Silent Scrutiny
I never will find comfort in this silence Where my every step is amplified No voices but stares cracked from eyelids And ears that do listen whilst their figures hide How is it possible to be scrutinized by relative ghosts That may breathe just as I do yet inhabit separate realms They do not eat...
The Changing of the Seasons – A Confession
The Changing of the Seasons – A Confession Something strange happens to me about this time of year. It’s always around September/October time as the last days of summer passes the baton to the first days of Autumn, in a shuttle relay, like at school. T-shirt clad when in sunlight and jumpered and jacketed in...
The Getaway Guide for Men – Paris!
“The only thing wrong with Paris is …” the cliché we all know and shamelessly love is not entirely unfounded. Parisians are renowned – even in the rest of France – for their acrimony over their sense of style, etiquette and (dare I say?) baguettes. If you speak French you’ve got a better chance...
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The Getaway Guide for Men – Rome!
The eternal city has more culture, romance and swarthiness than George Clooney and Penelope Cruz’s lovechild draped in Dolce & Gabbana. Even people who haven’t visited know this to be true and, for this reason, it’s deemed the most romantic city in the world. Feared by all ‘blokey-blokes’ as the place most likely to bore...
A writer’s life of uncertainty
There is a lot of “advice” out there for aspiring writers; some of which is incredibly helpful, some not so much. Dispensing advice is always tricky, particularly when writers try to answer the one big question they always get asked at festivals and book launches: “how does one get published?” The answer to this question...
When to stop Paying your Unpaid Dues
Whether its unpaid internships, expenses-only student films or being a volunteer administrator, doing work for no pay is a subject done to death. Equity has a Lo Pay/No Pay working party, the Old Vic is in a sticky situation over its internships, and even the Arts Council Jobs site has an “opportunities” page. I thought...
Diary of a Novelist; writing and the ‘Olympic Legacy’
This is the third in a series of articles following my experience and thoughts on the journey towards publication of my debut novel – The Greater Thief. The book, I’m told, is now at the printer’s; it’s popping up on websites for preorder, and the modest marketing push of my publisher is underway. Business is...
Why does Pussy Riot matter?
Earlier this week, three members of the Pussy Riot feminist art and punk troupe were sentenced to two years imprisonment: Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Maria Alekhina. The charge was for public disorder following a performance that saw the troupe enter Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, and perform in protest not only against the Russian President Vladimir...
Speaking Across the Seas
I was lucky enough recently to have the opportunity to travel to Chile along with my missus. In our hotel room in Santiago one evening, whilst she was chatting on the mobile phone with her sister back in England, I pondered the miracle of modern communication. Until the late 19th century, the fastest form of...
