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Tell Tales
Tell Tales
After a great launch at the Riverside Theatre in London with Jonzi D, Maggie G, Courttia Newland, Rajeev Balasubramanyam, and Karen McCarthy, the Tell Tales tour is now well under way. We are pleased to confirm the following dates, and more will be added from now until November. Tickets are £5/£4 conc Time 7.30pm

9th July Manchester Green Room
24th July Bristol Cube Multiplex
14th August Leeds LMU
28th August Oxford House, London
August tbc Norwich
August tbc Nottingham
September tbc Liverpool
September tbc Sheffield
3rd September Bristol Cube Multiplex
9th October Assembly Rooms, Derby
4th November Midland Arts Centre, Birmingham
11th November Albany Theatre, London

TELL TALES

Courttia Newland & Nii Parkes, Music by Amplified


THE NATION'S NEW LOVE AFFAIR WITH LITERATURE

Since the decline of corporate clubbing and the emergence of our current DIY culture, we have looked beyond the turntable for our entertainment and have embraced new forms of stimulation. Attendance at arts and performance-related events have risen significantly, and literary events, formerly the preserve of the middle class and middle-aged, are enjoying a renaissance among the discerningly hip. Rappers and lyricists flex their linguistic muscles at MC battles and poetry slams, and the spoken word scene, which fuses music with words, is stronger than ever; Patrick Neate's Book Slam, Soul Food at the Tabernacle (London), Speakeasy at the Green Room (Manchester), Poeticize in Bristol, Vox n Roll in EC1 and open mic events like Blatant _Expression and Poetry n Motion; as well as events at The Voice Box on the South Bank are all evidence of the growing interest in live literature. Add to this Ken Livingstone's Get London Reading campaign, media events such as the BBC's Big Read and End of Story, and the popularity of book clubs, and it seems we are enjoying the spoken and written word more than ever. Much of this activity however, seems to be concentrated in London. Tell Tales aims to reach out to the rest of the country.

CELEBRATING BRITISH TALENT

Tell Tales, devised by author Courttia Newland and poet/writer Nii Parkes, is a 20 date national tour which fuses music with storytelling, and promises to bring together some of the most exciting and diverse British talent from the literary and spoken word scene. The range of writers will cut across all cultural borders and highlight the diversity of contemporary British writing, while actively seeking to find the best new authors and performers in the UK. The tour spans 20 dates from May to October including London, Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle, Middlesborough, Nottingham, Sheffield, Southport and Liverpool, and will feature over 30 writers. Established authors such as Matt Thorne, Rajeev Balasubramanyam, Hari Kunzru and Niall Griffiths will share a platform with new voices such as Gemma Weekes, Charlie Dark, Salena Godden and Liam Gallimore-Wells.

Six authors will perform at each event, and local writers will be invited to showcase their work to provide a regional focus. Each author will be expected to captivate and entertain the audience within a strict ten-minute deadline, and in an age of short attention spans and quick fixes, this is not easy, even for established writers.

SWEET, SWEET MUSIC

Music is an integral part of Tell Tales and each story will be accompanied by a score composed by Amplified DJ Zak Akhimien. Zak will work closely with the author, creating unique pieces for each tale. The idea is to come away with the feeling of having experienced the story, rather than simply being read to.

"The aim is to subtly assist the storyteller as they work by providing an audio backdrop that pinpoints and supports the stories in a manner not unlike a soundtrack but all done live on stage. The music itself will cover a broad spectrum to reflect the diversity of authors, their unique characters and situations." Zak Akhimien

SAVE OUR SHORT STORY

Research shows that more people are writing short stories than any other literary form, yet despite its popularity it has limited outlets for publication and is difficult to get across to an audience. Tell Tales aims to change that, providing a platform for well-known writers to air new and unpublished pieces of short fiction, while showcasing the next generation of literary talent. Many great authors began their careers writing short stories and the tour may well unearth some future stars.

"We believe that the short prose discipline produces some of the best fiction writers in the world. Edgar Alan Poe, Haruki Marukami, Charles Dickens, James Baldwin, William Faulkner, Raymond Carver, Dostoevsky, Stephen King, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Ernest Hemingway were or are great short story writers. By growing this art form, we are contributing to the strengthening of the literary backbone of England." Nii Parkes

NURTURING YOUNG TALENT

In an effort to help young people develop an interest in writing, workshops will be held in schools to give teenagers aged 14-16 the opportunity to create their own work. Entitled "Defining Your World Through Fiction", the workshops were conceived by Courttia to "make ordinary young people feel that their lives are as valid and interesting as any published novelists you may find on the bookshelf." Professional writers will share their tips and discussion will be encouraged between young people and the workshop leaders. Each session will tackle different aspects of writing - character, plot, structure, and so on - and at the close of the hour they will be asked to write a piece of short fiction. In addition to this there will be extensive online workshops on the Tell Tales website.

