New post on Pens of the Earth website

Over the course of researching our book Coast of Teeth, my illustrator colleague Louis Netter learned much about the ecological perils facing the English seaside. Surging sea levels are triggering floods and toppling homes. Cruise liners, commercial ports and military-industrial concerns are puffing masses of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Sewage is being dumped on our shores by an unscrupulous company that should have treated that same sewage. There has never been so much plastic pollution along the English littoral. As eyewitnesses to these scourges, it would have been easy for Louis and I to have lost all hope about the fate of our planet.

Read on here at the fabulous Pens of the Earth website.

Beachcombing and Fish and Chips: My Interview with Victory Radio

Amid suitably themed tunes from the Beach Boys and others, I gave an interview to Bob Bruce’s Morning Call programme on Victory Radio as part of the Portsmouth Authors’ Collective. We talked about beachcombing, plastic pollution, fish and chips and other seaside town-related stuff.

The show is available here, with my interview kicking off at about 26 mins 30. Enjoy!

William Blake book Crowdfunder almost over

I’m thrilled and honoured to be involved in this project. Please support if you can, there’s not much time left on the Crowdfunder.

Some info from the University of Portsmouth here:

‘University of Portsmouth staff and students, both past and present, are involved in creating an anthology of poetry, prose and illustration to honour the poet William Blake.

‘The group called ‘T’Articulation’ is a Portsmouth-based troupe that is that encourages a love for poetry and prose in the city by putting on free performances and workshops for the public. 

‘To celebrate the group’s success of running for five years and hosting more than 50 events, even during the pandemic, a new project called ‘Night-Lines’ has been created, where more than fifty writers and artists from varied backgrounds and experiences have come together.

‘T’Articulation is looking to publish a book inspired by William Blake’s Night poem. Each contributor has been allocated a line as their individual prompt. Some have written with Blake in mind, others with a more contemporary slant, and most have worked individually. The result is an eclectic and vibrant mix of poetry, prose and illustration.’

Click on this link here to get involved.

Ivory Coast 2nd edition out in July

I’ve just submitted my final changes to the 2nd edition of Ivory Coast: The Bradt Guide (out 3rd July). It includes new material on the plantation region, digital culture and recent politics plus previously unpublished photos by Alexander Sebley.

Petition: Save Blackwell’s Bookshop, Portsmouth

I am reeling from the sad news that the University of Portsmouth intends to shut down Blackwell’s, a fine bookshop whose dedicated employees promote and sell books by local writers and academics. As a senior lecturer at the university, I know how vital Blackwell’s is to our staff and students alike. It must be preserved for the good of Portsmouth’s cultural and intellectual life.

Let’s try and stop it happening by adding your name here.