The flyer for the Ripon Poetry Festival, 13th-15th October, is now available. Really looking forwards to my slot on the 15th!
The Ripon Poetry Festival
Category: Blog
“The Essex Serpent”
I'm not entirely sure what to say about Sarah Perry's "The Essex Serpent". At first it felt a little like a slow pastiche of Thomas Hardy or even Dickens. I was worried that it was going to be too predictable. But at some point - probably half-way through - it seemed to take on a … Continue reading “The Essex Serpent”
Islanders
Islanders They have a special aura, those fine-tuned to life on the harsh isles. Standing on a cliff, they watch the sea retreat in a white flag of foam, their remoteness permitting them to live as much in myth as on a map. Yet like us, they boast no divine insight, and try to see … Continue reading Islanders
Making the connection
He stood on the platform looking beyond the Booking Office towards the tunnel mouth. Waiting was always like this. He could see Parks standing near the Gents, one hand on the trolley, ready to move forward to take the load from the Guard’s van. Mrs Beech, with her two tearaways, was sitting on the bench … Continue reading Making the connection
The Seeds
They grew quickly. According to the details on the packet, his front garden - and where he intended to plant them, between the large grey slabs of his driveway - was far from ideal: it had the wrong aspect, was on a slope, was overhung by the large oak. In spite of his objections, the … Continue reading The Seeds
Knocking-off time.
No-one was smiling. Knocking-off time on a Friday afternoon, the weekend ahead. Kids there to meet fathers; Jack in the foreground, ready to cycle all the way to Ongar to meet his lass. But no-one was smiling. I’d heard rumours about the accident of course. As I made my way along the road from the … Continue reading Knocking-off time.
Veritas
Veritas They should have been devoted to the pursuit of truth but found themselves seduced by the ubiquity of lying and the common pressure to inflate their image, to manufacture a second self, deceptions to gain unjust rewards. Twisted by this blemish in nature and the roots of behaviour, even if we wanted to, we know countering with fact would be … Continue reading Veritas
“Days Without End”
I can see why Sebastian Barry's "Days Without End" has made it to the long-list for the Booker Prize. Once you get into the slightly strange arcane, slang language he uses, you stop noticing it and get swept along with a story that is powerful and moving. I started thinking out I wouldn't like it … Continue reading “Days Without End”
Book launch!
On Sunday 15th October, I am participating in a reading / book launch for "Human Archaeology". The free event is being held in The Old Deanery, Ripon (UK), 1300-1430. How exciting is that?!
“A Horse Walks into a Bar”
Not for the faint-hearted, "A Horse Walks into a Bar" is a difficult read. Not in the sense of the structure or the language, but in the depiction of the main character, and the relationship - undoubtedly somewhat ambiguous - that you are forced to have with him. Yes, there are jokes there - the … Continue reading “A Horse Walks into a Bar”
Ian Gouge - Writer 