Tuesday, 30 November 2010
Saturday, 20 February 2010
One Village at a Time
Changing the World
One Village at a Time
Alex Keegan: alex.keegan@btinternet.com
My wife works for BT but has been working on secondment with Global-Ethics and One Difference. Global Ethics works by selling products and using all the profits to fund good work in sub-Saharan Africa. Recently Debbie went to see how just £7,000 can transform the life of a community by giving a village access to clean, safe water.
I became interested, not solely because I care, but because I can see a way to raise money, and directly understand the result. Supporting huge charitable organisations is, for me, soulless. They are all, no doubt “worthy” but I have no emotional sense of my money or my effort doing something specific.
I love the simple beliefs of Global Ethics and “One” and I want to raise as many of those £7,000 units as I can. To be able to start with nothing and end with a specific village, real people, and know we have changed lives and saved lives, that is just fantastic.
That’s where the “I” stops. Now about US.
March 22nd is World Water Day, and quite naturally Global Ethics will be holding various events. Here is OUR event, on behalf of G-E and ONE, us, Joe and Jane Soap, getting together to aim to build one pump, two pumps, four pumps, ten.
IN ONE DAY.
The idea is simple. It is aimed at both READERS and WRITERS. We want a thousand people to commit to just one 24-Hour effort on March 22nd.
Think, if 1,000 people pledge £7 (the joining fee) we have a Play-Pump. If we get 2,000 people and they raise sponsorship, of, say, £70 each, that would be 22 Play-Pumps, twenty-two villages, thousands, THOUSANDS of people whose lives we change for the better, forever.
HERE’s the DEAL.
Starting at midnight March 21st (00:01 on March 22nd) a group of writers start writing stories. They write one an hour, and they try to stay awake, writing, for as much of the twenty-four hours as they can. Sure many will need to take a break and sleep, but some hardy souls will last the 24 Hours (only the first six hours are tough) helped on their way by the knowledge of what they are achieving, and that they are being read (more on this later) and that at the end of it there will be an anthology of the best work, and their name, their achievement posted in perpetuity.
We have run such “crazy” marathons before raising money for various causes. In one we had a THIRTY hour marathon. Half a dozen hardy souls managed the whole thing and we raised more than ten-thousand pounds.
But that was an impromptu, shoe-string, just-tell-friends congregation. Think how different this could be with Global-Ethics and ONE behind us, and with some truly spectacular prizes for readers and writers.
I am visiting Global-Ethics on Wednesday 24th February to tie-up the prize-structure and some truly wonderful opportunities for supporters of “One Village at a Time” the marathon itself.
What Would You Have to Do?
WRITERS
1 Sign up as soon as possible, pay just £7 to join, direct to G-E or ONE.
2 Tell your friends what you are doing.
3 Beg steal and borrow sponsorship
4 Start at 00:01 and write a story.
5 Continue writing or take breaks, trying to write as much as you can.
6 Post on the Facebook and other forums and be enthusiastic.
READERS
1 Sign up as soon as possible, pay just £7 to join, direct to G-E or ONE.
2 Tell your friends what you are doing.
3 Beg steal and borrow sponsorship.
4 Read stories and comment (they will be anonymous)
5 Continue reading or take breaks, trying to read as much as you can.
6 Post on the Facebook and other forums and be enthusiastic.
We are in discussion on the specifics but G-E/ONE will be offering superb prizes in a number of categories, and one will be spectacular, involving shiny airplanes, and crossing the equator.
Visiting one of the villages and seeing the children, seeing them having fun on a play-pump, seeing all that beautiful, clean, safe water… that is a life-changing experience. It could be yours.
The Suggested Categories might be…
Best Story or Stories (General)
Best “African” Story or Stories
Best Poems
Best Motivator, Best Helper
Top Sponsorees
What Do I Say to My Prospective Sponsors?
WRITERS could ask for a fixed amount, or a payment per story, or so much a word, or could ask for so much “per hour I stayed awake.”
READERS could ask for a fixed amount, or a payment per story read, or could ask for so much “per hour I stayed awake.”
Prizes will be funded from Story Fees. I believe prizes are necessary as they give the writers a genuine challenge, a competitive field, and help raise energy levels.
But we want to raise money for the charity, AND have fun.
You raise money for the charity by
(1) Paying the joining fee and
(2) Asking Friends and Family to sponsor you.
