Barnsley-born poet and novelist Andrew Macmillan on the assumptions and misconceptions that shape our national narratives of the north of England – and the new authors covering fresh groundI’ve lived all my life in the north of England; in Barnsley for 18 years, then Lancaster, then Barnsley briefly again, then Liverpool for a while before settling in Manchester. In my poetry, particularly my debut, physical, and now in a novel, Pity, I’ve always been interested in what role writing can play in celebrating and rethinking place; how it might illuminate silences, or cut through the radio static of assumptions. It’s an interest that was, perhaps, inevitable having a poet for a father, who always encouraged all of us, myself and my two sisters, to see where we lived and how we talked as equal to anywhere and anyone else.The collection physical was my attempt to surface same-sex desire, the fragility of masculinity and the legacy of rapid and often brutal de-industrialisation in the northern town and then the northern city that I lived in. More recently, with Pity, I wanted to interrogate what narratives exist about a place and who gets to tell them. I wanted, in the words of the great north-east poet Barry MacSweeney, to stand at the coalface, like Hamlet, and strike a match.the six of us walk in single fileUp the narrow street that takes uspast The Angler’s Rest and The Shipand the Conservative and Catholic clubsand British Legion and Royal OakAnd The Alma and Little... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2024-01-27 09:00:31 UTC ]
News tagged with:
#barnsley briefly
#rethinking place
#collection physical
#national narratives
#role writing
#illuminate silences
#radio static
#brutal de-industrialisation
#northern town
#northern city
#narratives exist
#single fileup
#narrow street
#takes uspast
#royal oakand
#macmillan
James McBride takes liberties as he visits the story of white abolitionist John Brown through the eyes of a young slave in 'The Good Lord Bird.'John Brown, the white abolitionist who sought to free black slaves with the barrel of a gun, is a recurring character in American literature. He's one... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#american literature
InfiniScroll, populated by a winding parade of creatures with tails and tales, is an upgrade for child and parent. A favorite tale of children’s book publishers and parenting blogs is set in a land not so far away, where the evil e-reader is a slayer of the bedtime story. In another version... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book publishers
#joining forces
#printed book
#ipad screen
Sphere has signed a non-fiction title from Ellee Seymour, which will explore the story of women... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#non-fiction title
The collaboration between plush toy manufacturer Animal Magic and California-based interactive media publisher Fat Red Couch, Inc. (FRC) has many in both industries puzzled and intrigued. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
The children's book centre Seven Stories has been voted best education project in the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book centre
A story said to have been written by Larsson when he was 17 will be part of an anthology titled 'A Darker Shade of Sweden,' which will be released this February. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#darker shade
Anything but a 'misery memoir,' the remarkable and moving, 'She Left Me the Gun' by Emma Brockes explores the power of resilience and humor. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Bloomsbury is promoting its forthcoming title Crown of Midnight by creating a digital story... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#digital story
Publishing Perspectives will again publish print editions during the Frankfurt Book Fair. We’re looking for interesting stories that can both inform and delight. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Jamie Camplin at Thames & Hudson has acquired world rights in Legacy: The Story of The Face... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#thames hudson
Veronica Roth will release four short stories written from the point of view of 'Divergent' hero Four. The first will be released a month before the last book in the trilogy comes out. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#veronica roth
Atlantic Books has signed a non-fiction book detailing the crimes of a nurse dubbed “The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#atlantic books
Simon & Schuster has bought UK and Commonwealth rights in the autobiography of actor and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#simon schuster
#bought uk
The New York Times is one of the initial major publishers to unveil a Google Glass app, which will allow the currently scant number of users of the wearable device to access stories on the go. The app's audio component reads headlines and story summaries aloud and provides breaking news alerts. ... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2013-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#google glass
Simon & Schuster has acquired the rights to a memoir by Alexander Hanscombe, the son of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#simon schuster
The Pulitzer Prize for fiction has been won by author Adam Johnson for his novel based in North Korea, The Orphan Master's Son. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#pulitzer prize
#north korea
#orphan master
Books with first hand accounts of life in North Korea are rare, so John Sweeney's Zombie Nation and Jang Jin-Sung's Crossing the Border are generating unique buzz at the London Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#north korea
"The Office" writer B.J. Novak signed a two-book deal with Knopf. The first title will be a collection of stories based on some of his previous performances. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#stories based
Independent publisher And Other Stories has teamed up with Consortium Distribution to launch a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#independent publisher
Despite budget cuts and insufficient bilingual staffing, United States libraries continue to invest money expanding Spanish-language children’s and YA collections. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#budget cuts