Sibyl Ruth will be reading poems  @ 11am on Sunday 29th May . She says:

I’m reading three of my own poems and two poems which I have translated.  Here’s a few lines from my version of Nikolai Gumilev’s  (Russian) poem Giraffe.

Let me tell you about grasses, the myriad

palm trees, about the lush scent of greenery.

Don’t cry. Listen… Far away, by Lake Chad

there’s a beautiful giraffe roaming free.

Alan Beard’s story ‘Cheer Up Lucky Lips Forever’ will be broadcast on Tuesday 31st May 10:30 p.m., and repeated the following Sunday 5th June at noon. http://brumradio.com/

The story opens:

When I was young the sky was mine. I was always getting close to it – up trees, on roofs, the iron bridge. I loved hilltops, exhausted from the climb lying looking up into the blue. I’d been on a plane once, to Spain – and back – saw cirrus drift above tiny mountains running on for miles. I was sure I could fly; just jump in a certain way and off I’d float, skim houses and see faces I knew looking up at me.

Winegarden – Anthony Ferner (2015)

Kit’s first novel ‘My Name is Leon’ is published this summer. She talks to Dawn Foster about it and the scholarship she has helped set up to enable the disadvantaged get on to a writing course. here’s the link to the article:

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/feb/03/kit-de-waal-working-class-stories-need-to-be-told

Mick Scully and Fiona Joseph will be appearing alongside Luke Kennard and Catherine O’Flynn on February 23rd @6:30-8pm. More details here:

http://www.foyles.co.uk/Public/Events/Detail.aspx?eventId=2748

Joel died almost two years ago, and it’s strange – but wonderful – to say there’s new work from him. We all miss him so much in the group.

More information here.

Following his recent appearance in ‘Best British Short Stories 2015’, Charles has another story in the Year’s Best Weird Fiction Vol. 2. Well done, again, Charlie.

 Associate TSFG member Julia is a Senior Lecturer at Birkbeck    College, London where she teaches on the Creative Writing MA and is Project Director of the Writers Hub website. Her third novel has just been published by Macmillan. Here’s the cover:

The story concerns ‘ a girl growing up in a sinister cult on a remote island [who] falls in love with a girl who is there to be saved’ – based on a true story.

Julia’s previous novels are Massive, recently re-published by Macmillan, and Dirty Work. She also edited the highly recommended Creative Writers’ Coursebook.

TSFG member Charlie has a story ‘Fresh Water’ in the prestigious anthology, alongside such luminaries as Hilary Mantel and Helen Simpson.

The story originally appeared in Unthology 5, along with another TSFG member’s story, Garrie Fletcher’s ‘Kowalski’.

Out of the five ‘Best British Short Stories’ anthologies so far, TSFG members have appeared in four of them.

Annie Murray’s ‘War Babies’ was launched with a VE Day party at Kings Heath Library. Photographs below show Annie with ration book; the happy crowd at the library; Sophie Greenwood (from ED Public Relations) and Nikki Bi (from the Library of Birmingham).

Annie Murray’s sixteenth (? – could be more!) novel ‘War Babies is launched today (May 5th 2015). Full details here.