INTERVIEW: FIRE & DUST MEETS ELIZABETH MCGEOWN
Elizabeth McGeown is a poet and slam champion from Belfast in Northern Ireland. On 5th August 2021, Elizabeth was the guest headliner at our Fire & Dust poetry night. We caught up with her after the event, to ask a few questions…
REVIEW: MORAG ANDERSON’S ‘SIN IS DUE TO OPEN IN A ROOM ABOVE KITTY’S’
By Stella Backhouse. The title of Morag Anderson’s new chapbook ‘Sin Is Due to Open in a Room Above Kitty’s’ is adapted from a report in a Scottish local paper and refers to the “mixed response”, in the town of Kirkcaldy, to the news that it was soon to host its first lap dancing club. Kitty’s turns out to be […]
REVIEW: STEPHEN LIGHTBOWN’S ‘THE LAST CUSTODIAN’
By Stella Backhouse | Stephen Lightbown’s second collection The Last Custodian tells the story of wheelchair-user Luke and his year-long, self-propelled journey across a post-apocalyptic southern England where almost all other humans are dead. As a premise, I think that’s sufficiently eye-catching […]
ONLINE EVENTS: AUGUST 2021
August is just around the bend! The HCE magazine team have created another list of online literary open mics, events and workshops, to help you plan for the weeks ahead. Don’t miss out on taking part. […]
REVIEW: MARTIN HAYES’ ‘OX’
By Stella Backhouse | Whereas ‘The Things Our Hands Once Stood For’ spoke openly and unequivocally about working conditions in the offices of a London courier company, ‘Ox’, which deals with many of the same issues, is allegory. This is a collection whose identity has been shaped not by telling-it-like-it-is, but by what-cannot-be-spoken. […]
6 HOSTS: WHAT WE’VE LEARNT FROM VIRTUAL GIGS
The organisers/hosts of six UK-based poetry events talk to HCE about their experience of keeping their communities going across the Covid-19 pandemic. What changes did they have to make? What have they missed the most about in-person gatherings? And what new knowledge will they be bringing with them when crowds return to venues…?
Writing Advice: Editing Fiction Tips
By Emma Evans | Once upon a time, there was a writer who had to edit a piece of work and had no idea where to start… Using what I have learnt as a writer, and now a fiction sub-editor for HCE, I have put together some tips for what you could focus your editing upon before submitting to a publication. […]
INTERVIEW: FIRE & DUST MEETS JOHN BERNARD
John Bernard is a spoken word artist and rapper based in Coventry, whose work commentates on social issues, youth empowerment, faith and purpose. On 3rd June 2021, John was the guest headliner at our Fire & Dust poetry night. Two days later, he was one of the six key artists leading Coventry’s UK City of Culture launch event, representing ‘youthfulness’. We caught up with John after the gig, to ask a few questions…
DO YOU WANT TO WORK IN F*C*ING TV?
By Joe Bennett | If you’re a writer or creative, you might have always had that sweet temptation to embark on a career into the jolly old world of TV and Film…but before you do, here are some things to consider. […]
INTERVIEW: FIRE & DUST MEETS STEPHEN LIGHTBOWN
Stephen Lightbown’s second poetry collection ‘The Last Custodian’ was released on 30th June 2021. The next day, he headlined at our Fire & Dust poetry night. Stephen’s readings went down well with the audience, and we caught up with him after the gig to ask a few questions…