Welcome
Welcome to the ninth edition! Are you ready? We can’t hear you! Are you – you know what, this is an email isn’t it, so of course we can’t hear you. Sorry about that. We’ve been so excited about our recent live events and our podcast that we’ve grown accustomed to talking face to face. But we’re here today to talk about the written word rather than the spoken, and we’re serving up the hottest, freshest, and most delicious assortments of words as always.
The very best of new writing, delivered straight to you, with love from us. Also, we’ve got an exciting article written by our dear friend Tommy Sissons, a fellow champion of working class wordsmiths and underrepresented writers. Go check it out, and prepare to immerse yourself in perfectly poached poetry, finger-lickin’ fiction, and moreish kidlit (sorry, we ran out of alliteration there).
As always, Northern Gravy wouldn’t be possible without the funding of the Arts Council, or the support of folks like yourself. We’re very grateful that you’re here with us, and if you’d like us to stick around, please consider donating to keep the boat afloat. You can here – northerngravy.com/support/ it’d be much appreciated. That’s all from us for now, so without further ado we bid you adieu and say how do you do to fresh writing for you!
A word from our Poetry Editor, Ralph Dartford
The poems our poetry editor Ralph Dartford has selected for edition 9 demonstrate a deep quietness of thought, time and the street music of chance. Here are personal narratives centered in moments of thought to question where we belong as people. Here are poems of transforming shapes and maps. From the acts of the unthinkable to the performance of relief. Read slowly and then read again.
A word from our Fiction Editor, Nick Jones
The themes of parenthood and family has become something I’m especially tuned to, having recently become a dad, so I’ve curated this edition to speak to that experience. These four pieces speak to the myriad of ways we exist as both parents and children, from the heartbreaking to the hilarious, and much of what lies between.
A word from our Kid Lit Editor, Jonny Syer
This selection of KidLit shows what is possible in the genre. There is a range here that we’ve not explored before, reaching from the toes of Middle Grades to the ears of Young Adult. Sometimes they blur. Our youth is all about transition, and it goes by in a flash.
Guest Article
This month’s guest article is from much loved poet and debut novelist, Tommy Sissons. Here he talks about process and meaning. How to get that balance right.’ TRUTH IN THE IMPOSSIBLE: ON WRITING ‘CAUTIOUS, A BOAT ADRIFT’.
We hope you enjoy reading our ninth 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.
