Just posted my nominations for Richard Shaw’s poll for the best debut albums of 2010-14: 1. Parquet Courts: American Specialties (2011) 2. Run the Jewels: Run the Jewels (2013) 3. Sleigh Bells: Treats (2010) 4. Alvvays: Alvvays (2014) 5. Chvrches: The Bones of What You Believe (2013)

Eagle-eyed readers of the material from @brokensleepbooks.bsky.social quoted in my last post may deduce that further announcements are imminent… 🔍

Proud to have my poetry included in the Broken Sleep Books Anthology 2025, which gathers together standout, risk-taking writing from the award-winning independent press. Support vibrant, compelling contemporary literature and discover your new favourite writers now!

Happy RLS Day to those who celebrate. Why not mark the day by picking up a copy of 274 Miles from Tantallon Tìr? It includes my short homage to Stevenson's gnomic Fables. tantallontir.com/shop/

This @natlibscot.bsky.social event at the Kelvin Hall on 12 Nov should be a cracker. www.nls.uk/whats-on/lib...

Rightly lauded from Poland to Brazil. If you want vital new Scottish music, support vital new Scottish music. New album from Gutterblood* 👇 gutterbloodband.bandcamp.com/album/good-dog… *I don’t know the band, I’m not involved in anyway; just a fan who wants vital new Scottish music.

Very much hoping his 8yo son tied him up in the trunk and went looking for Sissy Spacek, a Lee Jean jacket, and a mansion to knock over. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/19/m...

Just submitted my votes for Richard Shaw’s poll for the best 5 debut albums of 1980-84: 1. Lloyd Cole & The Commotions: Rattlesnakes (1984) 2. Billy Bragg: Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy (1983) 3. Violent Femmes: Violent Femmes (1983) 4. The Smiths: The Smiths (1984) 5. R.E.M.: Murmur (1983)

My nominations for Richard Shaw’s poll of the best best debut album of 2000 to 2004 are: 1. Gravenhurst: Internal Travels (2001) 2. The Strokes: Is This It (2001) 3. Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand (2004) 4. The Libertines: Up The Bracket (2002) 5. Röyksopp: Melody A.M. (2001)

You wait ages for an RMB reading... (sic) Come! Offer moral support! Enjoy writing by people who aren’t me! 274 Miles launch: Grosvenor Cafe, Glasgow, 1 Oct at 6pm; Poetry on the Links premiere, Les Bijou (on the Links) Bistro, Leith, 3 Oct at 6:30pm

Via new Scottish publisher Tantallon Tìr: “Book launch: We’ll be having our 274 Miles book launch on the 1st of October at The Grosvenor Café on Ashton Lane in their Mezzanine area. We’ll have author readings and books available to buy. 18:00-20:00.” I’m one of the contributors. Do come along.

I’ve posted my selections for the final of Richard Shaw’s polls for the best 5 albums of the 50s and 60s: 1. Scott Walker – Scott 4 2. Scott Walker – Scott 3. Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home 4. Townes Van Zandt – Townes Van Zandt 5. Simon & Garfunkel – Sounds Of Silence

Melvyn Bragg’s In Our Time has been a towering achievement in British broadcasting. Right now, it’s hard to imagine someone steeping into his shoes. Might have to make a regular Thursday appt to dip into the archives…

Scottish PEN has issued a statement regarding the arrest of award-winning Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty and calling on the authorities to respect the legitimate right of people to protest in support of the ideal of one humanity living in peace in one world 👇 scottishpen.org/statement-on...

My picks for SF5 of Richard Shaw’s 50s-60s albums polls: 1. Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home 2. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin 3. Leonard Cohen – The Songs Of Leonard Cohen 4. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Willy And The Poor Boys 5. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – Trout Mask Replica

Je parle un peu français seulement, mais La Promesse Brel avec Arnaud Askoy et ses partenaires musicaux à l'Institut Français Écosse, c'était magnifique

Via new Scottish publisher Tantallon Tìr for 274 Miles, a collection of work by some of the most exciting contemporary writers in Scotland (and me): ‘Finish something. Stare at its imperfections, fix them, expunge them, do whatever you need to do, but finish it.’ tantallontir.com/author-spotl...

The legal people have insisted that Morrissey will now have to stand in for Terence Stamp

Today marks the 133rd anniversary of the birth of Scottish PEN / @scottishpen.bsky.social founder Hugh MacDiarmid. The film linked below was made to mark his 80th birthday in 1972, and features MacDiarmid in conversation with his son Michael & fellow poet Norman MacCaig. tinyurl.com/2r2w6pr3

Just posted my picks for the 4th semifinal of Richard Shaw’s Albums Of The 50s & 60s polls: 1. Bob Dylan – Highway 61…(1965) 2. Simon & Garfunkel – Sounds Of Silence (1966) 3. Bob Dylan – Freewheelin’ Bob…(1963) 4. Kinks – Are The VGPS (1968) 5. Ennio Morricone – The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (1966)

Look what just dropped through the door! Looking forward to getting into this @plumeriapics.bsky.social 50th anniversary edition of Alan Sharp’s novelisation of his screenplay for Night Moves, inc an introduction from Matthew Asprey Gear and an afterword by David Manderson.

Very pleased to be included in this collection of short pieces featuring what Tantallon Tìr is describing as ‘the very best writers from, or living in, Scotland’ 😲 Looking forward to reading the 274 Miles anthology! tantallontir.com/product/274-...

