Monday 21 November 2011

2011 T S Eliot Prize for Poetry

The shortlist for this year's prize has been announced with all sorts of extra joiny-on goodness.

There's an affiliated Reading Group scheme with downloadable notes on the poems and poets, and suggested ideas for discussion.

Three poems from each of the shortlisted poetry collections are available to download.

It's well worth checking out the
Poetry Book Society’s website as there are all manner of extras up for grabs.

Here's the list of titles - you can click on them individually to check on availibilty, or you can click here to bring up the whole list.



John Burnside Black Cat Bone
Carol Ann Duffy The Bees
Leontia Flynn Profit and Loss
David Harsent Night
John Kinsella Armour
Esther Morgan Grace
Daljit Nagra Tippoo Sultan's IncredibleWhite-Man-Eating TigerToy-Machine!!!
Sean O'Brien November
Bernard O'Donoghue Farmer's Cross
Alice Oswald Memorial
Just heard they've announced the 2011 Costa Poetry Award - there's a fair bit of cross-over, so we won't be doing a separate blog (don't want you getting poetry fatigue do we), but you can check out what we have here.

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Cardiff Libraries Olympic and Paralympic Quiz


As part of the Welsh Libraries Fortnight (1st – 14th November), Cardiff Libraries are offering you the chance to win some great prizes. The theme of the festival this year is the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad programme which inspires creativity across all forms of culture, especially among young people.

For your chance to win loads of prizes to keep you fit, healthy and happy, including sports equipment and free passes for your local leisure centre, simply answer the questions below.

All of the answers to these questions can be found using the online resources at your local library. Visit www.cardiff.gov.uk/research for more details or ask a member of library staff.

We're doing two versions of the Quiz - one for 18s and one for over 18s. 

Here's the quiz for Under 18s

Please circle the correct answers below:

1.      Which city hosted the first modern Olympics in 1896?
a)     Athens
b)     Paris
c)      St Louis

2. What do the 5 rings in the Olympic flag represent:
a)     Number of countries taking part in the 1896 Games
b)     Number of events in the original Games
c)      Number of continents

3. Dorando Pietri of Italy was famously disqualified in 1908 after which race:
a)     100 metres
b)     1500 metres
c)      Marathon

4. Welshman Lynn Davies won a gold medal at the Tokyo games in 1964 in which event:
a)     High jump
b)     Long jump
c)      Triple jump

5. Michael Phelps won how many swimming gold medals at the Beijing games in 2008:
a)     6
b)     8   
c)      10
6. Cardiff born Tanni Grey-Thompson won her first Paralympic Games medal in:
a)     1988
b)     1992
c)      1996

7. The first Paralympic Games were held in which city in 1960:
a)     London
b)     Paris
c)      Rome

8. Jesse Owens won how many gold medals at the Berlin Games in 1936:
a)     4
b)     6
c)      8

9. The London 2012 Games will be held during which months:
a)     May and June
b)     June and July
c)      July and August

10. The Olympic torch for the London 2012 Games will be carried by how many torchbearers in the UK:
a)     8,000
b)     10,000.
c)      12,000


We'll need to know your -

Name
Age
Address
Telephone number / email address
Library card number (if you’re a member)

Please email your answers to any cathayslibrary@cardiff.gov.uk by Wednesday 30th November.

Winners will be chosen from all correct entries received and will be notified by 15th December 2011. 

And here's the Quiz for Over 18s

Please circle the correct answers below:

1. Approximately how many countries took part in the 1896 Games:
a)     10             
b)     12 
c)      14

2. When was the first Winter Games, originally called "International Winter Sports Week":
a)     1924        
b)     1928        
c)      1932

3. Who holds the record for the total number of Olympic medals:
a)     Larisa Latynina
b)     Michael Phelps
c)      Björn Daehlie

4. When was the first Olympic torch relay held?
a)     1896
b)     1936
c)      1952

5. The Olympic’s Latin motto is Citius - Altius - Fortius, but what does this mean:
a)     Faster, higher, stronger
b)     Be the best
c)      Effort, dedication, glory

6. In the 2008 Beijing Games what was Usain Bolt’s time in the 200m final:
a)     19.10
b)     19.20
c)      19.30

7 What was Rebecca Adlington’s new world record time for the 800m freestyle in the 2008 Beijing Games:
a)     8:14.10
b)     8:24.10
c)      8:34.10

8. The name of the mascot of the 2012 Paralympic Games - Mandeville - was inspired by:
a)     A hospital
b)     First chairman of the Games
c)      First winner of the Games

9. In the 2008 Paralympic Games Eleanor Simmonds won gold in the 100m Freestyle with a time of:
a)     1:18.56
b)     1:18.75
c)      1:19.29

10. The name of the mascot for the 2012 Olympic Games - Wenlock - was inspired by a town in:
a)     Shropshire
b)     Staffordshire
c)      Surrey

We'll need to know your -

Name
Address
Telephone number / email address
Library card number (if you’re a member)

Please email your answers to any cathayslibrary@cardiff.gov.uk by Wednesday 30th November.

Winners will be chosen from all correct entries received and will be notified by 15th December 2011. 

Give it a go, you know it makes sense!

Good luck!