The Last Days of Archie Maxwell

 Hello!

 Just letting you know that my review of The Last Days of Archie Maxwell by Annabel Pitcher is up at Cuckoo Review. 

 I hope you enjoy learning my thoughts on this new book.

 Liz x

The Secret Cooking Club: Confetti & Cake

 Hello!

 Just letting you know that my review of Laurel Remington's The Secret Cooking Club: Confetti & Cake has been published by Cuckoo Review.

 I hope you enjoy learning my thoughts on this new novel.

 Liz x

Tender Earth

 Hello!

 My review of Sita Brahmachari's new novel Tender Earth has been published by Cuckoo Review.

 I hope you enjoy learning my thoughts on this latest installment in the Levenson family's story.

 Liz x

News - July and August 2017

 Hello!

 After returning from my hectic but wonderful semester in Galicia, I enjoyed spending summer with my family in the UK. I celebrated some creative achievements, which I'm looking forward to sharing with you.

 Firstly, I had poems published in several journals: "December, Manchester" in Minute Magazine, "Perpignan sestina" in Cake Magazine and "The shady part" in Atrium Poetry.

 Additionally, three of my flash fiction pieces - "Montgomery Road", "Something like soap" and "Climbing the mountain"- appeared in Open Pen.

 Secondly, I interviewed one of my favourite songwriters, Amy Ray of Indigo Girls, for Now Then Manchester, before reviewing Indigo Girls' RNCM gig with Lucy Wainwright Roche for the magazine.

 Also in Now Then are my thoughts on Available Light, a dance spectacle that was performed at the Palace Theatre as part of Manchester International Festival.

 July's Word Life had the theme of "Colours", and August's had the theme, "Stages of life". I love curating these monthly sets of writing and spreading the word about upcoming events in Manchester.

 I shared my thoughts on two new books for Cuckoo Review: The Girl of Glass by Holly Webb and The True Colour of Forever by Carrie Firestone.

 Foxglove Journal held a Summer Writing Week, which was a huge success. I'm very proud of how my magazine is doing - soon it will be celebrating its first birthday!

 With autumn and a new semester arriving, there are some exciting times ahead. I have several exciting pieces of news that I will soon be able to share, so watch this space!

 Thanks for reading.

 Liz x

News - May and June 2017

 Hello!

 May and June were hectic months for me, what with doing my exams in Spain and then finishing my semester there and returning to the UK. There have also been some major developments on the writing front, and I can't wait to tell you about them.

 Firstly, I won a Northern Writers' Award! I was chosen as one of five New North Poets. My prize is a year of mentoring with The Poetry School and Clare Pollard. This is a huge milestone in my writing career and I'm very happy.

 Secondly, I've had a number of poems published in magazines and journals. "Perpignan" appeared in The Fractured Nuance, "Why" in Peeking Cat Poetry, "How I could learn to dance" in The Ham, "Waiting" in The Kindling, "Serpentine" in In The Red, "Flowers" in Sea Foam Mag and "Meiga" in Antiphon.

 My poem "Unnaturally blue" was published in Picaroon Poetry's Troubadour anthology and I found out that a story about my cat, Kitt, had been published in Your Cat Magazine back in December. I also wrote an article on French-language musicians for Cuckoo Review.

 I'm enjoying my post as curator of Now Then Manchester's Word Life section - May's issue had "The sea" as a theme, and included my poem "Ink sea" along with work from four other writers. June's issue had the theme of "You" or the second person, and included five great pieces.

 Finally, my magazine, Foxglove Journal, celebrated its one hundredth piece of writing. Editing Foxglove has been a wonderful experience, and I look forward to the next hundred pieces and beyond.

 Overall, I'm pleased with how I'm doing with my writing and other projects, and am looking forward to a summer of creativity.

 Thanks for reading.

 Liz x

News - March and April 2017

 Hello!

 March and April were, like January and February, very busy months for me as I have still been on my study placement in Galicia, Spain. 

 There has been so much to do, what with Uni, studying, trips and getting to know the city of Vigo, which I have come to love deeply. In March I turned twenty-three and celebrated with the rainiest trip imaginable to Santiago de Compostela. It was certainly a day to remember!

 However, I also found time to write, edit, review and collaborate, and saw some projects come to fruition. Here are my highlights.

 Firstly, I had poetry published in a number of places: "Sheepgoat" at The Poetry Shed, "New skies" in Indie Soleil Magazine, "Her" in L'Éphémère Review and "Milestones" in Eunoia Review. 

 I also had poems accepted by Cake Magazine, Antiphon, Atrium and Picaroon Poetry's Troubadour anthology. I'll let you know when they are published - watch this space!

 I completed my first assignment as a critic for Structo, reviewing Seven Sins by Karen Runge. I also wrote features for Cuckoo Review on the music from my summer in Salamanca and my top 5 French-language musicians. I hope you enjoy them.

 One of the most exciting things was the release in March of Issue 40 of Now Then Manchester, the first issue for which I was editor of the Word Life section. My own poem "Rooster" featured, and it was great to be able to showcase two more poems, by Lydia Allison and Roma Havers. I also did a round-up of the month's spoken word events in Manchester.

 Issue 41 of Now Then Manchester came out in April and this time I picked five poems for Word Life, based around the themes of change and healing. Curating work and seeing the finished page is amazing. I look forward to working on future issues and trying different themes - May's issue is based around the sea and will be out soon.

 So, March and April were good months for my writing. I'm looking forward to enjoying the remainder of my time here in Spain and then throwing myself back into the Manchester literary scene. It should be a great summer!

 Thanks for reading.

 Liz x

Villanelle: The Songs of Maura Kennedy and B.D. Love

 Hello!

 My thoughts on Maura Kennedy's second solo album, a collaboration with the poet B.D. Love, have been published on Cuckoo Review.

 I hope you enjoy learning about this unusual album.

 Liz x

The 100 Society

 Hello!

 My review of The 100 Society by Carla Spradbery is now up on the Cuckoo Review website.

 I hope you enjoy it!

 Liz