THE BOOK CLUB BOUTIQUE
call 07946 773301 for books, booze and boogie woogie...
Information
Category:
Entertainment & Arts -
Description:
The Book Club Boutique Soho’s New Literary Salon Produced and hosted by Salena Godden Co-Producer Rachel Rayner.

Plus live music from: The Book Club Boutique Band starring Max Doray, Sean Dillon, Steve Hands & Salena Godden.
‘Long on talent, short on snobbery, grown up drinks with words you could dance to.’ MURRAY LACHLAN YOUNG

• ‘You can relax and listen to writers from poets to non- fiction, songwriters to... (read more)
Privacy Type:
Open: All content is public.

Admins

Officers

Salena
officer salena godden
Rachel
officer rachel rayner
Max
Major Max
Report Group
 

Basic Info
 

Name:
THE BOOK CLUB BOUTIQUE
Category:
Entertainment & Arts -
Description:
The Book Club Boutique Soho’s New Literary Salon Produced and hosted by Salena Godden Co-Producer Rachel Rayner.

Plus live music from: The Book Club Boutique Band starring Max Doray, Sean Dillon, Steve Hands & Salena Godden.
‘Long on talent, short on snobbery, grown up drinks with words you could dance to.’ MURRAY LACHLAN YOUNG

• ‘You can relax and listen to writers from poets to non- fiction, songwriters to... (read more)
Privacy Type:
Open: All content is public.

Contact Info
 

Email:
Website:
http://www.myspace.com/bookclubboutique
Office:
rachel.rayner@harpercollins.co.uk
Location:
London, United Kingdom

Recent News
 

News:
‘Long on talent, short on snobbery, grown up drinks with words you could dance to.’
Murray Lachlan Young

The Book Club Boutique is London’s hippest literary salon. It was created in March 2009 by the notorious poet and raconteur Salena Godden and her partner-in-crime Rachel Rayner. Suggested by the legendary Dick Bradsell in ‘Dick’s Bar', the BCB began life there in the cosy basement bar at 23, Romilly Street...but in November 2009 the building was sold and is now a new Korean restaurant!

The motto is books, booze and boogie-woogie with a goal to programme events with a different bookish theme each time featuring the cream of both page and stage. It is a brilliant night and unique every time, with Salena Godden as the resident poet and hostess, composing and performing something completely new at each event, depending on the theme.

The salon brings poets, authors and book lovers together to hear new and established writers, spoken word acts, and eclectic music in an informal speakeasy environment. This is no square affair; there is dancing, merriment and mingling over cocktails and a different DJ every week.

The Book Club Boutique Band is the salon's resident weekly rocking blues band. The salon has its very own theme tune too! Sometimes featuring the legendary Cobalt Stargazer on electric guitar, or Sean Dillon on acoustic guitar. And on bass guitar the New York chic of Ms Max Doray. With Steve Hands on drums and Salena Godden doing the wild thing on vocals, the lyrics are often improvised to the theme of the night … and rock and roll surprise guests have been known to get up and jam too.

Since we launched in March 2009 we have enjoyed headline poetry acts like David J, Aoife Mannix, Luke Wright, Laura Dockrill and Murray Lachlan Young, an impromptu set from heart-throb Naked actor David Thewlis, plus old skool poets Tim Wells and John Hegley. We have got steamy with female hotties reading women’s erotica and poetry at the Lush event and followed this with a men-only version we called Rush!

We hosted the launch of novels by Stephanie Theobold, Nicholas Hogg, Patrick Neate, Nii Parkes and Tim Clare. And championed books by the likes of Vivienne Westwards muse Sara Stockbridge. We also launched the Punk Fiction anthology with readings from contributors including: Cathi Unsworth, Max Decharne, Stuart Home, Devonia Hynes and Lee Bullman. And launched the eclectic Dwang, published by Tangerine Press and Luke Wright's new publishing company Nasty Little Press. Big fans of short fiction, we have heard London Short Stories selected by award-winning author Tony White. And held a debating event with Tom Hodgkinson and The Idler boys starring Penny Rimbaud called Smash The System.

