Who here draws? I’d like to have a conversation. Meanwhile I am reinstating and exploring my own lapsed drawing practice

Who here draws? I’d like to have a conversation. Meanwhile I am reinstating and exploring my own lapsed drawing practice

Are there any drawers I know here? I’m thinking about #drawing possibly for some writing. I have such a long-standing entangled relationship with drawing and find the easiest thinking comes from doing. It quite naturally gets a bit solipsistic. Does anyone have an interest in a conversation?

I make (amongst other things) one-off ceramic bells. Bells are for summoning - a call, a reminder, a wakening. They connect with others, set an intention, or request attention. I like them because they combine functionality and ritual. www.seventysevenseas.co.uk

Are there any drawers I know here? I’m thinking about #drawing possibly for some writing. I have such a long-standing entangled relationship with drawing and find the easiest thinking comes from doing. It quite naturally gets a bit solipsistic. Does anyone have an interest in a conversation?

Subscriptions now open. Head to sunburntsaints.co.uk & click on the appropriate button. First book by @drewgum.bsky.social. Other authors to appear include @luluallison.bsky.social, @heidijames.bsky.social, @stuhennigan.bsky.social, @smartrachael.bsky.social, @billythescribe.bsky.social & more!

This is beautiful, dreamy. My friend Chris formerly from the great King Loser, now Cash Guitar remixing Eden Abhez. cashguitar.bandcamp.com/track/overco...

After a slight detour (thanks to a new postman who delivered my post to the wrong address), I’ve finally received, and looking forward to reading, and reviewing, Beast, by @luluallison.bsky.social Thank you to @sarahmck.bsky.social for your generosity and @biggreenbooks.bsky.social for organising.

SHAKESPEAREAN HAIKU Shall I compare thee To a summer’s day? Alright – Thou art very hot.

Little shadows in a curtained room

Walking back from the pub. England disappointing, church tower and moon putting on a show.

Pundit - “It’s a total mystery! Mass hysteria is the only explanation!” Normal Person - “Well, there was all those times that he…” P - “It’s now undeniable that the country is simply ungovernable!” NP - “But I think people really disliked when he…” P - “If a good, principled man can’t…”

Another day in my life confirming God gives His weirdest battles to His most disorientated soldier.

Ha ha! - Wes Streeting nobly *putting the party and the country first *humiliatingly acknowledging he never had the numbers gnob

#Heatwave #ChronicIllness

Let’s change that - #noncegoggles

It’s TODAY The #WomenWritersNet #SkyChat we’ve been waiting for! At 6 pm BST here on @womenwritersnet.bsky.social Topic: Writing as a Parallel or 2nd Career. Join us! @lilydunn.bsky.social @louiseduckling.bsky.social @luluallison.bsky.social @moschoenfeld.bsky.social @ncashmanfiction.bsky.social

Cymbal & Clinger - God Bless You Rock 'N' Roll [US, Rock] (1972) https://redd.it/1i6br24 https://youtu.be/ADaCG067ipQ

THIS OFFER IS STILL UNCLAIMED It's #buyastrangerabook day! It's also Refugee Week, and @clairecopperman.bsky.social is offering to buy someone a copy of We Came By Sea by Horatio Clare. If it's something you'd like, get in touch. UK only

Today i've been picking a big chunk of June's Big Green Book Club books. This is a subscription service where, based on the kind of books you enjoy, I individually pick a book for you each month. Kids & adults 3,6 & 12 month options. It's ace. LOOK HERE www.biggreenbookshop.com/book-club/in...

#fullkitwanker #waterskiing

I’ve just binned off 20k words from my WIP. I genuinely love this brutal phase of writing. All the precious drifty lovely laying down, hacked into and choppered; if it’s going to be beautiful, it’s this ugly phase that will make it so.

I love David Hockney's landscape drawings. He was an artist I think whose whole practise was based on how we look, how we see, thus a practise grounded in drawing. Thank you for these, they are beautiful.