ANTHOLOGY

A Tell Tales anthology, with stories from a range of authors, both published and unpublished, and from the workshops Courttia has run over the years, will be launched at the first event. The collection will reflect a diverse range of styles, from the gritty fiction of Nial Griffiths to the deeply London-based work of Karen McCarthy and the mysterious prose of Tom Lee.

BBC ROOTS

Tell Tales is supported by 'Roots', a national initiative between Arts Council England and BBC English Regions to raise the broadcast profile of diverse artists. With a co-ordinator in each region, Roots will give Tell Tales some imaginative on-air coverage on the BBC's regional radio stations. For more information about Roots go to http://www.newaudiences.org.uk

9th July Manchester Green Room
24th July Bristol Cube Multiplex
14th August Leeds LMU
28th August Oxford House, London
August tbc Norwich
August tbc Nottingham
September tbc Liverpool
September tbc Sheffield
3rd September Bristol Cube Multiplex
9th October Derby
4th November Midland Arts Centre, Birmingham
11th November Albany Theatre, London

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES

COURTTIA NEWLAND

When Courttia Newland published his first novel The Scholar aged 23, he immediately captivated the media as one of the few black British writers who accurately portrayed teenage life in London’s inner cities. The Scholar quickly became a best-seller and is currently being made into a film by Courttia’s own production company Cofe. His second novel Society Within was published in 2002, followed by Snakeskin. Originally a rapper who spent his childhood years performing at Westwood shows from the age of 13, Courttia only began writing to fund his dream of becoming a musician. He soon branched out into the theatre, and started up his own production company the Post Office Theatre and has written two plays - Mother’s Day and B is for Black.

Courttia has contributed to many short story volumes including Disco 2000, Afrobeat and the Time Out Book of London Short Stories. Along with Kadija George, he has edited IC3, a collection of stories and poetry reflecting the first, second and third generations of British black writing. He is currently writer-in-residence at the London College of Communication, and runs writer’s workshops in at schools, universities and prisons nationwide.
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NII PARKES

Born in England and raised in Ghana, 29 year old Nii Parkes is an internationally-respected performance poet and writer. A Farrago UK Poetry Slam champion and veteran of several poetry festivals, he has performed extensively throughout the UK, Europe and the US.

Nii runs regular workshops in the UK and has set up a Writer’s Fund in Ghana to promote writing among the youth. He has recorded two CDs of his spoken word poetry, Incredible Blues and Nocturne of Phrase, and has published three collections of poetry - Eyes of a Boy, Lips of a Man and M is for Madrigal, and fourteen two. He has just completed his debut novel The Cost of Red Eyes.

He is the Resident poet at Borders Bookstores where he hosts the monthly open mike at Charing Cross Road. He also hosts Aromapoetry and Full Flavour, and regularly performs at the Poetry Cafe in London. In addition to this Nii has contributed to several magazines and literary journals.
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AMPLIFIED

Amplified is London's premier alternative soul night, with residencies at the Marketplace and Medicine Bar. It is also a website and DJ collective. Amplified's music policy incorporates hip hop, funk, neo-soul, afrobeat, latin and nu jazz and is an essential stop-over for UK & US artists including Terri Walker, Charlie Dark, Jaydee, Vikter Duplaix, ?uestlove, Kwame etc. Amplified was a part of the team behind the highly successful Black Lily series of live events at Cargo last year as well as Digression Session at the Spitz, involving artists such as Ty, The Roots, Hil St Soul and Omar. The Amplified website has become a hub for the UK online soul community with it's mix of reviews, interviews and specialist news. The main ethos of Amplified is to support & inform through music and music related events and to provide a platform for the continued appreciation of the arts.
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JONZI D

Lyrical gymnast Jonzi D defines the thinking man’s underground rap and poetry scene and is at the epicentre of hip hop theatre movement. An acclaimed writer and choreographer, his recent successes include Aeroplane Man and Ace Dance at the Royal Festival Hall. He has performed all over Europe, America and Southern Africa. “An astoundingly deft, impeccably timed performer.” The Guardian
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MATT THORNE

