FringeReview is delighted to welcome our latest guest blog at Edfringe 2018 from Natalie Cutler who brings Not Yet Suffragette to the Fringe (Booking details are here).
26th August 2018
Ed Fringe may be over – but The Year Of The Woman continues with Helen Lederer’s CWIP Award…
“There are countless hilarious, talented female writers currently producing great work. If existing prizes wont honour funny women writers fairly, its time to set up a new prize.” – Marian Keyes.
Tomorrow is the final day of the Fringe . . . and this evening has kind of got an air of Christmas Eve to it. Well, it has for me anyway. The penultimate day!
As this years festival draws to a close I though it would be great to end ‘The Year Of The Woman’ blog with new beginnings. With a, Whats next for Women?
Well, Ill tell you and its pretty exciting, so listen up.
In the final weekend of the Fringe, Comedian and Author Helen Lederer launched her very own competition for the future of witty female writers. In partnership with Hertfordshire University (of which Helen is an alumni), the ‘Comedy Women In Print’ prize will offer literary awards to both pubished and unpublished female work. It is the first of it kind and the judging panel are made up of serious business to. Joining Helen in choosing the winners are;
Marian Keyes- Award Winning Novelist.
Allison Pearson – Author of ‘I Don’t Know How She Does It’, which was turned into a motion picture with Sarah Jessica Parker at the helm.
And Jennifer Young- Novelist and Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing and program leader for the MA in Creative Writing at Hertfordshire University.
The prize for the un published winner will be a free place on the University of Hertfordshire’s MA in Creative Writing, plus £1000 spending money.
The prize for the published winner is £2000 in cash.
I interviewed Helen at the launch of the competition on why she founded this prize and what she hopes people will gain from it. Full interview can be heard here:
The applications are now open and the closing date is 31st January 2019. Full details are on the website: www.comedywomeninprint.co.uk
21st August 2018
Not Yet Suffragette meets Bob and Buds
Im so glad I finally got to pin down my next guest. We have been trying for the past few weeks to find a time that works for the both of us to talk about everything she has going on at the Fringe (and beyond) . . . Its a lot.
Bob and Buds is part of the festivals Free Fringe and brought to you by Comedian Kemah Bob. Her name may be familair to you as a rising star on platforms such as BBC3 and The Guilty Feminist Podacst. Born in Texas she is now living in the UK (London) and uses comedy as a tool to talk about Diversity, Inclusion, Race, Sexuality and her perceptions of those topics from a Black female, LGBTQ point of view.
Bob and Buds sees different guests invited to the stage every night (announced on twitter daily) to share an hour of ‘laid back stand up comedy’.
Kemah is also the creator of FOC IT UP (Femmes Of Colour Comedy Club). Which brings a, “100% No Dudes On Stage Guarantee, White People Welcome*” vibe to the comedy scene. Sounds pretty funny already!
We spoke a lot in the interview about the inclusion (or lack there of) of black women in the comedy scene and it was great to experience Kemah’s insight into what led her to the creation of FOC IT UP. Why it was needed and what it is doing for Femmes of Colour in the comedy circuit. Kemah is bringing FOC IT UP to the fringe fest for one more night. Tonight. 21st August at 11pm – so dont miss that!
More on what you can expect from Kemah and her work in her full intevrew here:
Bob and Buds is also on every evening at 7:15pm until 26th August at the Laughing Horse @bar 50, Venue 152, Free Fringe.
