Interview: Meet Shandrea Lewdram - Those Girls are WILD

“We're not riding off of other people's fans and popularity by doing reposts, we're pushing out original content and asking our viewers to care about what we have to say or what we think is funny.”

“I want young girls to redefine what it means to be "WILD" and for them to feel like it's cool to truly be yourself”

“Two infinity and beyond!”

Shandrea Lewdram is made up of the sharp Toronto girls, performer Andrea Lewis and writer Shannon Boodram. Those girls are on it. They are deeply amusing, inspirational, WILD. Hence the name of their fabulous blog Those Girls Are Wild (“No, it’s not a porn site I swear”- something I say on a regular basis as I am always recommending their blog to people).

They are a pair of genuine best friends, “we started out in a crew of 40+ girls in grade 9 (called the bad gyals) then we downsized to 5 girls in grade 11 (called Legalidies), then after high school it became just me and Andrea (Those Wild gyals!)”, they put fantastically funny skits on youtube and they discuss everything from fake accents and whether or not kids should be sentenced as adults, to relationship advice and more in their "Topic of the Week" segment.

Interview: Shannon Teresa Boodram, Writer/Photographer/TV Presenter...the list goes on

“I love the art of storytelling, I love that people see themselves a little more clearly with everything that I do: be that through my writing, videos or photography.”

Here is the full list (just to make you feel truly lazy):  Shannon Teresa Boodram is a freelance writer and a freelance photographer and the proprietor of an online network for inspirational women and a youth worker and a tv presenter and the editor of a book and a kick ass go-getter.

This woman  is changing the way young people are educated about sex and was recently debating the sex education issue on a Canadian news channel.

Never afraid to voice her opinion, she will call you out (hilariously as well) when you're doing something stupid, and even call herself out too if needs be...

Interview: Kate Le Vann, Novelist

"I would like young women to be more interested in feminism, to stop hating women for being, say, thin, which seems to happen too much."

"The internet and twitter and all of these things that are supposed to be killing publishing are just ways of reading more, aren't they?"

Hilariously self-deprecating and absolutely brilliant, Kate Le Vann is the internationally published British author of such poignant novels as Two Friends, One Summer and Tessa In Love. She tells us about everything from writing young adult fiction and how she single-handedly brought down Julie Burchill’s infamous Modern Review, to bearcrows, stalker comedies and the best places in San Francisco.

Her latest novel, The Worst of Me, injects some much needed realism into the YA literature scene, “I think this novel is a bit different from the others because I always have lovely perfect boy heroes and the hero in this is a bit of a wrong'un, but still fanciable and sexy. And when you fall in love in your teens (or whenever) the chances are he's not going to be perfect and mature and clever and say the right things all the time and do the right things. So maybe Jonah is a bit more realistic? Not that you can't meet the love of your life at 16, but it does quite often go wrong.”

Right now she is enjoying San Francisco, as her husband is doing a fellowship at Stanford University, and she is taking the opportunity to research another setting for her next book, “there are a lot of things here that inspire me here.”

After Hours

After dark is an amazing time. It's bewitching and exhilirating, but unfortunately it can be terrible and scary as hell, because we all know bad shit goes down at night. Reclaim The Night is an organisation that fights to take back the night from rapists and murderers and the rest because it's not right that we should be afraid of the dark. Find out more about their work, how to join one of their marches and other ways to get involved here: http://www.reclaimthenight.org/.

I love the night time. I find it so inspiring and I love to write (bad) poetry and short stories at night. But I do all of that inside, when I'd love to be sitting in a park writing by moonlight because I'm just too afraid. It is definitely time we take back the night.

(The following story should be read at night):

After Hours

Comme c’est curieux... How inaccurate is the phrase the dead of night? When here we are at that time exact to the nanosecond and yet so alive, alive.

This is night fall. When the sky sighs into purple then slips on black, the stars come out to play. Tonighttime we are letting our strikingly beautiful, horrifying imagination run away with you. We believe anything is possible and we are not scared when it all happens.

This is the witching hour. So named because it would stretch infinitely if the sun didn’t wake, shooing it away like the shopkeeper will come morning time to the homeless people sprawled on his doorstep. And we call this magic because we don’t have the words to say what else. Then the hour waits till light wanders off to start again, bewitching all still present with a temporary perpetual darkness.

There sits a girl, just metres away, on a bench. Her wild curls glow in the moonlight. She sings, wondering if her off-note could carry all the way across the world and back, then she stops abruptly. Don’t worry, nothing will happen to her. Hopefully. Our peace is slit by drunken cackling in the distance. It dissipates into a cold silence. So quiet she can hear you breathing. Shh quiet. Hold your breath and you might be able to hear her whisper.