Plus we’ve been thrilled by the live music of the Mediaevel Baebes’ Melpomeni, the hip and quirky Kate Daisy Grant, the spellbinding Vashti, Alabama 3, Claire Nicolson, Jono McCleery and New York hipster Simone Felice of the Felice Brothers. The list of talent goes on and on and word of mouth is spreading. During the Plectrum Magazine launch, Japanese artist Mario Trauchi dropped in to create one of his epic drawings live on stage!

The BCB also work to support various charities. This summer we hosted The Queer Book Club Boutique for Gay Pride and curated a show for Burlesque Against Breast Cancer. We plan to do an event for The First Story charity in the new year. First Story nurtures and encourages creative writing and literacy in schools.

In the summer of 2009 we were thrilled to take The Book Club Boutique Camping! With our front woman Salena Godden and The Book Club Boutique Band taking the unique BCB brand to festivals, delivering scorching sets and the first edition of The Book Club Boutique newspaper to Kimberly, Standon Calling, Latitude, Port Eliot, Camp Bestival, The Big Chill, Summer Sundae and Ireland’s Electric Picnic.


PRAISE FOR THE BOOK CLUB BOUTIQUE:

• ‘There are many ways to see writers. I have sat obediently either up on stage or in the audience, only to leave wishing it had been more fun. The Book Club Boutique isn't like that ... you can relax and listen to writers from poets to non- fiction, songwriters to novelists ...This is a place to discover new talent and seasoned writers.’ SOPHIE PARKIN, THE OBSERVER

• ‘Book club in a bar what a novel idea ... the newest kid on the block is this weekly night hosted by uber-cool poet and singer Salena Godden, each week will be a different bookish theme and its guaranteed to be a right old knees up!' THE LONDON PAPER

• ‘It's an amazing literary salon with a really interesting crowd of people. As an audience member it's a very inclusive experience – an exploration of literature and new writing in a comfortable setting. It is a performance but it's also just fun.’ TIM WILSON, G2 GUARDIAN

• 'In these days of 24 hour internet addiction, it's easy to forget the old favourites. Which is where an absolute diamond of literary salvation like this comes in – where sterling authors and spoken word artists combine with music, drinks and conversation to create a distinctly unpretentious air of actual, you know, fun. Oh, and books too. Yes, that's the point after all. Sort of.' URBAN JUNKIES WEEKEND GUIDE

• ‘Exactly what London needs – a weekly shindig in deepest darkest Soho offering the finest in spoken word and book readings for the princely sum of nought pounds. The best writers and poets in the UK are queuing up to read because they know it'll be a good night and we all want go drinking with Salena Godden.’ LUKE WRIGHT

• ‘I don't know what I expected from The Book Club Boutique but what I found was fabulous. Warm, welcoming, quirky and cool; the embrace of a room packed with people who simply love words ... and all washed down with an espresso martini!’ EMILY BREEN (BCB regular and satisfied customer)

• ‘It's really good night, people read their work, drink, dance, and Salena hosts it so it's always good fun. We had one of our authors, Mario Trauchi, the Japanese artist up on stage whilst the party got started, he drew a huge mandala on the wall, which we then had an impromptu auction for at the end!’ TROLLEY BOOKS (Publishers)

SALENA GODDEN has been published in a myriad of both mainstream and art house literary magazines and anthologies. She has featured on BBC’s Women's Hour, The Verb and Bespoken Word. She’s the lyricist and lead singer of SaltPeter, their latest album Hunger’s the Best Sauce featured in the Independent’s Critical List as one of the most outstanding albums of 2007. Her eagerly awaited childhood memoir Springfield Road will be published by HarperPress in 2010.

RACHEL RAYNER is an excellent editor at HarperCollins Publishers and the BCB’s book babe!

Coming up:

THE MICHAEL 'COLONY' FUNDRAISER

THE BCB ALL DAY CRIME SPREE

THE FIRST STORY FUND RAISER

THE BOOK CLUB BOUTIQUE ON TOUR IN IRELAND

THE BERLIN BOOK CLUB BOUTIQUE

THE UNLIT BOOK CLUB BOUTIQUE

THE MERCY BOOK CLUB BOUTIQUE IN LIVERPOOL

THE BOOK CLUB BOUTIQUE GOES STATESIDE

THE BOOK CLUB BOUTIQUE GOES DOWN UNDER