Sunday 28th August 2022
Hello. Again.
'Everything changes, nothing improves.'
Is that a Beckett line, or have I just made it up?
But it's not all bad and I notice that my diary for September is rapidly filling up with book launches and literary gatherings and all that sort of thing. Perhaps our paths will cross at one of these - there are London gigs next month marking the publication of Stu Hennigan's Ghost Signs, Patrick McCabe's Poguemahone, Kit de Waal's Without Warning & Only Sometimes and...
Well, next month's highlight is the publication of My Mind to Me a Kingdom Is, the second novel by Paul Stanbridge, published by the ever-reliable and entirely admirable Galley Beggar Press (who last week celebrated their tenth birthday - see below).
I'm a great fan of Paul's writing. His first novel is (as I tweeted on social media last week) THE Great Essex Novel. Between that book and this Paul also created the most astonishing literary monument I'm ever likely to see - the magnificent, glorious, mad, Borges-turned-uo-to-eleven masterpiece known as the Encyclopedia of St Arbuc.
Late adopters should start here with an essay I wrote for Exacting Clam about Paul's two main works to date, the first novel and the encyclopedia (which is also a novel, but a novel as big as the world):
https://www.exactingclam.com/issues/no-4-spring-2022/the-end-of-all-fiction/
He has a launch event at Foyles when he'll be in conversation with Sam Mills. Details here.
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Newsletter contents
1. Aid for Ukraine
2. This week’s online gathering
3. Indie press news
And Other Stories
Bluemoose Books
Cōnfingō Publishing
Fitzcarraldo Editions
Galley Beggar Press
4. Key(e)s of House
5. Flash Fiction workshops
6. Toby Litt: a writer's diary
7. Edge Hill Short Story Prize: shortlist announced
8. Sit. Vac.
9. Irish Writers festival in London
10. London Consequences 2
11. Galley Beggar Press (again)
12. Exacting Clam issue 6 (Autumn 2022)
12. Next week's online gathering
13. Nudge
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1. Aid for Ukraine
It doesn't go away. It's the 186th day since the invasion by Russia and here's a bleak summary of how things are in Ukraine.
Please give what you can, when you can: the most far-reaching programme is the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal. You can donate quickly and easily here.
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2. This week's online gathering
We welcome poet Jay Gao who will be reading from his debut collection Imperium (published by Carcanet)
We also welcome back Melissa McCarthy, roving reporter, and we'll have expert graphologist Emma Bache looking at MPs' handwriting. If time allows we'll mark the 70th anniversary of the premiere of John Cage's '4m 33sec', first performed in Woodstock on 29th August 1952 and, finally, the Swiss author Laura Vogt will be talking about her novel What Concerns Us, with translator Caroline Waight and publisher Aina Marti-Balcells.
Also the official launch of London Consequences 2, a collaborative novel with chapters written anonymously by 18 leading contemporary writers. Who are they? You'll find out at the end of the show.
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3. Indie press news
And Other Stories
Why on earth they don't promote these books as a QUINCUNX is beyond me...
Order direct from the publisher here.
Bluemoose Books
On Friday 16th September there's a London launch for Ghost Signs by Stu Hennigan. It's at the Social (near Oxford Circus) and it's free.
Ghost Signs is an eyewitness account of the author’s experiences delivering essential food and medicine to some of Leeds’ most vulnerable communities in the early stages of the pandemic during the first lockdown in 2020. It’s a timely reminder of how difficult life was for most of us during those unprecedented times, and paints a blistering portrait of the almost unimaginable poverty being endured by countless people nationwide, even before the current cost of living crisis hit. Listed as one of Blackwells Best Books of 2022, and serialised in Prospect Magazine, it’s a visceral, unflinching piece of reportage that has been widely compared to George Orwell’s classic The Road To Wigan Pier.
Stu will be in conversation with Heidi James so this will be one hell of a night out and something to brag about to your friends.
Cōnfingō Publishing
As featured on The Glue Factory, each of the short stories in Waiting For The Gift takes a song from David Bowie’s 1977 album Low as title and inspiration. Written by some of the best contemporary writers, and edited by Richard V Hirst it's available from the publishers online shop: confingopublishing.uk/product-page/w
Fitzcarraldo Editions
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Galley Beggar Press
On Wednesday this week the Norwich-based indie Galley Beggar Press (newsletters, passim) celebrated their tenth birthday. Since 2012 they have published some of the most original and exciting books to appear in my lifetime - and in doing so have re-invigorated British fiction.
