Category: SJT

Creative Reading

I was particularly, especially, thrilled to be invited to read some of my work at the December 2023 ‘Wintertide’ festival arranged by the Mandy Apple Collective – imaginative, enthusiastic, talented creatives in Scarborough. Thanks to Nell Williams for the invite and the other writers who performed on the night. Honestly, they were such an inspiration of funny, thought provoking, poignant. A lovely night.

 I was ‘especially’ happy about the invitation because I certainly needed energy and vision of other writers. My writing was/is going through a dry period. I have no trouble finding words, or indeed stories, but stories with a satisfying arc alluded me. (Thanks to Matt Cooper for the photo).

As Christmas came and went I tried to ignore the growing anxiety and even resentfulness of feeling writing as a nagging chore. Partly because my partner bought me an all-course pass for BBC Maestro and I do like a course to busy myself with. I typically got a stack of books (of course). Also, it was Christmas – a break right? Maybe it was just time to give up writing? But then my fabulous friend Fin McMorran who makes amazing art and animations reminded me that we do what we do because of the joy in it. Not for audience, or reward or some external thing but for the fun and somewhere along the way, I’d lost the thrill of finding just exactly the right word and the surprise when a story takes an unexpected turn. Writing is fabulous fun –playing with imaginary friends in games I make up in my imaginary playground is the best! (Thanks for the reminder Fin).

Reading inspires me and once again the Guardian had a ‘Books to look out for in 2024’ feature. Way back in 2019 I decided to review their review of ‘books to look forward to’ for the forthcoming year. I chose their suggested books for every month across the year and though the list was ‘partial’ to say the least (see my analysis of the data drawn from their suggested list) it was actually a reading adventure. I read a great many books I would just not have picked up at Waterstones. The new 2024 Guardian list was as good a place as any to look for inspiration.

The Guardian recommendations for January included The Vulnerables. By Sigrid Nunez (Virago) and I Seek a Kind Person: My Father, Seven Children and the Adverts That Helped Them Escape the Holocaust by Julian Borger (John Murray).

The Vulnerables has been richly reviewed by Sam Byers in the Guardian and, for the most part, any words I might write about it would echo theirs but I will add that I enjoyed it. It is written in an unusual style. A writer, talking about changes to their way of life in the context of lockdown, wonders if any kind of literature still serves us in uncertain times.

It was a good one to start the year with and kick started a reading binge. So far this month I have read six books and discarded a seventh quarter of the way through. (I haven’t yet started the Borger book – it is next on my list).

Books read in January

  • The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez (Virago)
  • 61 Hours by Lee Child (Random House)
  • The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson (Boldwood Books)
  • Spare by Prince Harry (Penguin Random House)
  • After That Night by Karen Slaughter (Harper Collins)
  • The Bad Weather Friend by Dean Koontz (advance copy) (Thomas and Mercer)
  • Meditation by Marcus Aurelius (Penguin Random House)

The one I gave up was the Karen Slaughter. My tolerance for violence against women and misogyny in crime novels is thoroughly exhausted. I listened to ’61 Hours’ as an audio book. I have not, in the past, taken to audio books but gave this title a go specifically to listen to the way the story is written, for the techniques, for the craft. It was a useful exercise listening rather than reading it, but also, I had forgotten what ripping yarns Lee Child writes and what an amazing character Jack Reacher is.

Stephen King and Lee Child (amongst many others) say that good writers must be committed readers. Each encourage an eclectic approach to the reading choices we make. I think my list would count as eclectic! For the record, mock if you will, I really enjoyed ‘Spare’ and have completely changed my opinion of HRH Harry – in a positive direction.

I am never sure how inspiration actually works but I started writing a story – it is a ploddy mess but woke up one morning with a flash of ‘this is what it needs’ and am enjoying re-writing it. I also committed to doing two new (paid) pieces of writing to an April deadline and there is nothing like a deadline to motivate.

I wouldn’t say my writing mojo is fully back (though I am writing a blog post for the first time in *ahem* a while) but I am thoroughly enjoying curating an abundant reading list which is a fabulous place to re-find fun in the written word.

Queer Spaces Live! Its back!!!

Note: In March 2022 Roots Touring company gave me the opportunity to write and perform my own work as part of their ‘Queer Spaces Live!’ show. It was such a wonderful experience. I wrote about it here

‘Queer Spaces Live!’ is back this year at both the Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough on 22nd February  and York Theatre Royal on 3rd March.

I know it will be absolutely fabulous. Book tickets before they all go!

What a whirlwind!

I hardly know where to start. Life has been a magnificent whirlwind! 

You know you yawn at other people’s holiday snaps so I will get that out of the way first.

