Category: Reading

“Lessons”

Although I have been unable to finish Ian McEwan's Saturday, I respect his work so much that Lessons was an obvious request for a Christmas present gifted to me some five-and-a-bit months ago. As ever, McEwan's work is really well-written and with a style that appeals - at least in part because in some respects … Continue reading “Lessons” →

“A Horse at Night – On Writing”

While I know lots of people will love Amina Cain's A Horse at Night, I'm afraid it wasn't for me. I found it somewhat self-indulgent and confusing; perhaps it was a little too 'meditative' for my taste. And I couldn't help but find in it an air of boastfulness in terms of citing all the … Continue reading “A Horse at Night – On Writing” →

New podcast episode!

I have just published a new episode to my "WalkingThruFire" podcast. It is "What he knew", a short story taken from my collection, Degrees of Separation. I hope you like it. 'Walkingthrufire' can also be found on Audible, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts etc.

New podcast episode!

I have just published a new episode to my "WalkingThruFire" podcast. It is an untitled piece I wrote when at the 2022 Swanwick Writers' Summer School. It emerged from two workshops, one on the short story and one on general fantasy. The amalgam is - I have always assumed - the beginning of something rather … Continue reading New podcast episode! →

“Out of the Woods” – new podcast episode!

I have just published a new episode to my "WalkingThruFire" podcast. It is the short story "Out of the Woods", taken from the collection An Irregular Piece of Sky. I hope you like it. The podcast is available on all good podcast services: Spotify, Audible, Apple podcasts, Amazon music etc.

“Kick the Latch”

Admittedly you probably need to have a soft spot for the subject matter in the first place, but surely what makes Kathryn Scanlan's Kick the Latch so eminently readable is the style in which it is written: a collection of flash fiction pieces which, when strung together, make a coherent narrative. If there are joins … Continue reading “Kick the Latch” →

Positive feedback

I know people are inclined to say nice things in Chat windows during on-line open mics, but here's what was said about "Giro-scopic" when I read it at Kim Moore's open mic on Wednesday: I love that ending, Ian. Whew, what a gut punch, Ian. Devastating poem. Well said. Really moving poem Ian, very moving … Continue reading Positive feedback →

“The Art of Falling”

Having read Kim Moore's All the Men I never Married, how could I not read The Art of Falling? And it was undoubtedly worthwhile. For me, the real stars of the collection come right towards the end: "A Room of One's Own", "John Lennon", "Wallace Hartley" to name just three. If I have a minor … Continue reading “The Art of Falling” →