In the lead up to the boneshaking new Lazy Gramophone project, ‘Time’, I was asked for five things that inspired my writing. Here they are. I need to grow up.
Five Things
Leave a Comment
Kumquat Poetry
Evening all.
Happy to say that one of my poems, ‘Woman’ is up on the Kumquat Poetry site. You can read it here
CALMzone article
I wrote something for those wonderful folks at CALM on male role models, mentoring and teaching.
CALM is the Campaign Against Living Miserably which tries to prevent male suicide in the UK – the biggest killer among men aged 18 – 34.
Chance UK (whom I volunteer for) for are a charity working with children aged 5 – 11 with behavioural difficulties, in order to stop them developing damaging behaviour in later life.
If you’re a boy aged 12 – 17 I’ve not left you out deliberately. Maybe you’ll like one of my stories.
Time Travel at MVMNT Cafe
Hi folks
I’m doing a ten minute talk on Time Travel at MVMNT cafe in Greenwich on Wednesday 6 Feb. Come along. There’s poetry and other nonsense from people like Dan Simpson, Josh Siegel and more. Come along, it’ll be fun.
Curious Makers
Curious Makers who very kindly let me sell my tat and do my talk on Time Travel before Christmas have written a little something on the new Lazy Gramophone project Time.
Take a look here. I’d also advise you to have a look further down at the other stuff especially Jerome Flinders’ work.
Counting down to Time
Lazy Gramophone’s latest big collaborative project; Time is nearly here. My story ‘Optimistic’ for the section on adolescence is illustrated by Lee Holland. The book also includes work from Jo Tedds, Sam Rawlings, Diego Mallo, Matt Black, Mina Milk, Rupert Munck and so many more. Time will be released just 100 days from now.
Curious Makers on Hoxton Street today
Come down to get your stocking fillers today. I will be doing a talk on Time Travel at 2pm and selling all sorts of goodies including my handmade booklets full of words and pictures.
New Story – Perspective – Illustrated by Harriet Lamb
Perspective
Every guy knows what it’s like at the urinal. You’re peeing next to a stranger. Whether you care about it or not, you are revealing something of yourself. There is a certain vulnerability. You are on show and they are on show. You can see why a lot of men are embarrassed by it. Some people can’t urinate when someone is stood next to them. Maybe it goes back to the days where we would mark our territories with wee. Perhaps an alpha male shouldn’t share where he pisses.
For years I was too afraid to use public lavatories and would never use a urinal. I’ve managed to get over my fear now but I still have to wait for a urinal with an empty space next to it. I’m pretty certain very few people actually want to look at cocks. Most guys will try not to look at yours and hope you’re not looking at theirs, but who honestly cares. Continue Reading.
Coming soon – The Visitors with Stephen Ong
New Story – Wet Nightmare – Illustrated by Matt Black
Wet Nightmare
It’s a new room. It’s an old room but it’s a new room to him. It’s very comfortable but it doesn’t feel like it’s his quite yet. Something residual lingers of the previous tenant. And he hasn’t made enough of his own memories and routines there yet to claim it fully.
Sometimes he feels a presence in the room but over the weeks he has stamped his authority over it and it’s starting to feel more like home.
One night he wakes suddenly as though someone was talking to him, a shirt hanging on the wardrobe door moves in the corner of his eye but when he looks it’s still. He turns on the lamp to see better in the grey room but there’s nothing there. He is left with a half feeling that he was being watched. Unperturbed, he eventually drifts off. Continue Reading.