My wife and I took a five-week odyssey round the NC500 in a camper van. The Scottish Highlands are too beautiful to be captured in a photo, and my phone pictures don’t do them justice. Spectacular white sand beaches, mountains, harbours, and lochs so beautiful they took my breath away. We had one very scary night thanks to Storm Betty, involving a tree blown down and serious risk of injury and I never saw a single eagle, osprey, red squirrel, or deer. Unfortunately, MS means I cannot do walks, climbs and such, which is a great loss, but nevertheless, it was a completely magical trip.

Just before leaving for Scotland, I had the wonderful privilege of being one of the team which made ‘Love Stories’ with Arcade. Love Stories is a mapped digital audio trail to be found in Scarborough’s lovely South Cliff Gardens. One of my stories ‘Between the Esplanade and Seashore’ is in the audio trail and it is a piece of work I am immensely proud of. Contributors worked alongside Arcade who just rock at community art events. We also had the joy of working with composer Jackie Walduck, voice and choir genius Rebecca Denniff and incredible musicians from the Scarborough Spa Orchestra and Sinfonia Viva. It was very exciting to record with such a talented lot. Matthew from MSC Photography took a whole stack of wonderful photos of the event.

I had also committed to writing a theatre monologue. The marvellous Barrel Organ Theatre had offered me the opportunity to be one of the participants in their Scarborough Live! evening at the Stephen Joseph Theatre once I was back. It meant I would be writing or thinking about writing (especially when I was failing at osprey spotting and not erm, actually writing) which is not ideal on a much longed for extended adventure. However, Barrel organ are such a special company, empowering underrepresented groups and individuals to tell new and fresh stories, I would have been mad not to take part.

The evening was utterly magnificent. Michelle Dee performed her ‘Don’t kiss me’ – a performance piece about regaining autonomy through acts of resistance, drawing on the work of Claude Cahun/Lucy Schwob to tell her story. JJ Cruickshank wrote an evocative, poetic script which they performed alongside their extraordinarily beautiful film, to tell the story ‘Where the skin meets the land’ of a trans selkie, stepping onto the land shedding her girlish seal skin, and standing for the first time as a man. It was a glorious fresh folklore story. Lowercase Theatre performed an excerpt from a work in progress ‘is it dead out?’ which centred on young people getting ready for a night out between Grimsby and ‘Clee’ (Cleethorpes to the uninitiated). It was super bouncy with energy and very very funny. I can’t wait to see the final script performed.

The evening was really special. My personal thanks must go to Ali Pidsley  and Frazer Flintham for all their help and because it is hard to imagine there are any nicer human than them on the planet.

Shortly before I came home, I had an unexpected and lovely email from Alexandra Mathie who had performed one of my scripts in Manchester at the Lowry. She was in rehearsal in Alan Ayckborn’s ‘Constant Companions’ – his 89th play (!) at the SJT and wondered if I fancied meeting up for coffee. Did I! She was compelling and magnificent when playing ‘Chris’ in Kray to Crone at the Lowry and I was so overcome with it that I barely had a chance to properly thank her for turning my script into something so special. I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to put that right. So, we met up and I felt as if I had known her for years. Such a lovely, friendly, interesting woman and I was chuffed to bits to be able to say a proper thank you. I had expected her to have a northern accent – as she did on stage at the Lowry, but she doesn’t!

The photo is Alexandra and Georgia Burnell in reahearsal – courtesy of SJT.

The cast of Constant Companions came over to wish the Barrel Organ cast luck when we were all backstage in the green room before we all went on. Constant Companions was on at the same time but we each had different stages. All of the Barrel Organ team were struck by the generosity and kindness (and if truth be told, a little star struck).

Obviously I have booked to go and see Constant Companions at the SJT – reviews have been cracking. I can’t wait!

I have also had the wonderful opportunity to be one of the community team putting on ‘Always Been Here’, a show at the Scarborough Art Gallery which pieces together the voices and artefacts of Scarborough’s queer heritage. Local people who identify as queer were invited to collaborate in the show. We were involved in the design of the exhibition, the choice of Gallery owned art works and encouraged to bring in our own artifacts. It is a really special show and I encourage you all to go and see it if you can.

Phot courtesy of Scarborough Museums and Gallery Trust.

One of the items my wife and I loaned to the exhibition.

Quick Edit: Also go and see Garth Gratrix’s ‘Cheeky Felicia’ a multi-media installation responding to William Etty’s ‘Man Lying Face Down’. It is fabulous.

It has been a very busy time and my energy ‘spoons’ are exceptionally depleted. I need to take time to recover after which … I need to get on with my next book: ‘A work in progress’ but in all honesty, hasn’t progressed that much at all….