Two Very Different Parties

On Friday evening, Booths Bookshop was transformed with soft lighting and rose petals, and long strips of paper with fragments of poetry printed on them. It was the book launch of Storms of the Heart, poems written by an Iranian woman to the professor she left behind in Tehran. It's an achingly sad story - they were soul mates from the moment they met, and spent two years together. Then she was parted from him, and came to England, and in 1979 she sent a letter to him and never got a reply. She never found out what happened to him, and 40 years on, she still thinks about him every day.
There was a recording of her reading some of the poems - she was too shy to come to the event - and a dramatic reading of some of the poems for two voices, with another recording of the author's open letter to the professor, hoping that the book of poetry might somehow find its way into his hands.
The book itself is beautifully produced - everyone said that Seza, who published the book, is a perfectionist (and they meant it as a compliment).
Sarah had been hard at work with the window display, too. She said it had taken her a month, and that she'd finished setting it up at around 2am, when she could hardly keep her eyes open!



It's hard to see here, but there are some very detailed paper birds in the display, along with lots of fragments of poetry.

The following evening, I was off again, to the Tapas Bar - and I don't think I've ever seen it so packed! Ann Brichto was having a Significant Birthday, and it seemed that half the town had turned up to celebrate! A few booksellers may have been nursing sore heads this morning!