Seeing the author Ibtisam Azem [trans. Sinan Antoon] (2026 {first published in Arabic 2011}) speak of ‘The Sleep Thief’ [Sheffield, etc., And Other Stories] at The People’s Bookshop, Durham: Part Two.

October 15, 2026

In an interview Ibtisam Azem says of The  Sleep Thief that the novel is’fragmented and experimental, with surreal elements, references to Greek mythology, inner voices, the grotesque, and satire. Some of these elements may not sit easily with some readers, … perhaps because they do not expect to encounter them in Palestinian literature, because there … More Seeing the author Ibtisam Azem [trans. Sinan Antoon] (2026 {first published in Arabic 2011}) speak of ‘The Sleep Thief’ [Sheffield, etc., And Other Stories] at The People’s Bookshop, Durham: Part Two.

‘We each have our space and our illusion’. So says Gharib when asked for his identification as an ‘Israeli Arab’. We expect  him to claim to be a Palestinian but instead he says he is ‘Nada’, his chosen name and, as the policeman says, a ‘woman’s name’ (it is conventionally so in Arabic) to which, it is implied, he has no right.

October 14, 2026

What’s a country that’s at the top of your bucket list? View all responses ‘We each have our space and our illusion’. So says Gharib when asked for his identification as an ‘Israeli Arab’. We expect him to claim to be a Palestinian but instead he says he is ‘Nada’, his chosen name and, as … More ‘We each have our space and our illusion’. So says Gharib when asked for his identification as an ‘Israeli Arab’. We expect  him to claim to be a Palestinian but instead he says he is ‘Nada’, his chosen name and, as the policeman says, a ‘woman’s name’ (it is conventionally so in Arabic) to which, it is implied, he has no right.

You know one when you see one being ‘good’! A blog on seeing, hearing and feeling together with Christopher Eccleston reading Tony Harrison. A reflection on viewing how ‘The Working-Class library’ makes its podcast on Tony Harrison’s acceptance into the library for ‘The School of Eloquence’.

October 12, 2026

What does it mean to be a good person? View all responses You know one when you see one being ‘good’! A blog on seeing, hearing and feeling together with Christopher Eccleston reading Tony Harrison. A reflection on viewing hoiw ‘The Working-Class library’ makes its podcast on Tony Harrison’s acceptance into the library for ‘The … More You know one when you see one being ‘good’! A blog on seeing, hearing and feeling together with Christopher Eccleston reading Tony Harrison. A reflection on viewing how ‘The Working-Class library’ makes its podcast on Tony Harrison’s acceptance into the library for ‘The School of Eloquence’.

Are City Book & Art Festivals about meeting celebrity. A run-down on Durhams’ week

October 11, 2026

Which celebrity would you love to meet, and what would you talk about? View all responses Are City Book & Art Festivals about meeting celebrity. A run-down on Durhams’ week In an earlier blog I previewed the week that ends tonight as a week of Durham’s show at reviving city culture. See the blog at … More Are City Book & Art Festivals about meeting celebrity. A run-down on Durhams’ week

The best advice is learn to tell the time your story at your own pace for your own purpose, at least whilst you have enough time left.

October 10, 2026

If you could go back in time and give your younger self advice, what would it be? View all responses The best advice is learn to tell the time your story at your own pace for your own purpose, at least whilst you have enough time left. This is a verse blog, of which I’m … More The best advice is learn to tell the time your story at your own pace for your own purpose, at least whilst you have enough time left.

I try to finish blogs, of course. Today I succeeded. This is a blog on seeing ‘The Ragged Trousered Philantrhropists’ performed by Ensemble 84 at Horden.

October 9, 2026

Tell us about your morning routine. View all responses I try to finish blogs, of course. Today I succeeded. This is a blog on seeing ‘The Ragged Trousered Philantrhropists’ performed by Ensemble 84 at Horden. Mark Dornford-May, Artistic Director of Ensemble 84 says of the current production of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists in an adaptation … More I try to finish blogs, of course. Today I succeeded. This is a blog on seeing ‘The Ragged Trousered Philantrhropists’ performed by Ensemble 84 at Horden.

