Coverstory books currently has two open submission windows: Pebbles on the Strand - for short stories between 2,000 and 5,000 words. Closing date 30th November. New Contexts: 6 - for poetry and short prose (less than 2,000 words). This will be the sixth edition of the anthology. Closing date 31st December. For details on how … Continue reading Two Submission Opportunities
Category: Blog
“Monsieur”
I have just finished re-reading Lawrence Durrell's Monsieur - my first reading of the book being many years ago, not that long after finishing The Alexandria Quartet. I remember being spellbound by the latter, though I worry now that memory may only be a byproduct of a certain fondness for the rosy literary hue... This … Continue reading “Monsieur”
Here are some of the posts on last week’s Substack
“Kid”
I don't think it would be inaccurate to say that I haven't quite made up my mind about Simon Armitage. Clearly his 1992 collection Kid isn't entirely representative of what he's writing now, so perhaps it is better to see it as a way-marker on his journey - it was thirty years ago after all! … Continue reading “Kid”
Digest of last week’s Substack activity
Digest of some of last week’s Substack activity
“To Hell on a Fast Horse”
In To Hell on a Fast Horse, Mark Lee Gardner's portrayal of both Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett just about manages to maintain a balance between fact and fiction, the romantic and the repellant. It also keeps a pretty decent handle on the reality of late nineteenth century New Mexico, Texas at al. This … Continue reading “To Hell on a Fast Horse”
Why do ‘ordinary people’ write memoirs?
If you’re ‘a name’ - a politician, a sports person, an actor or media personality - you might do so in order to entertain, set the record straight, earn money. And you do so because you know people will be interested. But what about everyday folk with their ‘normal’ lives - though every life is … Continue reading Why do ‘ordinary people’ write memoirs?
Is this the worst film of all time?
It is hard to believe that Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women was made in 1968. The vast majority of films made two decades earlier have better production qualities - sound and visual - than this shocker that was presumably made on less than a shoestring budget. The dialogue is awful, the 'acting' leaden; … Continue reading Is this the worst film of all time?
“Stories and Texts for Nothing”
The most remarkable thing about Samuel Beckett's Stories and Texts for Nothing is the percentage of the short 'nothing texts' which prefigure or overlap Waiting for Godot. Even to the extent of remarkably similar - if not repeated - phrases. Not surprising really given that they were all written around the same time, 1945-1950. There … Continue reading “Stories and Texts for Nothing”
Ian Gouge - Writer 