If you then are entering a story or stories in the short-story writing competition “in the normal way” you would pay a fee for that, but note ALL entry fees will go to prizes. That is, if we collect £10,000 in entry fees, we will pay out £10,000 in cash or goods.
Payments will go direct to Global-Ethics/ONE
Please note you might write 2, 5, 10 or 24 stories. We hope you would send them all in, but you would NOT be required to enter every story in the competition!
As the maximum theoretically possible would be 24 stories at £5, I would suggest that any writer raising £120 or more in sponsorship would be allowed to enter his/her stories free.
Thus some contestants could raise money in £5 amounts, others raise money by persuading friends to sponsor them.
Prizes and Prize-Giving
This will be arranged, probably in London, by Global-Ethics
Look on Facebook for:
GROUP: One Village at a Time
EVENT: One Village at a Time
Please, only join the group and/or the event if you are prepared to actively participate. Firstly, pay that £7.
Don’t “just join” the group or the event. Putting your name on the list tells us that you are serious and want to build these Water Pumps.
There will be a lot of news forthcoming in the next week. Prizes will be firmed up, the Prize Day will be announced, and details of the anthology will be confirmed.
Please SIGN UP. When you sign up, post your targets as a reader or a writer. Please post and say, “I have signed. I pledge my £7. I will raise sponsorship and I am aiming for £X,XXX
We can build a Play-Pump
We can build another.
We can change the world ONE VILLAGE AT A TIME
One Village at a Time
Alex Keegan: alex.keegan@btinternet.com
My wife works for BT but has been working on secondment with Global-Ethics and One Difference. Global Ethics works by selling products and using all the profits to fund good work in sub-Saharan Africa. Recently Debbie went to see how just £7,000 can transform the life of a community by giving a village access to clean, safe water.
I became interested, not solely because I care, but because I can see a way to raise money, and directly understand the result. Supporting huge charitable organisations is, for me, soulless. They are all, no doubt “worthy” but I have no emotional sense of my money or my effort doing something specific.
I love the simple beliefs of Global Ethics and “One” and I want to raise as many of those £7,000 units as I can. To be able to start with nothing and end with a specific village, real people, and know we have changed lives and saved lives, that is just fantastic.
That’s where the “I” stops. Now about US.
March 22nd is World Water Day, and quite naturally Global Ethics will be holding various events. Here is OUR event, on behalf of G-E and ONE, us, Joe and Jane Soap, getting together to aim to build one pump, two pumps, four pumps, ten.
IN ONE DAY.
The idea is simple. It is aimed at both READERS and WRITERS. We want a thousand people to commit to just one 24-Hour effort on March 22nd.
Think, if 1,000 people pledge £7 (the joining fee) we have a Play-Pump. If we get 2,000 people and they raise sponsorship, of, say, £70 each, that would be 22 Play-Pumps, twenty-two villages, thousands, THOUSANDS of people whose lives we change for the better, forever.
HERE’s the DEAL.
Starting at midnight March 21st (00:01 on March 22nd) a group of writers start writing stories. They write one an hour, and they try to stay awake, writing, for as much of the twenty-four hours as they can. Sure many will need to take a break and sleep, but some hardy souls will last the 24 Hours (only the first six hours are tough) helped on their way by the knowledge of what they are achieving, and that they are being read (more on this later) and that at the end of it there will be an anthology of the best work, and their name, their achievement posted in perpetuity.
We have run such “crazy” marathons before raising money for various causes. In one we had a THIRTY hour marathon. Half a dozen hardy souls managed the whole thing and we raised more than ten-thousand pounds.
But that was an impromptu, shoe-string, just-tell-friends congregation. Think how different this could be with Global-Ethics and ONE behind us, and with some truly spectacular prizes for readers and writers.
I am visiting Global-Ethics on Wednesday 24th February to tie-up the prize-structure and some truly wonderful opportunities for supporters of “One Village at a Time” the marathon itself.
What Would You Have to Do?
