Hackney Literary Consultancy

16/02/2017

Hello friends who write, and friends who have friends who write. I'm developing a new project with Faber, a tool for creative writers, and would love a couple of volunteers to test it out on over the next few weeks! It shouldn't take more than an hour, and hopefully you'd get something useful from the experience. Any takers?

21/01/2017

"Rhymes are memorable and can help turn a sign into a chant. This is why epic sagas since the era of Beowulf have rhymed—the structure gave the bard a way to remember what came next."

CAN’T BUILD WALL / HANDS TOO SMALL

I MAKE THE BEST SIGNS / THEY'RE TERRIFIC / EVERYONE AGREES

13/10/2016

06/10/2016

Great article about the unmasking of Elena Ferrante, and a damning analysis of her un-masker: "...his failure to appreciate that literary anonymity is an art and not a crime... his lumpen literalism... his catastrophic misunderstanding of what criticism is or how reading actually works."

Yesterday’s revelations about Elena Ferrante must be a first in the history of literary scoops. Stop the press: bestselling writer’s first-person novels are not autobiographical. According to an article in the New York Review of Books, there is strong evidence that the author behind Elena Ferrante’s...

18/04/2016

Touch typing exercise crossed with space invaders? We're addicted to this - great Monday morning procrastination and actually pretty effective at helping with speed and accuracy…

17/04/2016

Twenty one brilliant books you've never heard of - happy reading!

Championed by 21 writers you have, including Jonathan Franzen, Zadie Smith, Junot Díaz, and more.

25/03/2016

Just because. Happy springtime, all.

21/03/2016

In the age of Instagram poetry, Robert Montgomery takes the written word to the most physical of spaces. He talks about fans tattoing his words, making poetry accessible, and discussing literature in a police van

16/03/2016

"No matter how blocked you may be, you still have the capacity to imagine something new—no matter how small and silly it may seem.'

Psychologists have studied it—and they know how to defeat it.

02/03/2016

'“How much do you know about Shakespeare?” I once asked a friend who has committed much of her life to studying the Bard. She replied, “Not as much as he knows about me.” Remember this the next time someone tells you literature is useless.'

Our data-driven culture bears much of the blame for the decline of the humanities in higher education.

24/02/2016

The best story ever told?

A panel of storytellers share their favorite tales, from the Bible to Charlotte's Web.

14/02/2016

For literary lovers.

Torn between your love of books and that special someone? Here are 20 Literary Valentine's Day cards.