Via the good folks at Tantallon Tìr, “[a] nice mention for the [274 Miles] anthology in the Kirkcudbright Book Week.” I particularly liked this bit: “Tantallon Tìr says that the collection features ‘the very best writers from, or living in, Scotland’.” kirkcudbrightbookweek.org/2025/07/18/a...

Just got word from the good people at sincere corkscrew that Housmans Books/@housmansbookshop.bsky.social in London have taken a couple of copies of TERMINAL. I'll be happy to provide a custom bookplate of my own design to anyone who can prove that they've managed to acquire one of those copies...

Chuffed to have my homage to the enigmatic Fables of RLS included with the work of any number of great contemporary Scottish writers in the debut book from Tantallon Tìr. I hope you’ll check it out at @waterstones.bsky.social or wherever you get yr books 👇 www.waterstones.com/book/274-mil...

Happy to reveal that I have an homage to the enigmatic Fables of RLS in this anthology of flash pieces, the first publication from Tantallon Tìr. Just now available for preorder 👇 tantallontir.com/product/274-...

I’m just a boy pitching a meta-factual, ghostwritten autobiography called… The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Jannik Sinner

I heard Sandstone had a good look at the Stroke manuscript because I had pieces in the first two issues of the @404ink.bsky.social lit mag; one was an early chapter draft. I’ll always be grateful for that. Good luck to Heather & Laura going forward. www.thebookseller.com/news/404-ink...

Time to admit that “Stroke: A 5% chance of survival” should really have been the less catchy “Stroke: A 2% chance of survival in a non-plegic state” www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j...

Been affected by hoo-ha around The Salt Path? Fancy a memoir that’s: • gripping and affecting • about somebody at death’s door • true, to the best of the author’s recollection? Try Stroke: A 5% Chance Of Survival! www.amazon.co.uk/Stroke-survi...

Been affected by hoo-ha around The Salt Path? Fancy a memoir that’s: • gripping and affecting • about somebody at death’s door • true, to the best of the author’s recollection? Try Stroke: A 5% Chance Of Survival! www.amazon.co.uk/Stroke-survi...

#Türkiye: We join partners in expressing deep concern over the arrest warrant issued against journalist, poet, and Honorary PEN member Nedim Türfent. We call for the warrant to be retracted without delay. Read our joint statement ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/trkiye-...

Submitted my picks for the semis of Richard Shaw’s polls of the best 50s & 60s LPs: 1. Scott Walker – Scott (1967) 2. Something Else By The Kinks (1967) 3. Leonard Cohen – Songs From A Room (1969) 4. The Beatles – Rubber Soul (1965) 5. The Beatles – Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Respect for freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly is eroding in an alarming fashion at the highest levels of society across the UK. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Well, I suppose the good news is that if the Eng Lit kids are limited to short stories, they’ll enjoy my collection, TERMINAL 🤷‍♂️ 😉

We Were The Mods is currently on Archive on 4, wherein interested parties reflect on Quadrophenia. My first published short story was called Quadrophenia. Later, it sparked sincere corkscrew’s interest in publishing my collection, TERMINAL. Thanks are due to all involved for the inspiration.

I’m not special; everyone has their own experience of death. But, I wrote a memoir about my 5% chance of survival after a stroke. Terminal is a collection of short stories on the theme of death. I watched my father die. As a recovering lawyer, I think about the implications of this stuff a lot (1/2)

My picks for the 2d semi-final of Richard Shaw’s albums of the 50s & 60s polls are: 1. Scott Wolker – Scott 4 (1969) 2. Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changing (1964) 3. The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour (1967) 4. Bob Dylan – Blonde On Blonde (1966) 5. Dusty Springfield – Dusty In Memphis (1969)

Made to the order of a retired NYC finance lawyer who’s just read about Keir Starmer’s gruelling schedule.

Doesn’t quite make my stellar top five, but I’m really glad that my #5albums50s60s2 listening included this one. James Murphy spot on as per yooz — “The Sonics, the Sonics, the Sonics, the Sonics!”

For a minute there, I was worried we’d lost Bob Wilson youtu.be/eA3RkTFOSWQ?...

Reading that Ghostbusters & Gremlin were released on yesterday’s date in 1984. My parents got me the novelisations of each and, being in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 in the 80s (even putting being underage aside) I read them well before I was able to see them. Just in case anyone was wondering why I turned out the way I did

Sure that Scottish PEN / @scottishpen.bsky.social members will join everyone in congratulating and saluting Ruth Maguire on this excellent news.

Look what arrived! After reading some of Matthew Stewart/ @roguestrands.bsky.social’s poems and observations on poetry on here, you bet I’m looking forward to cracking these open…

Everyone’s all Silver Jews Summer, but the real dads know there’s a Purple Mountains Winter a-comin.

We’re thrilled to be partnering with Uni of Essex’s Human Rights Centre on a new project: Investigating the weaponisation of travel bans by authoritarian regimes. Supervised by Index's @martinbright.bsky.social, the project examines censorship through travel bans: www.essex.ac.uk/blog/posts/2...

Bless Bonnie Langford, but she’s a real life Cloister Bell in human form. Whenever she turns up in Doctor Who, it’s a sure sign that everything is going to hell in a hand basket.

Delighted to read that JDB “takes the kid[s] to climbing.” Makes me think I might be an artist, after all… 🤔