WRITERS
1 Sign up as soon as possible, pay just £7 to join, direct to G-E or ONE.
2 Tell your friends what you are doing.
3 Beg steal and borrow sponsorship
4 Start at 00:01 and write a story.
5 Continue writing or take breaks, trying to write as much as you can.
6 Post on the Facebook and other forums and be enthusiastic.
READERS
1 Sign up as soon as possible, pay just £7 to join, direct to G-E or ONE.
2 Tell your friends what you are doing.
3 Beg steal and borrow sponsorship.
4 Read stories and comment (they will be anonymous)
5 Continue reading or take breaks, trying to read as much as you can.
6 Post on the Facebook and other forums and be enthusiastic.
We are in discussion on the specifics but G-E/ONE will be offering superb prizes in a number of categories, and one will be spectacular, involving shiny airplanes, and crossing the equator.
Visiting one of the villages and seeing the children, seeing them having fun on a play-pump, seeing all that beautiful, clean, safe water… that is a life-changing experience. It could be yours.
The Suggested Categories might be…
Best Story or Stories (General)
Best “African” Story or Stories
Best Poems
Best Motivator, Best Helper
Top Sponsorees
What Do I Say to My Prospective Sponsors?
WRITERS could ask for a fixed amount, or a payment per story, or so much a word, or could ask for so much “per hour I stayed awake.”
READERS could ask for a fixed amount, or a payment per story read, or could ask for so much “per hour I stayed awake.”
Prizes will be funded from Story Fees. I believe prizes are necessary as they give the writers a genuine challenge, a competitive field, and help raise energy levels.
But we want to raise money for the charity, AND have fun.
You raise money for the charity by
(1) Paying the joining fee and
(2) Asking Friends and Family to sponsor you.
If you then are entering a story or stories in the short-story writing competition “in the normal way” you would pay a fee for that, but note ALL entry fees will go to prizes. That is, if we collect £10,000 in entry fees, we will pay out £10,000 in cash or goods.
Payments will go direct to Global-Ethics/ONE
Please note you might write 2, 5, 10 or 24 stories. We hope you would send them all in, but you would NOT be required to enter every story in the competition!
As the maximum theoretically possible would be 24 stories at £5, I would suggest that any writer raising £120 or more in sponsorship would be allowed to enter his/her stories free.
Thus some contestants could raise money in £5 amounts, others raise money by persuading friends to sponsor them.
Prizes and Prize-Giving
This will be arranged, probably in London, by Global-Ethics
Look on Facebook for:
GROUP: One Village at a Time
EVENT: One Village at a Time
Please, only join the group and/or the event if you are prepared to actively participate. Firstly, pay that £7.
Don’t “just join” the group or the event. Putting your name on the list tells us that you are serious and want to build these Water Pumps.
There will be a lot of news forthcoming in the next week. Prizes will be firmed up, the Prize Day will be announced, and details of the anthology will be confirmed.
Please SIGN UP. When you sign up, post your targets as a reader or a writer. Please post and say, “I have signed. I pledge my £7. I will raise sponsorship and I am aiming for £X,XXX
We can build a Play-Pump
We can build another.
We can change the world ONE VILLAGE AT A TIME
Friday, 24 July 2009
Another Amazon Review
5.0 out of 5 stars
Short stories that track your heart and won't let you go,
17 Jul 2009
Tamera (London, England)
Ballistics: Short stories that track your heart and won't let you go. From a writer taking time to discover his ageing relative; kids with home-made crossbows out to destroy the Dirty Old Man, a barmaid courted with facts for over a decade; a daughter mutilated, a family destroyed, by a fateful set of keys. These stories are a fascinating combo of bold, gut wrenching, funny, and skilful writing. Alex Keegan has won many prizes and this collection shows exactly what makes a winning short story.
If you love short stories then you must read this book. If you love novels then you must read this book: it's just like being immersed in a novel with intricate layers that resonate long after you've put the book down. Buy and savour!
Short stories that track your heart and won't let you go,
17 Jul 2009
Tamera (London, England)
Ballistics: Short stories that track your heart and won't let you go. From a writer taking time to discover his ageing relative; kids with home-made crossbows out to destroy the Dirty Old Man, a barmaid courted with facts for over a decade; a daughter mutilated, a family destroyed, by a fateful set of keys. These stories are a fascinating combo of bold, gut wrenching, funny, and skilful writing. Alex Keegan has won many prizes and this collection shows exactly what makes a winning short story.
If you love short stories then you must read this book. If you love novels then you must read this book: it's just like being immersed in a novel with intricate layers that resonate long after you've put the book down. Buy and savour!
