The last three months of 2009 have been extremely successful for the international writers' cooperative, Year Zero, with the publication of their first seven novels. In addition, the Year Zero group issued an anthology, Brief Objects of Beauty and Despair (download as a free e-book here). Their second anthology, 13 Shadows Waiting for Sunrise, will launch at the end of December, and the group is celebrating with a series of live events featuring readings by the authors, as well as live music.

Their first gig will be at Rough Trade Records, in London's Brick Lane, starting at 6 pm on February 4th, 2010. Anyone associated with SG UK is welcome and entrance will be free. Music will be from singer/songwriter Jessie Grace, and the bands To The Moon and InLight. Authors reading extracts from their work include the fabulous Penny Goring, the incredible Daisy Anne Gree, and founder members Dan Holloway and Larry Harrison. If you've not come across any Year Zero work, check out the flash fiction, video and book chapters on the Year Zero website. Signed copies of novels will be on sale at the gig, together with the Year Zero 2010 Tour T-shirt.

1st December 2009 is being designated Free-e-day, when independent artists, writers, musicians, photographers and film-makers are giving away a sample of their work in an electronic form. Creative people from as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, USA, Canada, and Europe are coming together to offer something for nothing on December 1st. This willl be a thank you to their current fans, and a present for their new ones.

As well as free e-books, magazines, plays, art work and music there will be on-line workshops, debates and live events. In England, there will be a live gig at Cafe Tarifa in Oxford, featuring music from Nikki Loy, Mol Hodge, and the Joker & the Thief, and a performance reading from the poet Nikesh Shukla. Authors Dan Holloway and Roland Denning will read from their novels and there will be dance, and an exhibition of artwork.

Anyone who wants to take part by providing some of their work on Free-e-day can simply send an email to songsfromtheothersideofthewall@googlemail.com and ask to be included in the directory and full colour e-brochure. This can be downloaded for free from the event’s website freeeday.wordpress.com

Ron