the booklet though).

I would be interested to know what other people think of the image ...

(Remember the picture will be in black and white as it is too expensive to use colour )

Sue.

[nickb]

I think its stunning-absolutely beautiful and so reflective of the title

I'm so sorry I'm behind with my bit

[hannah]

I think that is a fabulous picture Sue.

(I am currently looking for a photo - I will let you know either way by the end of today.)