Welcome
2024 is upon us, and with it comes many new things. Spring lambs, poets sitting in meadows beside babbling brooks (sorry Ralph!), and a flurry of new writing. It’s also a time for seeing whether those New Years Resolutions have stuck. What are yours? Ours are to continue to publish the best in new fiction, poetry and KidLit, as well as working on a few super-secret projects that we’re not quite ready to reveal yet, but we can’t wait to share.
It’s also time for our eleventh edition to take the stage and enjoy the limelight. Twelve new pieces of fabulous fiction, cracking KidLit and powerful poems to inspire, delight and enjoy. If you’re also someone who writes, think about your own work in relation to these. The best thing about being a writer is that there’s always something new to learn, a new perspective or technique. So get ready to hear what our editors have to say about this selection, and prepare to be enthralled…
A word from our Poetry Editor, Ralph Dartford
The poems that our poetry editor, Ralph Dartford has selected for this edition evidence the chores and adventures of everyday living. They are written with keen, weary and knowing eyes. These poems stare at urban and unknown vistas, whether that be the motorway, the cricket pitch, classroom, of the traveller abroad. They ask questions about time and how to live within it and perhaps prosper.
A word from our Fiction Editor, Nick Jones
The pieces I chose for this edition almost all have a word count of under 1000 words, in some cases considerably shorter. I wanted to showcase the fact that you can do a huge amount in a very small number of words, and that sometimes less truly is more. Within that framework, there’s still room for the daring, the bold, the strange and the hilarious, which I hope this edition shows.
A word from our Kid Lit Editor, Jonny Syer
Perhaps it’s the idea of spring around the corner, but Jonny has chosen pieces that reflect beginnings and endings for this edition. As a keen gardener, there are decisions to be made with the year ahead and the idea of “time” is on his mind. These pieces offer the true variety we look for at Northern Gravy within our children’s & young adults section, it’s a joy to share them, and I hope they bring a sense of meaning to you as they did to me.
Guest Article
Our eleventh article is written by BRIAN MOSES, in which he discusses “Writing Poetry for Children.”
We hope you enjoy reading this edition as much as we have enjoyed curating it. Northern Gravy continues to break down barriers by paying every writer they feature.
As ever, we would like to thank our friends and advisors: Arts Council England, Sheffield Hallam University, New Writing North, Writing on the Wall, Harper North, Writing East Midlands University of Huddersfield, Ted Hughes Network and Bradford Literature Festival.
