Reading festival

So both my mum and my friend Alice this week asked me how the Manchester Literacy Festival was going. See, that would be something else altogether now, wouldn't it?

If they'd've asked how the Manchester Literature Festival was going, I'd've said, 'Great, thanks.'


And indeed it is. So far, I've had the honour of seeing author, national treasure and all-round good egg Fay Weldon (photo above by me); well-thought-of poet Michael Schmidt, and the first Faber New Poets intake, Toby Martinez De La Rivas, Fiona Benson, Jack Underwood and Heather Phillipson.

On Friday, my name's down for the MMU Fiction Prize Gala, which I really wanted to go to as I almost entered the contest myself (except I didn't manage to complete my short story on time, instead choosing to spend the summer swanning around on yachts in the Med and such like). On Saturday, I'm off to Salford Lads Club for Paint A Vulgar Picture: Fiction Inspired By The Smiths. I don't even like The Smiths, but a couple of good friends who are accompanying me do, so my reviewing opinion will be no worse off. Myself, I'm looking forward to hearing a number of authors including Catherine O'Flynn reading from their work. I'll post the reviews to these events in the Links To My Work Online bar just as soon as I can, as I know you can't wait.

For more from the big book event, go meander round the latest musings on the blog, as edited (and sometimes written) by yours truly. Unless, of course, you're illiterate.