“Would you like to know something? Of course. Here is a secret only a few fearless people know: there are stars in this city. But you have to go to the darkest, dirtiest places to see them. That’s where they’ll shine right through it all. Wink at you. Hold your glance. Stare you down. Not intimidating, but calm and comforting. You are watched.”

And we are, locked in by her fierce eyes, watching her watch us. She’s a clever one. She knows we’re here. She knows that everyone is a ghost at this time. She knows that this city will swallow you up and let you lie in the warmth of its body.

This city will swallow you up and the acid in its gut will burn you to crumbles.

Are you ready? Come on, Let’s go.

Feel like writing something? Enter the writing competition now!

Or spend the night in London/New York City with our list of AMAZING books and films that pull you into the heart of their cities.

[Images in this post are from: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/11/09/60-beautiful-examples-of-night-photography-2/ and http://bibliographic.net/les/2005/11/vics-good-for-seeing-stars-at-night.html]

A Letter To... Remakes

Send in a letter about something you want to get off your chest.

Dear The People Remaking Shit That Should Have Been Left Well Alone,

"Hey did you hear they’re remaking... [Insert the name of every half decent film ever made here, please.]"

O film industry, what the fuck happened? When did your originality decide to piss off, reducing you to not only desperately scrambling for some book to make a half-assed adaptation of but also remaking any film that was ever even sort of maybe slightly kinda liked. And not just the ones that were made 50 years ago, no. I’m talking about the ones that were only made in the 80s and 90s!

Who told you the Karate Kid needed to be redone? And what, no seriously what in the hell possessed you redo it with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith?

...Was this an inside joke...?

And to whoever is personally responsible for crapping up good memories of Ten Things I Hate About You by presenting that*- um, what the hell man? What was that?

I genuinely could go on for pages, but I think you get it.

Hear this, original screenplays are not illegal you know. So stop attempting to scrape whatever money you can from ripping off something good. It’s kind of pathetic. I’m feeling embarrassed for you.

One last note, if you allow Zac Efron to carry out his wishes of remaking Back to the Future, I will stop sharing your unbearable shame and just come over there and bitch-slap you.

Watch it.

*It was remade into a TV series not another film. But the show was deeply crap. So it definitely deserves to be in here.

Kate Le Vann!

For all those entering the writing competition : I will shortly be putting up my interview with very experienced, internationally published author Kate Le Vann, (followed by a review of her new novel, The Worst of Me). Her work includes the brilliant YA books Two Friends, One Summer, Things I Know About Love and Rain amongst many others.
In the interview she gives writing advice, so stay tuned to hear from a pro...

A Night In the City

Hey. Let's you and me go to...

...NEW YORK CITY

(photo by Laura Bassi)

Books: Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson, I Am Not Myself These Days by Josh Kilmer-Purcell, Candy Everybody Wants by Josh Kilmer-Purcell, The Earth, My Butt and Other Big, Round Things by Carolyn Mackler, Love and Other Four Letter Words by Carolyn Mackler, Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! by Fannie Flagg, Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart.
TV: How To Make It In America.
Film: Manhattan Murder Mystery, August Rush, Uptown Girls, Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, A Guide to Recognising Your Saints, Kids, Little Manhattan, Raising Helen, Nick + Norah's Infinite Playlist (this is also a book!), The Perfect Man (despite the fact that this stars Hilary Duff, it is nothing like the horror that was Material Girls. My eyes still burn from that film. I wouldn't do that to you).

...LONDON

 (photo by Jeff Hahn)

Books: White Teeth by Zadie Smith, Slam by Nick Hornby, 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, Rain by Kate Le Vann, Face Value by Catherine Johnson, Finding Violet Park by Jenny Valentine, Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine, Cutting It by Jasmin Oliver.
TV:   ...
Film: An Education, Brick Lane, Bridget Jones' Diary, Notting Hill.

All the books and films listed above are good. And what's more, they truly pull you right into the heart of their cities, letting you feel like you're there. Better than reading a travel guide, no?

But these lists are very thin on the ground, especially in regards to London interestingly enough (guess it shows how much I want to go to New York...), so if you have any recommendations of your own, leave 'em in the comments! Also, if you have any suggestions for other cities leave those in the comments too, or email, whichever is fine.

A Picture Says A Thousand Words - Writing Competition

Tokyo/Glow HD from Nathan Johnston on Vimeo.

Tokyo/Glow is a series of photographs that have been put together to make a short stopmotion film with a sweet storyline. All pictures can are part of a bigger story. Which leads me on to:

A Picture Says A Thousand Words - a new regular writing competition. You are invited to write pieces of up to 1000 words (which can be anything from haikus and flash fiction to narrative poems and scripts) inspired by a set of photographs.