When you bear in mind that Matt Thorne is still only twenty-nine, his career to date seems unbelievable. His first novel Tourist, a tale of betrayals, emotional scars and unorthodox sexual relationships in the seedy seaside town of Weston, was longlisted for the Guardian Fiction Prize. His second novel Eight Minutes Idle won a 1999 Encore Award. His third novel Dreaming Of Strangers, explores the confused battle of the sexes in early 21st century London with much wit and humour, and is currently being adapted for film by director Steve Barron, while Pictures of You, his fourth, sees a return to the slightly darker emotional territory. Matt's latest offering Child Star, has garnered favourable reviews for its portrayal of a man trying to cope with non-celebrity and his fear of obscurity after a spell on reality TV. Matt has also edited a collection of short stories along with Nicholas Blincoe entitled All Hail The New Puritans and has recently published his first children's book Greengrove Castle (Faber). A new novel, Cherry, is being published in September.
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MAGGIE GEE

Maggie Gee has published eight novels. Her first book Dying, in Other Words, for which she was selected as one of the 20 'Best of Young British Novelists’, is an experimental black comedy in which a supposedly dead woman triumphantly rewrites the story of her own death.
Gee does not shy away from the social problems of contemporary England. Her novels have addressed global warming, domestic violence, homelessness and infertility and there is a political and psychological urgency that characterises her work. Her most recent novel,
The White Family, is an uncensored exploration of the racist imagination and was a long-list contender for the Orange Prize for Fiction. Maggie Gee lives in London
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KAREN McCARTHY

Karen McCarthy was born in London to an English mother and Jamaican father and has worked in publishing and the media for many years. As the editor of the critically acclaimed anthology Bittersweet: Contemporary Black Women’s Poetry nominated for Best Book in the EMMA Awards 2000, she has presented her work nationwide including The Poetry Society, South Bank Centre and City Of Women Festival, Slovenia as part of the British Council’s new writing promotion. She is also the editor of Kin: New Fiction by Black and Asian Women (Serpent’s Tail, 2003), and was a featured poet on the Kin live literature tour which she initiated and devised with event producers renaissance one. She recently joined the editorial board of the literary journal Wasafiri and is a contributor to Sable Magazine. Karen is an experienced workshop tutor for adults and teens and is currently writing a period drama for BBC Radio 4.
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RAJEEV BALASUBRAMANYAM

Rajeev's first novel In Beautiful Disguises, published by Bloomsbury in 2000 when the author was just 25. It won the Betty Task Award and was nominated for the Guardian Fiction Prize. His short story The Dreamer won an Ian St. James Short Story Award. His second novel, in progress, is based on this short-story. Born in Lancaster, he splits his time between London and Berlin. Rajeev is Features Editor for Sable magazine.
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HARI KUNZRU

Hari Kunzru is a freelance journalist and editor living in London. He was born in 1969, and grew up in Essex. He studied English at Oxford University, then gained an MA in Philosophy and Literature from Warwick University. He has worked as a travel journalist since 1998, writing for such newspapers as The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph, and is travel correspondent for Time Out magazine. In 1999 he was named The Observer Young Travel Writer of the Year. He is also music editor of Wallpaper magazine and contributing editor to Mute, the culture and technology magazine. He has had short stories published in various magazines, and his first novel The Impressionist (2002) won the 2002 Betty Trask Prize and the 2003 Somerset Maugham Award and was also shortlisted for several awards, including the 2002 Whitbread First Novel Award. His second novel, Transmission, will be published in 2004. In 2003, Hari Kunzru was named by Granta magazine as one of twenty Best of Young British Novelists.
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JON McGREGOR

When Jon McGregor appeared on the Booker Prize longlist in 2002 he was completely unknown. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things, published when he was just 26, was hailed by The Times as "a dream of a novel" and Vogue magazine included him in a line-up of new literary talent. The book was inspired in part by the phenomenal media attention that surrounded the death of Princess Diana. Around the same time, a young man was shot in McGregor’s own neighborhood; the novel is about “how the everyday miracles of life and death go unwitnessed in favour of celebrity and sensation, and the difficulty of experiencing community in an increasingly transient society.” McGregor lives in Nottingham and is currently working on his second novel.
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NIALL GRIFFITHS

