Brittle Star

The first people to publish one of my short stories – We Don’t Talk About It – were the team behind the lovely little literary mag Brittle Star. If you’d like to look up the tale you’re looking for issue 35 (and in the precarious come-and-go world of the lit mag that’s a very healthy track record).

The mag is a beautifully produced and illustrated collection of fiction, poetry and articles, but the publisher’s website is a bit of a treasure chest, too, and well worth a visit.

Spelk

I love Spelk and if you like flash fiction, you will too. Three times a week, Spelk publish a new piece of writing. These short pieces sometimes have more resonance than the longest novel. At other times, they’re as light as a feather, and that’s great editorial skill in action. Shamelessly, I’m linking to one of my own stories on the Spelk site but have fun browsing!

The Real Story

Am I allowed to confess that before I met Kate Feld, I’d never heard of creative non-fiction? (Too late, I’ve fessed-up.) Kate is one of the driving forces behind Manchester’s Real Story which hosts live events and online stories that stray dangerously into the territory of truth. Always willing to try sticking to the facts (although, I’m a bit of a fibber at heart) I thought, I’d give it a go. Cat lovers and the squeamish should avoid this link.

Manchester Literature Festival

It’s been a sheer pleasure to write a couple of blogs for the Manchester Literature Festival. Not only do I get to use a few words, but I glean an insight into the writing practices of some very fine authors.

Gillian Slovo in conversation with Rachel Cooke

Iain Pears in conversation with David Gaffney

We4Poets

We4Poets is a loose affiliation of players, performers, poets and prose addicts who take to the stage from time to time – usually at the splendid Three Minute Theatre. Shows are informal and  unpredictable. It’s a great introduction for those new to performing their work in public (we only allow supportive audiences and nobody minds at all if you’re nervous).