Saturday, 4 February 2012
SA4QE 2012 - 10 years of Russell Hoban quotes
Animation by OLAF SCHNEIDER
Today the Slickman A4 Quotation Event (SA4QE) celebrates 10 years of sharing quotes from the much-loved writer Russell Hoban.
We can't quite believe it's been a decade since our friend from Chicago, Diana Slickman, came up with the wonderful idea of celebrating Russell Hoban's birthday each 4th February by writing our favourite quotes from his work on pieces of paper and leaving them in public places. Since then SA4QE has grown every year, with over 350 quotes distributed by nearly 100 recorded participants from Argyll to Ypsilanti, who these days also share their quotes on social networking sites as well as in the real world.
Russell Hoban of course sadly passed away last December, but fans are continuing the tradition in his honour. Today we'll be watching the web for quotes shared across various media and this site will be updated as quotes are found or sent direct. You can do this by emailing details of your quote (and the book it comes from), your name, location and any photos etc to sa4qemail (at) gmail (dot) com or by leaving those details on the comments box of this post, below. If you are tweeting your quotes, use the hashtag #sa4qe or mention the @sa4qe account. If you're posting your quotes to Facebook and you're a fan of the official Russell Hoban or SA4QE pages there, you can tag your post with "Russell Hoban" or "SA4QE" and the post should appear on the walls of those pages. We can't promise to post here all quotes sent or found today, but will be adding more in the coming days.
Meanwhile, we have two new things for you to enjoy - firstly, Olaf Schneider's brand new animation, posted above. This features a never-before-heard recording of Russell Hoban reciting one of his own poems, Rivers In Your Mind from The Last of the Wallendas, which he made expressly in 2002 for Olaf to turn into an animation. (If you can't see the video above try viewing in on YouTube.) You can also see more of Olaf's fantastic SA4QE animations here. Secondly we are publishing today the results of our December/January Russell Hoban reader survey to which scores of fans responded with their favourite books, quotes and characters.
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On 4 February 2012 the Slickman A4 Quotation Event celebrated 
In 2005 the first international convention for Russell Hoban fans took place in London, and was marked by the publication of a fantastic 48-page booklet featuring exclusive contributions from innumerable fans and associates including novelist David Mitchell and actress Glenda Jackson. A wonderful memento of the event, it's also a beautiful collector's item and must-have for any Hoban fan. Although in limited supply, copies of the booklet are still available at £6.00 each plus p&p. Order direct from 
Russell Hoban turned 86 on 4 February 2011 and fans celebrated in traditional style by leaving quotes from his books in public places. Browse their quotes 
To celebrate 30 years in print of Russell Hoban's most famous novel 
Posts
Excellent - lovely to have these gifts. My quote is ready, I just have to get out of bed and go leave it somewhere.
ReplyDeleteDone! "Everything is real, Angelica. Reality is a house of many rooms, and sometimes we can enter more than one." ~ Angelica Lost and Found
ReplyDeleteAnd here's my photos and the location.
Posted at facebook. IT is snowing in western Pennsylvania today, which somewhat dictated where I left the quotation. Chose the Peters Township Public Library and made my way back home before snow closed in.
ReplyDeleteLindsay
It's already evening, but I've just posted my 4qation to FB and tagged Russell Hoban...I would have liked to do a handwritten one this year, as well, but could not get out of the house today. :(
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Russ...and thank you again, for the millionth time. <3
"We're toy mice," said the child. "Is it Miss or Mr. Mudd? Please excuse my asking, but I can't tell by looking at you."
ReplyDelete"Miss," said the little creature. She was something like a misshapen grasshopper, and was as drab and muddy as her name. "I'll be your friend if you'll be mine," she said. "Will you, do you think? I'm so unsure of everything."
"We'll be your friends," said the child. "We're unsure too, especially about the little dogs."
I know," said Miss Mudd. "It's all so difficult. And of course everyone bigger than I tries to eat me, and I'm always busy eating everyone smaller. So there isn't much time to think things out." As she spoke, she flung what looked like an arm out from her face, caught a water flea, and ate it up. "It's so distasteful," she said. "I know it's distasteful. I've got this nasty sort of a huge lip with a joint in it like an elbow, and I catch my food with it. And the odd thing, you see, is that I don't think that's how I really am. I just can't believe that I'm this muddy thing crawling about in the muck. I don't feel as if I am. I simply can't tell you how I feel inside! Clean and bright and beautiful--like a song in the sunlight, like a sigh in the summer air."
Posted on FB and left in the stacks at Title Wave Books, Anchorage, AK