After a great Telltales in January, with our Underbelly theme seeing readers draw on dark thoughts, hidden emotions and barely subdued anger for inspiration, this February we are taking a slightly different tack. That’s right, we are casting off our cloaks of melancholy,  cracking a smile and looking on The Bright Side. The theme for February’s Telltales, XV: The Bright Side, is all things optimistic; think sunshine, humour, devil-may-care attitudes and general frivolity.

Of course, as always, if you have something that doesn’t fit the theme but would like to read out, submit it anyway and we’ll have a read. If we like it enough we’ll programme it, no matter how dark it is.

Use the form below to submit your Bright Side stories, poems, prose, scripts or novel extracts, we’ll take a look, work out a programme and get back to you to let you know if you’ll be one of our readers for this month’s event.

If you have any questions get in touch, look forward to seeing you all on the 23 Februaryfrom 7pm at the Falmouth Townhouse.

It might have been a wet and windy night on Tuesday 24th November but Telltalers still turned out in force for a great night of reading at our brand new venue, the Falmouth Townhouse .

From considering whether lemons can affect time to a young writer’s experience of life behind bars, from rock n roll stars wandering supermarket aisles to a creepy puppeteer with his ‘family on his back’, a hugely varied programme delivered by new readers and Telltales favourites entertained the crowd.

For extracts from November’s Telltales, ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ click on the link on the right. You can leave feedback or share your thoughts using  the comments boxes underneath each extract.

Taking a break for Christmas, Telltales will be back on Tuesday 26th January with Volume XIV. The theme is Underbelly so if you would like to read out, interpret it as you will and submit work using the form below. We”l take a look then get in touch to let you know if you have been successfully programmed.

Remember you can play with or interpret the theme in any way you want and if you have a piece you would like to read that doesn’t relate to the theme don’t worry, submit it anyway and if we like it enough we will schedule it.

If you are more of a listener than a reader that’s great too, ears are always welcome at Telltales.

Doors open at 7pm and reading start at 7.30pm, although you should get there early to be sure of a seat.

The Falmouth Townhouse has tea, coffee, wine, beers and spirits on sale as well as tapas and bar snacks for the peckish.

Check out how to get to Telltales at the Falmouth Townhouse

Look forward to seeing you there.

…”I remembered back when I was in school – some years ago now – we had a science teacher named Mr. Corbet who wore glasses, and liked to drink beer and talk sports at the pub where older students went after football practice.  In class he showed us how a stick of ebony wood, and a stick of clear plastic can be ‘charged’ with static energy, by rubbing them with silk, or against you clothes even.  I was really grateful because for the first time it explained how wiping a balloon on your hair in winter could make the balloon stick to almost anything, your clothes, the curtains or even the wall! And up to then I could never figure out how a balloon could defy gravity without being full of hot air, which even now I think is really quite something.”…

It might have been a wet and windy night on Tuesday 24th November but Telltalers still turned out in force for a great night of reading at our brand new venue, the Falmouth Townhouse .

From considering whether lemons can affect time to a young writer’s experience of life behind bars, from rock n roll stars wandering supermarket aisles to a creepy puppeteer with his ‘family on his back’, a hugely varied programme delivered by new readers and Telltales favourites entertained the crowd.

For extracts from November’s Telltales, ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ click on the links below the title. You can leave feedback or share your thoughts using  the comments boxes underneath each extract.

Come along to the next Telltales to hear what Cornwall’s writing scene has to say for itself

Wednesday

On the tiles on a Wednesday night, with borrowed money. Rita never said a word. What’s her game? Doesn’t matter. It’s all happenin’. Saturday on a Wednesday. Bus full, o’people wi’ money to spend. SuperMac’s right. Never had it so good. No end to it, unless they call another war, which they won’t for a while now they’re buildin’ all these washin’ machines and hoovers.

The Savoy. Not like the posh one in Newcastle. On its way out. Usher’s trousers and jacket don’t match. Walls need painting. Here she comes and I haven’t worked out what to say. Same as ever, lovely uplifted smile, a kiss on the cheek, soft, powdered face.

“How are you?” Sounded as if I was enquiring after her health. Act natural for Christ’s sake.

Continue reading →

The dark evenings are back so the candles were out at Telltales Volume XI this October, with a great programme which kept the crowd entertained. We had our best turn up to date and a wonderful variety of work from scripts contemplating life in Cornwall to poems considering prejudice, short stories about human ‘nodes’ to musings on the meaning of ‘humour’.

To read extracts of the work performed click on the links on the left.

If you would like to perform at the next Telltales upload your work through the form on the homepage and we’ll take a read then let you know if you have been programmed.

The last Tuesday of August might not have delivered the blistering hot summer sunshine we were all praying for, but it did bring the tenth volume of Telltales and a glut of short stories to boot. An entertaining evening with new readers and listeners in attendance – we had missing relatives, food fights, eccentric artists, new siblings and failed getaways on the cards with thought provoking prose, nostalgic images and funny phrases littered throughout.

To get an idea of some of the work read out take a look at the extracts on the right and to get involved in the next Telltales check out how to upload your work.

After weeks of fashioning black apostrophe signs out of cardboard and sticky back plastic, reading the wealth of submissions from across the county, planning how to dress the tent and where to put it up, and sorting out a programme to knock the festival’s socks off, Friday 24 July arrived and we trekked up to St Germans with a car full of camping gear ready to make our mark on Port Eliot. And make our mark we did.

The Telltales tent hosted sets at dawn (11am) and dusk (7pm) with six performers reading out their work to a jam packed audience. From walking with nomads to slaying elephants, from desperate husbands to ugly babies, from gorilla suits to lost car keys, work ranged from the dark to the experimental, the hilarious to tragic.

And in between the Telltales sets we were able to take in the best of what the festival had to offer including: drooling at Jimmy McNulty, aka Dominic West, laughing at Ross Sutherland, being moved by Rebecca Leckiewicz and amazed by Jung Chang.

All in all, not a bad couple of days. Thanks to everyone involved in making Telltales the toast of the festival.

The next Telltales, Volume X will be back at our trusty Babahogs on the 25th August from 7pm. Check back soon for more details…

-

If you would like to get involved in Telltales in anyway, please get in touch using the form on the homepage.

A hot summer’s evening, Tuesday 30 June saw Babahog’s Cafe filled with eager , if a bit overheated, listeners ready to hear what Cornwall’s writing scene had to offer.

Our focus this month was on discovering some fresh new Telltales talent to delight listeners and we came up trumps, with a tasty programme that included four new readers. From monobrows to Stockholm syndrome, stolen barometers to drowned mariners, long lost love to thick socks, the subject matter was varied, delivery lively and audience captivated – just as we like it. To get a flavour of what went down, click on the links on the right.

And don’t forget the next Telltales, Volume IX will take place at the Port Eliot Festival - 24 -26 July, in our very own tent showcasing the best of Cornish talent.

Hope to see you there!

When I woke this morning, the cats were confused.  The meowed me towards the window, and there I saw it:  Cornwall was covered in snow.  I threw on my army boots, which were even more confused than the cats, and headed out for a walk.

I used to think that heaven was white, soft, like a land deep with snow. I suppose it’s a fitting comparison. Cornwall was in freeze-frame this morning.

Continue reading →