For this month’s show, which covers 18 April – 16 May 2010, we interviewed local author Charlie McQuaker whose Belfast pulp fiction novel Die Hard Mod is being published on 27 April by A Pulp Press Original (£5.99, Amazon, ISBN 978-1-907499-20-3).

Charlie reads from two chapters in the book (Chapter 2 & 10), and we got a chance to talk to him about the challenges of writing in the pulp fiction genre and his research into the Mod world of Brighton and Belfast (where his novel takes place).

Although the novel is current, the characters still keep the Mod lifestyle alive with the fashion, films, books and of course music of the1960s. Songs like: “Tin Soldier“, Small Faces; “About My Girl”, Jimmy Magriff; and “Somebody Stole My Thunder”, George Fano.

There was also a bit of time for Tara and I to do a special news round up for all the literary Brighton Festival and Festival Fringe events that caught oure – list forthcoming !

Tara & I recorded from her living room in Hanover – a big thanks to Ragroof Theatre for lending us their Zoom microphone. We couldn’t have pulled it together in the small scraps of spare time we collectively have without that help.What a great mic!

A massive thanks to Tara for arranging the interview with Charlie & the mic loan & suffering the 3 hours of production time tonight despite having had little sleep the night before.

Next shows: Sunday 16 May, 1-2pm & Sunday 13 June, 1-2pm.

The next Writers Hub is going out on Radio Reverb on Sunday 24 January 2010, 1-2pm. The show is going to be a bit of a mish mash as I wasn’t able to get the December loaded up at the station’s new premises in time. A bit of wintery poems and writing, plus some new stuff to look to the spring with. Not sure I’ll have time for the usual interview, plus rest assured all will be back to normal for February with the news round up and interview line up.

For those of you who haven’t heard, Radio Reverb have left their studios on North Street and are now further down on the Old Steine.  They made the heroic move during December, and I haven’t actually stepped foot in the new place yet. Last I heard, they were waiting for the new phone number.

If you have some writing you’d like read on Writers Hub, please email me on hello@amyriley.com. And if you’re brave enough to read it yourself, even better.

Music from Alisdair Roberts – “The Whole House is Singing” – and Elle Osborne – “Wide Eyes Wise” – who are performing tonight at the Hope.

With guest co-presenter Tara Gould in the studio. This show aired on Radio Reverb 97.2 FM on Sunday 27 November.

Thanks to Kieran for the new jingles!

Writers Hub – November edition (right click to download)

Glasshopper, a novel by Isabel Ashdown

This Thursday, Grit Lit is bringing 8 writers to Kemptown’s legendary Red Roaster to read their hardest, grittiest short stories.  We’re very pleased to have Isabel Ashdown read excerpts from her award-winning, selling out faster than you can buy, first novel Glasshopper, along with Tim Lay, myself, Chris Callard, Ed Siegle, Jake Kennedy, Emma Gray, and Tara Gould.

You can get tickets for £5 from http://gritlit.eventbrite.com or on the night. Doors 7.45pm, the evening lasts until 10pm.

I’m accepting original writing based on the darkening days of autumn and the Christmas season - 1500 words or less – to be read out on air.  It could be a story, a poem, a sketch, non-fiction – whatever you choose.

If you have any news or events you’d like read out, please get in touch.

As always, I’m looking for people to interview about their novel, project, event or writing-related phenomenon.

Submission on this month’s theme: AUTUMN & FOOD

• Ed Siegle’s short story “Eels and Cathering Wheels”, read by Kieran Hood
• Jennifer Pulling’s short story ”Lunch at Da Giovanni”
• Paul Wimsett’s short play “The Hag’s Car”
• Amanda Sington-William’s poem “A Spanish Diet”

The show was meant to air on Sunday 1 November,  1-2pm on Radio Reverb, but unfortunately the entire station went down. The show went out at 9pm later that evening, but I’m in the process of re-arranging another airing.

More information about the show…

Amanda’s  has just completed her second novel, In the Shadow of the Flower City, and she’s in her final term of an MA in Creative Writing and Authorship at Sussex University.

Her short story “Growing Pains” is being published in an anthology called Spooked in mid-November.

For those interested in reading some of Amanda’s fabulous work, you can go to her website: www.amandasingtonwilliams.co. uk

We also talked to Maria about her new collection of poetry, Everyday Angels, which is coming out on Brighton’s Waterloo Press this month.

The show aired on Sunday 4 October, on Radio Reverb 97.2 FM

The show aired on

Submission on this month’s theme: PRIDE

• Emma Gray
• James Burt

We also discussed some upcoming opportunities for writers, via New Writing South and Myriad Editions, and we also presented the writing for this month’s theme: seaside and seaside towns.

For published writing, I took two slightly off-kilter takes on the traditional seaside theme: the very dark tale, ”The Pearce Sisters” by Mick Jackson, from The: BrightonBook, published by Myriad Editions (2005), in which two eccentric sisters’ hospitality goes one step too far; and an extract of the sci-fi story “To Walk Upon the Sea” by Larry Matthews, from Fabulous Brighton: An Anthology of Short Stories by Peter James, Lynne Truss and others (2000), in which a man’s strained relationship comes to a head amongst dolphins, corporate Brighton and a mysterious discovery.

