The first review of my debut short story collection (from Seren Books) – by Inez Lynn, former Chief Librarian of the London Library. From New City magazine – highlights:
Good writing is compelling. Each of these twenty-six stories takes you out of your own skin and into the lived experience of another. They deal with the complexity of human life, faith, emotions and relationships seen through the eyes of narrators with distinct, memorable voices:
The cover of my new short story collection has arrived. Pre-order from Seren Books
Publication is 21st October. Details soon of Online Launch on Tuesday 27th October, 7pm.
A city burns in a crisis − because the status quo has collapsed and change must come. Every value, relationship and belief is shaken and the future is uncertain. Continue reading A City Burning: Cover Reveal & Pre-Order
The Story of Wales is back on BBC iPlayer.
This landmark BBC history series won a BAFTA Cymru Award for Huw Edwards as Best Presenter.
and a BAFTA Cymru Award – the Gwyn A. WIlliams Award – for Outstanding Countribution to History on Television.
I was the Development Producer on the series.
Welsh Government subsequently commissioned additional material and a re-versioning for use in schools (7 – 16 years) with an interactive timeline of Welsh history and Teachers’ Notes. I was Producer on this.
I’m delighted to have 4 poems published in the Abhaile section – ‘poetry from the home place’ – of The Blue Nib.
https://thebluenib.com/4-poems-by-angela-graham/
Tracy Gaughan selects poetry from established and emerging writers from Ireland and the UK.
One of the poems is from the book I’m currently writing on Place and Displacement.
Tracy comments: ‘Angela Graham’s imaginative eloquence of language embodies an ‘at-homeness’ in both the universal and the particular’.
Abhaile is a great means of sampling work from a range of poets. I found among them Hugh McMillan and Caroline Johnson. I’ll give them a wave over there in Scotland. I’m looking forward to my time off next week when I can read everyone’s work.
It’s a pleasure to be included in this series of poets’ work put together during Lockdown by Hugh McMillan. Here PlagueoPoems showcases some of my work.
Hugh’s Poems from the Backroom showcases a poet almost every day and is a great means of encountering a variety of voices. Continue reading A Plague of Poetry features my work
On May 26th Letters With Wings ran an online poetry reading to raise funds to send letters to unjustly imprisoned artists and writers.
Raising funds to ensure the letters are sent: Click to contribute
Poets taking part: Celia de Fréine, Catherine Dunne, Lia Mills, Bernadette Gallagher, Moyra Donaldson, Deirdre Cartmill , Denis Stokes, Therese Kieran, Rafael Mendes, Polina Cosgrave, Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan, Alessandra Trevisan, Natasha Remoundou, Aisling Walsh, Gráinne Tobin, Simone Theiss , Cornelia Rohr and myself.
https://www.facebook.com/WingsLetters/posts/141363680866966
I contributed a poem to the Open Mic session which I wrote for Nedim Türfent. He has been in prison in Turkey for more than 1500 days.
Toi, enfant rebelleenfant indomptable, irréductible !toi, enfantsi ton dessein est d’avorter mon rêveen aucun casje ne ferais retour de mes songes, jamais
I’m delighted to have won 2nd prize in the Grey Hen Press Poetry Competition with my poem, Autun Cathedral, Magi
I haven’t got a picture of a grey hen so I’ve headed this post with a shot of my favourite cocktail bar, Ora, in Berlin. Continue reading 2nd Prize Grey Hen Press Poetry Competition 2020
Responding through Collaboration – 2nd Blog for Creative COVID-19 blog
This is the second of my blogs for this University of Wales site at the Centre for the Study of Media and Culture in Small Nations.
I’m delighted to have 2 poems in the new anthology: ‘North Star: short stories and poetry by female Northern Irish writers’ released on 4th June 2020.
With 45 contributors, the book’s six sections reflect the counties of Northern Ireland. It is currently number 1 in new and hot releases coming soon on Amazon within anthologies and number 5 in Women’s short stories out of 1,000 titles listed in that genre.
In the Tyrone section is my poem ‘Ballycastle Granny: her husband, Thomas Graham of Gortin’. This won Joint 3rd Prize in the Almost Dancing Poetry Competition and Heather Newcombe Award 2019 organised by Ballycastle Writers’ Group.
My grandfather lived in Gortin where he worked with his brother, John Graham in their saddlery business. John’s his wife, Letitia ran the Post Office.
My poem in the Antrim section is ‘The Scottish Referendum: A View from Carraig Uisneach’. This is set on Ballycastle Beach. It’s about the relationship between this north-eastern area of Ireland with Scotland.
This anthology is unique among collections by Northern Irish women in its dynamically wide embrace of writing talent.
Conceived and produced during lockdown, the North Star anthology comes from women’s writing collective, Women Aloud NI.
Chairwoman, Angeline King Kelly, whose idea it was, says: “The submission process for North Star was open to WANI’s 165 members, without selection. Every woman has a story to tell. Many of the most fascinating stories from Northern Ireland are locked within the minds of people who do not perceive themselves as storytellers or writers. I believe we have opened a door to those people, in addition to nurturing the talent of some of the most respected writers in the country.”
‘North Star’ is available to buy in hardback, paperback, and kindle edition on Amazon. The Collection is also available to buy in local bookshops such as No Alibis and The Secret Bookshelf.
Nedim Türfent, Kurdish-Turkish, journalist
Nedim Türfent is serving an eight-year-and-nine- month prison sentence on trumped-up terrorism charges following an unfair trial, during which scores of witnesses said they had been tortured into testifying against him. He spent almost two years in solitary confinement in harrowing detention conditions. Determined to keep writing, he started composing poetry while detained. (PEN International) Continue reading Poem for Nedim Türfent – PEN International on Poetry Day