UPdate
Creative writing competition Have you got what it takes to be the next Stieg Larsson or Henning Mankell? If so there’s a place on a Birkbeck College creative writing course and £100 cash prize up for grabs when you take part in the Brent Libraries short story competition. Swedish crime fiction author Camilla Ceder has written the opening line to a story. All you have to do is complete the story in no more than 2,000 words. Entry forms are now available from any Brent library, and the closing date for entries will be 23 February 2011. For more information on creative writing visit www.writershub.co.uk or come to a free workshop at Willesden Green Library Centre on Tuesday 15 February, 6-7.30pm.
Calling all book lovers Brent’s first ever "virtual" book club launches in February – where the discussion all happens online. With a virtual book club, there are no set meeting times, so you determine your reading pace. All you have to do is check brentbookblog.word press.com to see what book we are reading; then borrow the book from any Brent Library. You can add your comments about the book and take part in discussions as you finish chapters or finish the book.
Brent young people win £6000 For the fourth year running, local young people led by Brent Youth Volunteers and Brent Youth Parliament won a prize for the borough in the London Parade on New Year's Day. This year's entry, which celebrated Brent's cultural diversity and youth engagement, took on 31 other London boroughs to win second place and £6,000 prize money for the Mayor of Brent's charities. Young people from Alperton Community, Claremont High, Copland, Kingsbury High, Lyon Park Primary, Princess Frederica
Tributes paid to late councillor
It is with great sadness that Brent Council confirms the death of Cllr Arthur Steel, Conservative member of the Kenton Ward since 1974. He died on 1 January 2011 after a long battle with cancer. Cllr Steel was a senior and long-serving member of the authority and also served as Mayor of Brent in 1993/1994. He was a fluent Italian and French speaker, shared a love of football with his wife and was also an avid chess player. As Cllr Steel was a serving councillor, a byelection will take place in the Kenton Ward on 17 February 2011.
Primary and Queen's Park Community schools, The Crest Girls' Academy and Convent of Jesus and Mary Language College, all took part in the parade. Mayor of Brent, Councillor Harbhajan Singh, said: "Well done to all the young people from Brent who helped us do so well in this parade. I am delighted that they have won so much money for these good causes."
Photo by Lucy Williams Photography
Teenage kicks at the Tricycle Join seven local writers and one comedian for an evening of readings and comedy on an adolescent theme at the Tricycle Theatre on 6 February. Featuring Hanif Kureishi, Nikita Lalwani, Ben Markovitz, Zadie Smith, Daljit Nagra, China Mieville, Tobias Hill and, with special guest, Doc Brown the evening is
bound to be a witty look at the experiences and pains of growing up. Teenage Kicks has been organised by Zadie Smith to help raise awareness and funds for Brent Centre for Young People (BCYP). Tickets cost £12 (£10 for concessions). To book call 020 7328 1000.
Outside the Brent Centre for Young People in Kilburn
FEBRUARY 2011
THE BRENT MAGAZINE
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