Helen Arney news
November 2011

Is it too soon to wish you a Happy Christmas? Ah. Yes. Sorry. Here's one final burst of news from me, apologies for the rampant festiveness. I won't be back it's all over for another year. In the meantime, though...
 
 - Fill someone's stocking with "It's going to be an awkward Christmas darling" - free badges & free postage
 - Festival of the Spoken Nerd at the Bloomsbury Theatre!
 - Comedy portraits for charity including The Balconettes  
 - Night of 200 billion stars w. Robin Ince, Brian Cox & Tim Minchin, and other lovely gigs in London, Manchester & Brighton
 - My songs on BBC Radio 4 and Channel 4 this Christmas
 - New Podcasts to fill your long dark winter nights
 - And some extra Christmas present ideas...
 
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It's going to be an awkward Christmas, darling
 
Not your typical Wintervalbum
 
I've set up a special newsletteree discount for anyone who wants to buy my Christmas album to keep or give. I co-wrote it with Paul Richards. Sleigh bells feature heavily. 
 
Buy Awkward Christmas for £6 (inc free postage & badges)
  OR
Buy both my albums for £10 Songs for Modern Loving AND Awkward Christmas (inc free postage & badges, plus free download of Animals and other Songs about Science)
 
One of the tracks, Office Party - featuring comedian Terry Saunders - was played on BBC 6Music last year by the lovely Andrew Collins. My mum doesn't like this album very much at all. Hopefully that means you'll really love it, as will your friends and family. You can listen to it here on Bandcamp.
 
By the way, I've just had a big swanky revamp of my website, masterminded by Damian Counsell who I highly recommend for all your web monkeying needs.
 
Have a nose around! There's plenty of new photos, videos, free songs, gig dates. And lots of purple.
 
Our biggest Festival of the Spoken Nerd yet!
ZOMG! After selling out every London show so far this year we're GOING LARGE for the first Spoken Nerd of 2012!
 
Matt Parker (stand-up mathematician) Steve Mould (Blue Peter experiments guy) and me (geek songstress) have picked the best bits of our science/comedy shows from 2011 and will be doing them at the 500 seat Bloomsbury Theatre.
 
Wednesday 18th January
Bloomsbury Theatre, 7.30pm
Buy tickets online, £12/£10 concessions
Event page on Facebook
 
If you've not been to a Festival of the Spoken Nerd before, this is definitely the one to watch, and bring all your sci-curious friends. 25% of the tickets have gone already. Get in.
 
Newsletteristas (that's you) can get best available tickets for a discounted £10 - call 020 7388 8822 and quote "Geek Party". Sorry, the discount doesn't work online *sadface*
 
D:Ream fear us.
 
Charity auction for Shelter, with The Balconettes
art is pain, pain is art...
 
A few months ago, Rachel and I got dressed up in daft clothes and did a photoshoot as our comedy girlband The Balconettes, for charity. Yes we would have done it anyway, for biscuits (or less) but that's not the point...
 
Photographer Paul Heneker has been creating portraits of dozens of comedians, from Omid Djalili to Isy Suttie, from David Mitchell to David O'Doherty, and now they're all being auctioned for Shelter this Christmas.
 
Our one looks pretty freaking amazing, huh? The exhibition runs in central London from 6th to 15th Dec, and you can bid on framed & signed pictures of whichever comedians you like on Shelter's eBay site from 7th to 15th. Go go go!  
 
Night of 200 Billion Stars in Manchester, London & Brighton
Hurrah! More science and wonder and comedy all at once!
 
After spending the best May ever touring with Uncaged Monkeys, I'm back for a few of the December shows. I'll be joining Robin Ince, Brian Cox, Simon Singh, Ben Goldacre, Tim Minchin and - err - the Universe, on these dates: 
 
 - 6th & 7th Dec - Manchester Apollo (6th almost sold out)
 - 15th Dec - Brighton Dome (almost sold out)
 
I'm also doing these lovely geeky gigs soon if you're free:
 - 9th Jan - School Night w. Matt Crosby & Humphrey Ker
 - 13th Jan - Sex Appeal at Bloomsbury Theatre with a stellar line-up of comedians for sexual health charity Brook
 
 
Radio 4, Channel 4, and podcasts, podcasts, podcasts
If you're not in London, or prefer to stay at home glued to your audio-visual media device of choice, you might want to have a listen or watch of these things:
 
Boxing Day - I'm doing a short song on BBC Radio 4's "Infinite Monkey Cage" with Richard Dawkins. To be clear, we're not doing a duet together, we're just in the same show. I think.
 
Some time in December - I'm in a 90-second film talking about Christmas, belief, family celebrations and the like, as part of the 4Thought strand on Channel 4. I have no idea when it will be broadcast, but it's definitely happening. I'll wearing a nice red dress and playing the uke.
 
a mini festival of the spoken nerd
 
 
Both of them will be online afterwards at those links. If you also like to download big audio files people talking, often rudely interrupted by me singing, fill your boots with these:
 
Listen and Often - based on a night of literary brilliance, Tall Tales at the Good Ship, Kilburn (next show 26 Jan)  
 
Festival of the Spoken Nerd - Extra Time for Questions - exactly what it says on the href, one for each live show 
 
Darren Hayman's Christmas in Haworth - not stricly a podcast, but an advent calendar of free songs very day
 
Christmas treats and bye for now
I have two small recommendations of Christmas gifts for the discerning shopper, who enjoys cool stuff but also likes to support independent people selling aforementioned cool stuff:
 
Maths Gear - for the geek in your life, there are extraordinary mathematical dice and a card game not available anywhere else in the UK.
 
Ben Moor's book "More Trees to Climb" - the most charming, funny and heartwarming stories you could hope to give to anyone. You get it signed, too. And with free badges!   
 
Thanks for reading all this. I hope you have a top hole December. Just hit reply to send me your news. Or there's Twitter @helenarney. Or - and I did this using the last shreds of my dignity - I've created a Facebook Fanpage for myself. Last time I looked I had 22 fans. By the time you click on that link, it may well be fewer... 

Cheers, and stay well for the rest of the year,

helen

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