Niall Griffiths was born in Liverpool in 1966 and now lives in Aberystwyth. Both towns have a strong hold on his imagination. He burst on to the literary scene in 2000 with Grits (Jonathan Cape), a ferocious novel narrated through a revolving series of vernacular voices. The novel is currently being adapted for television. Sheepshagger (Jonathan Cape) followed in 2001, and in many ways, was a sharpening of focus, confirming Griffiths's reputation as a serious novelist of striking originality. His third novel, Kelly and Victor (Jonathan Cape) appeared in 2002, and is being turned into a feature film. Stump, (Jonathan Cape, 2003), traces a trajectory of violent retribution between Liverpool and Aberystwyth, following two shell-suited gangsters on their journey from Merseyside to the seaside town to settle a score. This is also being filmed. Griffiths's work has been translated into several languages and he has read his work at various festivals in various countries. His latest novel, Wreckage, will appear in 2005.
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SALENA GODDEN

Lead singer of ska-punk trio SaltPervert, Salena Godden is also a poet, broadcaster & performer. Her work has appeared in the two most recent Coldcut albums Let us Play and Let us Replay (Ninja Tune) and she is currently writing lyrics/poetry for their new album out later this year. As well as being featured in the underground press, Godden was recently published in Penguin's IC3 & Serpents Tail's Oral anthologies. She is also the muse for new French fashion label Princess Prostitute Idiot.

Salena has performed her work globally from Australia'to East Timor. She has also completed a spoken word tour across the USA and held poetry workshops in Harlem with homeless kids. On her return to the UK she performed a series of live multi-media shows featuring writers such as Irvine Welsh and Jock Scot. Together with Peter 'Peyote' Coyte, she created Saltpetre, a unique poetry concept show for CD & radio, and host regular slots on BBC London and Resonance 104.4 fm. Last year Saliva featured on BBC Radio 4’s new spoken word series Bespoken Word and co-presented Channel 4’s late night discussion series Heavy TV. She is currently writing a documentary, Seaside Rocks for Channel 4’s Made in Britain series, which she will also present.
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DZIFA BENSON

Dzifa Benson was born in London but spent her formative years in Africa until she returned to the UK at the age of 17 to attend the University of East Anglia. She cites her heritage as Ghanaian, her culture as very much London. Dzifa is an established music journalist and has contributed to the Guardian, Evening Standard and Trace magazine among others. As a broadcaster she has contributed to BBC radio and television and regularly teaches young adults music technology and radio journalism. Currently at work on her first novel, she is also working with a film company on a documentary about the evolution of African music. She is also writes poetry and radio plays.
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CHARLIE DARK

Writer, producer and DJ Charlie Dark first made his name as a founder of the poetry collective The Urban Poets Society in the early 90s. As one third of Attica Blues, the critically acclaimed hip hop inspired trio, Charlie has established a reputation for pushing the boundaries of imagery and musicality. He currently runs Blacktronica, a regular series of events at the ICA, which brings together DJs, producers, poets and artists offering the best examples of black electronic music. Artists such as 4hero, IG Culture, Bugz in the Attic and King Britt are just some of the names in this collective. Charlie is an experienced workshop facilitator and has devised creative writing workshops and performance sessions for many schools and organisations.
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GEMMA WEEKES

Gemma Weekes studied at Bristol University. She is a poet, singer, songwriter and freelance journalist. Although a relative newcomer, her spiky, staccato style gives her an enormous stage presence which crackles with electric energy. Gemma’s work has been published in the recent Kin Anthology of New Fiction by Black and Asian Women.
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LIAM GALLIMORE-WELLS

London-born writer and internationally-renowned spoken word recording artist, Liam Gallimore-Wells supported Linton Kwesi Johnson at the 2002 Bristol International Poetry Festival and his short fiction was first showcased on the 2001 ExCommunicate Literary Tour. Liam's short stories have been published in iQ and Decode magazine and he has collaborated with French rock band Toxic Twins. He has just completed a tour of China and the Far East and his debut EP with electronica artist Monstatruk will be released on Underconstruction Records later this year. Liam is currently working on his first novel, Dead Air.
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KADIJA SESAY

Kadija is a literary activist, short story writer and poet of Sierra Leonean descent, and the Publisher/Managing Editor of Sable LitMag. Her work has earned her many awards and nominations including the Cosmopolitan Woman of Achievement, Candace Woman of Achievement, The Voice Community Award in Literature and the Millennium Woman of the Year. She is the General Secretary for African Writers Abroad (PEN) and organises the Writers' HotSpot - trips for writers' abroad where she teaches creative writing and journalism' courses. She is currently collating a book of essays, Write Black British, to be published by Hansib in 2004; and an anthology of New African Writers with award winning Caine Prize writer, Helon Habila.
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ABBY AJAYI

Abby Ajayi was born in London, in 1979, to Nigerian parents. She grew up in Lagos and London and still lives in North London. She works as a Script Editor for the BBC and is currently writing a screenplay - a thriller based in London. Although she has written short stories, short films and several unfinished novels, her story for Tell Tales, The Race, about a child's shifting perceptions of the world around her, will be her first performance and publication.
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SHIROMI PINTO