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Ballistics Review by Barry Cooper
I hate Alex Keegan.
He expects you to write every day AND review his books. In spite of all that, I have managed to read Ballistics, in between writing EVERY DAY, rehearsing for a performance thingy and running a writers' group. So here goes.
Reading Alex Keegan's BALLISTICS is quite an experience. His heroes are not the sort you run down the the main street to watch go past, they probably have more affiliation with those that do the running. Little events happen to little people in such a way that you feel the same joy or concern that you would if you were a family member. I offer a quote by le Vicomte de Chateaubriand (1768-1848) "The original writer is not he who refrains from imitating others, but he who can be imitated by none." Alex's stories are Alex's stories.
If there is any downside, it may be that the sentiment of some of the more colloquial pieces may be lost on certain people who have not visited Wales and experienced their fierce pride, especially in the valleys.
He expects you to write every day AND review his books. In spite of all that, I have managed to read Ballistics, in between writing EVERY DAY, rehearsing for a performance thingy and running a writers' group. So here goes.
Reading Alex Keegan's BALLISTICS is quite an experience. His heroes are not the sort you run down the the main street to watch go past, they probably have more affiliation with those that do the running. Little events happen to little people in such a way that you feel the same joy or concern that you would if you were a family member. I offer a quote by le Vicomte de Chateaubriand (1768-1848) "The original writer is not he who refrains from imitating others, but he who can be imitated by none." Alex's stories are Alex's stories.
If there is any downside, it may be that the sentiment of some of the more colloquial pieces may be lost on certain people who have not visited Wales and experienced their fierce pride, especially in the valleys.
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Writers Who Run; Runners Who Write
Morning Folks.
I am on Facebook as AlexBootCampKeegan (all one word) and I have just started a group called
Runners Who Write; Writers Who Run
The following is a note I've posted on FaceBook about it. If you write ad run (should be BOTH, that's the point) then why not join me?
I have only run three hours in the last 4-5-6 months but I was a serious veteran club runner AND I WILL BE RUNNING TODAY.
Imagine going on a writers retreat where you ran first thing in the morning and everyone was so ALIVE!
I have just finished a weekend of teaching creative writing in a very intense atmosphere, up around 0600, going to bed around 0100. That intensity was on the back of almost thirty days of non-stop, heavy-duty writing and too many late nights. I went INTO the course dog-tired.
Once upon a time, as an athlete, I would have been overjoyed at the surroundings of the chapel. All those fantastic runs, with great views. This time I went, only just recovered from an injury having done no exercise whatsoever for six weeks and abusing my body with too-long days, too much time at the computer and too much (I drink when I write a lot) wine.
But one of the ladies on the course was out first morning, out there running with the sea air in her face. Day Two I HAD to go out.
I was three stones and more (as much as fifty pounds) over my racing weight, unfit, slightly upset tummy, hungover, mentally running on empty AND WE WALKED-RAN FOR TWO HOURS.
We didn't exactly hammer things. I wouldn't be surprised to discover that our mile-running pace was nearer ten minutes than nine, but we walked up those hills, ran along the cliffs, saw an amazing blue lagoon, came back sweaty (and I was sore) but the day FLEW by and I was twice as good a teacher, full of energy again.
This is what I remember when I was running a lot (up to seventy miles a week at my peak).
The physical, mental, philosophical side-effects of running are fantastic. When I'm fit, especially through running (and carrying a lot less weight) I feel younger, sharper, cleverer and insights come so fast I can't catch them all. I used to say running "empties my head of fat".
So, I want to form a group of people who firstly consider themselves writers (whether professionals or serious non-professionals) people who wake up and 19 days out of 20 are immediately thinking, "When and where today will I get my writing space?"
Ability and publications is NOT the point, desire an seriousness, and how you define yourself is the mark of "writer". I was unpublished when my son Alex was born. On the birth certificate my wife, unprompted, put my profession down as writer. That must mean I was, even if the 350-400 publications I now have hadn't started.
And running?
Well, the definition of writer is above. My definition of runner is similar. Do you get up evry day WANTING to run? Is it your main way of being fit? You may or may not be super-slim or fast, but at some time in your past you ran seriously (say 4-5 or more days a week) and raced a bit (even if you finished way down the field.
You own running shoes, shorts, vests etc and you get somewhere and you want to run, want to run, want to run.
