Leeds / Dortmund 50

"Hanna was walking her dog in the field when she saw herself. The other her was coming back towards her, holding a worn red lead, at the end of which was a soft brown dusty dog, exactly the same as the dog Hanna had..."

I've written a story as part of Leeds Dortmund 50, a project celebrating the 50th anniversary of the twinning of Leeds & Dortmund. This project was set up by Peter Spafford of Chapel FM, and as part of the project I was paired with German poet Eva Von der Dunk and translator Rosie Shackleton. You can read my story, Meet Yourself Coming Back, on the Leeds Dortmund 50 website here.

Many thanks to Peter, Eva and to Rosie for the opportunity to take part in this project.

Genus: Spring issue of December Magazine

"My brother was born strange. As a child, he spent hours gazing into the distance, clenching and tapping his fingers, all when he was supposed to be minding the seedlings. 

You only had to walk one end of the greenhouse to the other, taking the watering can in hand. You gave every tray a sprinkle, more if the earth was dry. Each day the seedlings grew a little; it was part of the job to keep an eye on them, see whether they had grown big enough to go out into the furrows outside. I'd been doing it myself since I was six, and tall enough just to see over the shelves. But my brother, though he had been doing it longer, did it poorly. He would put the can down at the end of the hut and look out of the window, mouthing words as if there were somebody standing on the other side – somebody none of the rest of us could see."

My story, Genus, appears in the Spring 2015 issue of December Magazine. You can buy the mag (or read the story - you have to write your name & your email address in the boxes, it's really easy) by following this link. 

As ever, it's really exciting to have a story appear in print! And particularly exciting to appear in December, which is a really long-running and very established literary magazine. It was in this magazine where the early stories of Raymond Carver & Joyce Carol Oates first appeared. It's exciting to be amongst such distinguished company! 

Currently reading

Angels Denis Johnson

The Man in the High Castle Philip K Dick

Toro - a new short story

[Image courtesy of Dead Ink Books]

My new short story, Toro, is now available to read for free on the Dead Ink Books site. Many thanks to Nathan at Dead Ink Books for all his help with this!