If you want to wish the Beggars a happy birthday and have some loose change, there's no better way than taking out a subscription or buying one of their forthcoming 2023 titles. ... It's also going to be a hard winter for many - and they're sure the Trussell Trust could do with that spare change. Links below!)
Galley Beggar subscriptions: galleybeggar.co.uk/subscribe
Selby Wynn Schwartz's After Sappho: galleybeggar.co.uk/paperback-shop Paul Stanbridge's My Mind To Me A Kingdom Is: galleybeggar.co.uk/paperback-shop Alex Pheby's Malarkoi: galleybeggar.co.uk/paperback-shop The Trussell Trust: trusselltrust.org/make-a-donatio
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4. Key(e)s of House
Sold at auction at Sotheby's in 2018, a covetable literary relic (with thanks to Alan Crilly for the heads up).
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5. Flash Fiction workshops
Last Sunday's live gathering featured Flash Fiction expert Michael Loveday and four guests: Jude Higgins, Karen Jones, Dave Swanna and Sudha Balagopal
Jude Higgins has organised a series of online flash fiction days in October, November and January. These will feature several workshops, a contest, readings and chat. It's £30 per day and Karen will leading a workshop on Writing Funny Flash
in January Sudha Balagopal, also a yoga teacher, is offering fifteen minutes on yoga for writers.
Contact Jude on Jude@flashfictionfestival.com for details
From Michael Loveday : If anyone wants to find out more about the novella-in-flash,
you can follow blogposts at: https://novella-in-flash.com/
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6. Toby Litt alertt
Also taking part in last Sunday's gathering was Toby Litt, who made us all cry. You can read the passage that had such an impact by registering on his sustack here:
https://awritersdiary.substack.com/gluefactory
It's free to Glue Factory subscribers.
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7. Edge Hill Short Story Prize
The Edge Hill Short Story Prize - now in its 16th year - is the only national literary award to recognise excellence in a published, single-authored short story collection.
This year’s shortlist includes two previously shortlisted writers and two debut collections, with the winner set to scoop a £10,000 prize.
The five shortlisted books are:
- Man Hating Psycho by Iphgenia Baal (Influx Press)
- Intimacies by Lucy Caldwell (Faber)
- Dance Move by Wendy Erskine (Stinging Fly/Picador)
- Dark Neighbourhood by Vanessa Onwuemezi (Fitzcarraldo Editions)
- Send Nudes by Saba Sams (Bloomsbury)
A £1,000 Readers’ Choice Award will also be presented to one of the shortlisted authors, as well as a £500 prize for the best short story submitted by an Edge Hill MA Creative Writing student.
The winners of this year’s awards will be announced in November.
The judges of the 2022 prize are 2021 winner Kevin Barry, literary development agent Arzu Tahsin and Sarah Schofield, writer and lecturer in Creative Writing at Edge Hill University.
Note: on 18th September Wendy Erskine will join The Glue Factory for a close reading of her short story 'Nostalgie' by Linda Mannheim. All invitees will get a copy of the story to read in advance. These close readings have been a regular highlight of The Glue Factory and this is not to be missed!
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8. Irish Writers Weekend at the British library
Announced this week, a two-day festival of words and ideas featuring some of Ireland’s most exciting and accomplished writers takes place in November at the British Library in London.
Details and advanced booking here.
It will be simultaneously live streamed on the British Library platform. Tickets may be booked either to attend in person (physical), or to watch on our platform (online) either live or within 48 hours on catch up. Viewing links will be sent out shortly before the event.
A collaboration between the British Library and Galway’s renowned Cúirt International Festival of Literature, the Irish Writers Weekend London is a chance to hear from novelists, poets, essayists and comedy writers at the top of their game.
Confirmed participants so far include Emma Dabiri, Kit de Waal, Wendy Erskine, Sinéad Gleeson, Louise Kennedy, Megan Nolan, Patrick Freyne (Saturday) Anne Enright, Nuala O’Connor, Donal Ryan, Victoria Kennefick (Sunday).
The full programme will be announced soon.
The programme begins at 11.00 each day, with registration open from 10.00.
Weekend and single Day in-person Passes allow access to any of the sessions on relevant days. Entry to specific sessions may be subject to room capacity.
Full Price: £40.00
Student: £20.00
Registered Unemployed: £20.00
Disabled: £20.00
Senior (60+): £34.00
Young Person (18-25): £20.00
Online Full Price: £15.00
9. Sit. Vac.
The Poetry Society is currently seeking an experienced and imaginative Editor for their influential quarterly magazine The Poetry Review, one of the most widely read publications for new poetry in the world.