The uncertainty of reading (and reading Harper too) in Cinéma Un-vérité. A blog on the Michael Showalter’s film ‘Verity’.

October 7, 2026

What’s the weirdest movie you’ve ever watched? View all responses The uncertainty of reading (and reading Harper too) in Cinéma Un-vérité. A blog on the Michael Showalter’s film ‘Verity‘. We decided (Geoff and I) that we might like Michael Showalter’s Verity. For me, that was after hearing one line and no more of Mark Kermode’s … More The uncertainty of reading (and reading Harper too) in Cinéma Un-vérité. A blog on the Michael Showalter’s film ‘Verity’.

Since Iris Murdoch we no longer have the right to centre our narratives on questions about a morally good person, for that demands consistency. Lets’s instead show how a satifying person in fiction is one who bears their inconsistency. On Edith Hall (2026) ‘Medea: A life’.

October 6, 2026

What does it mean to be a good person? View all responses Since Iris Murdoch we no longer have the right to centre our narratives on questions about a morally good person, for that demands consistency. Lets’s instead show how a satifying person in fiction is one who bears their inconsistency. ‘… determined to make … More Since Iris Murdoch we no longer have the right to centre our narratives on questions about a morally good person, for that demands consistency. Lets’s instead show how a satifying person in fiction is one who bears their inconsistency. On Edith Hall (2026) ‘Medea: A life’.

‘Of which state are you? And what made it so / Different from the state that I am in’. A lost fragment of verse.

October 5, 2026

If aliens arrived tomorrow, what’s the first thing you’d ask them? View all responses Of which state are you? And what made it soDifferent from the state that I am in. Is it adjective or noun defines youAs alien , foreign to my sensesThat before receiving you reject you,Because bred and fed by love I … More ‘Of which state are you? And what made it so / Different from the state that I am in’. A lost fragment of verse.

‘We rise again and push the night aside :…,’. The vanity in human ritual illustrated in routine. Or maybe I’m just a miserable git this particular morning!

October 4, 2026

Tell us about your morning routine. View all responses We rise again and push the night aside:”I will depart inside and therein mournthe morning, confident of my return.Although I am held back I’m still held tight:Wishing for night’s embrace slows morning’s skipAhead, the drag of feeling Time’s chariot Inside we’re pushed down deeply to darkness”.Ask … More ‘We rise again and push the night aside :…,’. The vanity in human ritual illustrated in routine. Or maybe I’m just a miserable git this particular morning!

Should we want to fit in with undeclared agendas scripted into computer algorithms that are decided by others, who then keep these instructions secret.

October 3, 2026

What are your strategies for SEO? View all responses Above is an infographic by Giulia Forsythe, created for the Wikipedia page on Search Engine Optimization (the full formal name coded into the acronym SEO). It is thought by many to be thought too binary  (hence the advent of grey hat strategies in the continuum between … More Should we want to fit in with undeclared agendas scripted into computer algorithms that are decided by others, who then keep these instructions secret.

The most underrated skill is that which creates poly-mytho-factive worlds using the skills of curation, collage and, sometimes, the best of scholarship. A first blog on the joy of beginning to read Edith Hall, ‘Medea: A Life’, taking as an example Medea’s plea to help from her goddess-mother, Eidyia.

October 2, 2026

What’s the most underrated life skill? View all responses The most underrated skill is that which creates poly-mytho-factive worlds using the skills of curation, collage and, sometimes, the best of scholarship. A first blog on the joy of beginning to read Edith Hall (2026) Medea: A Life, New Haven & London, Yale University Press, taking … More The most underrated skill is that which creates poly-mytho-factive worlds using the skills of curation, collage and, sometimes, the best of scholarship. A first blog on the joy of beginning to read Edith Hall, ‘Medea: A Life’, taking as an example Medea’s plea to help from her goddess-mother, Eidyia.