Thank you

Thank you everyone- especially those of you who enjoyed the reading of my story 'Coming of Age' on Wednesday evening. The Museum of Bath at Work have been excellent hosts for visitors and student writers alike. I am grateful for all your positive comments about my work.  It is the centenary of the death of Emily Davison and as many of you know 'Coming of Age' opens with VOTES for WOMEN.

Camden Works Museum exhibition opens 5th June 2013 in Bath

TOMORROW- June 5th- sees the opening of the 'Creative Process' exhibition at Bath Camden Works Museum.  I am one of seven MA student writers who are exhibiting. We aim to visualise the processes involved in Creative Writing. It is part of the Bath Festival and continues until Sunday evening.
   My story about my great aunt in 'Coming of Age' is depicted in my display. I also invite visitors to take part in a quiz. Comments are gratefully received and I hope viistors enjoy doing the quiz!

In-keeping with the Austerity theme my short story 'Coming of Age' focuses on my great aunt - suitably named Eliza Augusta - who confonts austerity during rationing. As a Master Butcher she had meagre portions to sell.
  It is a timely story as it begins in 1918 when Eliza Augusta joined 8 miliion married woman to vote in the first peace time General Election after the Great War. She got the vote! It is also the anniversary of the death of Emily Davison who was fatally injured falling under the King's horse in June 1913.

Bedroom Tax

Polly Toynbee showed the plight of the families who will suffer through the bedroom tax, (Guardian 15.3.13)
My latest story for Fay Weldon & Celia Brayfield is called 'Open That Bedroom
Curtain'
It concerns a family with special needs- they need a third bedroom!
It is part of my Austerity theme.

Student Writer

My tutors are Tricia Wastvedt, Tessa Hadley, Fay Weldon, Celia Brayfield and Lucy English.

Austerity

My short stories will be part of an episodic novel with the theme of Austerity linking them.
Austerity for the poverty stricken village elder in Sierra Leone is quite different from the austerity measures felt by the engineer who has to give up one of his holiday homes.
Austerity is relative. are we all in it together?

My latest short story is set in a smart hotel which prides itself on its 'locally sourced' food. Many of the guests are exaggerations- based on our  'foody'  friends. However these guests  complain to the nth degree about the quality of a lettuce leaf or some such. Beware the character who doesn't fuss enough - he has an anaphylactic shock with dire consequences.
To be enjoyed and inwardly digested!

Cats!

Many of my stories involve cats. Some are black..the prince of colours. Others are  inpristine white but the blood on their whiskers shows they aren't saintly. One story called   ' Single Occupancy' involves alley cats having a 'High Noon' stand off.
The bedraggled cat on the front step - trying to get into the warmth-in 'My friend from Sierra Leone' represents the dispossessed, the civil war and exclusion.

Satire

My short story about 'Inspections'  is timely as tomorrow's front pages of the broadsheets show Gove in retreat.
See my new facebook page to read details of four of my short stories which gently lampoon the notion of  bureacracy, 'Austerity' and 'We're all in it together.'