People on the net may be familiar with the “This is Fine” meme. It is about a dog surrounded by flames yet commenting that everything is “alight.” K.C. Green, the artist, later drew a follow […]
Why Writers are Still Snobby About Science Fiction: Throwing “serious” literature off its high horse
Imagine being a young teen or adult watching the Night of the Creeps (1986). It’s a zombie apocalypse set in a US high school. Recent shows are packed with how to survive a zombie apocalypse […]
When Slam Poetry Turns to Slamming Poetry
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] When the worlds of ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture collide, clashes will always be inevitable. Presidents on Twitter, political campaigns fuelled by popular music, and even memes used as classroom props have all been topics […]
The Paperback vs. The E-Book
With the advancing digital age, the popularity of the ‘e-book’ has risen constantly. Is it time therefore time that we swap the novel gathering dust in the corner for a portable tablet? Or will the sensory experience of reading a traditional […]
The value of young adult literature, and why it transcends age boundaries
It’s summer. Which for most of us, means catching up on the things we miss out on during the academic year, like reading for leisure. I was recently scanning the Young Adult (YA) section of […]
Headingley Literature Festival celebrates local and international literature
Headingley Literature Festival is a programme of events occurring around the production of literature in Yorkshire. This focuses specifically on Headingley here in Leeds, however organisers are also keen to celebrate a diverse range of […]
In defence of trashy romance novels
Something incredible happened last week. I picked up the latest Shopaholic novel by Sophie Kinsella and yes, it was every bit as good as I had hoped. All week I have been jabbering to my […]
Should Bob Dylan Have Won The Nobel Prize For Literature?
Bob Dylan was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature last week for ‘having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition’. The news proved joyous for some – a travesty for others… […]
Michael Connelly in Leeds: Bosch is back…
Last Tuesday American crime author Michael Connelly, best known for his novel-turned-Hollywood blockbuster The Lincoln Lawyer and the infamous Bosch series, held a signing at Waterstones Leeds for the nineteenth instalment of his beloved series. […]
Comment | Is Education Too Eurocentric?
When it comes to education, politicians are very dismissive when it comes to the inclusion of authors of colour in GCSE and A-level syllabuses. It is blatantly obvious that these authors are under-represented, yet any […]