Us (us us us us) and Them (them them them them)
It has been a very interesting experience making the programme for Radio Four about the North/South divide. As I followed the line across England on the map drawn up by Prof. Danny Dorling of...
Category: Writing
Marchant, Pembroke… (well, SDUC Lampeter, the Poly of Wales, Lancaster and Birmingham City University, really)
On Wednesday evening I did a talk with Richard Beard under the auspices of the National Academy of Writing at Pembroke College, Cambridge, England, Yurp. The college were kind enough to invite my wife...
Something of the Night.
The new book is out. I’ve always done an introduction to the books, and posted them on this site; this is a first pass, really. I got the idea for a book about the...
I’ve had my chips
The combination of our first wedding anniversary with some teaching in that London for the National Academy of Writing meant that my wife and I were looking for something fun to do in the...
and yes I said yes I will Yes.
Still looking to get a message to Kate Bush. Found my grandfather Albert Bulbeck though, a story which deserves a post of its own. Which will follow. When I’ve found a way to communicate...
Not Lost in Translation
‘The Longest Crawl’ is being translated into Italian at the moment by a guy called Claudio, for publication in the spring. Every few days, Claudio sends me an e-mail, to ask about problems he...
Arvon Blog Visitors
Hello! We are looking at my blog! …which was my shortest, and, I like to imagine, shittest post ever, outdoing by far the poll where I asked people to choose between Uriah Heep and...
Chelsea Girls are the best in the world for company
One of the most important characteristics a writer needs is the ability to be alone, to be happy in your own company. I’ve been writing all day (that is to say, the 24th February...
In the Night Kitchen
I’ve been teaching on the Creative Writing MA at Liverpool John Moores University for three weeks now, and I emerge from the workshop at 9pm starving hungry; and have been looking for somewhere good...
This whole Oz and James thing
Well, I guess it has to be addressed; is it feasible that somebody read ‘The Longest Crawl’ and then projected the idea onto the hilarious duo? Well; yes it is. Even the graphics showing...
John Fairfax
I’ve just heard the sad news that John Fairfax, co-founder of the Arvon Foundation, died over the weekend. When I was Co-Centre Director (with Monique Roffey) of the Arvon centre at Totleigh Barton, I...
Calling Hazel Blears
Went down to that London again today, to do some more recording for the forthcoming Radio Four programme ‘On The Top Deck’. We went to interview a senior Labour MP in his office, who,...