For this first round we are using the photos of Laura Bassi. Laura takes fantastic photos and she also blogs for A Tribe Called Next.

HOW TO ENTER:
1. Follow! Either here, or on twitter.
2. Look at the photos below
3. Write something, anything inspired by any of the photos. You can enter up to three different pieces and each piece has an upper limit of 1000 words.
4. Email your work to zita.thisiswherewebelong@gmail.com as well as your name and contact number. Put "Writing Competition" in the subject line. Do this by midnight (GMT) on 1st June 2010.
5. Now sit back and wait until the end of June to find out if you've won.

PRIZES:
1st prize is the first choice of 4 items from the following list.
2nd prize is the second choice of the 3 items from those remaining on the following list.
3rd prize is the third choice of the 2 items from those remaining on the following list.
Whatever is left will be distributed randomly between Commended entrants.
ALL WINNERS AND COMMENDED ENTRANTS WILL BE FEATURED ON HERE (and then later in the printed zine).

Prize List-

• £15 iTunes voucher
• A signed season DVD of E4's Misfits
• Camera
• Audrey Hepburn poster
• Marilyn Monroe poster
• The Charm Necklace (a necklace in aid of Cancer Research UK with charms designed by Christian Louboutin, Kate Moss, Scarlett Johansson, Catherine Tate, Grayson Perry and Stephen Webster)
• The Fire We Harbour - a collection of poetry by the Foyle Young Poets of The Year.
• The Informers by Brett Easton Ellis
• Just In Case by Meg Rosoff
• Magic For Beginners by Kelly Link
• Love You Madly by Alex George
• The Diamond of Drury Lane by Julia Golding
• Star-Crossed: A Romeo & Juliet Story by Rachael Wing
• We Are The New Romantics by Niven Govinden
• Cinammon Girl: This Way To Paradise by Cathy Hopkins
• Sunita's Secret by Narinder Dhami
• Mates, Dates Guide To Life by Cathy Hopkins
• BIG HAIR. A history by James Innes-Smith

PICTURES:
(Click on them to see them larger and more clearly)

If you'd like your photographs to be used in the next competition email zita.thisiswherewebelong@gmail.com with "Photographer" in the subject line.

Any questions about this competition can also be emailed or left in the comments.

This Is Where We Belong x Laura Bassi

EXCITING NEWS: Next week will be the launch of the dopest new writing competition ever. I'll try not give too much away now except to say that photographer, A Tribe Called Next member and all round cool kid Laura Bassi is involved photo-wise, and if you've seen her snaps then you'll know this comp. is definitely something to be excited about.

Stay tuned for more details, prizes, rules etc....

A Letter To... My Schoolmates

Send in a letter about something you want to get something off your chest.
(After the sweetness of my last post, I suppose it's time balance that out. Don't take this too seriously if you go to my school and have somehow found your way here)

Dear Schoolmates,

There are so many things I’ve always wanted to tell you. I just didn’t know how to put my feelings into words. I wish we could have gotten along better, spent more time together. Maybe then I would have had the courage to say all these things that have just been burning up inside me. I’m writing to you now because it's hurting too much to keep this from you. I'm writing because I can't take the thought of saying this out loud and I don't know any other way to let you into my heart. I hope you understand and know that I will always love you*. Here goes…

The thing is, Uggs are not the only shoe. I’d go on to say please stop constantly fucking up your outfits with this boot, if it wasn’t for my next point which is-

Abercrombie and Fitch, and Jack Wills are not the only two stores in existence. There’s a whole world out there. I’d be happy to show you.

Twilight and New Moon, the books and films, were not that good. Robert Pattinson is also not that hot. You totally saw him in Harry Potter and you didn’t give a crap about him then so why now? It’s because you’re projecting your fantasy of a dating hot, pasty 107 year old boy onto him, that's why. And don't you think that’s kind of weird? So please stop wearing hoodies that say “Property Of Edward Cullen” and ink tattooing yourself with the words “Bite Me”. You’re making all the sane people feel deeply uncomfortable.

I wish you would stop pretending to be more drunk than you actually are at parties just so you can kiss that guy your friend likes and do c-raaaaaazzzy things so you can have “great” stories to tell on the next school day. More than that, I pray you stop talking about what a wild night you had and how wasted you got, ’cause everybody knows you only had half a drink.

Listen carefully: "gay" is not an insult. Don't make me slap you.

