Florence Welch: British singer admits that performing allows her to 'hide in plain sight'

Florence Welch is nervous. "I get very anxious in interviews," she says, her pale cheeks flushed, her dark eyes shining. "I've always felt overwhelmed by my emotions. Even sitting here now I want to cry and I don't know why." We are sitting side-by-side on a yellow striped sofa in the front room of the Florence and the Machine singer's south London home, a small Georgian cottage fitted out in racing greens and walnut browns, patterned rugs and antique fittings. Gilt framed artworks crowd the walls, vintage bric-a-brac covers every surface, and countless books are densely packed on to shelves or stacked in perilous ziggurats around the floor. Volumes by American writers like Lorrie Moore, John Berryman and Patti Smith rub spines with the poetry of TS Eliot and a handsome edition of Mary Beard's history of Pompeii. Welch catches me admiring this distinctly esoteric library and laughs. "I hid the self-help books before you got here," she says. Dressed in a delicate floral shirt, her (dyed) red hair tied up in braids, she is pale, slender, strikingly beautiful – and evidently anxious. "I find it easier to explain myself in music than in person," she says. "Songs are like protective talismans. In daily life, I'm much more unsure and shy." READ MORE:  * Florence Welch's beautiful bedside duet with sick teen fan * Florence and life beyond the machine  In person, she is unrecognisable as the superstar performer who had the Glastonbury crowds eating out of her hands in... Continue reading at 'Stuff'

[ Stuff | 2017-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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British Council unveils new International Publishing Fellowship Programme

Staff from Penguin Random House, Kogan Page and Picador are among the professionals taking part in the British Council's International Publishing Fellowship Programme. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-12 13:29:38 UTC ]
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‘The Beautiful Ones’ isn’t the memoir Prince envisioned, but it’s a moving look at the singer’s life

The book doesn’t offer a clear-eyed view of who the singer really was — he would have hated that. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-30 14:42:51 UTC ]
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Sure ‘Dracula’ is great, but don’t overlook Florence Marryat’s ‘The Blood of the Vampire’

This 1897 horror classic is plenty scary; it also grapples with race and gender issues. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-29 16:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Press wins 'intimate history' of post-war British black women

Tom Penn, publishing director at Penguin Press, has acquired Rebel Citizen: A History of Black Women Living, Loving and Resisting by feminist historian Jade Bentil. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-20 15:48:26 UTC ]
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Two British historians among finalists for $75k Cundill History Prize

The $75,000 Cundill History Prize – the largest prize for a work of non-fiction in English, open to publishers worldwide – has announced three "outstanding" women as its finalists for 2019, two of whom are British. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-16 22:25:10 UTC ]
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Thomas’ The Performance goes to W&N

W&N has won a five-way auction for The Performance by Australian writer Claire Thomas, which it describes as "the equivalent of a brilliant night at the theatre". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-16 22:23:11 UTC ]
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Mountains & Plains Booksellers Celebrate, Reimagine the West

This year's Mountains & Plains regional booksellers gathering in Denver was busy and productive, where indie booksellers celebrated their past and present, while reimagining their future as western booksellers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-10-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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'Very British' debut novel goes to Louise Walters

Indie press Louise Walters Books has signed a "very British" novel by debut author S J Norbury in a one-book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-09 13:20:19 UTC ]
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First official puzzle book from British Army goes to HarperCollins

​HarperCollins has landed the first official puzzle book from the British Army.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-07 06:28:59 UTC ]
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Picador scoops 'great British Novel' from Evers

Picador has scooped a “Great British Novel” by Stuart Evers, charting more than 60 years of British history through the lives of two very different families. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-06 15:38:37 UTC ]
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British Book Awards and The Bookseller working class survey shortlisted for PPA Awards

The British Book Awards and The Bookseller’s working class survey have been shortlisted for prizes at this year’s Professional Publishers Association (PPA) Independent Publisher Awards. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-02 16:52:21 UTC ]
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When Will Ben Lerner Admit He’s a Novelist?

In 2012, a colleague and I decided to curate an interview series for the website where we then worked; we boldly and cleverly titled said series The Future of American Fiction. Yes, imagine it in (internet) lights. Per the title, we asked a handful of young and formally or thematically... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-09-30 08:48:58 UTC ]
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Facebook hiding likes and video views could force publishers to shift strategies

Facebook is running an experiment to hide "like" counts and other public-facing social scores in select markets. The social network confirmed Friday that it started hiding like, reaction and video view counts in a limited test across the social network as part of an effort to improve the... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-09-27 20:39:27 UTC ]
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By hiding likes and video views, Facebook could force publishers to shift strategies

Facebook is running an experiment to hide "like" counts and other public-facing social scores in select markets. The social network confirmed Friday that it started hiding like, reaction and video view counts in a limited test across the social network as part of an effort to improve the... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-09-27 20:39:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #recently begun #featuring images #ways rose #rival snapchat #viral videos #emphasizing messages #ranking formula #video-sharing app #changetheireditorial decisions #trial system #algorithm relies #lack thereof #tech incubator #senior director #measure theirself-worth


British historians shortlisted for Cundill History Prize

Four British historians make up half the shortlist for the Cundill History Prize 2019. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-19 20:33:20 UTC ]
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Anna James to edit British Library Christmas collection

Children's author Anna James will edit the British Library's Christmas collection.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-16 16:13:19 UTC ]
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Between the covers: how the British fell out of love with magazines

Marie Claire’s closure highlights print titles’ struggle for survival in the age of online media Another gap is about to appear on your newsagent’s shelf. This week Marie Claire announced the closure of its UK print edition, adding to an expanding list of high-profile titles from NME to FHM that... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-09-14 06:00:58 UTC ]
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Strong performance by PRH as Bertelsmann records highest first half for 12 years

Penguin Random House's parent company Bertelsmann has reported its highest first half for 12 years with €8.6bn group revenues, with PRH’s successful performance attributed to “strong bestsellers, high growth rates in audio formats, and acquisitions”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-29 03:19:02 UTC ]
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Pan Mac snaps up British Superbike star Shane 'Shakey' Byrne's memoir in three-publisher auction

Pan Macmillan has snapped up the autobiography of Shane "Shakey" Byrne, the most successful British Superbike Championship rider in history, in a three-publisher auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-01 00:46:31 UTC ]
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A British Indie Bookstore Owner Holds Barnes & Nobles’ Fate In His Hands: Critical Linking, July 25th, 2019

Critical Linking, a daily roundup of the most interesting bookish links from around the web is sponsored by Libro.FM. “Despite ... Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-07-25 10:30:48 UTC ]
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