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Latest Articles
Tiny, Beautiful Stories: 100neHundred by Laura Besley
The craft of the micro fiction writer is a wonderful thing. As if Laura Besley hadn't impressed me enough with her collection The Almost Mothers, she returned with an even more dazzling feat in 100neHundred: 100 stories written in just 100 words.Split into four...
The Fierce Belonging of Home – Poetry Collection by Ruth Callaghan do Valle
I found myself completely lost in this poetry collection. Spanning Britain and Brazil, we are immersed in tiny, beautiful moments and fierce tragedy. From Ruth's rhythmic style to her gentle probing into the difficulties of the last few years, there's a real sense of...
Cows and Curious Futures: Salt Lick by Lulu Allison
It's rare to feel personally connected to a critically-acclaimed novel. Over a year ago I 'met' the lovely Lulu Allison via Twitter (I contributed to her 'Haturday' project with a Fimo hand – you can still support her in raising money for RISEuk, a refugee...
Hope in Humanity: Braver by Deborah Jenkins
I think sometimes I assume that stories that are hopeful are saccharine. That anything which reinstates your faith in humanity must be naïve. With Braver, the novel by Deborah Jenkins, I was very pleased to be proved wrong. The first impressive writerly feat is the...
More stories
It’s just very odd. I’m not exactly a shy and retiring type, scuttling away from the limelight, but it’s a question of...
Yes I know I’ve read it before but well, after a visit to Kefalonia I couldn’t resist indulging again in this stonker...
One of the most voyeuristic delights of reading a novel is the ability to peer over someone else’s shoulder and muse...
My only regret upon finishing this book is that it’s taken me this long to get around to reading it. It has been some...
In part inspired by the blustery horrible weather we’ve been having!Clouds hang in the murky air like soiled sheets on...
Wrote this a few weeks ago – think it nicely covers what’s been wearing me down so much! I think other teachers might...
Relenting to her urges, influenced by the first sisterly visit in two years, she returned to the fridge. Ice cracked...
Don’t they know it all already?In a word, no. Just because our pupils are exposed to a massive amount of ‘tech’ it...
This is the start of a story I wrote while in Spain in the summer. Please enjoy, comments and feedback most...
I found myself in the unusual situation of defending my position on educating 11-16-year-olds about the world around...