Author Archives: Clare Spencer

Literary writers and the Indie Spirit – from Jules Horne

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Clare Spencer

It’s fair to say the world of publishing is in turmoil. With margins squeezed in commercial publishing, mid-list authors are being dropped, and it’s harder than ever to find a publisher. Writing literary or experimental fiction? Forget it (mostly). I’ve … Continue reading →

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A new poetry collection from Joanna Ezekiel

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Clare Spencer

Joanna’s latest poetry collection is Homecoming, published by Scarborough publisher, Valley Press, winner of a recent Arts Council grant. The editors say: ‘By necessity, to come home is to look with fresh eyes at what is familiar. Joanna Ezekiel’s exquisite second … Continue reading →

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The attic sessions – reclaiming a space for the writer

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Clare Spencer

From Nessa O’Mahony Last summer, my husband Peter Salisbury and myself finally completed a task we’d been discussing for several years: the conversion of our attic into a workspace for us both.  Once the dust had settled (so much dust) … Continue reading →

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Morgaine Merch Lleuad’s entry is shortlisted for the Frogmore Prize

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Clare Spencer

We’re pleased to announce that Morgaine’s entry for the 2015 Frogmore Poetry Prize made it onto the final shortlist of ten.  This year’s entries were adjudicated by John McCulloch. http://frogmore-jp.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/sarah-barr-wins-frogmore-prize-2015.html

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A new poetry collection from Mike Johnson

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Clare Spencer

How my poetry collection See What I Mean? got published – Mike Johnson Rather more than three years ago, I entered a poetry competition, focused on humorous poems for adults, run by Thynks Publications.  To my delight, I won the … Continue reading →

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The Insect Rosary – a new novel from Sarah Armstrong

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Clare Spencer

For the first seventeen years of my life I spent four weeks a year at my gran’s farm in Northern Ireland. I loved it, the dog and the rain and the wellies, and felt it was very much my other … Continue reading →

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Hannah Vincent’s play wins BBC Audio Award

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Clare Spencer

Hannah Vincent’s radio play Come to Grief has won an award for Best Drama in the Adaptation category in the 2015 BBC Audio Awards, announced on 1st February. The judging panel said that the script, adapted from Hannah’s own stage play, … Continue reading →

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Dancing with a Stranger – a short story collection from Pauline Hughes

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Clare Spencer

This project began with trying out some short stories in the market.  I had been teaching some prose fiction on the creative writing course and I thought I really need to get some stories out there, rather than just my poetry … Continue reading →

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A new poetry collection from Michael Thomas

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Clare Spencer

Come To Pass – some reflections on group work This collection, recently published by Oversteps Books, is the second in which I have arranged poems by sub-groups. In earlier collections, I think I must have had some sense of variation in subject … Continue reading →

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The Status of the Cat – Sean Elliot’s recently published poetry collection

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Clare Spencer

In May 2013 I found myself coping with depression. Through the fog I reasoned that if I felt this bad, it would be difficult to feel any worse so why not take a risk? I had repeatedly tried to have … Continue reading →

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