I know we’re in an all-girls school, but you don’t have to gain respect by talking about boys like you’re an authority on the subject. Going on about how much easier they are to hang out with than girls because they’re "so much more chilled out" is just insulting given that your audience is entirely composed of girls. It’s also plain stupid since we've all seen that you're that girl - the one who acts annoyingly flirty when hanging out with guys, which simply makes them want you to piss off, ’cause they’re trying to chill out here, alright?

Schoolmates, I'm sorry to end on such a sad note, but there is one last thing that I need to tell you because it's weighing down on me so heavily I fear it may crush the last breath out of me if I don't say to you now: please stop deluding yourselves that omfg Skins is just sooooo amazing cos its just like a breath of fresh air on british tv you know i mean like it just actually represents the lives of us teens and its like totally not afraid to show what we get up to....  Um, WHAT THE F---?!! Seriously guys? Seriously. As much as I loved Skins (series 1 & a bit of 2), it does not represent your life, don't lie. If you lived in that world you would not be sitting on your ass on a thursday night watching fictional kids have a wild time, you'd be coked up somewhere getting wild yourself. And y'all know it.

*not all of you. And not always for some of you.

Hey, Theatre Junkies

Here's your fix for the week: two theatre related opportunities I've come across lately, both of which are pretty damn awesome. The first is for the writers, the actors, the directors and producers. It also serves as a holiday. The second is only for the writers. The second is . Get on it people. Deadlines are coming up fast!!! And getting into any aspect of theatre is tough, there aren't opportunities like these just lying around all the time. Both are in association with IdeasTap http://www.ideastap.com/ so you need to get an IdeasTap account to apply. But it's free and you'll find out about more opportunities through it so it's all good. (Plenty of interviews with film, tv and theatre professionals giving great advice on there too by the way)

1. Kevin Spacey's (yeah, Kevin Spacey) TS Eliot Exchange

This coming April, 50 actors, writers, directors and producers will travel from London to New York to engage in a week of cultural activity and artistic development, hosted by The Public Theater, an NYC institution and home to some of America's most exhilarating theatre. The following month, 50 American artists will travel to London to take part in a similar program at The Old Vic, the legendary home of Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, and now under the artistic direction of Kevin Spacey.

During The TS Eliot US/UK Exchange you will spend a week living, learning, and developing theatre in a vibrant and intense city. You will be able to build your contacts within the theatrical industry and have the chance to learn from some of the finest and most successful people in the business.

http://www.ideastap.com/newsdetails.aspx?articleid=879




2. WordPlay Script Competition
Being a fledgling writer can be a lonely business. It's all late nights at the computer and sitting alone in front of empty pages wondering when you might get your first big break. But sometimes, all you need is a nudge in the right direction.

That's why the National Youth Theatre is looking for new writers who need a bit of guidance. They'll invite five writers to attend a two-day development workshop with professional mentors and directors. From that workshop two of the writers will be selected to have their plays put into full production at a London venue as part of NYT's 2010 season. The plays will be performed by members of the Playing Up 2 course, part of the National Youth Theatre's Creative Learning Programme.
Fifteen further writers will be chosen to receive written feedback on their work.

For now we don't need the full play, just an outline of your idea and some indication of how it will work. You need to fill out an application form (link to form here) which will ask you for the following:
- A detailed synopsis of your idea for a play. It should relate in some way to one of the four topics below and be no more than 500 words
-Detailed character breakdowns for 10 defined characters or a detailed description of how your play could be performed by an ensemble of 10
-A draft of four completed scenes of your play. We need to get a feel for you as a writer so we would like at least 10 pages in total.

We're looking for ideas that best represent the experiences of the Playing Up students so we'd like to see work around the following themes: mental health, asylum seeking/immigration, the rise of political nationalism in Britain or class conflict. Feel free to use more than one of the themes and to interpret them literally or abstractly. They're just a pointer to some of the work the students have been exploring so you don't need to stick to them too rigidly.
There are 20 members of the Paying Up 2 course, so we're looking for two ensemble plays that offer strong character roles to at least 10 performers. There are no restrictions in terms of gender, and the National Youth Theatre encourage you to think creatively and experiment.

 http://www.ideastap.com/briefdetail.aspx?briefid=103

Good luck.
P.S. NYT plays get reviewed by The Times and the like. It's no Kevin Spacey but still pretty damn good

Barbara Frankie Ryan, and why she is awesome

Barbara Frankie Ryan of BFR Mag (bfrmag.blogspot.com) will be the first featured person on THIS IS WHERE WE BELONG. Keep your eye out for the interview, coming soon...

But in the meantime here are some reasons to love her. Click on the images to see them bigger and more clearly. And head over to her site once your done here.