The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn […]
Real Mild Ones by Stephen May
An introduction to the fifth edition
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.
An introduction to the fourth edition
Welcome. We are proud to present our fourth edition of Northern Gravy. Three pieces of KitLit, three pieces of Fiction and three selections from Poetry.
The Vulture by Meg Gripton-Cooper
She can feel that Isabelle hasn’t shaved her armpits recently. This surprises her. The fuzz of it burns Kate’s hands as she drags Isabelle into the bathroom. It’s easier than expected. The hardest part is getting her over the side of the bathtub.
Death Girl by Emma Finlayson-Palmer
‘Oi, death girl!’ a familiar voice shouted.
My heart was in my throat. What were they doing here? A couple of lads from my year at school rounded the corner beside the church and up the pathway near where I was kneeling.
The 6-Step Skincare Solution For A Better Night’s Sleep by Natalya Edwards
Step 1: Wash
Run a bath. Clean the bath first, because you’ve seen the criticism around baths. ‘Bathtubs are full of germs!’ and ‘you’re sitting in your own squalor!’. Yeah, you acknowledge, baths are kind of gross. Cover the tub in bleach.
Rabbit Rabbit By Natasha Bonfield
Pavel’s hands were sticky with drink. His fist slammed the bar. Another pint.
“That’s how you kill a rabbit,” someone said.
The pronouncement, made in a loud baritone, broke through the haze of Pavel’s third ale.
Poems by Mike Farren
Mike Farren is a Yorkshire-based writer and editor whose poems have appeared widely in journals and anthologies.
Poems by Lisa J Coates
Lisa Coates is a multi-disciplinary artist based in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Lisa is mentored by poet, Helen Mort.
Poems by Genevieve Carver
Genevieve Carver is a writer and performer interested in connectivity and discord between humans and the natural world.
The Lighthouse Seer by Lyndsey Croal
The boy arrived at Elenya’s lighthouse a day before her first Rites, sailing through the haar as if drifting over clouds. She watched his approach eagerly from the lantern room.
Poems by Attie Lime
Attie Lime likes walking in fields, playing UNO and making up words. She is currently working on an MG novel about brothers, magic, and a cat called Colin.
Finding your 555 by Yvonne Battle-Felton
Today marks just past day number fifty-five of getting up at the crack of something (not quite dawn) in the morning to write from 5:55-6:55 AM every day. Five in the morning. Who would have thought it? Not me.
PODCAST #3
Ralph Dartford takes the wheel for an exciting interview with poet Oisín Breen, who kindly performs some of his exquisite poetry for us too. You can find Oisín’s collection Flowers, All Sorts, In Blossom, Figs, […]
Cold Patch by Sherry Morris
It always starts with something small. I’m in the kitchen, putting away the shopping, when a raspberry tumbles from its punnet. Rolls across the granite kitchen counter. Drops onto the parquet floor. A shiver travels up my spine.
Poems by Ian Parks
Ian Parks is the author of eight collections of poems, one of which was a Poetry Book Society Choice. He is the editor of Versions of the North: Contemporary Yorkshire Poetry and the Selected Poems of Harold Massingham.
The Volunteer by Francesca Lembregts
Ten years. Oscar and I have been as thick as thieves for ten years.
We were both young, fairly decent looking fellows when we first met, with sharp eyes and white teeth that were still all there. Don’t get me wrong, we’re not completely decrepit now, but time hasn’t been generous to us.
Ownback by Em Kittow
‘Look at this.’
Maggie moved to see what Kai was pointing at, he was enjoying his new cool status with his big sister’s old iPhone. He was looking at the Magpies and Mochas account, the social media monster that Maggie’s mother had created.
Poems by Oisín Breen
Oisín Breen is a poet, part-time academic in narratological complexity, and financial journalist, Dublin born Oisín Breen’s widely reviewed debut collection, ‘Flowers, all sorts in blossom, figs, berries, and fruits, forgotten’ was released March 2020.
Grandma’s house by Kinneson Lalor
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.
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.