You might be like I am right this minute (but watch this space) grossly overweight and maybe a bit ashamed, with short-term and long-term injuries. Running might now make you breathless. You aren't supple, you may not be quite so young. There's no way you are going to enter the next County Cross-Country, and the idea of The National, try to stop laughing.
BUT, like with me last weekend, someone was going running and you HAD TO try, because that's what you are, even if you're a fat old fat, you define yourself as a runner, you want to be fit again, want to feel that sharpness in body, brain and soul.
You quite like the idea, a year down the line, of a half-marathon where every person in the field is a writer. Wouldn't that be glorious?
JOIN ME!!
PS
If you write and don't run, START.
I am on Facebook as AlexBootCampKeegan (all one word) and I have just started a group called
Runners Who Write; Writers Who Run
The following is a note I've posted on FaceBook about it. If you write ad run (should be BOTH, that's the point) then why not join me?
I have only run three hours in the last 4-5-6 months but I was a serious veteran club runner AND I WILL BE RUNNING TODAY.
Imagine going on a writers retreat where you ran first thing in the morning and everyone was so ALIVE!
I have just finished a weekend of teaching creative writing in a very intense atmosphere, up around 0600, going to bed around 0100. That intensity was on the back of almost thirty days of non-stop, heavy-duty writing and too many late nights. I went INTO the course dog-tired.
Once upon a time, as an athlete, I would have been overjoyed at the surroundings of the chapel. All those fantastic runs, with great views. This time I went, only just recovered from an injury having done no exercise whatsoever for six weeks and abusing my body with too-long days, too much time at the computer and too much (I drink when I write a lot) wine.
But one of the ladies on the course was out first morning, out there running with the sea air in her face. Day Two I HAD to go out.
I was three stones and more (as much as fifty pounds) over my racing weight, unfit, slightly upset tummy, hungover, mentally running on empty AND WE WALKED-RAN FOR TWO HOURS.
We didn't exactly hammer things. I wouldn't be surprised to discover that our mile-running pace was nearer ten minutes than nine, but we walked up those hills, ran along the cliffs, saw an amazing blue lagoon, came back sweaty (and I was sore) but the day FLEW by and I was twice as good a teacher, full of energy again.
This is what I remember when I was running a lot (up to seventy miles a week at my peak).
The physical, mental, philosophical side-effects of running are fantastic. When I'm fit, especially through running (and carrying a lot less weight) I feel younger, sharper, cleverer and insights come so fast I can't catch them all. I used to say running "empties my head of fat".
So, I want to form a group of people who firstly consider themselves writers (whether professionals or serious non-professionals) people who wake up and 19 days out of 20 are immediately thinking, "When and where today will I get my writing space?"
Ability and publications is NOT the point, desire an seriousness, and how you define yourself is the mark of "writer". I was unpublished when my son Alex was born. On the birth certificate my wife, unprompted, put my profession down as writer. That must mean I was, even if the 350-400 publications I now have hadn't started.
And running?
Well, the definition of writer is above. My definition of runner is similar. Do you get up evry day WANTING to run? Is it your main way of being fit? You may or may not be super-slim or fast, but at some time in your past you ran seriously (say 4-5 or more days a week) and raced a bit (even if you finished way down the field.
You own running shoes, shorts, vests etc and you get somewhere and you want to run, want to run, want to run.
You might be like I am right this minute (but watch this space) grossly overweight and maybe a bit ashamed, with short-term and long-term injuries. Running might now make you breathless. You aren't supple, you may not be quite so young. There's no way you are going to enter the next County Cross-Country, and the idea of The National, try to stop laughing.
BUT, like with me last weekend, someone was going running and you HAD TO try, because that's what you are, even if you're a fat old fat, you define yourself as a runner, you want to be fit again, want to feel that sharpness in body, brain and soul.
You quite like the idea, a year down the line, of a half-marathon where every person in the field is a writer. Wouldn't that be glorious?
JOIN ME!!
PS
If you write and don't run, START.
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Date Change for Newbury Talk
My SIGNING date at Newbury Borders remains the same (27 June)
but the talk/reading will now take place at 8:30 PM
Wednesday 8th July (one week earlier)
but the talk/reading will now take place at 8:30 PM
Wednesday 8th July (one week earlier)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