I’ve just noticed I have the expectation that a book should blow my mind. Many do, but in recent years that expectation has lead me to impatience with the ones that don’t. This I think is a mistake, it commodifies reading. I’ve always been impatient but drab cultural structures are making it worse -

In two weeks we launch Post - it Notes from Underground by Simon Crump. At Leeds Waterstones @waterstones.bsky.social It will be grand to see you all. Thursday 25th at 7pm. www.waterstones.com/events/post-... @leedslitfest.bsky.social

It's an orgy of male-on-male cruelty. Like the schoolyard bullying that men think we can't escape. But the thing is - men can. Despite the algorithms and the cost of living, men have much more agency that we admit or accept. Feeding that sense of a total lack of agency feels irresponsible.

Blessed are the dead

I have another #buyastrangerabook to tell you about. @helenliz.bsky.social is offering to buy someone a copy of The Names by Florence Knapp. HL would like to note that the book has domestic violence, which some may wish to avoid. If you'd like a copy though, let us know. UK only.

I think the best path to recovery is to get sick of one's bullshit

For the cheap seats: there isn't a problem with Somali or Sudanese people, or any other minority. It's a male violence problem, exacerbated by hate speech from other men.

Their hysteria is risible and squalid, red faced little brats who inspire hooting laughter. But a family gets their doors kicked in, fires are set in homes. Things are destroyed and people hurt for these insatiable babies.

it should also frighten you that so many of our elites either don't seem to see the danger, or are explicitly going along with it almost all of our politicians & press are still on this guy's site

I’ve just finished Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood. I enjoyed it very much. I’m in that kind of mood - any recommendations in a similar vein?

Website now up and running for Sunburnt Saints, a new publisher of chapbooks. Very happy that I’ll be their first publication. ☺️ 👇👇👇👇

IMPORTANT. An AI account is sending out phishing emails from “me”, inviting authors to participate in Backlisted episodes. 1. These aren’t from me. 2. We are on hiatus, so I am not asking anyone to be on the podcast. 3. If you receive one of these fake invitations, please inform me ASAP. >

Books are amazing #booksky

They should build loads of data centers all over the place that contain huge quantities of books that people can borrow for free if they fill out a form to get a data center card and promise to return the books on time and don’t make too much noise in the data center.

And yet I've almost never heard this reality deployed to excuse women's behavior, and women are overall far less prone to violence than men, so the idea that PTSD explains abuse can take a hike. For me violence, outside self-defense, always begins with entitlement to harm/control others....

Very proud of this. One of my short stories will be the launch chapbook for @sunburntsaints.bsky.social - I love a chapbook! Give them a follow and share widely to support this new publishing venture. Short stories are here!

If you've ever ordered a book from me, thanks! It means a lot. www.biggreenbookshop.com/index.php

Delighted to announce that the first author in our new, ongoing series of single story chapbooks will be the inimitable @drewgum.bsky.social Drew has written a tale that’s dark, funny, satirical and marvellously original and we can’t wait to publish it later in the year! #BookSky

probably unfair to name & tag, but have been reading @luluallison.bsky.social recently, and it's extraordinary. How you can send people to the moon, I can understand, but from a blank page/screen to create _that_, I have no idea at all. ;-)

Renard Press are having a Pride sale. Saltburn and other queer delights are currently 50% off. So head over to @renardpress.com and fill your boots, your rainbow bags, and get yourself some lovely LGBTQ+ books. renardpress.com/books/saltbu...

You must forgive me for not writing for so long, but I just wanted to be on my own for a couple of years or so.

I keep being reminded of this question and answer: "What is the problem that AI services are being built to solve?" "Wages."

Reminder: Event at Leeds Central Library this Sat 6 June at 13.00 with me and @nicholasroyle.bsky.social and Naomi Booth. The Art of the Short Story. Hope to see you there. libraries.leeds.gov.uk/events/the-a...

I wrote this a year ago. To be fair, it’s been in the back of a cupboard so I’ve only just had a chance to copy check … #dogfoob