“The Pearce Sisters” is read by Wil Jones (Boutique Theatre), and “To Walk Upon the Sea” is read by Peter Taylor. Both books can be found in Brighton’s Jubilee Library.

I got some great original writing submissions via Twitter: two short shorts from Emma Cave and Nigel Cooper – see further down to read the pieces.

Finally, it was a great pleasure to have Jon Cotter, Director of Company Paradiso in the studio. Jon recently ran a project in Berkshire prisons working with young offenders called “The Ballad of Reading Jail”.  He shared some of the stories and played clips from their show on BBC Radio Berkshire. Here’s one quote from a young person who took part in the project:

I’d never really written much before. It was while I was sat in a prison cell, and I had all this stuff going through my head, that I decided to pick up the pen. I needed to express myself. I still keep things in perspective with my poetry, as in not wanting to go back.’

– Participant, Shaun D

You can download the show by right clicking the link below.

Writers’ Hub July 2009 – Radio Reverb

Many thanks to Donald, Grant and everyone at RR for helping me navigate the station’s equipment.

We were meant to have an interview and readings from an Ian Breckon, author of Knight of Swords [Old Street, 2009], but weren’t able to due to technical difficulties.

Seaside resorts

by Emma Cave (@Emsbabee)

The shingle has misled me. It feels like I’m sitting on bones. From the slow-burning tarmac, it had seemed like the more comfortable option, but now I’m down here, I’ve realised that the sun was in my eyes, and making everything look shimmery and soft. The sea, for example. Right now, it’s the exact shade of a raspberry Slush Puppy, and just as tempting. But I can’t bring myself to brave the inevitable ice-cream headache which will commence in the ankles and work its way petulantly up my bloodstream as I wade out.

Yards from my outstretched feet lies the sulking remnants of a driftwood fire. I think I unwittingly chose this spot because I love the smell of wood fires, even when they’ve been extinguished with left over cider, as this one appears to have been. They remind me of midsummer teenage free-for-alls. The hissing flames on my face, and the tentative arm of a very nice boy round my waist, taking it in turns to sip bravery from a shared plastic cup.

There are a couple, just a few feet away, seemingly oblivious to the discomfort of the pebbles. She has mounted him and is squirming about on top like a sand worm. A seagull is eyeing the remnants of their picnic with increasing malevolence. I lie back, carefully, arms folded protectively across my torso, in case the seagull decides to hop onto my stomach and start some investigative pecking. They put me in mind of medieval executioners, something about the way they dispassionately size you up.

I’m sleepy. I blame the tide, which matches the rhythm of my dawdling heartbeat. The clouds are slowly pulling across the sun, like curtains. The sound of flapping beach towels and wind shelters could almost be mistaken for the swaying of palm trees. I dream of finding a mermaid’s purse, and buying myself a stick of rock the size of a pleasure boat.

The Beach in 66 words
by Nigel Cooper (@nijay)

A baby listens to adult voices singing lullabies over the sea. The child, trussed warmly to her father’s chest, watches waves lapping pebbles, lapping pebbles, lapping pebbles.

She is comforted by her mother’s gentle voice. Rocked by her father’s breathing. Made drowsy by the sun’s fading fingers.

She hears less fortunate children wailing from deep within graceful, white, feathered bodies. She gurgles. Snuggles into daddy’s jacket.

My main interview is with Brighton scriptwriter Sarah Naomi Lee, a BBC radio producer who’s first lucky break into Radio 4 broadcast was with her radio play “I Can See You”. I got a tremendous response from local writers about this month’s theme – thanks to Bridget Whelan for helping promote this.

Readings:

• An extract from A Good Confession, by Bridget Whelan
• An extract from The Sewerside Chronicles, by Tim Lay

Submission on this month’s theme: MUSIC

• Neal Pearce
• Yassin
• Josie Darling
• Sally Latter

A link to download the Writers’ Hub June 2009 show to come shortly!

More information about the show…

Sarah Lee’s radio play “I Can See You” tells the story of a mixed race woman who has three voices inside her head: a Jamaican man, a white English woman – and the sadly recently deceased Michael Jackson, who passed away yesterday.

Sarah talks to me about the process of writing the script and how she got it on air, as well as some interesting facts about MJ.

She also discusses what music switches her on to writing – tracks played includeAlabama3′s hit song “Woke up this morning” from “The Sopranos” soundtrack and The Smiths’ “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others”.

Bridget Whelan’s A Good Confession, which came out in hardback in November 2008,  tells the story of an Irish single mother, struggling to bring up her children in 1960s London, who meets and falls for a priest, to whom she accidentally confesses her troubled love to.

The book is coming out in paperback this summer so watch her website for more details.

Tim Lay’s The Sewerside Chronicles, which was published in August 2008 and has become a cult hit on the literary underground scene, charts the rise and fall of Che Capri’s underground fashion label, co-run with best friend Travis, in deepest darkest Devon.

After a stretch of runway success, the business plummets and to salvage their slipping fortunes, their friends pitch in their soundsystems, DJ, MCs and creative talent to put on raves.

The novel covers Glastonbury to May Day riots in London to the counter culture skateboard scene in 2000.

Both authors read extracts from the book.