“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 →

“The Kids”

Well, I couldn't not read it... After all, a poetry book winning the Costa Book of the Year..! When did a poet last win?! (ans. '99 & '96 Seamus Heaney, '98 & '97 Ted Hughes) I needed to know what all the fuss was about. Well, there are some great poems in Hannah Lowe's "The … Continue reading “The Kids” →

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… →

“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” →

“Shrapnel from a Writing Life” serialised

I have decided to serialise episodes from my book "Shrapnel from a Writing Life" on my Walking Thru' Fire podcast. I am making the first episode available here; the remainder will be posted on my podcast over the coming weeks. Walking Thru' Fire is currently available on Amazon Music, Deezer, Spotify and - soon - … Continue reading “Shrapnel from a Writing Life” serialised →

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.

After-words – a reading

https://videopress.com/v/QV0wDQGC?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true You can find all my readings on my YouTube channel This will be my last reading for a while. You've suffered enough!! I'm toying with the idea of a podcast; that way I can offer longer pieces in format what is more appropriate for such endeavours. I might even think about serialising a much … Continue reading After-words – a reading →