The successful applicant will demonstrate a sustained involvement in poetry and its development within the arts. Knowledge of current debates in contemporary writing culture will also support their expertise in gathering relevant content for publication in The Poetry Review. With excellent editorial skills and the capacity to assess submissions and develop emerging poets, candidates must demonstrate an understanding of working with a membership organisation and share the organisation’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
To apply, please download the TPR_Editor Job Pack and Equal Opportunities Monitoring form.
Please email your application to Tiffany Charrington, Administrator, tcharrington@poetrysociety.org.uk
Closing date for applications is 12th September, so get a wriggle on.
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10. London Consequences 2
Today saw the first online gathering of the writers who will together collaborate on this novel, each (anonymously) writing a chapter.
We'll reveal their identities to the world this evening on The Glue Factory Live.
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11. Galley Beggar Press (again)
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How to enter Entry to the prize is £10. And easy - all you have to do is head here. That money helps cover costs for the Prize and keep Galley Beggar Press going. It also helps subsidise 200 free places every year - and thanks to an extremely generous (anonymous) donation, they're now able to up that number to 225 entries. These are no questions asked about these places. So if you need a free place, drop a line to info@galleybeggar.co.uk and if there’s still one available, they'll allot it to you. On top of that, the writer Kit De Waal has generously donated another 10 places for carers. Four of those places have been snapped up on Twitter already, but the organisers are very keen for the others to be filled. So if you are a carer, just drop the Beggars a line, mention Kit’s name, but please don't feel obliged to tell them anything more. It’s enough that you’re writing and you’ve got a story you want to enter. Once again, full details about the competition and how to enter are available here. |
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12. Exacting Clam issue 6 (Autumn 2022)
The latest issue of this transatlantic literary quarterly has just been published (though items from this issue haven't yet appeared on the website.
Featured writers include Glue Factory regular Julian Stannard (writing for once in prose) and . . . er . . . myself, writing about forgotten poets of the 1930s. Also, and serendipitously, the first appearance in print of P J Blumenthal's long poem 'Program Music From a Coming War', which will be performed by the poet himself and others on the Glue Factory next Sunday (see above).
'Already the drought has struck Europe...'
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13. Next week's online gathering
Join us on 4th September for a world premiere reading of P J Blumenthal's remarkable poem 'Program Music for a Coming War' performed by the poet himself with Dan O’Brien, Michael Hughes, Aea Varfis-van Warmelo, Rufo Quintavalle, Sam Skoog, David Collard, Melissa McCarthy, Stephanie Ellyne and David Henningham;
Caroline Clark will read from her latest book Own Sweet Time published this month by CB editions;
We'll have selected highlights from issue 6 of the quarterly journal of Exacting Clam with guests Jacob Smullyan, Guillermo Stitch, Julian Stannard and others;
Linda Mannheim will make a close reading of Wendy Erskine’s short story ‘Nostalgie’(with Wendy on hand to respond).
All this and more. Get stuck in!
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14. Nudge
The imminent energy price hike in Britain is a social catastrophe. Millions of households will be driven into intolerable hardship, millions of families will face real poverty and many will face homelessness. Small businesses already clobbered by Brexit and the pandemic will face financial collapse. The fabric of British society will not survive the strains we face.
A country misled by the disgraceful and hypocritical Liz Truss, supported a corrupt and callous party of brutal mediocrities will compound the misery. The imminent death of the Queen will throw the nation into a period of official mourning but also profound existential doubt and whatever emerges after that is anyone's guess. But it will be awful. Crisis, austerity, and the collapse of the social contract. Twelve years of Tory government.
So what can we do? For now at least a donation to the Trussell Trust will make a difference.
In my home town of Southend-on-Sea (recently declared a city following the murder of the local MP who had lobbied tirelessly for this pointless distinction) the main Food Bank (and likely others) are looking at ‘cold’ food parcels that use little or no energy, because those relying on their support can't afford to heat the food they're given.
How about that?
Support the Trussell Trust. Please.
trusselltrust.org/make-a-donatio
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PS
My Mind To Me A Kingdom Is, the title of Paul Stanbridge's second novel (published next month) comes from a poem first published in 1588 and usually attributed to Edward Dyer. Here’s the first verse:
My mind to me a kingdom is;
Such present joys therein I find,
That it excels all other bliss
That earth affords or grows by kind:
Though much I want that most would have,
Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
The mind as a source of consolation and happiness. Now there’s a theme.