Shiromi Pinto is a writer and editor based in North London. Her short story, Trussed, appears in Kin, an anthology of women's writing (Serpent's Tail ). A featured artist in the Kin live literature tour 2003-2004, she has read from her work at the Victoria & Albert Museum, CCA Glasgow and Barbican. Kolambe, a travel memoir, is published in the autumn 2001 issue of the Toronto Review of Contemporary Writing Abroad and on opendemocracy.net, alongside South Beach. Her first short story, Bulat Kisses, appears in Notes Across the Aisle (Thistledown Press, Saskatchewan) and was awarded second prize in the publisher's 1995 short story competition.
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SHARON JENNINGS

Sharon Jennings has lived and worked in the UK for almost 30 years but originates from the US. Through her work as a Social Care Consultant and lecturer she has published articles and books on black mental health and complementary therapies, but her creative writing began many years ago. Writing poetry and short stories.

Her stories have been published in the Kin Anthology of Black and Asian writing and she has performed at the Voice Box (Royal Festival Hall), BBC Black History Month Celebration and the SpitLit Festival, among others. She is currently working on a novel that takes place amongst black people in England circa 1780.
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BARBARA GRAHAM

Barbara Graham is a British born Jamaican living in East London with her family. Her writing has grown out of journaling after the death of her father. Her first short story Next of Kin was published in the Kin Anthology edited by Karen McCarthy. She is currently studying English part time at the University of North London and is working on making writing her significant other occupation.
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MARTIN OUVRY

Martin Ouvry was born in Sussex and lives in west London. After working as a musician in Europe and America, he gained a First in English at the University of East Anglia, took the MA course in Creative Writing, and was awarded the UEA Alumni Association Prize for Fiction. He is at work on a novel, with the support of a grant from the Arts Council England.
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TOM LEE

Tom Lee was born in Essex in 1974 and is a graduate of Goldsmiths College's MA in Creative Writing. His stories have appeared in Zembla and The Dublin Review. He lives in East London and is writing a novel set in a South American country on the brink of a military coup.
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UCHENNA IZUNDU

Uchenna Izundu was born in Nigeria and spent her early childhood in Scotland. She has been writing stories from an early age. Uchenna is an energy journalist, specialising in the news and analysis of international geo-politics and commercial developments of global gas projects. She is a board member of Aspire, a support organisation for black media professionals that aims to connect potential black journalists with those already working within the industry. Her work has been broadcast on the BBC World Service and has appeared in The Guardian, New Nation, Asian Times, African Times and darkerthanblue.com. Her creative writing has been published in Penguin's IC3 and Sable Literary magazine.
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CHAZ BRENCHLEY

Chaz Brenchley has made a living as a writer since the age of eighteen. A prize-winning ex-poet, he is an accomplished writer who, in addition to novels, has published three fantasy books for children and over five hundred short stories in various genres.

Former crime writer in residence at the St Peter's Riverside Sculpture project in Sunderland, and writer in residence at Northumbria University, he won the 1998 British Fantasy Award and The Northern Writers Award 2000. He lives in Newcastle on Tyne with two cats and a famous teddy bear.
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PETER KALU

Peter Kalu is well known as a poet, novelist, playwright and script writer. He has been a storyteller for eight years, conducting over one hundred storytelling sessions, and entertaining and educating over 30,000 children and 500 adults per year. He started writing as a member of the Moss Side Write black writers workshop and has had five novels, two film scripts and three theatre plays produced to date.

His novels have sold over 40,000 copies and he has won many awards including those for theatre writing (Winner, BBC-Contact Theatre Dangerous Comedy Award 2003) radio plays (BBC Young Playwrights Festival) novels (New Horizons Award, K Blundell Trust Award) film (Liverpool Black Film Festival Award) poetry (Chances Award) and short stories (Cultureword Short Story Prize). He organised the National Black Writers Conferences in Manchester in 2004, 2000 and the National Asian Writers Conference in Oldham in 1997. He lives in Manchester and runs a Hulme based Carnival Band called Moko Jumbi which takes to the streets at Manchester Carnival every year in July on three feet high stilts!
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MORE AUTHORS TO BE CONFIRMED

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www.telltales.co.uk

Intro Early Doors:
1979-1985
False Dawn:
1985-1990
Underground Years:
1990-1995
The Renaissance:
1995- 2000
The Future:
2000 & Beyond
Artists &
Discographies

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