Welcome
Happy birthday to us!
You didn’t get us a card? Not to worry, we won’t take it personally. In fact, quite the opposite. We may have turned 1, but we have something for you instead.
That’s right, it’s the very best in brand new writing, collected together in our fifth edition. Go ahead, dig in. Don’t let it get cold. There’s three brand new short KidLit pieces, three pieces of short fiction, and three poets to get familiar with. It’s an exciting selection to be serving up, and we hope you enjoy discovering them as much as we did.
Don’t forget to follow along on twitter (@northgravy) where we’ll be showcasing a new selection on the hour, every hour, throughout the day. Let us know your thoughts, your responses, and your reactions. And share them with everyone you know whether they’re a writer or not. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and the joy of new writing is in the reading.
Well, now that we’ve got that out of the way, here’s a quick intro from each of our editors:
A word from our Poetry Editor, Ralph Dartford
These poems are about the moments that reveal the essence of living. They concern themselves on how we touch, listen, count time, and miss the opportunities that can change our lives. Sometimes tactile and often going directly for the heart, this brilliant and illuminating work is an assault on the senses. Hold tight!
A word from our Fiction Editor, Nick Jones
First of all, a huge thank you to Jonny, who not only put the website together, took charge of our social media, AND edited the KidLit, but he helped out with fiction by reading the submissions and selecting the longlist.
The pieces I ended up selecting, for me, represented a great skill which is surprisingly rare: Narrative. All three of them are so brilliantly plotted that they almost seem to contain an entire novel in under 2000 words. Whether they be moving, uplifting, or quietly sad, each is a masterful example of just how much you can do with so little, and hopefully inspire others.
A word from our Kid Lit Editor, Jonny Syer
This was in many ways the hardest selection I have had to make over the five editions. KidLit within Northern Gravy continues to thrive and grow. As one of the few publications to pay writers of KidLit we couldn’t be happier.
The pieces selected revolve around the idea of “what’s possible”. The writing conjures images of ghostly shadows and time travel, mixed up in a palette of colourful emotions. As we grow it’s easy to forget to allow our minds to run care free, if only for a short while. I hope you enjoy them.
Guest Article
Our fifth article is written by Costa Book Award nominated author, Stephen May. It’s about literary heroes and their work, and how not to live like them might be prudent. – Stephen May – Real Mild Ones.
We hope you enjoy reading our fifth 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, Spread the Word, Harper North, Writing East Midlands and Bradford Literature Festival.
