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Girls Who Read – The Film

A while ago, out and about on the internet, I came across a little gem – a quirky spoken word poem, by a seemingly regular guy, about his appreciation for smart/bookish/wordy girls. A man of taste and discernment, obviously! As it turned out, that guy was Mark Grist, a British poet, educational consultant, and, um, battle rapper. Did you even know that was a thing?

I shared it here then – a YouTube clip of Mark, just sitting at a table, reciting the clever, sweet and slightly naughty Girls Who Read. Lots of other people shared it too, and it went viral. If you saw it, you’ll understand why!

Now Mark has teamed up with talented illustrator and filmmaker Guy Larsen, and an enthusiastic group of volunteers, to make a short film version. And it’s been an even bigger hit online. I had to share it too – I think you’ll love it.

Mark’s girlfriend Lucy did! He said: “It’s also the first poem I read to my girlfriend Lucy (she was a librarian at the time), and I might not be living with her now if I hadn’t written it.”

More than two million YouTube views later, I think we can all agree – girls like guys who like girls who read!

“But what’s more important, what supersedes

is a girl with passion, wit and dreams…

So I like a girl who reads.”

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P.S. If you’d like to see the original version of Girls who Read, spoken by Mark, you can find it here on my blog. For more videos, clever poems and info, visit his website at markgrist.com. And you can find all kinds of strange and wonderful creations at from Guy at guylarsen.com. Enjoy!

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A love letter to home

Where are you sitting as you read this? Are you at home, or somewhere out in the world, a new version of yourself in a new place?

Whether we accept it happily, or fight to get away, home has an undeniable influence on who we are. Would you be the same person you are now, if you came from somewhere else entirely?

Creative people often credit home with shaping who they are, and the work they do. Would Björk have become who she is without Iceland? Oasis without Manchester? Frida Kahlo anywhere but Mexico? And lots of writers have strong associations to particular places: Marian Keyes, Dublin. Stephen King, New England. Anne Tyler, Baltimore. Others, of course, write about places far removed from their own reality. But the lens through which they see their fictional worlds is irrevocably tinted by the life they’ve experienced up to that point, for good or bad. Embrace it as an ideal, or hold it up for criticism and ridicule…it’s all part of our own true story.

I love getting an insight into where people come from, but as a New Zealander, it’s not often that I find something so close to home. Lorde (a writer of songs rather than books) has made a video about the place she’s from – kind of a love letter to her home. It’s a little peninsula in a bigger city, with a small-town sense of community. It’s beachy, friendly, creative and full of character…and I’m lucky enough to call it home too. Thought you might like to see it.

 

 

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