Northern Gravy is TEN!
That’s “Editions old”, not “Years old”, by the way, but still, it’s a significant milestone and one we’re delighted to be celebrating. Ten has such a lovely ring to it, someone ought to put an album out just called Ten. It’s a pearl of a name, very catchy for some musical jams.
Anyway, as you may have gathered from that opening salvo of utter nonsense, we’re over the moon to announce that our tenth edition is here. Much rejoicing has ensued, and we even got the fancy biscuits out of the posh tin we keep on top of the fridge. You know, the special occasion ones.
Ten editions is a massive milestone for us. We’ve changed a lot since the first edition. Some of us have less hair, we’ve put on a pound or two, there are kids, some of us have published collections and all sorts besides. But one thing that hasn’t ever changed is our love of reading, and the joy of sharing great writing with others.
With that in mind, we’d like to take a moment to invite you to come along to our next live event: Grow Your Own Love Poem with Toria Garbutt. It promises to be a brilliant evening, where one of Britain’s very best wordsmiths shares her wisdom and insight. Tickets and further details can be found here: Eventbrite.
Sharing is caring, and it’s time for a little more sharing in the form of our tenth edition. There’s some true marvels in here, but don’t just take our word for it, the pieces are live and ready for your inspection. Read on to see what our editors have to say about their selections below:
A word from our Poetry Editor, Ralph Dartford
The poems that our poetry editor, Ralph Dartford has selected for this edition demonstrate a purity of language and a theatre of poetry. These poems are neither under nor overwritten. They aim for the middle and stay true to their own rhythms, beats and form. They reveal multiple responses in the reader. There is wit here, but they are also fierce, gentle and rebellious.
A word from our Fiction Editor, Nick Jones
The pieces I have selected for this edition share one common theme: Water. In all its forms, it flows through these pieces and appears prominently, often acting as a catalyst to events or a backdrop to the narrative. These pieces show the power the elements themselves, as well as the beguiling nature of involving them in your writing.
A word from our Children’s Editor, Jonny Syer
For the first time in the history of Northern Gravy our Children’s editor has selected 4 poets. He’s done this for two reasons, firstly they were the best pieces in our inbox and every one of them deserves a place and secondly because they show such a wide spectrum of possibility for children’s poetry that they came together perfectly. Laugh, grow, cry. Any future submitters would do well to scan these pieces and consider where their own work might fit. I loved them and hope you will too.
Guest Article
Our tenth article is written by Steve Ely. The article is about the moments of music that never leave the memory, real or imagined. A poem, a playlist, a heartbeat. Read on and dance, dance, dance! – READ IT NOW.
We hope you enjoy reading our tenth 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.
