The road from school to Grandma’s house was treeless and the wind blew my skirt in every fierce direction. But when I got to the forest, it swallowed me.
Grandma’s house by Kinneson Lalor
The Green Party Parrots by Louise Jones
‘Huh!’ said Kelvin Kea, squinting up at the sign by the hotel entrance. He treated the man bashing it in the ground to his best parrot-y stare. ‘We’re New Zealand’s only mountain parrot, if you please!’
Poems by Laura Strickland
Laura Strickland is originally from Shipley, but now lives in North Yorkshire. She has been writing poetry seriously for the last 2 years and is mentored by Kim Moore.
An introduction to the third edition
Welcome We are proud to present our third edition of Northern Gravy. Three pieces of MG/YA, three pieces of Fiction and three selections from Poetry. As we grow, the standard continues to rise and our […]
Import/Export by Roy
Most people hate their jobs. Not me. I love it. I love it because it’s shit. I go in. I ride a forklift truck around. I go home. No stress. Mostly nights. Suits me. I’m not much a day person anyway.
Sally by Jenny Moore
When my brother Simon went to university he left me his old fishing rod, a dog-eared copy of Wind in the Willows, and seven pounds fifty in change. At least he left them in his unlocked bedroom, which was pretty much the same thing.
Podcast #2
In this episode we discuss our poetry editors new collection and the second edition. Plus, there is a fantastic interview with Martha Lane Featuring music by Luke Starling – find more at LukeStarlingMusic.co.uk
Adult Lane Swimming By Lucy Goldring
‘Seggy?’ Darren has made a daisy of orange segments on his big tedious hand. The hand is too close to my chest and, worst of all, my nostrils. Sweetness is invading my head, spoiling the […]
Poems by Sarah Ziman
Sarah Ziman is a poet from Wales who likes cats, crisps, cake, reading and rhyme. She dislikes writing bios. She won the YorkMix Poems for Children Prize 2021, and enjoys annoying her own children by forcing them on nature walks or ‘dragging them into antique shops’.
Poems by Wendy Allen
Wendy Allen has ‘A Legitimate Snack’ coming out soon with Broken Sleep and is due to have poems appear in Atrium and Re-Side. She is starting an MA in creative Writing at Oxford Brookes in September and is mentored by Richard Scott.
Needs and Wants and Haves in the Marmoset Enclosure by Martha Lane
Food is what you need. Water’s what you need. Help is what you need. A shit is what you need. Oxygen’s what you need. A mate is what you need. A good groom’s what you […]
Poems by Phil Burdett
Phil Burdett is a poet/ singer/songwriter from Westcliff, Essex. He has been writing for 45 years.
The Hitchhiker by Reshma Ruia
Bal Kishan is a hitchhiker standing by the motorway, waiting to hitch a ride. He is a young boy in khaki shorts and a t-shirt with a torn hem. A car stops. He opens the […]
The Time Tailor by Florianne Humphrey
“To sew is to serve” was the first life lesson my parents taught me. I’d chant it to the beat of my footsteps roaming around the city. I’d whisper it into my pillow to soothe […]
Poems by Laurie Bolger
Laurie Bolger is a Writer and Facilitator based in London. Her work has featured at Glastonbury Festival, the Royal Albert Hall, TATE, Sky Arts and BBC platforms.
Ronnie Meredith and the End of the World by Alan Holland
Living on Stamford Street, Stretford, us kids needed to be tough. Right enough, I had my big brother next to me – Eric – but still, I needed bigger. There was a war going on […]
On Not Writing by Lisette Auton
For this article about writing, I would like to talk (type?) about not writing. A massive part of my writing life, which I now do full time as my job, is not actually writing. I […]
An introduction to the second edition
We are proud to present our second edition of Northern Gravy. Once again, we’re bringing three pieces of MG/YA, three pieces of Fiction and three selections from Poetry.
Podcast #1
Welcome Aboard! In this episode you’ll learn about how Northern Gravy came to be, the realities of doing an MA in creative writing, the rigours of applying for Arts Council funding and hear an exclusive […]
An introduction to the first edition
Jonny, Ralph and Nick desire to read great work, to experience what is truly possible in writing, and to understand a little of where such greatness can come from.
Poems by Oz Hardwick
In line with our green agenda, we replaced the TV
with a Punch and Judy show and a fortune teller.
Stripes by Julie Hayman
He’s drawn a tiger in crayon. White paper shows through the orange and black stripes. The eyes are slanted and green, malevolent as poison ivy. Broccoli trees surround the tiger, and a sky-blue river meanders from one side of the page to the other.
Hungry by Claire Marie Perry
I’m on the news. The actual news. Not the here’s a story about some kid making loom bands to save a dog shelter, now here’s the weather news but the actual real-life news. And they ask me why. Why it happened.
Poems by Pippa Little
scared me to start with:
coal-cuts willow-patterned into blue
knuckles hammered and hurt
Cursed With Bonny Lasses by Kathy Hoyle
Mam’s hands are scorched by time, raised blue veins crisscrossed over parched skin. She has a misshapen little finger where Da once brought down the blunt handle of his knife when she reached for the salt.
A Little Act of Kindness by Rachel Wade
I yanked the comb through the tangled mass one last time, but my hair still stuck up all over like a used toothbrush. Flicking a few bits of dirt from my trews and tabard, I checked my reflection in the shard. I poked out my tongue.
Poems by Katy Mahon
…the more you say it, the stranger
it feels on the face;
The Real Boy by Jess Moody
Their first spring together was…unexpected. He held a fear of women, of being caught in a lie. Don’t you agree? Don’t you love me? Am I enough? Will you stay?
Poems by Piu DasGupta
For as long as ever I knew,
I’ve had two mums:
Mum One and Two.
The Silence by Chris Jones
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the process of ‘getting over’ creative projects when they come to an end. I’ve been preoccupied by endings because my latest collection, Little Piece of Harm, has just […]
