Personal Blogs

'Escape Kit' has been short listed in the "best novella" category in the 2014 Saboteur awards.  This set of awards is the free, independent publishing equivalent of the mainstream awards that publishers have to pay to enter, such as the Man Booker prize. 

If I win this, it could mean a big step towards having my own collection of poetry or short stories published, or being commissioned to write a novel or a play, and being paid an advance, like proper, grown-up writers. 

My highest certificated qualification in English is a 180-point Diploma in English Literature with Creative Writing, which I received in 2012.  (I never studied a single English Literature module, by the way.)  Before that, I have 'O' levels in English Language and English Literature that I took in 1983.  I got a B in Literature. 

http://sabotagereviews.com/2014/05/01/saboteur-awards-2014-the-shortlist/

Please vote for me.

You can buy the printed version of the book here:

http://www.inpressbooks.co.uk/escape-kit/

And the Kindle version here:

Escape Kit - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00JLKBWZM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00JLKBWZM&linkCode=as2&tag=sproutnet-21

(the publisher gets a better deal from Amazon if you use this link, rather than a generic search.)

Until 25 May, If you send your email address to  wjtg2@my.open.ac.uk , I will email you back a PDF version of the story, free of charge. 

I will be reading an extract from my novella, 'Escape Kit', when it is launched at the Huddersfield Literature Festival on Thursday 13 March 2014.  The launch takes place at Queenie's Coffee Shop, Queen Street, Huddersfield HD1 2SP and starts at 7pm.   There is an admission fee of £2.

Three chapbooks are being launched simultaneously.  The other two are 'Cowboy Genes', a novella by Wes Lee, and 'A Call In The Night', a short story collection by Gabrielle Leimon.   Wes Lee won the Grist short fiction first prize in 2012.  I won the second prize. 

You can download the Huddersfield festival brochure here:

http://www.litfest.org.uk/?q=node/10

Monday 28 May 2012, 18:30 - 23:00, York Theatre Royal Upper Foyer.

I will be appearing again with my fellow 'Grist' poets.  This event also features open mic and live music.  It will be hosted by Steve Nash (who is a 'Grist' poet). 

Entrance fee: £2 on the door. 

I will be appearing with my fellow 'Grist' poets at the 7 Arts Centre in Chapel Allerton at 19:30 on Wednesday 3 May 2012. 

I think there is an entrance fee of £3 to this event, which is being run as part of the regular "Wicked Words". 

Tonight I will be appearing with five other of the contributors to the 'Grist' 2012 poetry anthology (called 'A Complicated Way Of Being Ignored') at The Beehive pub in Bradford (ten minutes from Bradford Forster Square station). 

The performance starts at about 7:30pm and will be followed by open mic contributions from the audience. 

On Wednesday 7 March 2012, I will be appearing at Bar 1:22 in Huddersfield at the launch of the 2012 'Grist' poetry anthology.  The collection is entitled 'A Complicated Way of Being Ignored'. 

I will be reading three poems.

The event starts at 7pm, and will be hosted by Michael Stewart, the editor of the collection. 

There may be a follow-up event in Bradford on Monday 12 March.  Details follow once this has been confirmed.

Michael Stewart has posted a video clip on YouTube which shows some highlights of the 'Grist' short fiction launch party.

You can see it on my Wordpress blog (link in the right-hand sidebar of this screen) or here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvH0e0VtyQQ

The article on my blog has a couple of photographs as well. 

Yesterday I received the first proof of the 'Grist' short fiction anthology.  I appear as the winner of the second prize for the 2011 competition.  The title of my piece is 'Slow Dance With A Skeleton'. 

Emerging writers appear alongside established writers, including the comedian Alexei Sayle. 

The anthology is expected to appear before the end of November 2011.  The poetry anthology (in which my work will also be appearing) is expected some time in 2012.