My first short story was published in Ambit 36 years ago. They put 'Dave' on the story but 'David' on the cover. The realisation that just because everyone called me Dave didn't mean I had to go along with it & that David was taken more seriously got me to change the name on my debut novel's cover.

Looking forward to this @serenbooks.bsky.social online event 18 November 7pm: An evening of poetry celebrating the publication of ‘Hôtel Amour’ by Deryn Rees-Jones @notjustdancing.bsky.social, with readings by Deryn and guests Menna Elfyn and Olivia McCannon. @pavilionpoetry.bsky.social

The prologue to my serial novel about Graham Greene in Nottingham 100 years ago, 'Greeneland', appeared today. There's still time to sign up & get it all delivered to your inbox, free over the next four months. Also, yes, I know that isn't how you spell Berkhamsted. open.substack.com/pub/davidbel...

Fascinating Neil Kinnock letter about Bob Worcester in today’s Guardian. Labour is misguidedly opposed to Electoral Reform but should know better. Under FPTP it lost the 1992 General Election by just 1,240 votes.

Jack DeJohnette drummed on so many of my favourite albums - with Charles Lloyd, Miles Davis and Keith Jarrett amongst others. A genius of jazz. RIP.

Positively the last pre-publication plug for Greeneland, my serial novel about the critical four months Graham Greene spent in Nottingham - each chapter free: 100 years to the day after the events it describes. On Friday, I’ll publish the title page, epigraph and prologue. davidbelbin.substack.com

Public service announcement: the best ghost film so far this century, Alejandro Amenábar's sublime The Others, is on BBC4 & iPlayer next week. If you like ghost stories and haven't seen it before, I envy you.

Just seen a terrific production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf directed by Cara Nolan, at Curve studio in Leicester. Tremendous ensemble: colour blind casting. Cathy Tyson & Patrick Robinson never once making you think of Liz & Richard. Holds up as a classic. www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/sho...

Trying to find a way to keep using Word without paying over 40% PA extra (increase due to AI, which I abhor, for obvious reasons). But the 'classic' compromise no longer seems to be available and the AI chatbot at Microshit will only offer me a £120 license that works on just one device. Any advice?

'This is your brain on autocracy.' A poem from Tony Towle's new collection 'Late Sketches and Studies'. John Ashbery wrote, 'Tony Towle is one of the New York School's best-kept secrets'.

Jalen Ngonda was all we hoped he’d be at Nottingham Rock City. Sweet soul with a brilliant falsetto, a cracking band and a warm, wonderfully diverse, adoring crowd. Go see.

John Lucas, the least online person I knew (never used email, or any other aspect of the internet), managed to leave an online archive of over 60 pieces for London Grip, which is a valuable resource for the sort of writers published by small presses. Lovely article. londongrip.co.uk/2025/10/john...

I cannot recommend you enough to install the Wikipedia app on your devices and use it like you would any search engine. Nowadays they even have tabs so you can open many articles at once. And, if you can, please donate to the foundation. It has survived the internet enshittification that way.

John Lucas, the least online person I knew (never used email, or any other aspect of the internet), managed to leave an online archive of over 60 pieces for London Grip, which is a valuable resource for the sort of writers published by small presses. Lovely article. londongrip.co.uk/2025/10/john...

Jalen Ngonda was all we hoped he’d be at Nottingham Rock City. Sweet soul with a brilliant falsetto, a cracking band and a warm, wonderfully diverse, adoring crowd. Go see.

Philip K. Dick’s wife Tessa is in desperate financial straits and struggling to keep her home. If you can donate anything at all to her GoFundMe it would be great. gofund.me/ee00d19de

Charity shop jazz: a thing I haven't seen before. The owner has (I'm presuming) meticulously recorded each time he played the CD. Looks like he (and surely it's a 'he') got his money's worth.

Charity shop jazz: a thing I haven't seen before. The owner has (I'm presuming) meticulously recorded each time he played the CD. Looks like he (and surely it's a 'he') got his money's worth.

The Holy, Beat, and Crazy Next Thing. A signed Jack Kerouac episode from On The Road, written in London, was found in the estate sale of a 40-year dead, murdered mafia boss. You couldn't make it up (and Kerouac didn't, he only changed the names). Here's page one. www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...

Bloody hell but House of Dynamite is tremendous. In 1981, I used to show Dr Strangelove or Failsafe to public meetings for CND. Today, I’d show this 2 demonstrate how easily nuclear war could happen. On Netflix soon but really worth seeing on big screen. Props to Kathryn Bigelow for getting it made.

Salt Books is an excellent publisher who put out exciting books that most multi-nationals wouldn't go near. Think I've bought more @saltpublishing.com titles than any other Indie (bar the ones that publish me, anyway) Why not help them grow? gofund.me/f8293c76d

In which a 13 year old predicts the demise of Elvis while his 48 year older self writes 'Show Some Emotion was as important to me as Spiral Scratch and do you know what, it still is.' Me too, Marcello, me too.

Last Orders. A poem by my dear friend, John Lucas, published in 2000. John was a fine poet, professor, critic, novelist, cornet player and publisher. He died a few days ago, at 88. It's his poetry he'd most want us to remember him by, and we still have that. But oh how much I'll miss his friendship.

Last Orders. A poem by my dear friend, John Lucas, published in 2000. John was a fine poet, professor, critic, novelist, cornet player and publisher. He died a few days ago, at 88. It's his poetry he'd most want us to remember him by, and we still have that. But oh how much I'll miss his friendship.

