You know those TV programmes that are naturally about 45 minutes long but which, in order to fit them into a schedule, are padded out to fill an hour? Well, Dale Bailey's "In the Night Wood" struck me as a little bit like that: it would perhaps have benefitted from being a little shorter, losing … Continue reading “In the Night Wood”
Category: Fiction
New “Walking Thru Fire” Podcast Episode
I have just added a reading of the first chapter of my 2019 novel, At Maunston Quay, to my podcast "Walking Thru Fire". You can find the episode immediately on Buzzsprout, and it should find its way onto other podcast platforms - such as Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music etc. - in the next 24 hours … Continue reading New “Walking Thru Fire” Podcast Episode
Trying to build something…
I have been wondering how I would answer if someone asked me what I was up to - in a literary sense, of course! In the broadest sense I think I am trying to build something, firstly in relation to my own writing, and secondly with Coverstory books. In many respects the second is easier … Continue reading Trying to build something…
“The Dressing-Up Box”
David Constantine's collection of short stories, "The Dressing-Up Box", is, in many ways, unlike any other volume of short stories I have ever come across. Many of the narratives are slightly surreal, other-worldly, and in some cases the stories fail to follow the beginning-middle-end convention - not that there's any problem in that at all … Continue reading “The Dressing-Up Box”
“Walking Thru’ Fire” Podcast update
I have now published six episodes to my Walking Thru' Fire podcast. Four of these comprise selected readings from some of my poetry collections: Walking Thru Fire (podcast introduction)Collected Poems, 1979-2016Human ArchaeologyPunctuations from History There are also two extracts from my non-fiction work Shrapnel from a Writing Life. I plan to add a new episode … Continue reading “Walking Thru’ Fire” Podcast update
About open mics…
I have decided I need to reconsider my relationship to the 'Open Mic' i.e. to adjust not only my expectations of what I should expect to get from such events, but what I should contribute too. I might as well say it straight out: Open Mics have nothing to do with good writing. Don't get … Continue reading About open mics…
A walk around my writing space…
I thought I'd take you on a brief tour of my writing space: https://videopress.com/v/Qpde066u?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true And in case you wondered where all the novels are - or some of them anyway...
“Lampedusa”
Perhaps, you could be forgiven for not liking Seven Price's "Lampedusa"; it's slow-paced and - unless you're connected to Southern Italy in some way - the culture that permeates the story may seem a little, well, foreign. But I suggest all that is part of its charm. And it is a charming book. Price paints … Continue reading “Lampedusa”
The perils of sitting down
I have hurt my back. Yesterday, while stretching before going for a run, I managed to tweak it a little - and today I'm in agony. Ever since I damaged it a few years ago, my back has always been my weak spot. I suspect we all have them, somewhere that fails first and fastest … Continue reading The perils of sitting down
New Podcast!
I have just started a brand new Podcast in which I will pull together readings from my various collections of poetry, some short stories, and potentially the serialisation of some of my longer fiction. The Podcast is called 'Walking Thru Fire' and can be found by following the link.
Ian Gouge - Writer 