Just finished this terrific two parter, and today learn that Chris Dreja, the original Yardbirds bassist (whose reunion version I saw perform and who very nearly joined the band that became Led Zeppelin), has died, aged 79, after a long illness. RIP.

A walking tour of the common, a bunch of speakers, an even bigger bunch of books. A month ahead of the 100th anniversary of Greene’s arrival in Nottingham, an account of the annual festival celebrating his life and work. Where I had a blast - before I was burnt out. open.substack.com/pub/davidbel...

A walking tour of the common, a bunch of speakers, an even bigger bunch of books. A month ahead of the 100th anniversary of Greene’s arrival in Nottingham, an account of the annual festival celebrating his life and work. Where I had a blast - before I was burnt out. open.substack.com/pub/davidbel...

Dry the Rain. Pleased to demonstrate that The Beta Band were in top form at their reunion show in Rock City, Nottingham, over 22 years after I last saw them.

Martin Lewis died in obscurity in 1962; a retired art teacher who had found some success in his early career, but was largely forgotten. He spent his last three decades teaching other people how to etch. History chose Edward Hopper, but Martin Lewis was his mentor.

Greeneland goes to Berkhamsted. An account of the excellent 2025 Graham Greene Birthplace Trust conference, full of terrific talks on the fiction with an entertaining @aiannucci.bsky.social interview, movies & free subscription link to my serial novel, Greeneland. www.davidbelbin.com/blog/2025/09...

Greeneland goes to Berkhamsted. An account of the excellent 2025 Graham Greene Birthplace Trust conference, full of terrific talks on the fiction with an entertaining @aiannucci.bsky.social interview, movies & free subscription link to my serial novel, Greeneland. www.davidbelbin.com/blog/2025/09...

Caroline Bird's The Last Stand of Mary Whitehouse ends @nottmplayhouse.bsky.social on Saturday with superb performances by Maxine Peake & Samuel Barnett. On Sunday, BBC4 are showing this doc, for anyone who hasn't had enough of the dangerous old bat by then. nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/events/the-l...

Once again, for the evening crowd. A serial novel about Graham Greene in Nottingham. There's a bit more about the book here: www.davidbelbin.com/blog/2025/09...

Excited to announce 'Greeneland'. A serial novel with each chapter published 100 years to the day after 21 year old Graham Greene arrived in Nottingham & began the most consequential four months of his life. The introduction will be published tomorrow. Subscribe for free at davidbelbin.substack.com

This is now 70% towards its target. I know it’s one of many cases of students from Gaza offered doctoral places in the U.K. and then denied on paperwork grounds, but it’s a small chance to make a real difference to someone. pay.collctiv.com/evacuate-a-s...

Prime Pink Floyd content in today’s Guardian.

Jeremy Noel-Tod on the importance of ‘unfunded’ or ‘hobbyist’ research in academica. open.substack.com/pub/someflow...

Didn't spot my Dylan companion but Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is great fun. 85 minutes flew by. Joined in the spontaneous applause at the final credit. While I'm here, a chum on Facebook just posted the Tap taking down jazz, which is an amusing way to spend three minutes. youtu.be/m5U6xmwyFPs

18 months ago I watched Bob Dylan in New Orleans next to a guy who'd been an extra in the Spinal Tap sequel that day. Tonight I'll see if I can spot him in the crowd for the Elton John cameo. Warming up for tonight's showing @broadwaycinema.bsky.social by watching this: www.imdb.com/video/vi1964...

On what would have been his 77th birthday, here's a piece I wrote when John Martyn died. The link to my 1977 interview with John still works. His legend has grown considerably since I wrote this, aided by the fine @graemethomson.bsky.social biography, Small Hours. www.davidbelbin.com/blog/2009/01...

This Pink Floyd top 20 list includes two tracks from Animals (The Gunner's Dream, really?) and one from their last studio album, but no Atom Heart Mother. However AHM & the absence of Arnold Layne apart, it's generally solid, as you'd expect from Alexis Petridis. www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

The electric Nebraska version of Born in the USA has been previewed, for those who care about such things. Bruce Springsteen sounds a lot more anguished than in the later title track version, but arguably the chorus still needs a little work. www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YNu...

Outstanding performances from Maxine Peak & Samuel Barnett in Caroline Bird’s brave, multi-faceted play, ‘The last stand of Mary Whitehouse’, which brought back a lot of memories. Booking until September 27 @nottmplayhouse.bsky.social nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/events/the-l...

Cool to find Martin Carthy shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, though my money's on CMAT.

During a sweet interview at Nottingham @roughtraderecords.bsky.social Bob Stanley just told us that although @stetiennedisco.bsky.social may have made their last LP, they will be playing live in 26 and 27. Which is nice.

A funny, touching, and insightful play about a man who failed to swim the English Channel 21 times. Channeling Jabez is written and performed by Giles Croft, who is also Jabez’s 3rd cousin once removed (work that out). 🗓️Fri 10 – Sat 11 Oct Book Now: nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/events/chann...

A brimful of birthday wishes to Asha Bhosle, 92 today. www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzBz...

After claiming each AI prompt uses minimal energy and water, Google has removed any mention of its previous "net zero by 2030" objective from its sustainability website. Which remains adorned with ways AI can help the planet. Once again, after me: GREENWASHING! www.tomshardware.com/tech-industr...

My new jam is the last track on the final album from one of my favourite groups, Saint Etienne. The International is a cracker. Thanks for everything and happy trails, Bob, Pete and Sarah. www.youtube.com/watch?v=V93E...

Reposting the blurb with alt text because everyone deserves to read this...